#Review by Lou of The Cat Share by Angela Jariwala @TeamBATC @BookMinxSJV #TheCatShare #Cats #RomanticFiction

The Cat Share
By Angela Jariwala

The Cat Share is a beautifully joyful book that’s perfect if you like cats and romance to warm the heart. It gives me great pleasure to celebrate such a beautiful book, if not a bit bittersweet as sadly it was published posthumously.
On Christmas Day 2021 Angela Jariwala sadly passed away, just months before it was published. The novel is dedicated to Angela herself and the publisher, Simon & Schuster has her family’s permission to publish it this December. Check out the blurb and my review below to find out more about this uplifting book.

Blurb

Sometimes it’s a simple as meeting the boy next door.

Jenni lives alone with her cat Oscar – yes, she’s single but, after breaking up with her boyfriend, she’s more than content to be living alone. Sometimes she worries she might be playing things too safe, but she’s had enough of taking risks.

Ben is a firefighter and, if he’s honest, he’s finding life hard. The arrival of a small tabby cat, who Ben decides to call Fred, helps him feel less isolated. But then, one day, Ben decides to take a chance. Wanting to reassure Fred’s owner he’s not stealing their cat, he attaches a note to the cat’s collar.

As the two neighbours start corresponding via the cat, their notes to each other reveal the truths they are hiding from even their closest friends, and themselves.

The Cat Share is a warm and joyous romantic comedy about two strangers in love with one very greedy cat, inspired by a true story, for fans of The Flat Share, You’ve Got Mail and Rescue Me.

Review

The Cat Share holds an original and sweet concept, to attach notes to the collar of a cat. It is also lovely that it, in some part or another is inspired by a true story. My own cat would have it torn or lost! It’s beautifully written about how two people come together and it just warms the heart.

Ben is a great, slightly conflicted character to read about. At work as a firefighter, he’s pretty brave, but in his personal life at home, he’s struggling a bit and is quite lonely. He also has a challenging relationship with his father to deal with. Ben is quite easy to warm to.

Jenni is settling into a quieter, single life and a new routine, since she’s broken up with her boyfriend.

Jenni and Ben weren’t looking for love, but Oscar the cat had other plans and what ensues is humorous, endearing, deeply moving and emotional. It sweeps you along and keeps you there until the end.
This is one cat share where no one would mind that he shares himself with another household.

For warmth, a special cat and unfolding relationship, this book, like cats, isn’t just for Christmas, but it would make for a great present or a treat for yourself.

#Review of Austenella by Janey Jones @janeylit #Austenella #RomanticFiction #JaneAusten #ContemporaryFiction

Austenella
By Janey Jones

Review by Louise Cannon

At the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen, what better year to reacquaint yourselves with her books and get acquainted with those authors whom she has inspired. This latest creation, Austenella, is also inspired by her writing. Janey Jones, many of you may know as Janey Louise Jones from her days of writing Princess Poppy books. Having now hung up her tiara, she now writes books for adults like The Edinburgh Seven and books about her character, Lucy Lovecake.
Thanks to Janey Jones, I have a copy of Austenella for review, which you’ll see after the blurb. I will add here, that the sharp-intake of breath I often take when such books are put my way, was found to be not required as it was genuinely a very well-though out, concept and one that feels respectful to Jane Austen.
As you float down, you’ll find the cover, blurb and my full review.

Blurb

‘Made in Chelsea meets Pride & Prejudice’
Country house capers – an escapist modern fairy-tale with Jane Austen main character energy. Austenella hen weekends? Book now to avoid disappointment!
Daisy Delaney (pen-name Lucy Lovecake) buys a run-down stately home in Perthshire for Austen-themed hen weekends. She devises a reality TV show ‘AUSTENELLA’ to fund the elaborate conversion. Local characters are recruited for the show: the influencer, the actress, the Brigadier, the disinherited step-mother, the wallflower. Romantic chaos ensues. TikTok is crazy for the show!
And of course, there’s a local Mr Darcy. Jonny Abernethy. Who had to sell his big house. To a girl.
Will ‘Mr Darcy’ accept that ‘Lucy Lovecake’ now owns his stately home? The patriarchal property power just shifted! Jane would be proud.
A whirl of a book about what Lizzie Bennet describes as ‘the inconsistency of all human characters.’ And the ‘little dependence that can be placed on sense!’

