BLOG TOUR: Christmas at Honeycombe Bay - Lilac Mills

An uplifting, heartwarming seasonal romance set in a quintessential seaside village in Devon, perfect for fans of Holly Martin and Sarah Morgan.

Two Scrooges come together for a festive-free holiday season by the sea and find all their anti-Christmas plans going up in smoke when they decide to play Santa for a single mom and her child.

Eloise Garrett thinks Christmas is overpriced, overhyped, and overrated, and without any family to share it with, she feels sad, lonely and isolated. The “season for giving” is just a constant reminder that she's single, sixty(ish), and staring down retirement. But not this Christmas. Determined to avoid the most magical time of the year, Eloise decides to spend Christmas in Honeycombe Bay. Surely a seaside village in the middle of winter won't be too festive?

Ever since his wife passed away, Bartholomew Knott hasn't felt up to welcoming visitors to his guest house. With the prospect of another long, lonely winter, and having become more Scrooge than Santa over the years, Bart is dreading Christmas. However, when he's contacted by someone who dislikes decking the halls just as much as he does, Bart has the brilliant idea of opening the guest house to people who want to escape all things festive.

Christmas isn't easy to ignore, though, not even in off-season Honeycombe Bay. So when fate forces Bart to give shelter to a single mother and child whose holiday has been devastated by a terrible fire, Eloise finds herself playing Mrs. Claus to Bart's Santa-dragging the house's other guest, a heartbroken teacher looking for a break during the holidays, into the action as well. But holiday cheer isn't the only thing sparking under the mistletoe. Will the guests at Honeycombe Bay realize that, sometimes, the best way to escape Christmas is to let it into your heart?

PERFECT FOR FANS OF

- Small-town Christmas vibes

- Later-in-life romance

- Forced proximity

- Grumpy x sunshine

 

What did I think?

It's a little early for me to read something festive but when I saw that Lilac Mills had a new book out I just had to read it and I absolutely loved Christmas at Honeycombe Bay.

Enjoyment of Christmas is a bit of a bone of contention for me as there could be very good reasons why someone doesn't enjoy the festivities.  That's the case for Eloise who has no family to celebrate with so she decides to escape to the seaside village of Honeycombe Bay on its off-season.

Eloise has to persuade Guest house owner Bart to let her stay over Christmas as running the guest house.on his own after his wife died just isn't the same.  There's no messing with Eloise once she gets an idea into her head though as we sure find out throughout the book.  It's unusual to find an older protagonist in a book and I loved that Eloise and Bart are in their sixties but they still have a lot of living to do. 

As a few more rooms become occupied we are introduced to some unforgettable characters who worked their way into my heart and certainly defrosted Eloise's heart.  It is just so lovely to see friendships blossoming and an eclectic group of people becoming a family.  Consider my heart well and truly warmed!

Charming, heartwarming and uplifting, Christmas at Honeycombe Bay is an absolute delight to read.  I think it's perfect for both festive and pre-festive reading as it's obviously not too Christmassy at first with the characters wanting to avoid Christmas.  Put this one on your Christmas list!  A highly recommended read and an easy five stars.

I received a digital ARC 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 US

Amazon UK

About the author:

Lilac Mills lives on a Welsh mountain with her very patient husband and incredibly sweet dog, where she grows veggies (if the slugs don't get them), bakes (badly) and loves making things out of glitter and glue (a mess, usually). She's been an avid reader ever since she got her hands on a copy of Noddy Goes to Toytown when she was five, and she once tried to read everything in her local library starting with A and working her way through the alphabet. She loves long, hot summer days in the garden, and cold winter ones snuggled in front of the fire, but whatever the weather she's usually writing or thinking about writing, with heartwarming romance and happy-ever-afters always on her mind.

Lilac also writes under the pseudonyms Liz Davies and Etti Summers

Social Media Links – 

Instagram 

Website 

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BLOG TOUR: Bob & Shirley's Guide to Murder - Suzy K Quinn

Bob and Shirley run a lovely country pub. They also solve murders ...

A warmly funny, gloriously British cozy crime and murder mystery series that can be read as standalones or part of a series. Set in a village where the pub is the heart of country life and served with warmth, wit and a very good Sunday roast.

“Murder? In our quiet, little English village?

Great Oakley is a place of hanging baskets, tearooms and riverside walks. We’ve won ‘Britain’s safest village’ 10 years running. I keep three pound coins, a box of toffees and a bottle of Pepto-Bismol on my dashboard at all times, and I’ve never needed to lock my car.

