Nora’s city life isn’t exactly working out how she planned. She’s stuck in her best friend’s tiny boxroom and hasn’t yet found that dream bookish job. But when she’s forced to return to her hometown of Little Harbour, Nora’s life takes an unexpected plot twist. Her estranged sister needs her help and the beloved family bookshop of her first love, Alex, is about to go out of business.
Alex knows a trip home to his dad and The Book Nook is long overdue. If only his own life wasn’t such a complete and utter mess he’d have visited by now. But then he hears Nora Bell is back in town and it’s the push he needs to change everything.
When the two meet again it’s clear the spark of attraction still burns bright, but their unresolved past overshadows any possible future. Can they work together to save the bookshop and find their fairytale ever after, or will hidden secrets and surprising truths keep them apart?
Perfect for fans of second chance romances, dreamy bookshops and escapist seaside settings!
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Author Bio – Katie Ginger writes romantic comedies as Annabel French for Avon, HarperCollins and historical fiction as Emma Royal for Century, Penguin Random House. When she’s not writing she spends her time reading, looking after her family and volunteering as Vice Chair or the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Welcome to the town of Starr’s Fall, where Autumn can feel like it goes on forever, and two people have a chance to fall in love…
The leaves are falling, with a crispness to the air, along with the scents of coffee and pumpkin spice, past a half-empty street of shuttered storefronts and a bandstand that has seen better days…
Just like the whole town of Starr’s Fall, thinks Laurie Ellis – as she and her beloved dog Max head to collect the store keys. Maybe she has seen better days, too, but she’s certainly ready for a new start—and to leave her past behind. Still Laurie wonders whether she made a terrible mistake in coming to lovable but shabby Starr’s Fall. Will she even find customers for her pet store and bakery, never mind a community to welcome and accept her?
Not according to Joshua Reilly, the handsome but grumpy manager of the bookstore across the road, who claims he’s never heard of anything so ridiculous as a bakery for dogs.
But Laurie remains stubbornly undeterred. She’s starting over, right here. Not least because she has another secret reason for being here… one she isn’t telling anybody, at least not yet, as it involves her own tragic past.
What she doesn’t yet know is that a clue to the mystery is hidden deep in Joshua’s bookstore. And he doesn’t yet realize that Laurie herself might be the key to mending his own battered heart… for Laurie and Joshua and the whole town, it’s going to be a fall to remember.
Starr’s Fall in Connecticut sounds like a charming small town especially in Autumn. I’ve visited Connecticut in the Autum several years ago and it is very beautiful that time of year with the crisp air and lovely scenic trees.
There is so many threads going on in the story and I enjoyed it very much. This is the start of a new series, and I greatly look forward to the next in the series as well. Laurie Ellis and her little dog, Max are off to Starr’s Fall to open a pet shop/bakery for dogs amongst the dusty shuttered store fronts on the main street.
Hoping to breathe some life into this small town with her new shop and have it as a cozy and comfortable meeting place for the town’s folks as well. Laurie has a motive for coming to town, she is looking to find answers to a few things.
An unexpected romance may be in the cards as well. I enjoyed meeting the matriarch of Starr’s Falls and though we didn’t spend much time with her I hold her amongst one of my favorite characters in this book. Time seems to have forgotten about her, which is a feeling Laurie is all too familiar with.
A grumpy- sunshine romance that I enjoyed seeing the character development of. I would have enjoyed seeing more of a development of the doggie bakery though. A warm and emotional read that I’m looking forward to reading more of.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
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Kate Hewitt is a million copy bestselling author of historical, contemporary and romantic fiction. An American ex-pat, she lives in a small market town in Wales with her husband and five young(ish) children, along with their two Golden Retrievers.
My apology to Della Galton and Rachel’s Random Resources for my late review and posting.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A New Arrival at Duck Pond Cottage
A story of love, second chances and the wonderful start of a BRAND NEW series from Della Galton featuring Duck Pond Lane Animal Rescue.
It’s not just animals who need to be rescued…
Following the unexpected death of her mother, and the breakdown of her relationship, animal loving idealist Jade Foster, uses her inheritance to buy a smallholding in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside hoping to realise her dream of providing a sanctuary for unloved animals in need of a new home.
