That Night in Paris - Sandy Barker

Note to self: don’t sleep with your flatmate after a curry and three bottles of wine… especially if he’s secretly in love with you and wants you to meet his mum.

Cat Parsons is on the run. She doesn’t do relationships. After ten years of singlehood even the hint of the ‘L’ word is enough to get Cat packing her bags and booking herself onto a two-week holiday.

A European bus tour feels like a stroke of genius to dodge awkward conversations at home. But little does Cat realise that the first stop will be Paris, the city of love itself.

Joined by new friends, Cat has got two weeks, eight countries and a hell of a lot of wine ahead of her. As they discover hidden treasures and the camaraderie of life on the road, will Cat find a new way of looking at love?

Discover the beauty of Europe’s most romantic cities in this uplifting and laugh-out-loud novel for fans of Samantha Parks, Alex Brown and Mandy Baggot

My Review:A brilliant, whistle-stop tour of some of Europe’s iconic destinations. Main character Cat signs up to a packed coach trip across Europe – rather her than me! Although she makes amazing friends along the way, I must admit some of the places they had to stay would be like torture to me, so I am very pleased to live this experience through these characters. Cat has run away on this coach trip after sleeping with her flatmate – he wants more, and Cat does not. Cat’s a nice character, she is decisive, opinionated and funny, although at times immature and quite bitchy. She is a right little horny devil though, it was a bit excessive at times for me – I mean calm it down love, we get it you fancy the bloke! In the end I found it funny really. I do like how she and bus buddy Lou decided to make the most of all the time they had in each place.Cat and friends bump into the gorgeous French man who is someone Cat used to know well, and the trip really starts to get exciting for Cat then. I don’t want to say to much about the story but it’s fun, the friends she makes on the coach each have their own reasons for being there, all running away from something. Their friendship was the winning element of the story for me – it was nice she found kindred spirits!
I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and iconic places with each city, we had more from some cities than others, but I guess that is in-keeping with the amount of time the coach tour had in each place.
A fun filled, laugh out loud read that is a wonderful escape. A great summer read to get stuck into. 

About the Author:

Sandy Barker is an Australian writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list and a cheeky sense of humour.

Many of Sandy’s travel adventures have found homes in her writing, including her debut novel, a contemporary romance set in Greece, which was inspired by her true-life love story.

Follow Sandy on Twitter: @sandybarker

My Greek Island Summer - Mandy Baggot

Two weeks. One unforgettable trip to Corfu. A chance to change her life.

Becky Rose has just landed her dream job house-sitting at a top-end villa on the island of Corfu. What could be better than two weeks laying by an infinity pool overlooking the gorgeous Ionian waters while mending her broken heart.

Elias Mardas is travelling back to Corfu on business whilst dealing with his own personal demons. Late arriving in Athens, Becky and Elias have to spend a night in the Greek capital. When they have to emergency land in Kefalonia, Becky's got to decide whether to suck up the adventure and this gorgeous companion she seems to have been thrown together with or panic about when she's going to arrive at Corfu...

Finally reaching the beautiful island, Becky is happy to put Elias behind her and get on with her adventure. Until he turns up at the villa...

My Review:


I am honoured to be kicking off the blog tour for this book, especially on publication day! I am a massive fan of Mandy’s work, a Corfu wannabe (I will get there one day!!) and an absolute lover of the wonderful scenes and characters created.


So, My Greek Island Summer - what a gorgeous book. Mandy never fails to deliver especially where Corfu is concerned. With its gorgeous locations described in dreamy detail, I felt like I was right there with Elias, Becky and Petra. What an absolute adventure they had before they even reached their destination. I wanted to pack my case and head off and see these places myself. With current circumstances it is the perfect way to escape, a read that can transport you away from all the anxieties and worries we find ourselves living through.


A classic Mandy Baggot book with much talk of wonderful sounding foods, so well described my mouth was watering! Whether it was Becky thinking about sandwiches or Eleni preparing food, I was hungry throughout.