Review

Austenella is a rather surprising and fun take, inspired by Jane Austen’s creations.

Daisy Delaney, who some of you may have read about before in other Lucy Lovecake books, is back and this time she’s devising a tv show and a Perthshire stately home. The Regency/Georgian period hen weekends are entertaining, and are very much Jane Austen themed.

The characters are interesting as there is a Mr Darcy, but the positive is, it isn’t a re-writing of her novels set in modern day, it very much feels original, with the universal themes Austen also used when she wrote, but with a modern twist. Respectfully, there appears to be plenty of nods to Jane Austen and her desires for women. It feels like a novel she may have liked and to have seen how far things have moved on.

Like Jane Austen’s writing, Austenella, is very well-observed of human life and it’s all there to see, including its quirks.

For an entertaining modern read about strong women and fun, Austenella is one I recommend to continue your celebrations of Jane Austen’s anniversary, perhaps even alongside or sandwiched with some of Jane Austen’s books.

#Review of Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage by Kim Nash review by Lou @KimTheBookworm @Tr4cyF3nt0n @RandomTTours @Rararesources #ZoolooBookTours #CompulsiveReaders #FeelGoodRomance #Christmas #LifeBeginsAtTheCornishCottage

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage
By Kim Nash

review by Louise Cannon

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage with this first love, revisited book with a gorgeous scenic look at Cornwall. It is also special in that some of you may recognise the location of Standpiper Shore from previous books, but this particular story is Stand-Alone. It’s a beauty for this Christmas. See the blurb and my full review below
Thanks to Compulsive Readers, Random T. Tours, Rachel’s Random Resources, Zooloo Book Tours, I am on what is an exceptional digital blog tour, which all those aforementioned top blog tour organisers have teamed up with a host of us reviewers, which I am proud to have a space on. Check out my blurb and review below and then follow the rest of the tour…

Blurb

Set against the sparkling shores of Cornwall☀️, this BRAND NEW heartwarming, uplifting and gorgeously romantic tale of second chances is perfect for fans of Veronica Henry, Trisha Ashley and Cathy Bramley. ✨
When life gives you heartbreak 💔, sometimes it also gives you a second chance… 💕

When Tom Sullivan returns to the quiet village of Sandpiper Shore, Emma can hardly believe her eyes. She hasn’t seen him since they played Romeo and Juliet in their school play – a lifetime ago, before real heartbreak, and long before she ever imagined life as a widow.

The last thing she wants is to relive the past, especially with someone who once made her teenage heart flutter. But when Emma agrees to put on a charity pantomime to raise money for the air ambulance service that helped her late husband, she’s thrown firmly back into Tom’s path.

As rehearsals begin and the local community rallies around her, Emma finds unexpected joy in bringing people together – and a surprising connection with Tom that feels far too real to ignore. Maybe it’s time for Emma to become the leading lady in her own life, not just for the show, but for herself.

Full of warmth, humour and heart, this is a story about letting go and discovering that it’s never too late to take a chance on love.

While this novel is set in the same village as the other books in the Sandpiper Shore series, it can be read as a STANDALONE

Review

On first entering the gorgeous Cornish scenery, it becomes apparent it’s going to be a slow-burn, but in a luxurious reading way. The way that immerses you and really get to know the characters and the place.

Tom Sullivan was Emma’s first love who has returned to Sandpiper Shore. It’s a fascinating angle on the romance story and poses the question of will they still like each other and how will both of these characters react? They haven’t seen each other since school and now they’re both rather grown-up. It makes for a rather interesting plot shape.

Like Iris in the film, The Holiday, Emma decides it’s high time she was the leading lady of her own life and develops some gumption as opportunities are presented and memories of her younger days come flooding back, not all are those she wanted to come to the forefront of her mind…

The opportunity she grasps, however is to put on a Pantomime with her friends to raise money for charity, specifically, the Air Ambulance. This is when Tom enters the scene, but what will she do with the feelings she still seems to hold for him, even though he broke her heart many years ago?

