BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: Fifteen Minutes - Amanda Prowse

‘One last touch, one last word, one last I love you…’ Fifteen Minutes – the new novella from Amanda Prowse that will take you on the wildest emotional adventure.

It gets us all in the end, time.

What if I told you that time was not as unyielding as you might have believed? What if I told you it was in fact a fluid, bendable thing and that there are gaps in it, if you know where to look.

Interested? You should be.

What if I told you that the makers of time made a small error, an oversight if you will that allows us to give time back.

Fifteen minutes to be precise - gifted to the most deserving, where they get to spend precious time with someone they have lost.

A chance to right a wrong, ask that burning question or maybe just be held, one last time…

I guess the question is, who would you choose or more importantly when?

 

What did I think?

Amanda Prowse never fails to make me cry with her incredibly emotional novels and if I thought I was getting away with it by reading a novella, I was sorely mistaken.  Fifteen Minutes is packed with emotion and these beautiful stories of loss and grief are both poignant and uplifting.

It's such a lovely idea to be given the gift of a precious 15 minutes with a lost love one.  This is a gift that Chen gives to six unforgettable characters and I felt very honoured to share the experience with them.

Every single story gave me a lump in my throat and at least half of them made me cry.  I'm even getting a little tear in my eye just thinking about them now.  It's very thought-provoking and powerful as it made me think about all of the little moments that pass us by and, as we can't all meet Chen, you never know when you might get the chance to say 'I love you' again.

It's impossible to read Fifteen Minutes without considering with whom you would choose to spend a final 15 minutes, if you were given the chance, but it also reminds us to cherish the time we do have with our loved ones.  A very highly recommended read and an easy five stars for an unmissable and emotional Amanda Prowse novella.

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Love on Lake Como (Sublime Retreats Romances) - Joy Skye

A new life, an old secret, and one unforgettable Italian summer.

Falling for him wasn't part of the itinerary.

For Indie Summer, fleeing to Lake Como after walking away from her manipulative boyfriend feels like salvation.

With everything she owns crammed into a single suitcase, she heads to Italy to work a season at a luxurious villa with her twin sister, clinging to the hope that the picturesque lakeside escape might also bring her closer to their elusive father.

What she didn’t expect was that her curiosity about a reclusive actor’s villa would land her in hot water with his brooding bodyguard, Marco Rossi. Tall, dark and handsome, Marco is everything Indie should avoid, but she can't seem to stay away.

As sun-soaked days stretch into glittering nights, Indie navigates demanding guests, long-buried family secrets, and more than a few glasses of Pinot Grigio. But the biggest challenge of all might be learning to trust again, especially with a man who guards not only a celebrity, but his own heart.

Escape to the sublime in this heart-warming, slow-burn romance set against the dreamy backdrop of Italy’s most iconic vista.

 

What did I think?

Love on Lake Como is part of the Sublime Retreats Romances but don't worry if you haven't come across this series before as it has its own storyline and characters so it's actually intended to be read as a standalone.  It's my introduction to the series and I enjoyed it so much that I want to read all of the other books now.

I adored Indie Summers.  She has had her heart broken and her trust in men obliterated by her lying ex-boyfriend so she can't get far enough away from him.  Luckily, she knows just the place to escape to as her twin sister Rosie works in Italy and, even luckier, the villa on Lake Como needs a new concierge.

The love interest for Indie is introduced into the story in a very amusing way.  Marco is part of the security team at George Clooney's villa and he catches Indie having a sneaky peek through the gate.  It's a small village so they are destined to run into each other again but Indie has trust issues and Marco has secrets so it's very finely balanced whether they'll actually get together or not.

This is more than just a romance novel; it's a total emotional rollercoaster and I loved every single up, down and bend in the road.  I didn't expect to read it as quickly as I did as I don't read that fast on Kindle but I found that I was picking it up at every available opportunity to find out what was happening with Indie and Marco.