Becky lands a great job house sitting in Corfu. She wants to relax, enjoy some luxury, swim and hit the beach for two weeks. She meets Elias and neither are quite as honest as they should be; if only they had the opportunity to get to know each other some more.


I love the characters, a variety of people who are funny or stubborn, selfish or immature, carefree and stressed. All looking at making more of themselves, being happy or needing to see ways to change. So much can happen when people learn to accept the past and look forwards.


A read that transports you to another place, with people you’d love as friends. I couldn’t put this one down! You can feel the sun on your skin, hear the noise of island life; Mandy’s love for this special place shines through and just makes this an absolute smash.

I cannot recommend highly enough – enjoy! 

ORDER HERE:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/390yIkN

Kobo: https://bit.ly/31gYsH5

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2tfyjMi

About the author

Mandy Baggot is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer. The winner

of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK's Festival of Romance, her romantic comedy novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016. Mandy's books have so far been translated into German, Italian, Czech and Hungarian. Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, white wine, country music and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1's Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor. Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters.

Follow Mandy:   

Facebook: @mandybaggotauthor
Twitter: @mandybaggot

For Better, For Worse - Jane Issac

Stuart Ingram was once a respected local councillor...

The first time the police knocked on Gina's door, they arrested her husband.

The second time, they accused him of child abuse.But he died a guilty man.This time, the police are here for Gina – to tell her that her husband is dead. Murdered, just two weeks before his trial.Gina always stood by her husband. Even when everyone else walked away. She believed the trial would clear his name. But now Stuart is dead.And his wife is the suspect.It's a race against time for DC Beth Chamberlain to uncover the truth – especially when a second man turns up dead.

Domestic noir meets police procedural in this pacy thriller from Jane Isaac, perfect for fans of Samantha Downing, Fiona Barton and K.L. Slater. Previously published as Presumed Guilty.

My Review:


The second book featuring DC Beth Chamberlain, as I hadn’t read the previous book I was going in blind. I didn’t know anything about who she was etc, but I don’t think it mattered that much really.

Disgraced ex-local councillor Stuart Ingram, is run over and murdered just before his case goes to trial. He was fighting to clear his name in child abuse allegations. The main suspect is his wife Gina, until another victim is discovered, and it is very clear someone more sinister is at work and needs stopping.


Admittedly I found it a little slow going at first – but I found once we got into the ‘action’ the pace picked up and I was fully on board.


I liked Beth’s character. She is hardworking, dedicated and genuine in her approach to apprehending the murderer although not always the one to ‘tow the line’, she is wanting the right result.


It’s an action packed read, I’m not necessarily one for police procedural type books but this one caught my attention. It is dramatic, has a few twists that leave us readers with a whole host of possible suspects that we must eliminate one by one as the story progresses.


There is a good balance between Baths having to solve these heinous crimes whilst also sorting out her own personal problems. I enjoyed getting to know this character and would welcome reading about her again in another book.


One to recommend for sure, with drama, crime and a host of complex characters, this is a brilliant book with realistic and understandable police investigation at its heart. With such fantastic writing by the author you will be hooked in and will not want to put it down until the case is solved.

Pre-order links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2GWY5IE

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2GSHMfT

iBooks: https://apple.co/2ucWb3Q

Google Play: https://bit.ly/382jhIP

About the author



Jane Isaac is married to a serving detective and they live in rural Northamptonshire, UK with

their daughter, and dog, Bollo. Jane loves to hear from readers and writers. You can reach her via her website at www.janeisaac.co.uk Sign up to her book club at http://eepurl.com/1a2uT for book recommendations and details of new releases, events and giveaways.

