Tuesday, September 17, 2024

My Review for A New Arrival at Duck Pond Cottage by Della Galton

September 17, 2024  , , , , ,  2 comments




What a delightful start to a new series from Della Galton. I loved her Puddleduck Farm series, so I just knew this would become a favourite too. For those of you who read a lot of my reviews, you’ll know that I adore a warm and cosy countryside or seaside setting. Ideally with animals, the more the merrier and a cute couple or two. A New Arrival at Duck Pond Cottage had all of this and more and honestly, just look at that cover. Who couldn’t instantly fall in love with it?

All the characters in Della’s new book are adorable. I even fell in love with Fang. I was just hoping he would eventually find his forever home! Ben is a cutie pie. He inspired me that maybe I should try to draw something - after all - don’t they say everyone can draw?!

If you’re a fan of a typical English country village, with a pub, no street lights and miles and miles of surrounding countryside, then check out Della’s new book. I loved it and I think you’ll love it too. I can’t wait for the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review A New Arrival at Duck Pond Cottage.




About the Book

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.


About Della 

Della Galton (aka Della Parker) writes novels set in Dorset, featuring quirky characters and very often a dog or two. She's had more than 2000 short stories published and she's run out of fingers to count her books on.

She is a popular speaker at writing conventions and the agony aunt for Writers' Forum Magazine.

When she is not writing she enjoys walking her dogs around the beautiful Dorset countryside and beaches.






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Sunday, September 15, 2024

My Review for The Tanglewood Bookshop by Lilac Mills

September 15, 2024  , , , , ,  No comments



I’m really enjoying all these Christmas books! Yes, I know it’s a bit early, but it’s getting me into the festive spirit prematurely! Any book with the word ‘bookshop’ in the title is a must and ‘Tanglewood’ sounded such a cute name for a village that I immediately knew I’d like this.

Kazz has had enough of London, she’s lost her job, and her home and her Mum is moving away so she ups sticks and heads off to South Wales to join her friend for a few weeks, temporarily taking over the lease of a bookshop to sell off her Grandad’s beloved books. Tanglewood is very much a different pace of life than what she’s used to, but will she decide it’s the place she wants to call home?

The Tanglewood Bookshop is a cute and cosy read. I loved the setting in the small village, complete with a tea shop, a pub and, of course, the bookshop. Kazz and Saul, although very different, hit it off from the start and, with a bit of interference from Betty, the absolutely loveable village busybody, became very close, very quickly! 

If you love a Christmassy book, with great characters (Donald is the best btw) and beautiful surroundings, then I would definitely recommend adding this to your Christmas list.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review The Tanglewood Bookshop by Lilac Mills.



About the Book

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?


About Lilac

Lilac 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.




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Saturday, September 14, 2024

My Review for 'Tis the Damn Season by Fiona Gibson

September 14, 2024  , , , , , ,  No comments



This book is hilarious! I was chuckling my way through it from the very first page, and my husband kept looking at me like I’d grown another head!

Shelley, Pearl and Lena are three middle-aged women, going through what many middle-aged women do at Christmas and beyond. They’re buying presents, wrapping presents, food shopping, cooking, baking, decorating Christmas trees and still doing the normal run-of-the-mill things such as the washing, the ironing and feeding their family! Phew, I’m exhausted just thinking about it all! Then they get the opportunity to leave all that behind for a few days before Christmas and hole up at a B&B in Scotland. Well I’m sure you can all guess what happens, yep, they get snowed in and have to spend Christmas there.

Fiona Gibson is a brilliant author. Her books make me laugh all the way through and as soon as I saw the title of this one, I knew it would be the same; The characters are brilliant and we get to see how important friends are to each other and how good friends will stick by each other through everything,

‘Tis the Damn Season is a lovely book to sit down with in the lead-up to the holiday season, so why not grab a copy and immerse yourselves in these ladies’ lives for a few hours.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read ‘Tis the Damn Season by Fiona Gibson.



About the Book

This year, their families can deck the bloody halls themselves...

Old friends Shelley, Lena and Pearl have reached their limit with the festive preparation that has always fallen to them, and five days before Christmas, they’ve booked a mini break… without their families. Up until Christmas Eve, they’ll be sipping prosecco in the Highlands while their kids wrap bacon around 100 chipolatas and their partners brave the supermarkets.

It’s exactly what they need… until they’re snowed in. Facing the prospect of Christmas 500 miles from home, each woman is forced to confront her real reasons for needing to escape: the fiancé with the obnoxious family; the son’s new girlfriend who is taking over their home; the family who take their mother for granted all year round…

Will the friends make it home before Christmas day? And if they do, can they really go back to their old lives?