Completely heartwarming and incredibly compelling, Love on Lake Como is an absolute delight to read and the emotional ending is exquisite.  It's simply wonderful and I can't 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:

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BLOG TOUR: A Nantucket Fling - Kathryn Freeman

Can a no-strings attached holiday fling really just stay casual?

Olivia is a fiercely independent woman climbing the ladder of corporate finance. But when her family demands she take time off to go to her niece’s bachelorette and wedding in Nantucket, she reluctantly agrees.

On the island, she catches the eye of Connor: a handsome, cocky, playboy type—also ten years her junior. Olivia’s sisters egg her on, encouraging a summer fling, but she’s more interested in catching up on her finance reading. Except…he’s funny and sexy, and doing her ego a world of good.

As their attraction steadily grows, Connor gets Olivia to relax her tightly held control and indulge in the fling she won’t admit she needs. But too soon, the holiday is over and they’re back home, living two very different lives.

And yet, neither can ignore the intense chemistry that didn’t go away after the summer. Are they just a Nantucket fling… or something much more? 

What did I think?

I don't think I will ever get tired of reading a Kathryn Freeman book and I loved my virtual trip to Nantucket in her latest romantic novel, A Nantucket Fling.

Olivia knows what she wants from life and it's to succeed in her career so she doesn't have time for romance and she has barely enough time for her family.  Olivia does book some holiday from her job in London to celebrate her niece's wedding in Nantucket and whilst she's on holiday there's no harm in having a fling.  

Oooh Connor is a bit of an enigma as it looks like he's young and fancy free but he has a completely different life back home in England.  The chemistry between Olivia and Connor virtually sizzles off the page and in an unusual twist at the end of the holiday it's Connor who wants more than just a fling with Olivia.  Olivia stands her ground though and puts her career before her personal happiness once again.  

Olivia's work/life balance is completely unbalanced and that’s a personal choice that she has made.  It must be something to do with jobs in finance as I was exactly the same back in my youth.  I'm glad Connor persisted, with a little help from Olivia's family, and helped to balance that scale back to where it should be.

Incredibly romantic and heartwarming, A Nantucket Fling is a fun and flirty romance that reminds us that, although careers are important, there really is more to life than work.  

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

My rating:

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About the author:

A former pharmacist, Kathryn now writes romantic comedies. Feel good books that are sexy and sweet, funny yet heart-warming. Mr Right Across the Street won the RNA Award for Romantic Comedy in 2022. 

With a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), the romance in her own life is all in her head. Then again, his unstinting support of her career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.

Social Media Links 

Twitter: @kathrynfreeman1

Facebook: facebook.com/kathrynfreeman

Instagram: kathryn.freeman_author

Website: http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk 

GIVEAWAY

Giveaway to Win a paperback copy of A Nantucket Fling (Open Internationally)

*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 a paperback copy of A Nantucket Fling (Open Internationally)

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: A is for Amy - Steven Crandell

A is for Amy is a new kind of romance. It's a quick read with a big heart.

Amy Dellaconta Franklin is an independent mother of 3 kids under 5. Her life is often exhausting and isolating. Then, one day, love comes knocking at her front door.

Amy is a sassy, charming, yet lonely young widow who unexpectedly finds herself on the path of finding love again. Surprises overturn expectations at nearly every turn in this novella, which tells the story of how a life that seemed trapped in the too-hard basket became a voyage of romantic discovery.

A is for Amy tells it fast, straight and funny. From negativity to bliss. With no fluff and no wasted words.

Do you like reading but never seem to have enough space to start (or finish) a book? Each chapter in this romance can be enjoyed in the time it takes to drink a good cup of coffee.

This is a great gift for parents or parents-to-be. It looks like an alphabet book for children. But inside, it's a romantic adventure for grown-ups with a surprise ending that will touch your heart. 

What did I think?