Follow Jane:

Facebook: @JaneIsaacAuthor

Twitter: @JaneIsaacAuthor

Website: www.janeisaac.co.uk

Lemon Drizzle Mondays at the Little Duck Pond Cafe - Rosie Green

Lemon Drizzle Mondays at the Little Duck Pond Café


Molly Hooper has a secret. It haunts her dreams and casts a dark shadow over life with her gorgeous three-year-old daughter, Eva. Arriving in Sunnybrook has given her a glimpse of sunshine. The Little Duck Pond Cafe crew seem so welcoming and there's even the chance of a new job. Baking delicious cakes has always taken Molly to a happy place, so the job - at the glorious Brambleberry Manor Cafe - might just be perfect for her. It would mean she and little Eva could finally put down some roots at last. But is Sunnybrook the sanctuary Molly is searching for? Or will the past come back to haunt her, wherever she hides?


Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/2slp10U

My Review:


Love this series. If you haven’t read any of the Little Duck Pond Café series then go treat yourself as they are little gems and this latest visit is just as wonderful.


Each book of the series focuses on someone within the community, or new additions to the community and we see a host of faces and friends and get updates on their stories too. Don’t worry if you haven’t read any before – they work lovely as standalones, you get little catch ups though so you won’t feel lost.


This time we meet Molly, single parent who we met very briefly last time around. She has lots going on, an awful landlord and is in need of some support. Whilst he is horrid you get the sweetest little girl Eva, who is just lovely and Molly’s absolute world.


Molly works hard to turn things around for them and you cannot fault her commitment and determination. As always, we see the community and some of our favourite residents working together to show their support.


It’s a slightly more sombre story at times but there are wonderful moments of sweetness and light, with humour and of course, romance. It’s a great read, full of kindness and community and well as how we do all it takes for the ones we love.


Rosie Green has created this wonderful world for us to keep visiting, I’m never disappointed. This series grows and each instalment is as good as the previous one, I always look forward to reading the next one.


I cannot recommend this enough, one of my favourites and always my go -to reads.
About the Author:


Rosie has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. 

Back then, they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by 'the baddies'.

Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all - unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie's series of novellas is centred around life in a village cafe. The latest, ‘A Winter Wedding at the Little Duck Pond Cafe', is out now.

Rosie has also written a full-length, standalone book, 'Snowflakes over Moondance Cottage', out now.

Follow Rosie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

Clover Cottage - Christie Barlow

A page-turning new cosy novel in the bestselling Love Heart Lane series – perfect for fans of Katie Fforde, Phillipa Ashley and Milly Johnson!

Love Heart Lane – where friends are there for you no matter what.

When Vet Rory Scott inherits ramshackle Clover Cottage in the quaint village of Heartcross, Allie MacDonald just knows this is their happy ever after. A place to call home with the man she loves – it’s her dream come true!

Until Rory drops a bombshell. He loves Allie but he has dreams of his own to follow – to live and work in Africa. Clover Cottage will have to wait just a little longer…

Allie can’t imagine life without Rory, but she loves him too much to hold him back. And as he embarks on his adventure, Allie begins to rethink her own plans. She loves Rory and knows she wants him in her life, but maybe she can follow her own dreams too?

And always there, nestled in the beautiful village of Heartcross, surrounded by the people she loves, will be the place that will always bring them back to each other. Their forever home, Clover Cottage.

My Review:


I absolutely love this book series. From the moment I first read about the wonderful Heartcross community I was hooked so it’s great to be back for another visit. A great chance to catch up with the familiar friends we have already read so much about.


This time we concentrate on Allie and Rory. Rory is a vet, working with his father and Allie works at her parents pub. Rory’s parents decide to sell the house he currently lives in and gift the couple Clover Cottage. This is the start of a very emotional journey that leaves Allie and Rory looking at the future in very different ways.


Christie has given us a community full of heart – it is one I would love to be part of. The characters are so well written, with strong personalities that leap from the page. I always get so absorbed by their lives, I feel their pain and hurt, I am sad when they are sad, and I celebrate their happiness and successes.