Certainly, Bevvy Hogg was disliked. She ran the local Waist Watchers group, yet came to our pub for fish and chips, treacle tart and a bottle of Chardonnay every Friday. But I don’t think she was murdered …”

When Bevvy Hogg is found dead in the Goose and Gander pub garden, with an empty treacle tart plate beside her and several dress sizes slimmer than anyone remembers, Great Oakley’s winning streak as Britain’s safest village comes to an abrupt end.

 

What did I think?

Bob & Shirley's Guide to Murder is one of the funniest cosy crime books I have ever read; I honestly didn't expect to laugh out loud quite so much.  It's the first book in the Bob and Shirley's Cozy Mystery/Murder Mystery Series and I cannot wait to read more.

Husband and wife Bob and Shirley run the village pub and the chapters alternate between each one's point of view.  You'd think they'd be singing from the same hymn book but they are not even in the same choir.  It is SO funny seeing how wrong they are about each other.  There's a couple of chapters about how Shirley likes her tea and it's just as well I wasn't drinking a cuppa or I'd have spat it out as I could not contain my laughter.

Shirley is a speak now and probably not even think later kind of woman while Bob is a gather all the evidence before coming to a conclusion guy.  What better way to gather evidence than a spreadsheet?  Bob's love of spreadsheets mirrors my own and I never thought I'd see a reference to a pivot table in a book.  Hilarious!

I don't usually read digital books that quickly but the chapters are short and punchy, the mystery is very intriguing and the story is as moreish as John Boy's treacle tart so I positively devoured this cracking book in a couple of sittings.

Anyone with even half a sense of humour will love Bob & Shirley's Guide to Murder; it's incredibly entertaining and completely unmissable.  Without doubt a five star read and I really cannot recommend it highly enough.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

Suzy K Quinn (hello – it’s me!) is writing this bio in the third person. Which feels duplicitous and also a little egotistical. But here goes ... 

Suzy K Quinn writes book club books and murder mystery series, and has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. She's a bestselling author in the US, UK and Germany and will soon, very possibly, have written more books than she's read.

Suzy lives in Wivenhoe, Essex, with her husband and two daughters. She is a twin, an incompetent parent of two and now fully decaffeinated. Her twin sister, Cate Quinn, is also a bestseller author. When Suzy isn't writing in cafes, she is walking around woods dictating like a lunatic.

Suzy loves her readers and is ALWAYS happy to chat on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzykquinn 

You can also get a free book at her website: http://www.suzykquinn.com

Social Media Links – 

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/suzykquinn/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/suzykquinn

Tiktok @suzykquinn

Instagram @suzykquinn

Twitter @suzykquinn

Threads @suzykquinn

Giveaway:

Giveaway to Win an e-copy of  Bob and Shirley's Killer Cuppa Puzzle (Open INT)

One of Great Oakley’s five open gardens served poisoned tea. Can you work out which one before Bob does?

‘Like Murdle and a cozy mystery rolled into one.’

Murder mystery logic puzzle stories for fans of The Killer Isn’t Alice, Murdle and Can You Solve the Murder?

These are ‘Puzzlories’. Read them like stories, solve them like puzzles. Each one takes about an hour to read and solve.

It’s Open Gardens weekend in Great Oakley. Five gardeners have opened their gardens to the public, and each is offering a unique drink, cake, flower and interesting garden feature to their fellow villagers.

Unfortunately, one garden owner poured poisoned tea. Probably not on purpose. But you never know. There are more murders in Britain’s safest village than you might imagine.

Village pub landlady Shirley Duffy visited all five open gardens before returning to the Goose and Gander for a much-needed beer and a sit down. One of those five gardens was the scene of the crime.

The trouble is, Shirley’s memory is known to be … selective. She can remember every cake she’s eaten since 1987, but not necessarily when and where she ate it. And she can’t remember which garden served tea on Saturday afternoon.

Shirley’s husband, Bob, is frustrated that Shirley can’t remember one garden from another. But he finds many things about his wife frustrating, and loves her anyway.

As Bob presses Shirley for details, the clues pile up. Your job is to note them down and work out who served the tea before Bob does.

Twenty clues, one in every short chapter. Fill in your detective’s grid, cross off your suspects and name the poisoner.

Grab your notebook, put the kettle on (carefully) and see if you can beat Bob to the answer.