A is for Amy is a very quick read with 100 pages and 26 chapters from A to Z.  I love that is designed to resemble a children's book and the chapters are short enough for busy parents to read when they get a spare 5 minutes.  I read it cover to cover and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It's a lot funnier than I expected and I frequently laughed out loud.  It's very clever the way that it is written to focus on each letter of the alphabet.  Although the alphabet and chosen focus words are on the cover, they don't always make an appearance in that letter's chapter.  For example, the N chapter doesn't mention Nutella (on Wheat Thins) and you have to wait until the Q chapter to find them. I was paying too much attention to the words on the cover rather than enjoying the story so I often thought I'd missed something and had to flick back a few pages.

The romance story is very sweet and heartwarming, especially as I felt like I'd got to know Amy over the course of the book.  She hasn't had the easiest life and she deserves to catch a break so I was really rooting for her to get her happily every after.

A is for Amy is a very amusing and entertaining book that I will definitely be reading again.  It made me laugh and smile so it's a very good pick-me-up type of book that can work its magic in a short space of time.  It's perfect for parents and all readers who enjoy romcoms.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Love Always Lindisfarne - Kimberley Adams

Return to Northumberland where happy ever afters await…

Take a magical trip to stunning Northumberland via the pages of this feel-good romantic comedy by award winning writer Kimberley Adams. Full of warmth and joy, it will leave you with a wide smile and a yearning to visit this iconic location in person.

When the almost unbelievable truth about Kittiwake Penaluna’s heritage comes to light, the residents are shocked, but in true island fashion they rally together to protect their fledgling chick as she faces life-changing revelations.

Meanwhile, the island mourns the loss of its beloved village butcher, and the closure of the shop on Main Street leaves a hole at the heart of the community. Then, when other businesses unexpectedly close, rumours begin to circulate about who might be behind the unsettling changes.

As familiar faces depart, new ones arrive, but not everything is as it seems. And when a despised figure from the past returns, old tensions resurface and the island is thrown into further turmoil.

Amid the chaos, Ellie and Zen finally begin preparing for their long-awaited wedding, but as always on the island, nothing goes quite according to plan. With difficult decisions to make and obstacles to overcome, they soon discover that they can weather any storm, because love always endures on Lindisfarne…

 

What did I think?

I absolutely adored my fourth virtual visit to Lindisfarne, a beautiful island that I have been fortunate to visit in real life, in Love Always Lindisfarne.  Although this is book four, each book can be read as a standalone but you will definitely want to read them all (and visit the island) when you discover this outstanding series.

Ellie and Zen are preparing for their wedding but this is Kimberley Adams' Lindisfarne so there's lots going on to keep the reader entertained until the big day.  I absolutely adore Ellie and Zen's love story and the fact that the whole island is involved in it.  If you've ever been to Lindisfarne (aka Holy Island) you will realise that this is very easy to imagine as the community is very tight-knit on this very small and picturesque tidal island.

This is like a soap opera in a book and it's impossible to put down but, unlike your favourite soap, you don't have to wait until the next episode as you can just keep on reading.  I was completely enthralled by the captivating story that was unfolding before my eyes.

There's romance, drama, community spirit and family at its heart to keep the reader entertained from start to finish, with a few villains thrown in for extra amusement.  The beautiful island of Lindisfarne is a character in its own right and Kimberley Adams wonderfully captures and portrays its unique personality through her warm and effusive words. 

Warm, witty and wonderful, I really can't recommend Love Always Lindisfarne highly enough.  There aren't enough stars in the dark skies of Northumberland to award this fabulous book; an easy five stars.  Keep 'em coming, Kim!

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

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About the author:

Kim was born in Corbridge in Northumberland and still lives in this gorgeous corner of the world. Passionate about the area, Kim tends to set her work in the northeast, and why not considering the wealth of stunning scenery and the warm-hearted locals, both of which constantly give her ideas for future writing endeavours.

Kim’s debut Love Lindisfarne was released October 2023 and from its first cover release on social media gained momentum, taking Kim totally by surprise. Kim had never envisaged writing more than one book, but here we now are at number four, three Lindisfarne book and a Christmas novella called the Christmas Angel of the North which is about a nana and her granddaughter and set in Newcastle.