Jade employs the enigmatic Finn McTaggart to help out at Duck Pond Lane Rescue and forms a friendship with both Finn and her local Vet, Aiden Southerland. But Finn is running from his own demons and Aiden longs for a more romantic relationship with broken-hearted Jade.
Romance is not on the cards for Jade, but as both men fall for her natural beauty, the rivalry between them hots up. But can any of them heal enough to find lasting love?
What none of them realise is that a devastating secret from the past has the power to destroy the present and that love, however wonderful, isn’t always enough.
Previously published as Passing Shadows by Della Galton
A New Arrival at Duck Pond Cottage is the start of a brand-new series featuring Duck Pond Lane Animal Rescue. I’m not one who’s able to resist an animal rescuer story. This animal rescue story is adorable with animals of all sorts getting a second chance at their best life.
I enjoyed reading about the antics the animals got up to and the variety of animals rescued from domesticated animals to birds and farm animals. I connected with one of the main characters running the rescue center because we had a lot of similarities in caring for animals and she’s a vegetarian like I am.
Rescuer Jade has two men falling for her and they have such different personalities. She’s plenty busy though with her rescue center and not looking for love. But will this jealous rivalry end up on the right side of a romance? The beautiful Wiltshire countryside setting has me dreaming of a visit. A romantic and uplifting page turner for animal lovers and romantics alike.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
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Della Galton writes short stories, teaches writing groups and is Agony Aunt for Writers Forum Magazine. Her stories feature strong female friendship, quirky characters and very often the animals she loves. When she is not writing she enjoys walking her dogs around the beautiful Dorset countryside.
When Sadie Bingham’s life takes an unexpected turn, her children treat her to a well-earned break at Juniper Meadows, the gorgeous Cotswolds estate owned by the Travers family.
The festive season is in full swing, and Sadie throws herself into the packed Twelve Days of Christmas programme, relishing the opportunity to make new friends and new memories.
Single father Dylan Travers hasn’t been to his childhood home of Juniper Meadows for decades. Estranged from his cantankerous father Monty, he has made a happy life for himself in the States. But now with teenage children keen to know more about their roots, Dylan has brought them back to the Cotswolds to meet his family.
As Sadie and Dylan both navigate a Christmas very different from the ones they had expected it’s soon clear that, geography apart, they have a great deal in common. And as Dylan confronts his past and Sadie contemplates her future, perhaps the miracle of this Christmas will be the happily-ever-after they both deserve.
Let Sarah Bennett whisk you away to a snowy Cotswolds for the perfect winter romance. A Sarah Bennett book is guaranteed to brighten any day, perfect for all fans of Cathy Bramley, Katie Fforde and Phillipa Ashley.
MY THOUGHTS
Sarah Bennett is another automatic read author for me. This is the fourth book in the Juniper Meadows series, and I’ve enjoyed my visit there every time.
Sadie was comfortable in life; her children and grandchildren keep her happy and she visits her mother as often as she can though her mother doesn’t have the best attitude. She more than anyone else is shocked when she finds her no good husband cheating on her and knows it’s time for him to go.
As a way to get her mind off of matters and relax, her children treat her to a twelve day stay at Juniper Meadows over Christmas holiday. Packed with winter activities even a murder mystery dinner she knows it’s going to be a blast and a way to make new friends and new memories as she greatly looks forward to it.
Dylan Travers, a single father with two teens has had enough. He hasn’t been back to his childhood home, Juniper Meadows in years but for the sake of his children he knows it’s time for a reunion. His children need to meet his side of the family as it’s not fair on them and he’s going to try to reconcile with his father.
As Dylan and Sadie meet, they realize they have much in common and as they get to talking about their similarities, they realize they enjoy each other’s company immensely. As the fun continues each day it brings them closer to returning to reality and Sadie leaving this little love nest. Can they make a long-distance romance work, or will it eventually crash and burn like so many long-distance romances do after a while?
What a delightful book, I enjoyed reading about the celebration of the holiday and the snow activities that I could picture being done. Christas is the time for miracles, maybe they’ll find a few at this time of year. What a delightful and heartwarming continuation of the Juniper Meadows series. I hope it will continue.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Sarah Bennett is the bestselling author of several romantic fiction trilogies including those set in Butterfly Cove and Lavender Bay. Born and raised in a military family she is happily married to her own Officer and when not reading or writing enjoys sailing the high seas.