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage has all the warmth of a cosy fleece, heart that lightens whatever is going on around in real life, just for a moment, beautiful scenery to fall for and a joyous community you want to be part of.

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage is one for cosying up on a dark Christmas night with hot chocolate or any other warming beverage, or doing an act of kindness and gifting it to someone.

#Review by Lou of The Good Boy By Stella Hayward @rowanmcoleman #StellaHayward @bedfordsq.publishers @rowanmcoleman.bsky.social @RandomTTours

The Good Boy
By Stella Hayward

Review by Louise Cannon

Charm and wit are sealed within the pages of The Good Boy. I find myself on the blog tour for this chilled out read. Check out the blurb and full review below, thanks to Bedfordshire Sq publishers for sending me a copy of the book.
All opinions are my own.

Blurb

A woman confronts her past and her unresolved feelings for the boy next door as they work together to reverse a wish gone awry.

On the eve of Genie’s thirtieth birthday, her grandmother gives her an unexpected gift: a wish at midnight. Genie, forever the family skeptic, laughs it off and, after an evening fending off invasive questions about her nonexistent love life, returns home to her empty house and her golden retriever, Rory. Who needs a boyfriend when she has a loyal friend like Rory? As she hugs him and gets ready for bed, she wishes to herself that he were human… at least then their conversations wouldn’t be so one-sided.

She really should’ve listened to her grandmother.

To her surprise, Rory is now a human with big Golden Retriever Energy–like a goofy, adoring Hemsworth. But he doesn’t like being a human. He doesn’t like wearing clothes or human manners, and he most definitely can’t manage a human job.

Genie needs to turn him back before it’s too late and enlists her oldest friend and boy next door, Miles, to help. Their quest brings them closer than they’ve ever been–and maybe, just maybe, her messed up wish is the key to granting her heart’s desire after all…

Review

The Good Boy is charming, witty and warm. There’s some relatability, with the questions surrounding having/not having a love life. There is as a bit of the Bridget Jones about it, with not just this being a running theme, but in the way you just fall into the book and get swept along. It unexpectedly captures you in its slight whimsy and suddenly, you find yourself at the end before you know it.

There are parts where you just have to let imagination take over and appreciate the creativity. The dog is also quite a character within itself and creates some of the fun. There are also cats and they are also shown to have personality and balances out the cat/dog person debate a bit.

In saying that, there is some substance, it isn’t purely whimsical as there are some big issues that are filtered through. They lead to characters to care about or, in the case of the gran, to be entertained by.

After a tiring week, The Good Boy is a book for those moments when you just need to chill out and relax the brain.

#Review By Lou of Slow Burn By Oti Mabuse #OtiMabusi @TeamBATC #RomanticFiction #SlowBurn

Slow Burn
By Oti Mabusi

Review by Louise Cannon

As it nears that time of year when Strictly hits our tv screens again, Slow Burn by Oti Mabusi is timely and compelling. Oti Mabuse is no stranger to writing books, but this is her debut novel for adults and it’s stunning!
Thanks to Books and The City – Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of Slow Burn, I am on the blog tour.
Check out my review after the blurb below. Please note, all opinions are my own.

Blurb

Filled with scenes of sizzling passion, plot beats of swoon-worthy romance, and a cast of Black female characters that you’ll fall in love with, the unputdownable debut novel from Oti Mabuse brims with heat and heart. Perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert, Laura Jane Williams, Tia Williams, Farrah Rochon, Hannah Grace and Bolu Babalola.

For dancer Lira, Latin Ballroom is everything. Whilst her dreams of fame were cut short aged 19, she’s never forgotten the connection she felt dancing with a stranger at the Paris World Championship afterparty 13 years ago.

Now, with her younger sisters pursuing their own successful dancing careers, and the responsibility of running the family dance studio falling to her, Lira’s ambitious flame is about to flicker out. Until a chance encounter sees her secretly auditioning for Slow Burn, a new dance show about to embark on a 6-week European tour, and coming face to face with a blast from her past that sends her reeling.

Gabriele is the quintessential bad boy of the Latin Ballroom scene. Slim of hip, with long, lean muscles that pop, a chiselled jaw, dark eyes, obscenely long lashes, and a mouth that just won’t give, it’s no surprise when he lands the principal male lead role on Slow Burn. But, with just a few weeks to go till the tour starts, he still hasn’t found his female co-star. All it takes is one audition to set his world on fire…

On the dance floor they’re smouldering, off it, they’re on fire.

Review

When opening Slow Burn and noticing the name, Lira, I couldn’t help but smile and wonder if it was a nice nod to her friend, Janette Manrara’s daughter, Lira, in at least by choosing her name to feature in the book. Nice if it is and if it isn’t, well, it’s still a pretty name.

Back to considering the plot.
It’s time to swoon as smouldering romance occurs, Slow Burn has got everything that you could wish for on this dance floor in a beautifully written plot that you just sink into and forget the cares of the day for a while.

Slow Burn is a beautiful, well-crafted character driven story, which feels at times a bit nicely artistically done, in the way that there’s one character who is at the end of the dance career and another just on the cusp of having the opportunity to dazzle. This plot and character development as everything builds up for the dance show, Slow Burn is compelling to read and you can feel the passion for dance and the expertise and experience of Oti Mabuse shine through.

As well as the dance world, there’s also home-life to contend with and not everyone is well, which adds an extra layer and a bit more complexity as it portrays life isn’t all glitz and sparkly sequins all of the time. It doesn’t get too complex, but none-the-less, adds another depth to the plot.

As you read, the connection between characters is palpable and the emotions become truly heartfelt and at times, catches you with quite an intensity, as you dance through the pages of the dancers lives. In this respect, it’s quite a surprisingly powerful read and it carries very well throughout, pulling you in further and deeper.

This is Oti Mabuse’s debut novel and I feel that if she has a desire to continue writing, she should have a bright author career future ahead of her. I would certainly read more, so hoping she keeps them coming!

#Review by Lou of The Forest Hideaway by Sharon Gosling #BlogTour @BookMinxSJV #Sharon Gosling #TheForestHideAway #TeamBATC

The Forest Hideaway
By Sharon Gosling

Review by Louise Cannon – Bookmarks and Stages

Summer is nearly over. There’s already a bit of a nip in the air as the hot temperatures of summer cool down. It’s a perfect time to plan autumnal reads. The Forest Hideaway is a beautiful book for the season.

Discover the blurb and what I truly thought in my review below.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster, Books And The City for providing the book. All opinions are my own.

Blurb

Saskia is building a home for herself out of the ruins of an old castle. Surrounded by forest, hidden away from everyone and everything, the place is special – it’s the only connection she has left to her father and it’s a hard-won chance to escape from her difficult past and create a new future. She’s spent her whole life trying to find a way to make this project work and finding someone to help her realise her dream has been almost impossible.

When local builder Owen finally signs up to manage the construction, things get off to a very bad start. But forced to find a way to work together, both realise that first impressions aren’t always the right ones, and when Owen discovers the forest is hiding a secret that could bring work to a halt, he realises he’s much more invested in the project – and Saskia – than he thought . . .

Review

The Forest Hideaway is perfect, to not only escape into, but to provide hope and inspiration. Saskia’s had a challenging life and who doesn’t want to escape sometimes? She has a dream and a direction in creating a new life for herself that you can’t help but cheer her on.

The intertwining and connective meanings of architect in this book is fascinating. She is both the architect of creating her own future and of restoring a very old castle, where an oak tree resides when she first sees it. She needs help.

Owen is a builder, desperately needing a project and the pair aren’t exactly enamoured with each other, but things do improve. There are big emotions at play in this castle. You’ll have to read the book to discover more about those.

The beauty in the book ultimately lies within the nature and the castle, where there’s myth, legend and lots of history, and a plucky person who cares enough to take on the challenge of preservation.

For an autumnal read with an intertwining of relationships between people and between people, historical places and the natural world, this is one I recommend.