Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

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...

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 ...

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 w...

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...

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...

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 se...