Kim finds most of her inspiration mooching around cafes across the Northeast where she ‘overhears’ some of the funniest and warmest things that are stored away for future use (anonymously of course!) If you see her, buy her some cake, then she promises never to write about you – unless you want her to of course!

Kim is very proud of her ratings on Amazon and if you want to read reviews for her previous books just pop on and you will be able to see just why Kim gets quite emotional over some of the lovely things that have been said about the books! If you do enjoy the books, please try and leave a rating or review, you don’t even have to have bought the book from Amazon, but each rating helps towards getting the system to recognise Kim and her books.

Social Media Links – 

X Twitter - @kim_adamsWriter

Facebook – Kimberley Adams-Writer

FB Page – Love Lindisfarne

Instagram – love_lindisfarne

Or follow her on Amazon.

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: Annie Knows Everything - Rachel Wood

After losing her job and learning her sister is engaged to the worst man alive, Annie needs a win. Thanks to her best friend and her own inability to take no for an answer, she manages to talk her way into an opening on another team working on data strategy - whatever that means. So what if she doesn't know how to write code? How hard can it be? Surely Connor - the team's overworked, aggravating, and distractingly hot leader - will soon realise how capable Annie is and be delighted to have her on board.

Annie sets her sights on nailing it at her new job... even if it means ignoring the chemistry building between her and Connor. Also on her to do list is trying to (gently! supportively!) convince her sister to reconsider her engagement, not to mention trying to figure out why her roommate and best friend are acting weird. But with sparks flying at work and at home, she begins to see how complicated taking matters into her own hands can be.

Annie thinks she knows it all, but does she really know everything?

 

What did I think?

What a fantastic debut novel - I absolutely loved Annie Knows Everything because of course Annie doesn't actually know everything.

It's often said that people who think they know everything are dangerous and that is very much the case with Annie.  Her heart might be in the right place but she doesn't always engage her brain, even though she thinks she knows best.  Even though she sometimes made me furious at her thoughtless actions, I really did love her.

There's quite a lot going on in the book so I was entertained from start to finish.  Annie's personal life is as eventful as her work life; her sister isn't speaking to her and she's about to lose her job unless she can transfer to a role for which she has zero knowledge or skill.  It helps when your friend is in charge of HR of course and, wildly inappropriate though it might be for HR to show such a lack of impartiality, it is very funny to see Annie blag her way into the job.

I loved the banter between Annie and her colleagues and her blossoming relationship with Connor is very sweet.  I think the fact that Annie makes so many mistakes (even though she doesn't think she is doing so) makes her so much more relatable, realistic and downright loveable.  

Funny, heartwarming and captivating, Annie Knows Everything is a fabulous romcom that is just begging to made into a film.  I really hope it gets picked up and ends up on the big screen as it would be amazing to see.  A highly recommended read.

I received a gifted hardback for the Love Books Tours bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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INSTAGRAM TOUR: The Amalfi Curse - Sarah Penner

 

Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse...

Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artefacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?

As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever...

Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.

What did I think?

I adored Sarah Penner's debut novel, The Lost Apothecary, so I was very excited to read another of her books and I was not disappointed.  The Amalfi Curse is her third novel, and the first to be set outside of London, that takes the reader to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

This is a story about sea witches and there is a register of incantations on an illustration of a scroll in the front of the book.  I loved this touch and it really made me excited to read the story that follows.

With a dual timeline we meet sea witch Mari in 1821 and nautical archaeologist Haven in the present day.  The way their stories intertwine is breathtaking as they are linked by a sailor from a sunken ship called Holmes.  Holmes was in love with Mari, even though she was promised to another man, and I absolutely devoured their story.  Haven's father discovered the sunken ship on a dive but he passed away before he could investigate further so Haven has returned to finish where he left off.

This is such an intriguing story with an ancient curse and the promise of treasure beneath the waves.  I was completely riveted by Haven's research and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the page when she visited the archives to assist in her research.

