#Review By Lou of The Island of Dreams By Helen McGinn @knackeredmutha @boldwoodbooks #RomFic #ContemporaryFiction #RomanticFiction @rararesources #BlogTour

The Island of Dreams
By Helen McGinn

Review written by Louise Cannon (Lou)

Today is my turn on the Rachel Random Resources/Boldwood Books blog tour for newly published book – The Island of Dreams.
I heard Helen McGinn was writing books and was intrigued. Now, I have the lovely opportunity to review one.
On a rare time when not volunteering, I manage to catch her on Saturday Kitchen with her wine etc recommendations. If she’s reading this, I like that she is also a fan of rose wine.
She has written The Island of Dreams, an uplifting, romantic novel, perfect for Valentines Day, whether you’re coupled up or not.
Discover more in the blurb and then my review below.

Blurb

Martha is the youngest of three sisters and, in her mid-thirties, has the dubious honour of being the only one to call off a wedding at the last moment.

Now, feeling as if she’ll be single forever, and trying to keep her low opinion of her sister Iris’s fiancé to herself for risk of looking bitter, Martha needs a change of scene.

When she is given the opportunity of a holiday to Paxos it seems too good to turn down, though the idea of travelling alone is daunting. And when the trip to the Greek island gets complicated, Martha wonders if this has all been a mistake.

But soon the island and its residents start to work their magic on Martha, and when she meets single father Harry and his adorable son Milo, a new way of living is revealed in contrast with the drab routine of her life back home. How can Martha leave behind the warmth of the people, the freedom and the fun, not to mention Harry and Milo when it’s time for her to go home…

Let Helen McGinn magic you away to a world of sunshine and serenity, romance and relaxation. Perfect for fans of Erica James, Carol Kirkwood and Karen Swan.

Review

Check out that cover! Place yourself under that hat and seeing the horizon. It is intriguing to see what life holds, in a wistful way.
Meet Martha, she’s boldly called off her wedding last minute and she lands a holiday to Paxos, even though she finds it daunting to travel alone. Personally, having travelled alone, I wanted to sit her down and tell her she would be fine and everything that seems difficult about it, works out in the end. She’s a likeable character who is easy to root for. To give her, her dues, Paxos does sound challenging. Overpriced and unreliable (sounds like the UK) transport makes everything harder than it should be, especially when alone. Prior to this life change, you can totally sympathise as to why she seeks a change of life and jumps at the opportunity to do it.

Whilst in Paxos, readers are treated to beautiful scenery and interesting people within the community.
Helen McGinn captures the sense of a place and personalities of people rather well.

The Island of Dreams is pure escapism! It’s got a warm and uplifting, relaxed feel, but with a certain amount of urgency to keep turning those pages to see where the characters end up.

I recommend cracking open the wine (or whatever your tipple is) and feel the sunshine, even if it’s only in book form.
It’s a relaxing read with pure escapism away from any worries about real life and the outside world for a while. It’s well-worth the time to read for the magical time of imagining elsewhere.

#BookReview By Lou of That Festive Feeling By Heidi Swain @Heidi_Swain @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours #BlogTour #ChristmasReads #Christmas

That Festive Feeling
By Heidi Swain

Review By Louise (Lou)

This Christmas, cosy up with That Festive Feeling, a seasonal book that will melt the iciness outside and the heart inside to get into the festive spirit. Today, I am on the blog tour, thanks to Random T. Tours for inviting me. Discover the blurb, my review and a bit about the author below.

Blurb

Holly has the place to herself this Christmas. It’s not her place, though – she is house-sitting for friends who live on Nightingale Square – just there to keep the place warm and cosy and only for long enough for her to sort her life out. Newly single and finding herself unsure about next steps for her career, she plans to hunker down and make some life decisions.

To clear her mind, she sets off on early morning walks around a nearby lake and bumps into May, an older lady who is also new to the area, and her dapper Dachshund Monty. Quickly, a firm friendship blossoms. Then when Holly meets Bear, a rather large and rather attractive man, at the local pub, and his rescue dog Queenie, her stay at Nightingale Square suddenly feels even more appealing.

As the community comes together for the season’s festivities, Holly must start thinking about where her life will take her next. Some big decisions need to be made, but distractions close to home make thinking about the future more tricky than ever…

Will she get that festive feeling this Christmas…?

Review

That Festive Feeling brings that feeling of wrapping up in a cosy fleece blanket with a mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows, hunkering down the house and indulging in some you time with a great book to sweep you away.

The book can be read as a standalone or as part of the series. Essentially the stories are complete within themselves, whether you are returning to the warmth of Nightingale Square or are a newcomer, like Holly, who is housesitting for a friend. By the end, you leave, not only with a real sense of the character and scenery of the place, but also where people live, in the detailed writing that has a light touch.

Nightingale Square is painted as a wonderful place to live in, even through its challenging times as a community or for individuals living there, it has some of the best spirit. It’s a generational rom-com, which is brilliant for readers of many ages.

This time, readers meet Holly, an inescapably befitting name for this new Christmas book. She’s newly single and housesitting, which gives her a change of scene to work out what she truly desires as her next stage in life. As a reader, we can enjoy Nightingale Square when Holly takes to her walks. Upon meeting May and her Dachshund, a new friendship sparks and we see Holly fitting in pretty well. She also meets Bear, a rather attractive man in the local pub and the feeling of romance is in the air.
Life isn’t as easy as that. This in someways has thrown a curveball for Holly as she has decisions to make about what she wants out of life and what to do as time marches on. She has her future to work out as festivities happen all around her, which she may or may not be quite in the mood for.

That Festive Feeling is a snug book to cosy up against the fierce wintry weather or how about buying it for someone as a present this Christmas to bring them joy and comfort.

About the Author

Heidi lives in beautiful south Norfolk with her family and a mischievous cat called Storm. She is passionate about gardening, the countryside, collecting vintage paraphernalia and reading.
Her TBR pile is always out of control!

#Review By Lou – A Little In Love By Florence Keeling @KeelingFlorence @simonschusterUK #TeamBACT @BookMinxSJV #Fiction #Romcom #RomanticFiction

A Little In Love
By Florence Keeling

A Little In Love is a laugh out loud rom-com and there aren’t many rom-coms I say that about. It’s so much fun. Thanks to Books And The City, Simon & Schuster for gifting me a copy of the book of which you can find out more in the blurb and the rest of my review below as well as praise by other authors for this book.

Blurb

The little village of Weddington is fast becoming THE place to get married. With its stately home, castle and two churches it has something for everyone, and now, famous after appearing in huge romcom movie hit A Little In Love, it’s hosting a monthly wedding fayre…

Rose Pedal is the proud owner of Pedals & Prosecco, a brand new business serving ice-cold fizz from a vintage bicycle, and she’s excited to be attending her first wedding fayre. But, on the way to Weddington Hall she’s involved in a near miss crash involving dashingly handsome James from Blume’s Florist.

Arriving at the beautiful stately home drenched and disheveled, Rose is horrified to find James is not only not sorry for nearly knocking her off her bike, but he’s gatecrashing her allocated spot on the lawn. His arrogance gets her back up and it’s definitely a case of hate at first sight. But as the wedding fayre season continues, James gently wins Rose over, and their relationship starts to bloom.

Can being just ‘a little in love’ help Rose and James find their own happy-ending…

Review

Rather apt for now, the book opens up with a bit about the environment and gas guzzling vehicles.
This is a gorgeous book about Rose Pedal and her new business – Pedals & Prosecco, set up after dropping out of university for reasons that are rather funny. She first gains some experience in the working world from working with Mr Booth at his off-licence and all wasn’t lost as there are connections to what she learnt there to her inspiration to what she would do in her new business, running from a vintage bike, complete with wicker basket and then she looks for a trailer to put her bottles of fizz in. She has a penchant for weddings, so makes this her customer base. The book is all rather warm and cute with an edge of conflict. At a wedding when a florist turns up and tensions arise. It’s great that Rose stands her ground. She’s a woman with some sass and gumption, which is great to see in such a book.

The book is rather fun, with that cosy, entertaining rom-com feel and it’s so easy to get swept along with the romance of the wedding atmosphere as well as seeing the changing atmosphere between James Blume and Rose Pedal. There’s the most fun conversations between Megan and Rose about James. The dates between Rose and James aren’t exactly what you would expect, certainly not traditional things to do at venues and there’s always something going on. There are also places like The Copper Kettle, a quaint cafe turns out not to be so easy to find either. The book becomes more hilarious as it goes on. It’s most certainly a laugh out loud book with chemestry and all the fun and splendour of weddings.

The book ended unpredictably and that was rather nice indeed.

The book is just perfect for sitting back with a glass of fizz as the words, creating fun scenes on the page lightly bubble through the book.

Praise for the Author By Other Authors

A warm, delightful joy of a book’ PATRICIA SCANLAN, Sunday Times Bestselling author

‘The perfect romantic read’ HEIDI SWAIN, Sunday Times Bestselling author

‘You’ll fall a lot in love with A Little in Love. Weddington is the village we all dream of living in, and there’s really no mystery why our heroine Rose falls for the handsome James. Secrets, romance, escapism – yes please!’ JULIET ASHTON, bestselling author of The Sunday Lunch Club

‘An absolutely charming and joyful read with lots of laugh-out-loud moments along the way. Overflowing with fabulous friendships, dreamy romance and all things weddings, it really did warm my heart and leave me with a big smile on my face’ KIM NASH, author of Moonlight Over Muddleford Cove

‘I fell more than a little in love with this book. Florence is an incredible storyteller and this book is the perfect cute romance read’ LUCY KEELING, author of Just Friends

‘A warm, comfort read of a book with the kind of rom-com characters you recognise and root for’ ANNA MANSELL, author of What We Leave Behind

‘I thoroughly enjoyed this heart-warming and ever-so-cute story. What an adorable tale!’ LUCY MITCHELL, author of Instructions for Falling In Love Again

‘Fun, fresh and full of fizz, I loved it!’ LAURA KEMP, author of Under a Starry Sky

‘I absolutely loved this charming romance! It was funny, fresh and an utterly fabulous read’ HOLLY MARTIN, author of Sunlight Over Crystal Sands

‘Tender and engrossing, this romance will touch your heart and make you smile’ RACHEL HORE, Sunday Times bestselling author

‘A good old fashioned ‘will they, won’t they’ romance filled with as much fun and sparkle as the bubbles in Rose’s prosecco. Perfect escapism, best enjoyed with a glass of fizz!’ KATHLEEN WHYMAN, author of Wife Support System

The Dead Romantics By Ashley Poston @ashposton @HQstories #Halloween #HalloweenRead #RomanticFiction #ContemporaryFiction #TheDeadRomantics

The Dead Romantics
By Ashley Poston

Thanks to HQ for gifting me The Dead Romantics. It’s perfect for Halloween! Discover why in the blurb and my review below…

Blurb

Florence Day is a ghost-writer with one big problem. She’s supposed to be penning swoon-worthy novels for a famous romance author but, after a bad break-up, Florence no longer believes in love. And when her strict (but undeniably hot) new editor, Benji Andor, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye.

Although when tragedy strikes and Florence has to head home, the last thing she expects to see is a ghost at her front door. Not just any ghost, however, but the stern form of her still very hot – yet now unquestionably dead – new editor.

As sparks start to fly between them, Florence tells herself she can’t be falling for a ghost – even an infuriatingly sexy one. But can Benji help Florence to realise love isn’t dead, after all?

If you fell in love with Beach Read, The Love Hypothesis and The Hating Game, this laugh-out-loud romance packed with sizzling chemistry will give you all the feels!

Review

The Dead Romantics is a book with a ghostly difference and it is absolutely fabulous! Florence Day is a ghostwriter for Falcon Publishers and is basically failing at buttering up the new editor. She also has an interesting thing or two to say about publishing. She also isn’t into romance a and happily ever after and doesn’t really believe in them, except this is what she needs to ghost write. The repartee is fantastically funny.

There are moments of deep sadness when Florence’s dad dies, but then someone she least expects turns up, someone who it should be impossible to be in her eyeline. It turns out she can see ghosts.

There is good character development within it as readers see Florence grow in her unusual life. There is also hope to be found from places there seemed to be none.

The writing is clever and sharp how it mingles death and humour together to create a rom-com. All in all, the concept and execution of it makes for some entertaining reading.