Clover Cottage is a story about working together, communicating and supporting those we love even if it hurts us to do so. It shows that a little bit of selflessness goes a long way and for the greater good, sometimes you need to just let go.


I cannot recommend this enough, romantic yet full of depth and emotion it is so much more than a fluffy rom-com or anything like that. You don’t have to start at the beginning but I highly recommend reading the other books too, you will love this community as much as we do.


Purchase Links

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07S7TBKP2/

US -  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S7TBKP2/


Author Bio: 

Christie Barlow is the international bestselling author of A Year in the Life of a Playground Mother, The Misadventures of a Playground Mother, Kitty's Countryside Dream, Lizzie's Christmas Escape, Evie's Year of Taking Chances, The Cosy Canal Boat Dream, A Home at Honeysuckle Farm, Love Heart Lane and Foxglove Farm. Her writing career came as somewhat a surprise when she decided to write a book to teach her children a valuable life lesson and show them that they are capable of achieving their dreams. The book she wrote to prove a point is now a #1 bestseller in the UK, USA, Canada & Australia.

Christie is an ambassador for @ZuriProject raising money/awareness and engaging with impoverished people in Uganda through organisations to improve their well-being.


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christie_barlow/?hl=en

Website www.christiebarlow.com 

Twitter @ChristieJBarlow 

Facebook page Christie Barlow author

Away with the Penguins - Hazel Prior

Veronica McCreedy lives in a mansion by the sea. She loves a nice cup of Darjeeling tea whilst watching a good wildlife documentary.  And she’s never seen without her ruby-red lipstick, although these days Veronica is rarely seen by anyone because, at 85, her days are spent mostly at home, alone.


She can be found either collecting litter from the beach (‘people who litter the countryside should be shot’), trying to locate her glasses (‘someone must have moved them’) or shouting instructions to her assistant, Eileen (‘Eileen, door!’). Veronica doesn’t have family or friends nearby. Not that she knows about, anyway . . .  And she has no idea where she’s going to leave her considerable wealth when she dies.


But today . . . today Veronica is going to make a decision that will change all of this. She is going on an intrepid journey - to save the penguins.

My Review:


A delightful read that will tug on heart strings. I didn’t know what to expect at all but I was surprised by how emotional the book made me.


We are presented with such an interesting and completely unique character in Veronica. It took me a little while to get accustomed to her eccentricity; she is your typical cantankerous old woman who is determined and won’t let anything get in the way. Everything starts with the rediscovery of old diaries, from this we learn the sentimental, special story of Veronica and learn what made her become the stoic lady she is.


We learn of the losses she has endured, the hard times that she has lived through and was hardened by. I think this really cements our love for her and makes her journey to discovering friends and family even better.


Veronica stumbles upon a TV programme about penguins, and after learning about those who want to save them she starts to look at her own life and the lack of relationships within it. Veronica discovers a grandson, Patrick, who at first meeting is not interested in her and she most definitely is not impressed by him especially after he learns of her wealth.


When we meet Patrick he doesn’t have much going for him, he doesn’t like people and doesn’t seem bothered by that. I admit I was not at all fond of him at all. His boring life trundles on as we see Veronica’s head in a very interesting direction.


Veronica decides that she will leave her money to those researchers looking out for the penguins but first she will be going to stay with them, and of course this isn’t a request.

I loved the penguins. I’ve always quite liked them but now I think I’m a bit in love. How clever of this author to raise awareness through her work. This book is so well written, very engaging and I read this very quickly because I felt so involved with their adventures.

A very charming read that I recommend wholeheartedly.



HAZEL PRIOR lives on Exmoor. 

As well as writing, she works as a freelance harpist.

The Prized Girl - Amy K. Green

From debut author Amy K. Green comes a devastating tale of psychological suspense: a teen pageant queen is found murdered in a small New England town, and her sister’s search for answers unearths more than she bargained for.