Incredibly atmospheric and completely captivating, The Amalfi Curse is a poignant and haunting novel that is filled with mystery, magic and romance.  I loved it and highly recommend it.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the Insta Book Tours Instagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Love, Grief & More Sex Than Pinot (Soho Summers Series Book 1) - Sacha Hughes

Soho’s life was perfect, until it wasn’t.

The youngest of three girls, growing up on the Essex coast, she had love and laughter… until her mum lost her battle with cancer.

At 24, grief hit hard. With pinot grigio as her go-to painkiller and the belief that only Mr Right can fix her broken heart, Soho dives headfirst into love’s messiest lessons.

With her recruitment career in London a comical shit-show, Soho’s nights with her five best friends, the Wino Worms, are fuelled by cocaine, cocktails, and chaos. Hundreds of men later, hope never lasts past hangovers and sunrise.

That is, until a disastrous bedroom incident sparks a painful journey of healing she’s been running from. But not for long! Enter Warren Williams: the irresistible Aussie with endless champagne and sweet nothings. Could he be the Mr Right she’s been chasing all along? She’s not ready… Or is she?

Full of heartbreak, hilarity, and a hint of redemption, Love, Grief & More Sex Than Pinot is a gloriously human, raw, and riotous journey through love, loss, and learning that the only person who can save you… is you.

 

What did I think?

Wow!  What an amazing debut novel from Sacha Hughes!  I expected to like Love, Grief & More Sex Than Pinot, which is why I chose to read it, but I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!!!

Soho Summers is such a realistic and relatable character.  The 28-year-old has been searching for her very own Mr Right but every one she picks turns out to be Mr Very Wrong.  Summer may laugh off all of her dating nightmares in front of her friends but it really stings when her friends return to their partners and Soho goes home alone to her cute cat Pickle.

When Soho's mother dies she spirals dangerously out of control with a cocktail of drink, drugs and sex but she continues to tell her friends and family that she's 'fine'.  Isn't that so true?  We use 'I'm fine' so often that it almost has the opposite meaning to what it should convey.  Now, I would like to say that I couldn't put this book down but I had to at the end of a couple of chapters to gather my emotions as it is heartbreaking reading at times.  Soho's grief is palpable and I just wanted to reach into the book and give her a massive hug.

I've seen readers talking about book hangovers before but I had never had one...until now.  I didn't want the book to end and I'm already looking forward to the next one.  There's a sneaky peak of book two in the back of the book and I don't usually read these excerpts but I just had to see what was next in store for Soho.  I can't wait for more!!

Entertaining, laugh out loud hilarious and incredibly poignant, Love, Grief & More Sex Than Pinot made me laugh and cry so have your hankies at the ready when you read it.  It's an unmissable and unforgettable emotional rollercoaster of a rom-com and an easy five stars.

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

My rating:

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The Many Seas to Guernsey - Catherine Taylor

 

In the last golden years before Europe erupts into WWII a young English writer and a German Roman Catholic priest-in-training meet by chance on the small British island of Guernsey – and are drawn into a forbidden, all-consuming love. Then history and duty intrude, forcing them to choose between complicity and courage in a fight for truth, freedom – and each other. A sweeping, morally complex love story that will stay with you long after the last page, from Catherine Taylor, author of no. 1 best seller Beyond The Moon, shortlisted for the Orion/eHarmony Love Story Prize and longlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize.

In 1936 Kitty Garland-Fry moves to Guernsey with her bohemian, artist parents and unruly siblings. Marooned amid her family’s chaotic lifestyle, Kitty, a passionate writer of fairy tales, fears she’ll die of boredom and frustration if she cannot find a life of her own. In Nazi Berlin, meanwhile, Lukas von Harnitz, an idealistic and devout Roman Catholic seminarian, is reluctantly leaving for Guernsey, too, forced to interrupt his priestly studies for a year to take his newly widowed English-born mother back home to safety. Fiercely anti-Nazi, he can’t help feeling he’s abandoning both his country and his calling at a moment of gathering darkness.