About Fiona

As a self-confessed magazine addict, Fiona started working on teen bible Jackie in Dundee at the age of 17. Originally from a West Yorkshire village called Goose Eye, she spent her twenties as a magazine journalist in London and moved to a crumbling old house in the South Lanarkshire countryside when her twin sons were toddlers.

When her boys left for university, Fiona felt a craving for city life again. With her husband Jimmy and their daughter Erin, she now lives in a flat in Glasgow. She loves to draw, paint, cook and run – usually with her collie cross, Jack (just the running part).





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Thursday, September 12, 2024

My Review for The Best is Yet to Come by Jessica Redland

September 12, 2024  , , , , ,  1 comment




The Lake District, farms, alpacas and Beatrix Potter. What is there not to love?! I’ve only recently found Jessica Redland’s books, and I was in love with them from the beginning of the first one I read. Well listened to, actually, it was an audiobook about hedgehogs!

The Best is Yet to Come was just gorgeous. I lounged around in the sun reading it and couldn’t get enough of just about everything! Apart from Grayson, who was quite frankly a knob jockey, the rest of the characters were cute, loveable and, in some cases (mainly the alpacas) extremely huggable!

Emma was awesome. She picked herself back up really quickly after her relationship fell apart; she knew what she wanted to do and with a little help from her Dad, she was soon standing upright again and ready to face her future, with new challenges and new friends.

I now have all of Jessica’s past books on my TBR and many of them will be on my Christmas list!

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review The Best is Yet to Come by Jessica Redland.




About the Book

Emma is having a fresh start.

After a successful teaching career, an exciting new chapter awaits Emma Рhelping her fianc̩ 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 Рto 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...


About Jessica - by Jessica

I write uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community set in stunning Yorkshire. My Whitsborough Bay books take readers/listeners to the North Yorkshire Coast and my Hedgehog Hollow books transport them deep into the countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.

My books are about real people living real lives. You'll find plenty of warm and fuzzy moments between the pages but you may occasionally find yourself tearing up and reaching for the 

tissues. I love my characters so, no matter how tough the going gets, I make sure they get their happy ending. Of course, with a series, it may take a few books to fully get there!

My favourite subject at school was English and I always loved the aspects of my day job in HR which involved writing but I never considered writing a novel until my manager told me that my business reports read more like stories and joked that I should write a book. As soon as a plot idea presented itself, that’s exactly what I did.




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My Review for Lily Unwritten by Olivia Lockhart

September 12, 2024  , , , , ,  No comments



I have been waiting in great anticipation to read this, the sequel to For the Love of Lily. Lily Unwritten is the continuing story of Lily Forshaw, who has been/still is, in love with two men. Has she chosen the right one, only time will tell whether Team Zack or Team Luke wins!

I adore Lily, yes she makes questionable decisions, but she has two hot men fighting over her. What is a girl supposed to do?! I loved Lily’s relationship with her best friend Cassie, who is there for her no matter what. Sometimes with a harsh word here and there, she always has Lily’s back and best interests at heart. 

Olivia’s writing is fresh and lively and she is fast becoming a must-read author for me. I can’t wait to read her next book. You definitely need to read For the Love of Lily before you pick up this one but why not put them both on your Christmas list!

Thank you to Olivia Lockhart and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read Lily Unwritten.




About the Book

Lily Forshaw stands on the brink of a bright future. A future she fought for, cried for, and risked her heart and soul for.

Yet, despite her fairy tale life, a deep scar remains etched upon her heart. It’s a wound that will never truly heal, a lingering memory and a haunting hope of what might have been.

Now, Lily faces challenges that will threaten her friendships, her career, and her blossoming love. Can she find a way through?

Meanwhile, the man she left in the past, holding a piece of her heart, has found his way back to her at a time when nothing else seems to make any sense.

Will Lily fight for what she might lose, or will she embrace a new beginning?

Catch up with Lily, Cassie, Zack, and Luke in the eagerly awaited sequel to ‘For The Love of Lily’.


About Olivia

Olivia Lockhart (Livvie to her friends) is an English author who can't quite decide if she wants to write contemporary romance or paranormal romance. Either way, it HAS to be romance. 

She loves to write about the underdog, the one who got away, the bits of love stories we can all relate to. 

When not writing she can be found drinking wine, cuddling her beloved pooch or with her head buried in a book.



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My Review for Christmas Ever After by Jaimie Admans

September 12, 2024  , , , , , ,  No comments




The Ever After Street series is one of the best series I have ever read. Hugs in books, absolutely all of them and Christmas Ever After is no exception. There is nothing not to love (well, maybe apart from Jorge)! 