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Win an e-copy of Bob and Shirley's Killer Cuppa Puzzle (Open INT)

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: The Way Home - Amanda Prowse

What if a stranger threatened to take away a lifetime of cherished memories?

Lilly-Bob loves her home by the River Thames in the heart of London. Throughout her childhood, it echoed with music and her father’s love, and for seventy years it’s been her sanctuary through a life well lived. These days, the familiar walls and treasured memories keep loneliness at bay.

But for months she’s been ignoring letters from a building developer, and now a compulsory purchase scheme threatens to take her home by force. Seventeen-year-old Lilly-Bob didn’t fear change, but present-day Lilly refuses to let go.

As the pressure builds, Lilly feels increasingly alone. But as her neighbours rally together, she finds herself drawn into the fold―making new friends, finding purpose, and glimpsing the possibility of something new.

Torn between the comfort of the past and the call of progress, Lilly-Bob must decide: is home made of bricks and mortar, or is it a place inside ourselves?

 

What did I think?

Amanda Prowse books are always a guaranteed five star read for me and The Way Home is no exception.  Amanda never fails to make me cry and I thought I had gotten away with it this time as my tears didn't appear until about 80% through.  You got me again, Mrs Prowse!

I had never heard of compulsory purchase orders before and it must be very upsetting to be on the receiving end of one.  That's what happens to Lilly-Bob when she is being forced to leave the only home she has ever known.  All of her memories are in her home and it feels like losing her parents all over again. 

With a past and present timeline, there are flashbacks of heartwarming and heartbreaking events from Lilly-Bob's life in between battles with the developer and her blossoming friendships with her neighbours and a mystery man she meets on the banks of the River Thames.

It really made me think about how much we attach memories to places and things when really the memories are inside ourselves all along.  I completely understood why Lilly-Bob wanted to hang on to her home, but for some people it can be difficult to return to a place after the loss of a loved one as it reminds us that they're not there anymore.  It's also a stark reminder that there are two sides to every story and it was this revelation that made me cry.

Filled with friendship, love and warmth, The Way Home is an incredibly emotional and heartwarming story that lingers long after the final page has been turned.  All the stars once again for Amanda Prowse.

I received a gifted digital copy to read and review for the Love Books Tours bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Under Vixens Mere - Kit Fielding

After Harry Jones takes his life in the chilling waters of Vixens Mere, not one body is recovered, but two.

Vixens Mere marina hosts a ragtag houseboat community whose lives are as tangled as their mooring ropes, each trying to escape something.

A marriage damaged by PTSD, a guilty lover, aging hippies with a secret sadness, a newcomer escaping a toxic relationship, and a kindhearted misfit whose loyalty is tested to the limit.

Under Vixens Mere tells the story of these boondock boat dwellers as they unify against investigators, vindictive exes, and anyone else who messes with them.

Step aboard and lose yourself in the complex ties of this small community.

 

What did I think?

Under Vixens Mere is a real hidden gem of a novel as I almost didn't pick it up but I'm so glad that I did.  It is filled with drama and secrets as the reader peeks through the curtains of each houseboat in Vixens Mere marina.  There's a fabulous hand-drawn map in the front of the book too - yay!

The haunting prologue hit me like a sucker punch as Harry Jones steps foot in Vixens Mere to end his life.  Harry's story continues throughout the book and it is so incredibly poignant that it brings tears to my eyes just thinking of it now.  The police are puzzled when they recover Harry's body and find another body beneath him.  What a fabulous mystery!

I loved how each chapter starts with the name of the boat and the characters in the scene.  The houseboat community is very close-knit and they will do anything for each other.  This story sets out exactly what they will do for their friends and it's not just about hiding the bodies.

I was completely riveted from start to finish and once I picked up Under Vixens Mere I couldn't put it down, reading it in two sittings.  I adored the marina setting and the eclectic characters who I really came to care about.

Entertaining, compelling and poignant, Under Vixens Mere is a fabulous book that shocked, surprised and delighted me.  I loved it and think it's well worth a read.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

Amazon

About the author:

Kit Fielding plans and writes his novels in a motorhome at various locations around the country. 

The feeling of impermanence is natural to him due to his mother’s traveller roots and a childhood succession of tied-cottages accommodation in different parts of England. 

Kit Fielding says that there was always a curiosity about what was waiting, or was lurking, just around the corner. This legacy has stayed with him to the present day and it feeds into his work.

