BLOG TOUR: Christmas at the Home Farm Vets (Hartfell Village Book 2) - Suzanne Snow

Ten years ago, Erin had her heart broken by fellow vet student Oli. Now, she's his landlord.

All Erin wants is independence and security. All Oli does is travel the world after locuming at practices for a few months. So when he comes back into Erin's life, she knows it's temporary, no matter the lingering looks he gives her.

With Christmas approaching, the vet practice is busier than ever, and Erin is surprised at how well she and Oli work together to help the animals of Hartfell. From sharing meals in her cramped cottage to meandering the village fayre, the wall Erin has built around her heart begins to crumble.

But Oli's contract is coming to an end and he's shown no sign of wanting to stay. Has she set herself up for another heartbreak from the only man she's ever loved? Or will she realise that being independent sometimes means relying on others, and security comes with taking risks?

Be whisked away this Christmas to the Yorkshire Dales, for fans of Sue Moorcroft, Trisha Ashley and Heidi Swain.

 

What did I think?

Awwww this book is as beautiful inside as out.  Christmas at the Home Farm Vets is the second book in the Hartfell Village series but it can definitely be read as a standalone as I haven't read the first book but I absolutely loved this one.

Erin is a vet in Hartfell and she has volunteered to house a locum vet for a couple of weeks.  After a last minute change of personnel, the locum turns out to be Oli who was on Erin's course at Cambridge and ended up breaking her heart.  Erin can't back out now and it's all water under the bridge now...isn't it?

To say Erin and Oli have unfinished business is an understatement; the chemistry between them almost fizzes off the page and I had everything crossed that one of them would finally take a leap and declare their feelings.  WIth so many misunderstandings and crossed wires both in the past and present, it's no wonder that neither of them know how the other one feels.  The signs are all there and actions really do speak louder than words.

Captivating, romantic and uplifting, Christmas at the Home Farm Vets is the perfect book to warm your heart over the chilly festive period and I really can't recommend it highly enough.  An easy and well-deserved five stars!

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

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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.

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Island Calling (Tuga Trilogy Book 2) - Francesca Segal

What if your mother knows you better than you know yourself?

On remote Tuga de Oro, vet Charlotte Walker has been taken to the islanders’ hearts and, between days on the farms and nights with a new love interest, she’s content to remain in blissful retreat from her real life, in London.

Just for now, obviously.

Until real life hits the island with the force of a tropical storm: Charlotte’s mother arrives.

Lucinda Compton-Neville knows an identity crisis when she sees one, and has come to haul her daughter back on course: back to England, back to her career, back home where she belongs.

Funny, moving, and hope-filled, Island Calling is the joyous second novel in the Tuga Trilogy – about mothers and daughters; about holding on and letting go. 

What did I think?

The tropical island of Tuga is open to readers once again and I couldn't be more delighted to take a virtual trip to see what the characters are up to in part two of the trilogy, Island Calling.

The island may be open to readers but it's not open to visitors, however, one strong-willed woman manages to make it ashore.  Lucinda Compton-Neville has come to bring her daughter home but Charlotte's work studying the island's tortoises is far from over.  In a battle of wills, the mother-daughter relationship is stretched to breaking point in a funny, poignant and heartwarming kind of way. 

I loved picking up with the characters where we left off in Welcome to Glorious Tuga and particularly enjoyed reading about the mother-daughter relationships in the book.  It's very true that although you might argue from time to time, it's quickly forgiven and forgotten as a mother's love really knows no bounds.  I'm not a mother but I am a daughter and I really tested those bounds over the years!

The pacing is gentle but the story is compelling so the pages keep turning effortlessly as we peek into the lives of our favourite islanders.  There's a bit of drama, a sprinkling of romance and a few surprises in store in this instalment and I can't wait to see how it all wraps up in book three.

Grab your virtual passport and take a trip to Francesca Segal's fictional island of Tuga.  It's a place you won't want to leave once you set foot on the colourful and welcoming land.  A very highly recommended read filled with drama, love and a warmth that has made a permanent Tugan-shaped home in my heart.

I received a gifted hardback to take part in the Insta Book Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Welcome to Glorious Tuga (Tuga Trilogy, 1) - Francesca Segal

 

Welcome to glorious Tuga – the world’s most remote island and Charlotte Walker’s new home.

Charlotte has swapped her grey life in London for a year in this tropical paradise. Officially, she’s there for conservation but the reality is far more complicated.

For somewhere on Tuga lies the answer to a truth she’s waited her whole life to learn. If she finds it, then perhaps she might finally find herself too.

What did I think?

I was drawn to Welcome to Glorious Tuga by its stunning cover that just drew me in and begged me to pack my virtual suitcase so I could visit Tuga for a five day readalong.

There's a map and a dramatis personae in the start of the book although Francesca Segal's beautiful words painted the island and the characters in dazzling colours for me as I progressed through the book.  I do love a map and a list of characters though!

Charlotte Walker is sailing to Tuga from London to study tortoises for a year but she has an ulterior motive too and she is looking for something else on the island.  Charlotte meets Dan Zekri on the voyage who is returning home to Tuga to take up a position as the island doctor when his uncle retires.  There is clearly chemistry between Charlotte and Dan but Dan has not been entirely truthful with Charlotte, which made me see him in such a bad light that I am unsure whether he can ever redeem himself.

The island is like one big family with everyone knowing everyone's business.  Eeeek!  It has a great sense of community but the island gossip would test my patience.  I really felt as if I was there and I love being transported to sunny climes in books but without suffering the inevitable sunburn and dehydration.

Whilst the pacing is gentle and there are a lot of characters to get to know, it's a book that captures your attention and refuses to let go.  Much like life itself, there are a lot of ups and downs but plenty of laughs and one or two surprises along the way.

Immersive, compelling and beautifully written, Welcome to Glorious Tuga is pure escapism that transports the reader to the fabulous isolated island of Tuga de Oro.

I received a gifted paperback to take part in the Insta Book Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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