Raff and Franca have shops that are in the ‘always Christmas’ part of Ever After Street. Raff makes and sells, allegedly magical, snow globes and Franca makes and sells nutcracker dolls of every size. Every time I read about the adult-sized nutcrackers, I just imagined whichever Christmas film it is, where Tim Allen is Santa and they take over the North Pole!

Throughout this gorgeous book, Jaimie has characters from the previous Ever After Street books popping in and out, and so we do get to find out snippets of what they have all been up to as well. 

I cannot recommend Jaime’s books enough and right now this is what I tell everyone who asks me who my go-to author is. You don’t need to read the books in order. Each one is a standalone story, but go and add them all to your Christmas list - they are totally worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review Christmas Ever After by Jaimie Admans.


About the Book

A picture-perfect town, a place where dreams come true. Welcome to Ever After Street...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but Franca Andrews has never felt more miserable. With business far from bustling, she needs a Christmas miracle to keep her beloved nutcracker shop open... But there’s one man standing in her way - expert snow globe maker Raff Dardenne.

Dardenne Snow Globes have a magical reputation for bringing lovers together, a myth that Raff continues to exploit, much to Franca’s annoyance! But this Christmas their shops are pitted against each other and only one gets to stay on Ever After Street. Franca doesn't know how her handmade nutcrackers are ever going to compete with Raff's magical snow globes, especially at the most magical time of the year!

Franca’s determined to prove Raff’s business is built on lies. But when disaster strikes, and she’s left unable to make anything, she needs help. It’s just very frustrating that the only person offering is her gorgeous, annoying, nemesis himself!

As these two enemies get to know each other, Franca discovers another side to Raff – kind, caring and funny. But unless she can prove that his magical snow globes can’t really match true lovers together, she’s going to lose everything…

But maybe it's not too late for them to put aside their differences and find some Christmas magic of their own?


About Jaimie

Jaimie is a 38-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, watching horror movies, and drinking tea, although she’s seriously considering marrying her coffee machine. 

She loves autumn and winter, and singing songs from musicals despite the fact she’s got the voice of a dying hyena. She hates spiders, hot weather, and cheese & onion crisps. She spends far too much time on Twitter and owns too many pairs of boots. 

She will never have time to read all the books she wants to read.

















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Wednesday, September 11, 2024

My Review for The Things I Should Have Told You by Carmel Harrington, Read by Aidan Kelly, Caroline Lennon and Emer O'Connor

September 11, 2024  , , ,  No comments



Continuing with my Carmel Harrington binge, I grabbed myself an audiobook copy of The Things I Should Have Told You from Libby, popped my AirPods in and set about tidying the garden. Another story of Carmel’s which blew me away, with lovely characters, gorgeous settings and lots and lots of sentimental moments.

The storyline was delightful, if a little sad at times, and I was blown away with the whole ‘road trip in a camper van’ idea, even if camping isn’t my idea of a fun holiday! Pops, even after death, manages to travel along with the Guinness family as they wend their way through Europe, on the trip of a lifetime, not knowing which country they’ll be visiting next, let alone what surprises Pops had arranged for them once they arrived.

As with the previous Carmel Harrington books I’ve listened to, this also has underlying themes. This time we see a destructive case of school bullying, marriage difficulties and family illness. Carmel writes about all the issues sensitively and with empathy and I really enjoy that her books aren’t just a simple story, but that they’re written with so much more in mind. 

Thank you to Libby for providing the opportunity and the availability to bring books to life for so many people and thank you to Carmel Harrington for being such an incredible writer. Never stop writing!


About the Book

Every family has a story…

But for the Guinness family a happy ending looks out of reach. Olly and Mae's marriage is crumbling, their teenage daughter Evie is on a mission to self-destruct and their beloved Pops is dying of cancer. Their once strong family unit is slowly falling apart.

But Pops has one final gift to offer his beloved family – a ray of hope to cling to. As his life's journey draws to a close, he sends his family on an adventure across Europe in a camper van, guided by his letters, his wisdom and his love.

Because Pops knows that all his family need is time to be together, to find their love for each other and to find their way back home…

About Carmel

International bestseller Carmel Harrington lives in Wexford with her family & rescue dog. Carmel writes domestic dramas filled with emotional reveals and twists. Her trademark is to write authentic, relatable characters that readers can root for, and has been described as a ‘storyteller with heart, hope and humour.’ (RTE Culture)

A confessed wearer-of-heart-on-her-sleeve, Carmel smiles a lot because life is good. She knowingly overuses the word lovely. Speaking of which, she calls it chasing the lovely when she writes. A few of her favourite things include rainbows, good coffee and gin, notions – all of them, lemon drizzle cake and books. Always books.





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