Social Media Links:

Insta: @inkspotpub 

FB: Inkspotpublishing

Giveaway

Giveaway to Win 3 x Stacks of 5 Inkspot Publishing books (UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Win 3 x Stacks of 5 Inkspot Publishing books (UK Only)

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BLOG TOUR: The Return of Frankie Whittle - Caroline England

Once you enter, will they ever let you leave?

Frankie Whittle has it all: a career in the City, a gorgeous husband and a baby on the way. It's the perfect life, but it's built on sand. In one terrifying night, everything she has worked so hard for unravels.

She needs a fresh start. When she discovers the very place she was born has been converted into a beautiful gated community, it feels like serendipity. After all she's been through, has she found her dream home?

They say you should never go back, that the past is a foreign country, filled with devastating secrets. How far will those around her go to keep their secrets safe? 

What did I think?

The Return of Frankie Whittle is a dark, disturbing and creepy novel that kept me riveted to the page from start to finish.  I do love Caroline England books; if you expect the unexpected you will not be disappointed.

I wasn't that keen on Frankie Whittle at the very start of the book but I was really worried for her as the story progresses.  She returns to her northern home town in a vulnerable state and it puts a strain on her marriage with her husband remaining in London.  Frankie wants to put what happened behind her and put down roots in Manchester and the security of a gated community is just too difficult to resist.

The whole idea of a gated community gives me the creeps as it seems very cult-like and that's before I was introduced to the suspiciously perfect characters that Caroline England has created.  Everyone is just too happy and friendly as they draw Frankie into the fold and I couldn't help but wonder what their motives were and what they were inevitably hiding.  

I have never guessed the twists in a Caroline England book and I'm not about to start now as her imagination knows no bounds.  There are moments where I couldn't understand why Frankie did one thing or another but a lot of that is down to her own state of mind.  The tension is palpable and I could almost hear a soundtrack of ominous music in my head whilst I was reading.

Dark, tense and gripping, The Return of Frankie Whittle is another fabulous page turner from Caroline England.  With so many shocks and surprises in store for the reader, it's difficult to put down and impossible to predict.  A highly recommended read for thriller fans.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the Love Books Tours Bookstagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Darker Days - Thomas Olde Heuvelt

When the darker days fall, the debt must be paid, . . . get ready for the chilling new folk horror from the Hugo Award-winning, bestselling author of HEX - from the publisher of The Exorcist and perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Stephen King.

In Lock Haven, a quiet little town in Washington State, there is a very special street.

Bird Street. The residents of Bird Street are all successful, wealthy, healthy and happy. And their children are all well-mannered and smart and high achievers.

At least they are for eleven months of the year.

In November, however, the ‘Darker Days’ begin. For November’s the month when things take a turn for the worse: accidents, bad luck, familial conflict and illness take hold. And it is in November that a stranger comes to Bird Street to collect the debt owed by the residents.

Because, you see, there is a price that must be paid for all the happiness and good fortune they enjoy for the other eleven months of year. And that price is one human life. Every November. Without fail.

And so it has been for over a hundred years. To ease their guilt, the residents of Bird Street seek out individuals – usually the elderly or the terminally ill – who wish to die with dignity and are content to be helped on their way.

But this year, things don’t go to plan. This year events take a terrifying turn . . .

Propulsive and haunting, Darker Days is a devastating modern take on the Faustian pact, and begs the question: how far would you go for your own happiness?

 

What did I think?

Darker Days is the perfect book for spooky season; it is dark by name and dark by nature so it's not a book for the faint-hearted and does contain some upsetting scenes of assisted suicide.  

The residents of Bird Street have all made a deal with the devil, who they refer to as 'The Accountant', and he turns up every year during the 'Darker Days' to take repayment in the form of a human life.  The residents don't just kill people at random; they seek out people who are ready to die and help them to commit suicide.  It sounds like a simple plan, until the sacrifice changes their mind...

My heart was pounding as I was reading Darker Days and I'm not sure whether I was rooting for the victims to change their minds or the residents to finally pay their debt as time started to run out.  It is very creepy when The Accountant turns up and the death scenes are incredibly upsetting and disturbing.  I was shocked and devastated on occasion, which just goes to show the strength of the writing and Thomas Olde Heuvelt's amazing ability to paint haunting pictures in the reader's mind with his vivid words. 