Congratulations Author Claire Huston on the release of the second book in the Haileybrook Village series, Bella’s Countryside Christmas. Unfortunately, I was unable to get in on the blog tour. The spots filled up just like that.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Fleeing her heartache and horrendous job, Bella stumbles upon a December wedding in the beautiful village of Haileybrook and the spirit of the season moves her to act as a fake date to handsome stranger Jack.
Jack and Bella hit it off, but Bella has to leave in a hurry and their magical evening soon becomes nothing more than a blissful memory.
A year later, Bella is returning to Haileybrook, seeking a fresh start and a quieter life. With a new job close to her cosy cottage home, a peaceful Christmas is surely only days away.
But it’s not long before family surprises, small-town feuds and romantic drama disrupt Bella’s plans, and she has to wonder if being alone is what she really wants for Christmas …
Bella’s Countryside Christmas is available in ebook and paperback. The ebook is on Amazon for 99p for UK readers and if you have Kindle Unlimited it’s free to download. The paperback is available at Amazon or, if you’re in the UK, you can order it from your preferred online or high street book store. You can also send the author a message if you’d like to buy a signed copy. Grab a copy here 2.99 US
FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES
ABOUT THE BOOK
Haileybrook, a beautiful village in the peaceful Cotswolds countryside, is most people’s idea of heaven on earth.
Born and raised in this small slice of paradise, Elle Bea can’t wait to leave.
It should be easy, but every time she packs her bags for exotic adventures, old loves and loyalties pull her back.
Will Elle be forced to forget her dreams of far-flung places and epic romance, or can she grab one last chance to have it all?
An uplifting, romantic story about friends, family and the relationships that make a place a home. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Katie Fforde and Phillipa Ashley.
After bonding with the lovely Jensen as they save a dog in trouble, Annalise – new to Sunnybrook – is gutted when they part without swapping numbers. She’d had the weirdest feeling he could be The One but now she might never see Jensen again. When she loses her new job in a wedding boutique, her week goes from bad to worse – until Maddy and the café crew come to her rescue with an exciting solution. The Pudding Club. Can Annalise rise to the challenge and – with the help of the Little Duck Pond Café crew – start teaching others how to make her glorious puds? And could The Pudding Club be the key to finding Jensen again?
MY THOUGHTS
The Little Duck Pond Cafe series is right up there amongst my favorites of series, which of course means I have to read every one of them. Look at it this way, can you really go wrong with a book filled with everything pudding? I was smiling my whole way through the book, what’s not to love, a mischievously adorable rescue dog named Barley, a granny so kind that you’re rooting for, laughs, charming characters and glorious puddings. Though a novella length story this has all that’s needed for a fabulous storyline. The romance was such a fun addition and really hope to see these characters included in another book by the author. Having a pudding shop sounds like so much fun and the pudding demonstrations were making me hungry with the mention of so many different types of pudding. I’m always happy to see authors mention the adoption of animals and hope this encourages someone to rescue their forever pet. Love the author’s books and it’s such an exciting time to read them.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own
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Author Bio – Rosie Green’s Little Duck Pond Cafe series of novellas is centred around life in a village cafe and most can be read as stand-alone stories. (‘The Sunshine Sisters’ is a trilogy within the Little Duck Pond Café series and it would benefit from being read in order: Aurora, Skye and Blossom.) Look out for ‘Cosy Nights & Snowball Fights’, and ‘Maddy’s Christmas Wedding’, both out later this year in time for the festive season!
The Paris Daughter: An absolutely unforgettable page-turner full of family secrets (The Lost Daughters)
Paris, 1939: Gazing out at the glittering skyline, Evelina clutches the letter from her love in shaking hands. “I know I do not deserve you, my darling, but I pray that you will change your mind. You have my heart, and I hope that nothing will keep us apart…”
London, present day. Blake gazes down at a scrap of shimmering silver velvet attached to a faded dress design, tracing the details with wonder. They were left with her grandmother at Hope’s House, a home for unmarried mothers, before she was adopted. Now her beloved grandmother has passed, the beautiful fabric and the designer’s signature are the only clues Blake has about her biological family. Will she be able to unravel the decades-old family secret?
