BLOG TOUR: A Family Affair - Joy Wood

Odele Gardia . . . married to wealthy businessman Howard, is the hard-nosed matriarch of the family and will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She’s ruthless in the boardroom and not afraid to lean on adversaries. 

Sebastian Gardia . . . Odele’s brother and business partner. His wife, Freya, reveals that she is pregnant with their first child.

Elliot . . . the prodigal son, is returning from America with his girlfriend, intending to propose to her.

Business is booming, her brother is going to become a father, and her son is coming home – it’s surely a time to celebrate. But Odele is hiding a huge secret and is constantly looking over her shoulder. If the secret came out, it would destroy the family.

Jimmy Alder . . . booted out of the police force, has been paid to spy on the family. The discovery he makes could have catastrophic consequences for them all.

A dysfunctional family, protectors of their power, wealth and each other, have no warning of the revelations about to erupt and the cost to their dynasty.

 

What did I think?

Oh my word, what an absolute belter of a book this is.  I couldn't put it down and loved every single minute of it.  The Gardia family make the Ewings look like a functional family and J.R. Ewing is a teddy bear compared to Odele Gardia.

Talk about a dysfunctional family - the Gardias are toxic.  Odele and Seb run a business together and whilst their business might be successful, their personal lives are about to implode.  I felt really sorry for their partners, especially Seb's wife Freya who should be on cloud nine after discovering that she is finally pregnant but her short-lived happiness is about to take a nosedive.

What a tangled web of secrets and lies Joy Wood has skilfully weaved for her readers.  There are so many secrets and reveals that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to discover them all.  A few I suspected but I was shocked and surprised by a lot of them.

Filled with secrets and lies, A Family Affair is a gripping, compelling and unputdownable novel.  It's the first book that I have read by Joy Wood and I will definitely be adding more of her books to my TBR based on the strength of A Family Affair.  Very highly recommended.

I received a gifted paperback from the author to read and review for the Rachel's Random Resources blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

Joy Wood has worked as a nurse most of her adult life and turned to writing to ‘see if she could.’ Her earlier work was adult romance and intrigue, but more recently she has switched genres to crime with a romance element which has paid off. In May of 2025, Joy was the fortunate recipient of the RNA award in the crime fiction category for her book Whatever It Takes. Joy lives in the small but charming seaside town of Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire and her writing ideas come from watching the tide turn daily, of course with the obligatory ice-cream – someone has to support the local economy!

Social Media Links – 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/joywoodauthor

Website: www.joywoodauthor.wordpress.com

Email: joymarywood@yahoo.co.uk

X: @joywoodauthor

Instagram: @joywoodauthor

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Choppiness on High Seas - Arvind Wadhera

Being born into poverty and hardship in 1930s London, Matthew’s life was one of relentless struggle. One inadvertent act in defence of his mother would haunt his conscience forever.

Matthew’s journey takes him from the poverty of a cold stone granary to the opulence of Mayfair and Kensington Gardens, where he starts a family of his own. Despite working his way to the top of the business world, he remains an outsider to London’s elite. He then realises that same elite has an ugly underbelly. High society was a hot bed of depravity.

Will he correct society’s wrongs? Will the man who never succumbed to expectations be able to challenge his own destiny or will he simply accept the futility of it all?

 

What did I think?

Choppiness on High Seas is a very thought-provoking rags to riches story that is both uplifting and heartbreaking.

Gail Stephens has a very hard life, living in poverty as a single mother but she brings up her son well and is determined that he will have a better life than she did.  Matthew knows that he has his mother to thank for his strength and determination and he is forever grateful to her for giving him the foundation to become a successful businessman.

It reads very much like a family saga as the Stephens family progress through the years from 1930s to the new millennium.  As the book title suggests, life isn't plain sailing for the family and there are many heartbreaking moments along the way as Matthew rises through the ranks.

The portrayal of 1930s poverty is very sobering and it did make me wonder whether it is much different today.  It is very true that money can't buy everything and Matthew finds this out the hard way, despite his good deeds and attempts to make the world a better place for the impoverished.  Matthew is haunted by a desperate act from his past and it's almost like karma wants payback with interest.

Choppiness on High Seas is an entertaining family saga that takes the reader on a rollercoaster of emotions as we follow the Stephens' dynasty over the decades.  I think it would be a great TV drama series if it ever gets picked up by one of the streaming services.

I received a gifted paperback from Literally PR to read and review for the Online Book Review Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

Snow Love Lost (Marram Bay Book 2) - Portia MacIntosh

Ivy, the owner of a year-round festive store, loves Christmas. When her mother passed away, Ivy vowed to take over her mother’s store and keep the Christmas spirit alive in the idyllic seaside town of Marram Bay, and she’s been running the place single-handedly ever since.

The only thing missing in Ivy's life is a dash of romance – something her twin sister, Holly, will not let her forget.

As Christmas approaches, an enigmatic businessman moves to town, threatening to bulldoze her beloved shop to make way for a holiday complex. Ivy must fight to save the store. But could this intriguing newcomer be hiding a softer side, one that just might grant all her holiday wishes?

 

What did I think?

I don't know how I haven't discovered Portia MacIntosh until now but I'm so pleased that I have as I absolutely loved Snow Love Lost.  It's the republished second book in the Marram Bay series but it can definitely be read as a standalone, although (like me) you will be adding the other two books (and more of Portia's) to your wishlist. 

The prologue is set in 1998 and introduces us to fraternal twins Holly and Ivy who couldn't be more different; for one thing, Holly dislikes Christmas and Ivy loves it.  It's a bit difficult to escape the festive period as their mum owns a shop called Christmas Every Day in the picturesque seaside town of Marram Bay.

Fast forward to the present day and Ivy is running the shop after buying out Holly's share when their mum passed away.  It is clear that this is more than a shop to Ivy as it's almost as if it holds some of her mum's spirit so she is prepared to fight with all she has to save the shop, despite dwindling sales and the landlord selling the building.

There is an amazing enemies to lovers trope when Seb walks into the shop one day with no intention to buy anything festive, but rather the whole building.  Ivy could maybe handle a new landlord but Seb doesn't want the building, he wants the land and his bulldozers are revving their engines.  Ivy would hate him if only he wasn't so hot!

Enemies to lovers comes hand in hand with a 'will they/won't they' vibe and I adored every second of it.  I completely fell in love with the characters and I think I must've had something in my eye at the end as my eyes were a little moist to say the least.

Funny, flirty and incredibly heartwarming, Snow Love Lost is a lovely read filled with heart and a sprinkling of Christmas pixie dust.  You've got a new fan right here, Portia MacIntosh!

I received a gifted paperback from the publisher that I chose to read; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon