Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

Another belter from Kristen and once again I was laughing out loud, right from the very beginning! We Three Kings was hugely funny, with a fair amount of cuteness and a spritz of romance. I fell in love with the geeky Jasper, Frank, Leo and Maggie, along with all their families. The food made me so hungry, all of the time and in particular the Singaporean wedding food, including the lobster noodles and satay with peanut dipping sauce - yum yum! I loved the IT aspect, how the four make up the IT Department with the company they work for and the banter they share about the rest of the building’s IT mishaps! They also reminded me so much of the amazing IT team that I had the pleasure of knowing when I worked for twenty-plus years in a hospital in the UK. The lads in the book each reminded me of different team members I knew!  We Three Kings is a book full of cosiness, hugs, kindness and families and I loved it. Kristen has made her way to be one of my must-read authors and I can’t wai...

Another audiobook listen for me; this time it was The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, chosen as February’s read for one of my book clubs. An easy listen, enemies-to-lovers romance, with two main characters who you can’t help but adore. Olive lacks in confidence, thinks the world is against her and can’t understand why Ethan, the best man at her sister’s wedding, hates her so much. Amy is Olive’s twin, and can’t see that the man she’s married is a prize knob. What will it take to show her just how disrespectful he actually is? I loved that Amy paid for her entire wedding by entering, and winning competitions, from the disastrous catering to the incredible honeymoon in Hawaii which Amy never actually goes on! The story was full of fun and humour, and listening to the audiobook probably made me fall in love with Hawaii even more so than if I had just read the book. The luxury hotel, picturesque setting and great characters definitely made this an enjoyable read. Thank you to #bookstab...

The perfect enemies-to-lovers romance and perfect for anyone who is a diehard romantic. The Love Interest just oozes romance from beginning to end, whether within the pages of the novel Liv is writing or on her perfect date - which has yet to happen! The Love Interest is another brilliant novel by Victoria Walters and as soon as I got wind of it, I knew I had to read it. Liv is working in the university library and to her horror, her brother’s best friend and her arch-enemy, is coming to work at the university too, and even worse, he’s moving in with her and her brother, albeit temporarily.  Any book that has books as one of its subject matters is always a win for me and this doesn’t disappoint. With lots of Mr Darcy and Pride and Prejudice references, The Love Interest kept me entertained during the first drab few days of February. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review The Love Interest by Victoria Walters. Abou...

I really enjoyed this one, and it was escapism at its finest. It was funny, sad, and full of romance - at each page turn there was new, old, and second-chance romance. If you like your books with a romance overload, then this is for you. The Hotel Room Mix-Up allowed me time to escape into Callum and Ella’s Cornish world for a few days when my life is just busy and my head is a scrambled mess of lists and too many things to do! The Hotel Room Mix-Up is predominantly told from alternating viewpoints, that of Callum and Ella, both of whom meet in Cornwall whilst attending separate weddings (not their own, I hasten to add)! There are a lot of ‘will they, won’t they’ moments - and I mean a lot! My head was spinning, wondering whether they were going to get their happily ever after! Grab this book if you enjoy a story containing whirlwind romances, beaches, the ocean, puppies, laughter and lots of fun! Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunit...

Think ‘Love Actually’, ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ or ‘Notting Hill’, which sum up this fantastic Christmas book from the amazing Kristen Bailey. It’s hilarious, romantic, a bit mad and just that little bit sad. Don’t worry though, you won’t be crying, well not tears of sadness anyway. I laughed out loud a lot at this book. Joe and Eve need to rectify a ring delivery which went to the wrong place. Five rings, five destinations and just a couple of days in which to ensure happy outcomes. Our two protagonists tell their story in alternating chapters, and I promise you’ll be rooting for this couple until the very end, which comes all too quickly. I could have carried on reading about their adventures throughout London for a lot longer. This would be amazing as a movie, and I honestly hope that someone picks this up for the big screen with some big-time actors. It would be good to see this out in time for Christmas 2024! I wonder if Richard Curtis is busy at the moment! Thank you to NetG...

Snowed In is a cute, fun, wintery read, set in Ireland. I read most of the book, snuggled up in front of a wood burner, whilst Storm Ciaran was battering the UK. The snow, a cabin in the woods and festive Christmas cheer were much more fun than what was going on outside the window at home, so I imagined myself there instead. I loved Megan and Christian, our two protagonists, who bantered their way into my heart very quickly. They were so good together, right from the beginning I knew they’d hit it off. Megan made a rapid exit from her wedding four years ago and has never been back to her home village since - until now. Full of love, romance and family loyalties, Snowed In is a beautiful read and will leave you wanting to spend some time on Christian’s family’s farm with the newborn lambs in knitted hats! Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Snowed In by Catherine Walsh. About the Book  Megan is dreading going home for the holidays. She’s the ...

This weekend I headed off to Ferry Lane Market to mingle with my favourite bunch of market traders and the newcomer amongst them, Sabrina Swift. Or as she introduces herself, plain old Jilly Dickens. Sabrina, for good reason, is hiding from her real life in London and just wants to mingle with normal people and fit in with her new friends. I love, love, love this series from Nicola May. Each book follows a different character, and with each story I read, I just fall more in love with everyone (well, almost everyone) who lives in Hartmouth. To be honest, I wasn’t sure about Sabrina at first, and it wasn’t until she decided to take on a Ferry Lane Market stall herself that I began to warm to her. But then she becomes another Nicola May character who fits in so well with all the others, and I was hooked. Of course, from that moment on, I wanted her to be happy, to find a man and a new life where she’s appreciated. Does all that happen? You’ll have to read it to find out. This latest stunn...

Stella has come home for Christmas, not expecting to find that her sister has run off to get married and Henry, a man she once loved, has returned to Leiper’s Fork, but he’s a different man from the one she once knew. I’m a sucker for a Christmas book, no matter the time of year. I mean, who doesn’t want to read about Christmas parades, snow falling, and cookies and hot chocolate, even if it’s sunny outside? (It wasn’t, by the way)! I really enjoyed this latest offering from Jenny Hale and immersed myself in the comings and goings in Leiper’s Fork. Jenny writes as though she’s right there, in the scenes she’s describing and I imagined myself being there too, soaking up the wonderful Christmas spirit under the cosy smell of the pine trees at the heart of a fun-filled, people-packed place which is actually called Christmas. When Henry left Stella a message to say ‘Meet Me at Christmas’ I wanted to go along with her to get away from ‘Storm Babet’ which ripped its way through the UK this w...

Tilly made me cry again! I don’t know how she does it, not many authors have this effect! I loved this third book in the series, and this time the story is Gaby’s, the eldest Morrow sister and perhaps the most serious. Once again we return to Port Promise, a small town on the coast which revolves around the lifeboat station, its crew members and their families. All families have dramas, but right now, Killian, Gaby’s husband, is bringing his drama right into the middle of his family and who knows whether they can come back from it. Only time will tell. I can’t express enough how addictive and warm these last three books from Tilly have been. I am considering myself a part of Port Promise life now and if I could up sticks and join them all tomorrow, I would do. Almost everyone tries to be warm and welcoming to an outsider, and I think I’d fit in pretty well there. I wonder if they have a bookshop? I could totally open a bookshop by the seaside, with maybe a small coffee shop at the back...

I don’t live in the US, and I’ve never visited New England, but now I want to go and visit the fictional town of Seabreeze and stay at Cove Hill Inn. I want to watch the snow falling, make gingerbread cookies and curl up in front of a roaring fire. The Christmas Promise is my second Christmassy read. It’s beautiful and warm and cosy and romantic and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in Charlotte’s family’s lives for just 24 hours, because that’s how long it took me to read it. Granted, I was in the car for 6 of those hours (I wasn’t driving) and I read for the whole time! Charlotte is on a mission to discover the history behind a painting she’s recently purchased for the art gallery she works at and the answers will hopefully lie in the small coastal town on Seabreeze. If you’re ready for a Christmas read then I’d thoroughly recommend that you get yourself a copy of this, make yourself a hot chocolate, pretend that it’s already snowing outside and lose yourself in this snuggly stor...

I cried, I laughed, and I talked aloud to the characters. I’ll Miss You This Christmas is my first seasonal read for 2023 and it’s set the bar high for the others on my TBR. I had to shout at Emily and Rory often throughout the book. They were frustrating and neither of them was admitting to what they wanted, which was ultimately each other. Felix was adorable, and I loved how he was communicating with his Mum. Such an awesome thing to do to keep her memory alive. Baxter was a sweetie but I have to admit, I was a little worried that he’d get squished somewhere on all those long train journeys! Lucy Mitchell writes sensitively about some heart-crushing subjects and she does so with love and compassion. If you want a book for Christmas, then I’d definitely recommend asking Santa for this or just buy it for yourself at any time of year. Hell, I read it in 30 degree heat in the garden in September! Thank you to Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read and review I’ll Miss You This Chri...

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...