BLOG TOUR: Surprises on the Scottish Isle (Coorie Castle Crafts Book 1) - Lilac Mills

Will they get a second chance at first love?

When newly divorced Tara McTaigh spots an advert for a studio to let in Coorie Castle’s craft centre, she packs up her Edinburgh life and moves to the Isle of Skye, eager for a fresh start.

Little does she know that the castle’s estate manager, single dad Calan Fraser, is the man who broke her heart back at university. Thoroughly done with romance, Tara decides to ignore Cal and focus on building her business – creating dollhouses to commission. But Duncoorie is a small community, and the two keep bumping into each other… 

Just as she is starting to open her heart once more to Cal, a change in his life puts everything on the line. When a surprise storm threatens Tara's safety, will Cal realise in time that love is worth the risk?

An uplifting and feel-good crafty romance for fans of Holly Martin, Sue Moorcroft and Julie Shackman.

What did I think?

Oh I thoroughly enjoyed my virtual visit to the Isle of Skye in Lilac Mills' new book, Surprises on the Scottish Isle.  This heartwarming romance left a huge smile on my face and I wasn't sad to leave the characters as I had already noticed that this is the first book in a series so I'll be going back to the gorgeous Coorie Castle.

Cal broke Tara's heart when they split up; he was the love of her life so her marriage to Dougie McTaigh didn't really stand a chance.  Little does Tara know that she was also the love of Cal's life and he has never forgotten her, even naming the princess after her in his daughter's bedtime story.  So it's a surprise for both Cal and Tara when fate throws them together again in a place where they least expected to find each other.

I really felt for both characters as they attempted to find their way back to each other despite all of the hurdles that were placed in their way.  Tara doesn't want her heart broken again and Cal has made a promise to his daughter that he will never have a girlfriend but it is clear that they are both meant to be together.

Surprises on the Scottish Isle is a completely charming story with an idyllic setting and I absolutely loved it.  The dollhouses that Tara makes sounded exquisite as Lilac Mills paints such a vivid picture with her wonderful words.  I am delighted that there is another book in the series due out in the summer and I can't wait to visit Coorie Castle and the Isle of Skye again.

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

My rating:

Purchase Link - https://geni.us/SOTSI

About the author:

Lilac Mills lives on a Welsh hillside 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.

Social Media Links – 

Website: https://www.lilacmills.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilacMills 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilacmillsauthor 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lilacmills 

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BLOG TOUR: The End is Where We Begin - Maria Goodin

Jay Lewis is a troubled soul. A single father, just trying to keep everything together, he knows he sabotages any real chance of happiness.

Tormented by nightmares and flashbacks, he can’t forget the events from one fateful night that steered the course of the rest of his life. Struggling against the crushing weight of guilt, Jay knows there are wrongs he needs to put right.

Determined to get closure, he seeks out old friends and a past love. But in his quest for a more peaceful future, is he ready to face the trauma of his past?

What did I think?

The End is Where We Begin is a breathtaking book that completely exceeded all of my expectations.  I was expecting a slow, gentle pacing but I was so completely drawn into Jay's story that I couldn't put it down and greedily devoured every single perfectly penned word in this stunning novel.  

We are launched straight into Jay's troubled mind from the very first page as he experiences traumatic flashbacks of an event in his past.  This adds the perfect level of suspense to make sure that the reader is hooked from page one, which I was.  We are teased with snippets from this awful event all of the way through, gradually revealing it piece by piece, and when it fully takes form my heart shattered into a million pieces.

Jay blames himself and carries so much guilt on his shoulders that it's a wonder he doesn't walk with a stoop.  He has an awful lot on his plate anyway, being a 32 year old single father of a 15 year old with all the teenage angst and shenanigans that come with it.  Add in a lost love, a friend who constantly hits the self-destruct button and a father suffering from Alzheimers and we've got quite a story on our hands.

The chapters flow into each other beautifully, often carrying over a word or theme from the previous chapter and I loved this clever, thoughtful touch.  Maria Goodin's writing is stunning, creating loveable and relatable characters that I took to my heart and felt every emotion with them.  Not since the film Stand By Me have I witnessed such beautiful camaraderie between a group of teenage boys.  I was so emotional at the end, struggling to hold back the same tears that are springing to my eyes as I think about it now. 

The End is Where We Begin is a stunning and incredibly moving literary feast for the eyes.  Immersive, emotional and suspenseful, I felt completely bereft when I turned the final page so this is definitely going on my 'to read again' shelf.  I could actually pick it up right now and read it all over again.  An extraordinary novel and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; all opinions are my own.

My rating:

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The Miseducation of Evie Epworth - Matson Taylor

July, 1962

 

Sixteen year-old Evie Epworth stands on the cusp of womanhood. But what kind of a woman will she become?

 

The fastest milk bottle-delivery girl in East Yorkshire, Evie is tall as a tree and hot as the desert sand. She dreams of an independent life lived under the bright lights of London (or Leeds). The two posters of Adam Faith on her bedroom wall (‘brooding Adam’ and ‘sophisticated Adam’) offer wise counsel about a future beyond rural East Yorkshire. Her role models are Charlotte Bronte, Shirley MacLaine and the Queen. But, before she can decide on a career, she must first deal with the malign presence of her future step-mother, the manipulative and money-grubbing Christine.

 

If Evie can rescue her bereaved father, Arthur, from Christine’s pink and over-perfumed clutches, and save the farmhouse from being sold off then maybe she can move on with her own life and finally work out exactly who it is she is meant to be.  