Days after a young teenager named Jenny is found murdered, her small town grieves the loss alongside her picture-perfect parents. At first glance, Jenny’s tragic death appears clear-cut for investigators. In the murder of a former pageant queen from a safe and loving family, the most obvious suspect is a fan who got too close for comfort. But Jenny’s sarcastic, older half-sister Virginia isn’t so sure of his guilt and takes matters into her own hands to find the killer.

But for Jenny’s case and and Virginia’s investigation, there’s more to the story. Virginia, still living in town and haunted by her own troubled teenage years, suspects that a similar darkness lay beneath the sparkling veneer of Jenny’s life. Alternating between Jenny’s final days and Virginia’s determined search for the truth, the sisters’ dual narratives follow a harrowing trail of suspects, with surprising turns that race toward a shocking finale.From debut author Amy K. Green comes a devastating tale of psychological suspense: a teen pageant queen is found murdered in a small New England town, and her sister’s search for answers unearths more than she bargained for.

Days after a young teenager named Jenny is found murdered, her small town grieves the loss alongside her picture-perfect parents. At first glance, Jenny’s tragic death appears clear-cut for investigators. In the murder of a former pageant queen from a safe and loving family, the most obvious suspect is a fan who got too close for comfort. But Jenny’s sarcastic, older half-sister Virginia isn’t so sure of his guilt and takes matters into her own hands to find the killer.

But for Jenny’s case and and Virginia’s investigation, there’s more to the story. Virginia, still living in town and haunted by her own troubled teenage years, suspects that a similar darkness lay beneath the sparkling veneer of Jenny’s life. Alternating between Jenny’s final days and Virginia’s determined search for the truth, the sisters’ dual narratives follow a harrowing trail of suspects, with surprising turns that race toward a shocking finale.
From debut author Amy K. Green comes a devastating tale of psychological suspense: a teen pageant queen is found murdered in a small New England town, and her sister’s search for answers unearths more than she bargained for.

Days after a young teenager named Jenny is found murdered, her small town grieves the loss alongside her picture-perfect parents. At first glance, Jenny’s tragic death appears clear-cut for investigators. In the murder of a former pageant queen from a safe and loving family, the most obvious suspect is a fan who got too close for comfort. But Jenny’s sarcastic, older half-sister Virginia isn’t so sure of his guilt and takes matters into her own hands to find the killer.

But for Jenny’s case and Virginia’s investigation, there’s more to the story. Virginia, still living in town and haunted by her own troubled teenage years, suspects that a similar darkness lay beneath the sparkling veneer of Jenny’s life. Alternating between Jenny’s final days and Virginia’s determined search for the truth, the sisters’ dual narratives follow a harrowing trail of suspects, with surprising turns that race toward a shocking finale.

My Review:


A fantastic debut from Amy K. Green, I thoroughly enjoyed this tense, thrilling drama. I will look forward to what comes next from Green.


With the whole town morning local beauty queen, 16-year-old Jenny, we read on as her sister, haunted by her own childhood issues, seeks the truth about what happened.


 The story is told from both Jenny’s point of view and that of her much older sister, Virginia. We see that Jenny isn’t the happy, sweet and innocent girl people think she is whilst Virginia isn’t the selfish, loner we may have initially thought. The different perspectives help the story unfold in a brilliant way, and as we got further into the book, I realised there would be more twists and turns more than I thought would. 


The characters are not the most ‘likeable’ but I didn’t mind that at all with this book, in fact in was interesting to see the flaws or issues with each one. I did sympathise for some of them and it was clear to see they were only the way they were because of the actions and treatment from others. 


It is a real, interwoven, dark story that kept me gripped. It was very well written and paced nicely, not much given away too soon but just enough to keep me interested throughout.

The ending – oh the ending! Not at all what I expected, and if I’m honest still not entirely sure what I think but it was different. Also left me wondering if we would be seeing some more from this set of characters.


A book I will happily recommend to others. 


Thank you to HQ for a copy of this book to read and review honestly.