Dark (as the title suggests), disturbing and chilling, Darker Days is a fantastic horror novel that will stay with me long after I turned the final page.  It left me wondering what I would do if I was in any of the characters' positions and I honestly can't answer that.  Wrap up warm when you read Darker Days as it will chill you to the bone.  Highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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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

BLOG TOUR: Christmas at Hollybush Farm - Jo Thomas

Jemima Jones is driving home to her family's magical hill-top farm for Christmas…

And on arrival, she soon learns that her dad has been keeping a secret – all is not as it seems, and Hollybush Farm is struggling to make ends meet! Worried about losing the childhood home she loves, Jemima must pull on her winter wellies and get stuck in.

Amid the chaos of chasing after escaping sheep and organising the Christmas tractor run, Jemima begins documenting her slice of farming life on social media. As she builds a supportive online following, she also forms an offline connection in the shape of charming, retired rugby player Llew, her very own Santa's helper.

With a sprinkle of festive cheer and a dash of goodwill, might the community pull together to help save the farm in time for Christmas?

 

What did I think?

It's been a while since I last read a Jo Thomas book so I was delighted to remedy that by reading her latest novel, Christmas at Hollybush Farm.  As well as being full of charm and community spirit, it highlights the real plight faced by modern-day farmers and really made me see the sale of farm land in a different light.

Jem has stood by her dad through thick and thin and that's not about to change any time soon.  When she returns to her childhood home of Hollybush Farm with her partner Matthew it's both to celebrate Christmas and a potential engagement.  I adored Jem from the start and took an instant dislike to Matthew as he seems to want to control everything in his life, including Jem.  Good luck with that, mate!  Jem is no pushover!

When it becomes clear that Jem has to stay longer than planned, Matthew can't get out of there quick enough.  I thought this would mean that my negativity and dislike towards some of the characters was over but there's more to come.  I'm getting angry just thinking about the annoying dog woman who thinks that because she has a dog she can walk it wherever she likes, including the sheep pens on private property.  I was (and still am) FUMING!  I have the same issue at home with people walking their dogs on my front lawn and using my planter as a toilet but I'm the person in the wrong for banging on the window! 

I applaud Jo Thomas for highlighting a very real issue that all farmers face as supermarkets want their products cheaper and they struggle to make ends meet.  I have noticed the loss of so much farm land in my own area over the last couple of years and there's plans for more to be turned into housing and even a solar farm.  It's not that the farmers are making money from selling their land, it's either sell some of their land or lose their whole farm.  It's so very sad and so very real.

The way the whole community comes together to save not just the farm but the village cafe will melt even the hardest of hearts.  This fabulous novel is so much more than a festive, heartwarming read though; it's relevant, thought-provoking and unforgettable.  Very highly recommended.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Bea’s Book Wagon - Julie Haworth

Set in the fictional Sussex village of Blossom Heath, and featuring characters you will know and love from Julie Haworth’s RNA Katie Fforde Debut of the Year Always By Your Side and follow up New Beginnings at The Cosy Cat Café, Bea’s Book Wagon is a cosy, uplifting and comforting romance that tells the story of two love-interest heroes vying for Bea’s heart – her artisan-cheesemaking childhood sweetheart and a knock-you-off-your-feet property developer. 

After impulsively jacking in her dead-end temp job and investing her life savings in a ramshackle old horsebox, Bea sets about turning her dream of running a bookshop into a reality, and opens Bea’s Book Wagon. But it’s not all smooth sailing, and as Bea struggles with the challenges of running her own small business, she can only hope that her love of literature and the power of reading can help transform the lives of her friends, her community and herself in the process.

 

What did I think?

Bea's Book Wagon is my third virtual visit to Blossom Heath and I absolutely loved it.  You don't need to have read Julie Haworth's previous novels to enjoy this one but you will definitely want to read them if this is your first visit to Blossom Heath.

It was lovely to catch up with some familiar faces but this is very much Bea's story.  Bea loves books so I had an immediate affinity with her.  Once the panic subsides after resigning from her job she decides to do something she really loves: sell books and share her love of reading.  An old horsebox may not sound like the ideal bookstore but with a little help from her friends Bea transforms it into something special.

I adored Bea from the very start and she has the most amazing ability to be able to match a person to a book so she's the perfect bookseller.  As well as starting her business, Bea meets Lochlan in a very swoony Mr Darcy moment that had me reaching for my virtual fan, but it was farmer Nathan who I was hoping would win Bea's heart.  You will need to read the book to find out how it all ends though!

Cosier than your favourite pair of slippers, Bea's Book Wagon is a delightful, heartwarming and captivating book.  One not to be missed for book lovers!

