Monday, July 31, 2023

My Review for The God of Good Looks by Breanne McIvor


It’s taken me a while to write the review for this because I didn’t really know what to put and, I’m sorry to say, that it put me into a reading slump, which I rarely experience. I think I did actually enjoy it, but it was far from what I expected and it took me a long while to get my head around what was going on - probably my fault and not the author’s, though. 

However, after checking out some reviews and seeing that others were loving it, I decided to bite the bullet and throw myself back into the book on a sunny day in the garden. It did get better, but it could have gotten better much faster in my opinion.

The God of Good Looks is written from a dual perspective: Obadiah, the employer and Bianca, the employee. Obadiah is a douchebag the first time he meets Bianca, but instantly becomes this amazing guy when she begins to work for him - not a believable enough story for me. However, Obadiah hasn’t had the upbringing he would have people believe, and a lot of the story is all about ‘poor old Obadiah’.

For me, there was far too much about Trinidad and Tobago, politics and politicians than was necessary. I understand what the author was trying to do, in bringing it to the forefront of people’s minds, but it detracted from what could have been an amazing story about an amazing young girl.

However other people's reviews for this are outstanding so get yourself a copy and judge for yourself. Just because it wasn't my cup of tea, doesn't mean it won't be yours.

Thank you to Penguin Fig Tree for the opportunity to read and review a copy of The God of Good Looks by Breanne McIvor.








Sunday, July 30, 2023

My Review for A Secret Cornish Summer by Phillipa Ashley

I adore the cover of A Secret Cornish Summer, pastels and sea and cliffs and blue skies. Add this together with a beautifully written story and you’ve got a summer winner right here.

I found this latest offering from Phillipa Ashley, full of thrills, spills and romance, and it was all set amongst an amazing backdrop in Cornwall, at the very bottom tip of the UK. I loved Eden, and I so much wanted her life to continue on the upward spiral she has found for herself, after a failed marriage to a complete and utter git! Iris is just a legend amongst all Granny’s, and who can’t love a cat called Sardine!

Phillipa pulled it out of the bag again with this one. Her writing is incredibly addictive and I could almost smell the coffee in Eden’s roastery and the tang of the salt in the sea air. I found the history of the lighthouse keepers fascinating. I have always wanted to stay in a lighthouse which has been converted into a holiday cottage - maybe I should make it happen!

Grab yourself a copy of A Secret Cornish Summer if you need something to read by the pool this summer. Or, if you’re currently in the middle of winter, snuggle up by the fire with a cup of cocoa and dream of warmer days!

Thank you to Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read and review a copy of A Secret Cornish Summer by Phillipa Ashley.





Monday, July 24, 2023

My Review for The Lonely Hearts Beach Club by Amy Miller


The publication of The Lonely Hearts Beach Club, came at the same time as I was watching ‘Britain’s Best Beach Huts’ and I found myself comparing the ones they highlighted on TV, with Hattie’s beach hut in the book. Hattie’s won every time. Who wants a beach hut that is actually a sauna, or one that costs half a million pounds?! Nope, give me a proper, old-fashioned hut on a promenade any day of the week!

After her husband passes away, Hattie needs some company, despite protesting that she wants to be left alone, and her daughter Olivia has the best idea! Let’s rent out the deckchair in the beach hut, which has been left behind by Jesse, Hattie’s husband. However, advertising the deckchair opens more cans of worms, both for Hattie, Olivia and Olivia’s daughter Beau. Can past secrets stay in the past or not?

The Lonely Hearts Beach Club is a beautiful story, sad and touching, but also funny. The characters that Hattie meets will make you smile, I promise. I would love to sit and chat with Hattie on the beachfront, and this is making me wonder whether there are people like her where I live. Just whiling away the time on their deckchairs, waiting for someone to talk to. I might have to investigate!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review The Lonely Hearts Beach Club.



Book Description

Hattie gazes at her husband’s empty green-and-white-striped deckchair, the fabric blowing in the breeze. Blinking away tears, she clutches her own chair’s wooden frame with trembling hands. ‘What will I do without him?’

Olivia’s heart breaks watching her mother Hattie withdraw after her husband’s sudden death. Without him, she’s never been lonelier. Every morning, Hattie places a pair of tired old deckchairs looking out to sea. Staring at the empty chair beside Hattie, Olivia comes up with a plan: One deckchair for hire! Must bring good conversation and have own flask.

Posting the advert in a beachfront cafĂ©, responses from other lonely locals start flooding in. There’s psychic medium Miriam who, besides talking to the dead, finds it therapeutic to belt songs from musicals. Glamorous Glenda has a penchant for teapot wine and skinny dipping. And even a reluctant Hattie can’t resist the endearing quirkiness of Jacob, walking the south-west coastal path in memory of his wife.

Everyone who sits in Hattie’s deckchair has a little pearl of wisdom to share, each bringing a tiny bit of the familiar sparkle back to Hattie’s eyes.

But as more and more visitors take up residence in Hattie’s deckchair – and her heart – will Hattie ever find a way to return to the woman she once was? And in the process, can Olivia also learn a lesson or two about reopening her own heart to love?