 

Moving, inventive and richly comic, The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is the most joyful debut novel of the year and the best thing to have come out of Yorkshire since Wensleydale cheese.  

What did I think?

What a fantastic debut!  Oh I have my fingers crossed that this is the start of a new series starring 16 year old, tall as a tree Yorkshire lass, Evie Epworth.  I just knew that I was going to love Evie from the very first page when she is flying (literally) on her milk delivery round.  What caused her to fly nearly made me choke on my tea, it is SO funny.

The wit just keeps on coming as we find out more about Evie's life.  Her quiet dad, Arthur, who is a widower has been caught in the net of the creature from the pink lagoon, aka Christine.  Christine and Evie don't get on at all so Evie spends a lot of time with her neighbour, Mrs Scott-Pym who was friends with Evie's mother, Diana.

It must've been so hard for Evie growing up without her mother and Arthur doesn't talk about her very often.  Any time Diana is mentioned by someone, Evie's whole world lights up and the way Matson Taylor depicts this really made my heart sing.  In between each chapter there are little interludes of Arthur and Diana's life and I absolutely loved the way this 'past' storyline was set out.

The characters in The Miseducation of Evie Epworth are more colourful than a rainbow.  I loved straight talking Mrs Swithenbank and fabulous Mrs Scott-Pym as much as I detested gold-digger Christine and her long-suffering mother, Vera.  Of course, it is Evie who is the star of the show and you can't help but love her.  I loved the 1960's setting, I loved the characters, I loved the whole book!  It is just the tonic I needed to be able to leave 2020 behind for a few hours and be transported to 1960's Yorkshire.

The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is tea-splutteringly hilarious; obviously a strong cup of tea is the best accompaniment for a book set in Yorkshire but don't read and drink at the same time as your tea is liable to come whooshing out of your nose at Evie's exploits.  I may or may not have learnt this the hard way...

Laugh out loud hilarious, charming and heartwarming, The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is a superb debut from Matson Taylor.  It's hugely entertaining from beginning to end; I can't imagine anyone not loving this book.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Days of Wonder - Keith Stuart

In the beautiful, funny and moving second novel by the author of A Boy Made of Blocks, a father and his daughter discover that stories can save lives. 

Tom, single father to Hannah, is the manager of a tiny local theatre. On the same day each year, he and its colourful cast of part-time actors have staged a fantastical production just for his little girl, a moment of magic to make her childhood unforgettable. 

But there is another reason behind these annual shows: the very first production followed Hannah's diagnosis with a heart condition that both of them know will end her life early. And now, with Hannah a funny, tough girl of fifteen on the brink of adulthood, that time is coming.  

With the theatre under threat of closure, Hannah and Tom have more than one fight on their hands to stop the stories ending. But maybe, just maybe, one final day of magic might just save them both. 

What did I think?

Keith Stuart certainly knows the way to my heart and my tear ducts.  I read both A Boy Made of Blocks and Days of Wonder with tears rolling down my face towards the end.  What's so unusual about that, you say?  Well I wasn't crying because I was sad; I was just so unbelievably moved and hadn't realised that Hannah, Tom and the whole theatre gang had set up home in my heart.

Hannah knows that there's an expiry date on her life; she has been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and one day her useless heart will cease to work.  Hannah has the most amazing dad in Tom who will do anything for her - she is his whole world.  Tom has brought Hannah up as a single dad but he hasn't been alone; Hannah has been brought up in Tom's theatre and this cast of colourful characters are her family.

Tom has a lot to contend with in addition to Hannah's illness when the council threaten the theatre with closure.  The Willow Tree isn't just a theatre though, it feels like a home for so many people and it's a place where magic can happen when the curtain rises.  Hannah needs to know that Tom will still have the theatre when she is gone and she is such an amazing young lady that she somehow finds the strength to fight the closure whilst fighting to keep her heart beating.  It just shows you that when something is so important to you, you can find the strength from deep within you to fight for it.

Written from both Tom's and Hannah's perspectives, and interspersed with letters to 'Willow', I just knew that I would be in floods of tears at the end and I wasn't wrong.  What surprised me was that my tears started before the end as the magic of the theatre was performed so beautifully through the words of Keith Stuart.  There was never going to be a happy ending where cardiomyopathy is involved, but the strength and resolve of this young girl was so moving that I can't help but think of Hannah with a smile on my face.

There is definitely a strong sense of family in Keith Stuart's writing; not only parental love but the warmth of an extended family, whether related or not.  The amazing characters all wear their hearts on their sleeves and I was drawn to them like a moth to a flame.  I can't explain it but I felt part of the family myself and I felt every emotion with them from the heartbreak of loss to the explosion of first love.  Such beautiful writing can't help but elicit a myriad of emotions in the reader and I greatly admire Keith Stuart for his ability to do this.

Days of Wonder is tremendously heartwarming and so unbelievably poignant; it reminds us to live for the day and enjoy every second of our precious lives.  Keith Stuart has written such a completely stunning and emotional book that I recommend with all my heart. ❤

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Keith Stuart is an author and journalist. His heartwarming debut novel, A Boy Made of Blocks, was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and a major bestseller, and was inspired by Keith's real-life relationship with his autistic son. Keith has written for publications including Empire, Red and Esquire magazine, and is the former games editor of the Guardian. He lives with his wife and two sons in Frome, Somerset. 







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