Blake can’t get the intricate drawing, and what it could reveal about her family, out of her head. Armed with a plane ticket, a Paris address and the details of a handsome fashion curator named Henri, Blake is determined to find out the truth about her talented great-grandmother Evelina’s life. Perhaps doing so will help Blake get her old spark for designing back, after her dreams have sat forgotten for so long.
Soon Blake is walking down the Champs-Élysées and enjoying intimate dinners with Henri,who is researching Evelina’s work as one of Paris’ most celebrated designers, whose bold designs rivalled Coco Chanel’s. As Henri and Blake grow closer, they uncover Evelina’s legacy, and her forbidden romance that set the fashion world ablaze.
As Blake discovers the impossible choice that caused Evelina to flee the most romantic city in the world, she wonders if she too could risk everything for love. Could hearing tales of her great-grandmother’s bravery encourage her to take a chance on a new life with Henri? Or will the fallout of Evelina’s heart-wrenching past drive Blake back home?
A completely addictive and emotional novel about family secrets, forbidden love and having the courage to follow your dreams. Perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore, Lucinda Riley and Victoria Hislop.
Written by one of my favorite authors of historical fiction. When she has a new book publishing, I greatly look forward to reading it. The Paris Daughter is the fifth book in the Lost Daughters series, of which I have read all of the books. This is such a beautiful story, told in a time-slip manner.
1939 Paris: Evelina comes from a working background of farmers; it is to be her lot in life to become a farmer’s wife like her mother and grandmother have before her, but she wants something more in life. She has a secret notebook with sketches of stunning evening dresses of the highest fashion. Her dreams are hers and hers alone as she’s not supported in her dreams by her parents so she must leave home. Becoming a well-known fashion designer is an accomplishment she has worked years towards, and it is finally hers.
Modern times London: All women adopted from Hope House a helpful home for unwed mothers is given a box filled with precious mementos from their mother to help the now adult child find their parents if they want to. Blake has her grandmother’s box, and it has items connecting her to a famous fashion designer of some years back. She is desperate to find who this woman is as she travels to the city of love and finds love there herself, unexpectedly. Will being surrounded by high fashion houses and designers bring the spark back into Blake’s life and give her the courage to design again?
Upbeat, romantic, encouraging, a real page turner that I couldn’t put down.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
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Soraya Lane graduated with a law degree before realising that law wasn’t the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women’s fiction, including the #1 Kindle bestselling novels The Last Correspondent and The Secrets We Left Behind.
Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four legged friends. When she’s not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading.
A rural book shop. A chance to start over. But can she make her dream a reality?
Kazz used to love the excitement of her London life, but lately her passion for expensive city living has begun to wane. So when she’s given the opportunity to open a bookshop in picturesque Tanglewood, she jumps at the chance.
But village life is much quieter than she anticipated – is she actually suited for rural living? Resigned to a boring and uneventful Christmas, when she meets gorgeous Saul she is more than ready to have some fun and enjoy the festivities. If only Saul didn’t have a reputation for being a player…
Will Kazz become the heroine in her own Christmas romance, or will he love her and leave her under the mistletoe?
This gorgeous festive romance is perfect for fans of Kiley Dunbar, Rachel Lucas and Sue Moorcroft.
MY THOUGHTS
When I see a Lilac Mills book, I just can’t resist. Having read many of them already I excitedly started this one and got exactly what I was expecting, a Hea, happy heartwarming vibes and the cutest love story ever.
As I’ve read Tanglewood books before I was most excited to revisit here, this time with a bookshop. No true reader can resist a bookshop whether on the pages of a book or an actual shop. A cook, Kazz has had it with busy high powered city life in London. It used to invigorate her, now it’s just too much and a change would be welcome.
Tasked with cleaned out her grandfather’s house after his passing she thinks she’s done until she realizes it’s stuffed full to the rafters with books. Books of every type imaginable, a booklovers dream, that is if you like old musty smelling books. After giving her friends suggestion of opening a bookshop to get rid of them she thinks, why not. A popup rental space in Tanglewood for two months to sell the books is perfect and it’s not too much of a commitment.
Tanglewood is such a change from what she’s used to, are there any pubs open late around here? One welcome change is handsome Saul, but he has a playboy reputation that precedes him. Try telling her heart not to fall is like trying to tell flowers not to bloom in the spring, not going to happen.
The bookshop is doing well and so is her relationship with Saul until it’s not. When several; misunderstandings threaten to topple the apple cart can the couple sort this in time? A warm, festive and fuzzy feeling book that leaves me wanting to read even more by the author.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
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.
After a successful teaching career, an exciting new chapter awaits Emma – helping her fiancé Grayson run one of Beatrix Potter’s farms. While imagining days spent supporting Grayson with his dream, working the land and helping with the animals, Emma harvests a dream of her own – to set up an alpaca-walking business around the farm.
But working together isn’t as easy as Emma expected. Soon her dreams are in tatters and, broken-hearted, she must start over yet again.
When Oliver, Rosie and the team at Willowdale Hall welcome Emma with open arms, she can’t believe her luck. But starting a new business in a new place is a daunting prospect, especially when it comes with unexpected obstacles. With a reserved, prickly groundskeeper as a partner, rapidly changing family dynamics to contend with, and time running out to get her new career off the ground, Emma may have bitten off more than she can chew.
But even though things are not going to plan just yet, the best is yet to come for Emma, if she can just take a leap of faith and follow her heart…
Escape to the Lake District with million-copy bestseller Jessica Redland, for an uplifting story of family, friendship and love.
MT THOUGHTS
I am immensely enjoying the new Lake District series by Jessica Redland. I really enjoyed her hedgehog series and now this series has alpacas. A series that has animals is a surefire winner.
This book is sweet, romantic and enduring but yet has a serious side as well. With so many twists and turns and it’s not even a mystery I couldn’t stop turning pages because I just knew I had to know what happened next and then after that. With a marriage that went bad and another romance after that that wasn’t right it’s time for fresh starts.
The story has an everchanging landscape and we get questions answered from the previous book in the series. I loved seeing all the change not only for our main character but others as well. The many changes going on in the book leads to many side stories not involving our main character but they are just as interesting and I’m assuming we’ll see these explored more in future books.
Fun, realistic, romantic but written with a serious side as well, filled with empathy. An emotional and uplifting page turner that I’m looking forward to reading more of the upcoming series.
I was given a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Jessica Redland is the million-copy bestselling author of novels, including the Hedgehog Hollow and Escape to the Lakes series. Inspired by her hometown of Scarborough and the Lake District, she writes uplifting women’s fiction of love, friendship and community.
‘Bea was always early for everything. Even, it turned out, when she was running away from her life.’
As Christmas approaches, Bea Preston has a choice.
Looking up at the departures board in Heathrow airport, her flight to New York boarding soon, she knows that getting on that plane changes everything. Her life in London has grown stale, her relationship with boyfriend Dom has run its course, and New York has always been her dream. But it’s a risk – she’ll miss her parents, her friends, her job.
What if Bea could live both lives? In one she goes back home for Christmas, and in another she heads to the Big Apple. Would her fate remain the same, or can one decision really change everything?
In a grand sliding-doors love story that spans oceans, years and lives, Clare Swatman’s unforgettable tale of fate and friendship is perfect for all fans of Jojo Moyes, Beth Moran and Ruth Jones.
MY THOUGHTS
With not much time for Christmas celebrations Bea is off to New York several days after the holidays. Bea’s life is hectic and certainly doesn’t always go as she’s planned.
Decisions………, we all make them every day. How do we know if they’re the right ones, or not. How about those decisions we regret and think on after our choice. Wondering if we could’ve kicked those bad decisions under the rug and chosen again, would things have been better?
There is a show of strong family support and close friendships. On again off again romantic relationships and finding the perfect one to be with. The New York energetic vibe is strong, covering the early 2000’s from finding that perfect pub to the busy streets and the small flats to the busy rushing about.
A book women can identify with, emotional with strong characters you’ll see a bit of yourself in. A keeper that I’ll be reading again.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Clare Swatman is the author of seven women’s fiction novels, which have been translated into over 20 languages. She has been a journalist for over twenty years, writing for Bella and Woman & Home amongst many other magazines. She lives in Hertfordshire.
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