Two fish out of water together, Kitty and Lukas are drawn together in their shared loneliness. Bonding over poetry and books, their days unfold like a quiet, sunlit dream on white sand beaches beneath endless blue skies, sheltered from both the pull of responsibility and the gathering storm of war. But then friendship begins to deepen into something more, and Lukas is forced into a devastating choice between God and the woman he loves, while fate also compels Kitty onto a path that will take her into the very heart of Nazi Germany.

Charting the road to war from both the British and German perspectives, The Many Seas to Guernsey is an emotional, character-driven epic grappling with themes of faith, conscience and the power of love in an age of extremes. Moving from the secluded turquoise coves of Guernsey to the towering Bavarian Alps, then the Gestapo cells of pre-war Berlin and finally the hellish beaches of the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation, The Many Seas to Guernsey is the first in a planned duology and will appeal to fans of novels like All the Light We Cannot See, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Crooked Cross, The Nightingale, The Bronze Horseman and Atonement.

Catherine Taylor is a former journalist, starting off her career at the Guernsey Evening Press, and ending up at Dow Jones News, where she wrote for the newswire and The Wall Street Journal Europe. She was born and brought up on Guernsey, where her own family experienced the German occupation and evacuation, then went on to study German history and language, giving rise to a lifelong passion for the history of the two world wars. She lives in West London with her husband, two children and five cats.

**NB This story unfolds against the backdrop of Nazi Germany and the Second World War. It contains depictions of violence, imprisonment, war crimes, sexual abuse and themes of loss and grief that some readers may find distressing.

What did I think?

It's never easy to read books set in this period but I think it's important to be reminded of events in Nazi Germany leading up to the start of World War II.  The Many Seas to Guernsey leads us in gently starting with a idyllic island setting that is a stark contrast to the brutality and violence of pre-war Germany.

This is the story of Kitty and Lukas but it's not a traditional love story as Lukas is training to be priest.  It is clear that they are drawn to one another though and Lukas has to make a difficult choice between Kitty and God.  Kitty is part of a very unconventional family, which perhaps explains her willingness to take risks and travel so far from home and fate sees her crossing paths with Lukas once again.

The story is told in three parts covering 1936-1937, 1938-1939 and 1939-1940.  There is such a lot going on in such a short period of time and it's only the start of the war so there is worse to come.  It's good to have such relatable main characters to add some light and hope to the darkness of the storyline.

It's a very emotional story with shocking and devastating moments that really hit me where it hurts.  Catherine Taylor vividly recreates some of the horrific events leading up to the outbreak of war and it gave me chills when I was reading.  I was invested in the characters from the start so I felt every emotion with them and I admit to shedding a tear or two over the course of the book.

Haunting, poignant and powerful, The Many Seas to Guernsey is a vivid and emotional historical fiction novel that pulled at my heartstrings and kept me captivated.  I'm delighted that it's part of a duology and can't wait to read what happens next. 

I received a gifted paperback for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: The Summer That Changed Us (Changing Tides Book 1) - Billie Swann

Ellie never stopped loving Jackson. She’s just learned how to live without him.

Seventeen years after the summer that shattered everything, Ellie has built a life she can control. She runs The Beach House Café on the Dorset coast, keeps her world small, and tells herself she’s fine. Love, motherhood, and the future she once imagined all feel impossibly out of reach, buried beneath years of guilt.

Then Jackson walks back into her life.

He’s not the lanky schoolboy she remembers. He’s all grown up now with broader shoulders and striking hazel eyes shot through with gold, but he has that smile that makes her forget to breathe. Despite having every reason to hate her for what she did, he still looks at her like she’s the only person in the room.

The connection between them is impossible to ignore. As old feelings resurface, so does the secret Ellie’s been hiding since they were teenagers – a secret that sent their lives spiralling in opposite directions.

Now Ellie must decide whether she’s brave enough to risk everything for the man she never stopped loving.