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: The Bad Women (The Brampton Village Mysteries Book 2) - Jennie Ensor

It is a new year and the Covid pandemic is a distant memory for the residents of Wilton Close. If only the sudden death of neighbour Tara Sanderson wasn’t still haunting some of them. But Tara is very much alive in memories, and consciences – in particular, those of friends Ashley Khan, Elspeth Chambers and Clare ‘Bird Woman’ Titchfield.

Then a young woman from a nearby caravan park is found dead in a local quarry. Police conclude it was suicide; she was gravely ill when she died. But is there more to the tragic death than meets the eye?

Attempting to lay ghosts to rest, Ashley becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, finding an unlikely ally in the local police. Her friends insist on helping, too. Clare must make amends after she carelessly let the local vicar snatch her drawing of the scene of Tara’s death. Elspeth seeks atonement for her role in Tara’s unfortunate demise – while doing her best to quell suspicions that the three friends are guilty of a heinous crime.

The trio find themselves trailing the young woman’s suspected killers, pitching them against powerful men determined to keep their own secrets hidden. To stand a chance of defeating their adversaries, the women must find a courage beyond their imagination.

 

What did I think?

I am delighted that Jennie Ensor has written a sequel to The Bad Neighbour as I loved it and I couldn't wait to visit Brampton Village again in The Bad Women.

Elspeth, Ashley and Clare are trying to put the death of their neighbour Tara behind them but Tara is as relentlessly annoying in death as she was in life.  The three women know exactly what happened to Tara and they are never going to have any peace until the threat of discovery no longer hangs over them.  That might be sooner rather than later with a new detective in town...

There are more suspicious deaths in Brampton for the police to investigate with a little help from Brampton's very own bad women.  The writing is exquisite and the plot twists and turns beautifully to keep the reader on their toes.  I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see how it was all going to pan out (and to discover why there were chillies on the cover) and I absolutely loved it.

The Bad Women is an intelligent and menacing psychological thriller that is completely unputdownable and unmissable.  A very highly recommended read.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Hobeck Books

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: All Wrapped Up - Heidi Swain

In Wynbridge, the scent of autumn is on the breeze and love is in the air…

 

Clemmie Bennett has been renovating beautiful Rowan Cottage on the outskirts of the small town of Wynbridge, for eighteen months following a very public heartbreak back in her childhood hometown. The popular Instagram influencer, lost her husband, sold their home, and has been cosied up the Fens and living a very private life, but now she feels it’s time for a change.

 

A chance encounter with co-owner of The Cherry Tree Café, the bubbly Lizzie Dixon, pulls her into organizing Wynbridge’s first-ever Autumn Festival, and her once quiet life is soon a distant memory. With the whole town rallying behind the event, she discovers a new sense of purpose.

 

And when local vet Ash falls hard for Clemmie, she begins to wonder if she’s ready to move even further on from her past and fall in love again…

 

This autumn, cosy up with Heidi and this perfect seasonal romance. 

 

What did I think?

There is a Heidi Swain book for all seasons and her twenty-first novel All Wrapped Up is Heidi's first autumn book.  It is filled with colour, fun and community spirit and I adored my visit to the fictional Norfolk town of Wynbridge.

Reading a Heidi Swain novel is like catching up with old friends as there are returning characters from other books as well as an introduction to new characters in the current book.  Every book can be read as a standalone but it's lovely to recognise names from previous books I have read.

Clemmie loves autumn so much that she has an Instagram account dedicated to this colourful season.  After a tragedy in her personal life, she wants to remain anonymous and has moved to Wynbridge to heal at her own pace.  Wynbridge has a way of working its way into your heart and it isn't long before Clemmie becomes a valued member of the community when she is tasked with organising the Autumn Festival with the local vet Ash.

There is amazing chemistry between Clemmie and Ash but Clemmie has her reasons for keeping their relationship a platonic one.  The magic of Wynbridge might have other ideas though and rather than a 'will they/won't they' I got definite 'when will they' vibes.  Well it wouldn't be a Heidi Swain book without a good sprinkling of romance, would it?

Beautiful inside and out, All Wrapped Up is a veritable love letter to the often overlooked season of autumn and it left me with a smile on my face and a warm glow in my heart.  It has certainly made me fall in love with the season more after seeing it through Heidi's pumpkin coloured glasses.  I highly recommend that you snuggle up with Heidi Swain this autumn!  

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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