The Lonely Hearts Beach Club is an absolutely heart-warming story about the power of the mother-daughter bond, family secrets and second chances, perfect for readers who love Jojo Moyes, Faith Hogan and Sheila O’Flanagan.


Author Bio

Amy Miller is the pseudonym of Amy Bratley, who started her writing life working on magazines and newspapers. She has previously written three women’s fiction novels published by Pan Macmillan, the first of which was a bestseller in Italy. Her day job is being a freelance managing editor of both a vintage interiors magazine and a food magazine, two subjects she’s passionate about. Amy lives in Dorset with her husband and two children.


















Monday, July 17, 2023

My Review for Second Chances for the Lifeboat Sisters by Tilly Tennant


I read the first two books in the new Lifeboat Sisters series, back-to-back, and thoroughly enjoyed them both. This one, Second Chances for the Lifeboat Sisters, is primarily about Clara, the middle sister of three, and how she is dealing with loads of uncertainty in her life. Will she get married? Will she stay in Port Promise? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

I didn’t find Clara quite as endearing as Ava, and at times I wanted to tell her to ‘grow a pair’ and stand up for herself! Logan, her fiance, is just a pain in the ass in my opinion. If you want to fit in, then make an effort, you clown! The Lifeboat Sisters series is very family orientated and shows what life can be like in a cliquey village - difficult if you’re not willing to make an effort as an outsider, to be included.

It would make much more sense to read these books in order, otherwise everything will be out of sequence, however I think you’d enjoy the stories, however you read them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read Second Chances for the Lifeboat Sisters by Tilly Tennant.




Author Bio


From a young age, Tilly Tennant was convinced that she was destined for the stage.  Once she realised she wasn’t actually very good at anything that would put her on the stage, she started to write stories instead. There were lots of terrible ones, like The Pet Rescue Gang (aged eight), which definitely should not see the light of day ever again. Thankfully, her debut novel, Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was not one of those, and since it hit the Amazon best seller lists she hasn’t looked back. Born in Dorset, she currently lives in Staffordshire with her husband, two daughters, three guitars, four ukuleles, two violins and a kazoo.




My Review for The Lifeboat Sisters by Tilly Tennant


I loved this new series by Tilly Tennant and devoured the first two books in a couple of days. The first in the series is The Lifeboat Sisters and is Ava's story. Ava is the youngest Morrow sister and is determined to follow in her late father's footsteps and volunteer for the local lifeboat service. However other members of her family have reservations. Does Ava stand up for her beliefs, or does she go along with others' wishes?

I cried at this book - a lot - and I rarely cry at anything I read, but for some reason, this one just kept hitting that spot and the tears flowed. I think my husband thought that something serious had happened! I loved Ava and I loved Harry, I just needed to love them together. When I was a kid, we used to go to a place called Mumbles in South Wales for our holidays every single year and I used to love watching the lifeboat go out. Reading The Lifeboat Sisters reminded me of these lovely family holidays and the way in which the sea can turn from a millpond into a raging torrent, just because of a wind change!

If you want a beautiful story, set in Cornwall, to read whilst you're on your holidays this summer then I cannot recommend this enough. If you're anything like me then you'll fly through it and want to read the next one straight away.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review The Lifeboat Sisters by Tilly Tennant.



Author Bio


From a young age, Tilly Tennant was convinced that she was destined for the stage.  Once she realised she wasn’t actually very good at anything that would put her on the stage, she started to write stories instead. There were lots of terrible ones, like The Pet Rescue Gang (aged eight), which definitely should not see the light of day ever again. Thankfully, her debut novel, Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was not one of those, and since it hit the Amazon best seller lists she hasn’t looked back. Born in Dorset, she currently lives in Staffordshire with her husband, two daughters, three guitars, four ukuleles, two violins and a kazoo.

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Sunday, July 2, 2023

My Review for Role Playing by Cathy Yardley


Role Playing is a lovely read that pulled me in right from the beginning. I’m sure that I could be Maggie without the gaming, and Bogwitch is such a great online name. Who wouldn’t want to get to know her? I spent some of the beginning of the book, wondering whether I should actually give gaming a go. Then when I realised that yes, the majority of players probably are teenage lads, then I decided it maybe wasn’t the best idea!

I loved that both Maggie and Aiden (Otter) escaped the real world by running into a fantasy one. If they found themselves getting angry or annoyed with those around them, they’d disappear to fight the online baddies!

Aiden’s Mum is a narrow-minded bigot, and she didn’t deserve the help he was giving her, never mind that his life was on hold because he was trying to be such a kind and caring son. Still, she got her comeuppance and, to be honest, I wanted to just slap her across the face many times! 

Cathy Yardley raised some good issues surrounding sex and sexuality and I actually wasn’t aware what demisexual was, so that was a lesson learnt. I also didn’t know what ‘cinnamon roll’ was, and I wonder if that’s just me?! It's only recently (within the last hundred years) that asexual and demisexual have been recognised and accepted.

Overall, this is a book I’d recommend. Just check out the trigger words and subject before you delve in to make sure it’s for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake and Cathy Yardley for the opportunity to read and review Role Playing.