Sometimes love isn’t about getting a second chance. It’s about finding the courage to take it.

What did I think?

What a fabulously heartwarming book this is!  The Summer That Changed Us isn't a hearts and flowers love story; it's a romance that deals with some serious issues with grit, sensitivity and warmth.  This is Billie Swann's debut novel and I'm delighted to see that she has more books planned in the Changing Tides series.

Seventeen years ago, Ellie and Jackson were childhood sweethearts but they are driven apart by a shattering event that shaped their lives.  Ellie shies away from relationships and concentrates on running her beach café but when trade starts to fall off she discovers that there's a rival café close by and running it is none other than Jackson.

Oh it's really painful to see Ellie and Jackson skirting around each other as if they are strangers.  The chemistry is clearly still there but they have been hurt terribly before and it looks like neither of them are willing to take the risk of having their heart broken again.  It's like they are both wearing magnets though and as much as they pull away from each other, they are drawn back together.

The history behind Ellie and Jackson is so sad and I struggled to hold in my tears as events played out during their teenage years.  It's a shame they were so young as they might have reacted differently and got through it together rather than alienating each other and working through their pain separately.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing though and you can't turn back the clock.

Whilst this is a romance novel, there's a lot of angst and difficulties for the characters to overcome.  It makes it quite realistic as life is all about the ups and downs and I really warmed to both main characters and others in the periphery.  

Compelling, heartwarming, poignant and uplifting, The Summer That Changed Us is an accomplished and flawless debut novel from Billie Swann and I'm excited to read more in the series.  A very highly recommended read.

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

My rating:

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Lochbound - Rebecca Templeton

There is no happily-ever-after . . .

Kilmara, Scotland. 1725. For fifty years, Iris has accepted the curse that blighted her life. By night, she is a heartbroken woman, destined to walk the misty shores of Kilmara without growing older. By day, she is Moireach, a terrifying monster imprisoned in the murky depths of Loch Moine.

When bodies begin appearing on the shore, the villagers are convinced Moireach is responsible. So a hunter - the rugged, ruthless Henry Carver - is summoned to slay the monster of the loch.

Iris must break her curse before she is killed for crimes she cannot believe she has committed. But as Kilmara's hunt for the monster becomes ever more fevered, she and Henry are drawn together in a dangerous game of impossible attraction.

And when a figure from Iris's past suddenly reappears, she must choose what - or who - she is willing to sacrifice to win her freedom.

. . . when you are the monster.

A glitteringly dark reimagining of The Little Mermaid set in eighteenth-century Scotland, this enchanting and gothic historical fantasy is perfect for fans of Rosie Andrews's The Leviathan, Georgia Leighton's Spellbound and anyone who loved Outlander. 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, I adored this beautiful book; it is as stunning inside as out.  Lochbound is Rebecca Templeton's debut novel and it is exceptional.  It is a retelling of The Little Mermaid but it also reminded me of Beauty and the Beast.  

Iris has been cursed to spend her days as Moireach the monster in the loch but by night she becomes Iris again.  The curse can only be broken by true love's kiss but the boy Iris loves disappeared when she became a monster and she is still searching for him.  With mutilated bodies turning up by the loch, time is running out for Iris as the laird has tasked a hunter to find the monster before any more villagers are killed.  

The enchanting story is told from various points of view: Iris, her old friend Duncan, Henry the hunter and Moireach.  It is deliciously dark and, with witches, curses and monsters, it is one of the best adult fairy tales I have ever read.  The writing is so beautiful and spellbinding that I had to double check that Lochbound is Rebecca Templeton's debut - it really is!  Put this exciting new author on your watchlist, readers!

Haunting, mesmerising and atmospheric, Lochbound is a breathtaking debut novel that captivated, entertained and delighted me from the first page to the last.  I couldn't put it down and I will definitely be reading it again.  I would give it more than five stars if I could; it's absolutely exquisite and I can't recommend it highly enough.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon