#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.

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

In 2025, something sizzling and electrifying is coming to a bookcase near you! It’s so hot and smouldering, can you handle it?

Former Strictly dancer, Oti Mabuse has written 2 books that will be published by Simon and Schuster’s Books And The City (BATC) arm. Slow Burn being the first.

I have the very exciting pleasure of being part of revealing the cover.
Check it out and the blurb below.

To fall in love, they first have to get back in hold.

For 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.

Taking on the responsibility of running the family dance studio wasn’t in her master plan, but with her two younger sisters pursuing their own successful careers, Lira’s flame of ambition is barely burning anymore.

But Lira is still feisty and fierce, and just because her family treat her like a doormat, she’s not going to take it lying down anymore.

A chance encounter sees Lira 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 has been the darling of the Latin Ballroom scene since his mother taught him the Argentine tango as a child. 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, he’s been surrounded by fawning women all his life. He’s the quintessential bad boy – arrogant, cocky, and he almost can’t help but take women for granted.

As the longest serving, and most popular professional dancer on hit Italian TV dancing competition, Bring the Heat, the world’s his oyster, and 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’s at his wit’s end and down to his last two female lead auditionees. He needs to feel the heat, the fire, the chemistry… then in walks Lira.

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

Filled with sexy, Black female characters, hot scenes of sizzling, spicy passion that’ll make you blush, and plot beats of swoon worthy romance that will leave you breathless, the highly anticipated and unputdownable debut novel from Oti Mabuse brims with heat and heart, for fans of Colleen Hoover, Tahlia Hibbert, Ana Huang, Lauren Asher, Tessa Bailey and Hannah Grace.

#Review By Lou of Island In The Sun By Katie Fforde @KatieFforde @centurybooksuk @randomhouse #HolidayRead #Escapism #Summer

Island In The Sun
By Katie Fforde

Sun, sea and pure escapism can all be found in Katie Fforde’s latest, enticing book.

Blurb

Dominica. A beautiful remote island where the sun shines and the living is easy.

And where Cass goes to photograph a rare stone carving as a favour to her father.

With her is Ranulph, a deeply attractive, much-travelled journalist, who offers to help Cass with her quest.

But Dominica has just been hit be a severe hurricane, and Cass and Ranulph are spending all of their time helping the local community.

Cass knows she must not fall in love with him… He is just looking out for her. He’s being kind.

There is no way he could be even the slightest bit interested in her. Could he?

Review

Dominica is painted as a very attractive and desirable place to be. The idyllic location is soon rocked by a severe hurricane hitting its shores and interfering with community life. Katie Fford captures the contrast in between the calm, serene scenery and the destructive nature of the storm, beautifully.

Cass is on a mission from her father to photograph a rare stone carving in Dominica, where she also meets Ranulph. He’s well travelled and interesting, so very quickly becomes a character you want to know more about. He’s a journalist, so of course is curious about Cass, since she’s on the hunt for something rare.
When the hurricane hits, there’s a more genuine warm-heartedness about the characters as they want to help the community get through the devastation.

Romance is in the air and oozes off the page, just like the romance of the location does. It’s a very different sort of romance from the norm, which I rather liked. I won’t say too much about that as I feel it’s something to be explored as you read the book. It certainly adds much interest to the characters as its played out.

Island in the Sun is a rather interesting escapist read that embodies romance and danger.

#Review By Lou of Island In The Sun By Katie Fforde @KatieFforde @centurybooksuk @randomhouse #HolidayRead #Escapism

Island In The Sun
By Katie Fforde

Sun, sea and pure escapism can all be found in Katie Fforde’s latest, enticing book.

Blurb

Dominica. A beautiful remote island where the sun shines and the living is easy.

And where Cass goes to photograph a rare stone carving as a favour to her father.

With her is Ranulph, a deeply attractive, much-travelled journalist, who offers to help Cass with her quest.

But Dominica has just been hit be a severe hurricane, and Cass and Ranulph are spending all of their time helping the local community.

Cass knows she must not fall in love with him… He is just looking out for her. He’s being kind.

There is no way he could be even the slightest bit interested in her. Could he?

Review

Island in the Sun is a rather interesting escapist read that embodies romance and danger.

#Review By Lou of The Love Interest By Victoria Walters @Vicky_Walters @BoldWoodBooks #BlogTour #RomFic #Romcom #RomanticComedy #RespectRomFic

The Love Interest
By Victoria Walters

Review written by Louise Cannon

Swoon, have a laugh and take the plunge like Mr Darcy into The Love Interest, perhaps avoiding the water, Dip into the blurb and my review below. Her other books encompass The Summer at the Kindness Cafe and Murder at the Summer Fete, which I also recommend, and others.
Today is my turn on the Rachel’s Random Resources/BoldWood Books Blog Tour.
All opinions are my own and as ever, with no spoilers.

Blurb

No man can be as good as the one in your imagination…

Librarian Liv Thomas has always dreamed of writing a romance novel. But she’s stuck when it comes to creating a romantic hero – sadly – lacking anyone in real life to base him on.

When her brother suggests his best friend stay in their shared flat for a few weeks, she can’t believe her bad luck. Aiden Rivers is irritating and pushes all her buttons. Worst of all, he’s gorgeous, has a sexy accent and reminds her of her all-time favourite character Mr Darcy.

Liv finds herself unexpectedly inspired and the leading man in her novel begins to bear an uncanny resemblance to Aiden. He can never find out though: she’d never live it down. Because Aiden can only ever be her love interest in the pages of her book – and definitely not in real life… right?!

A laugh-out-loud enemies to lovers rom com, perfect for those who spend far too much time thinking about Mr Darcy coming out of the lake!

Review

The Love Interest is a fun rom-com. Maybe libraries can be romantic places after all. Maybe libraries can spark the imagination and aspiration. Maybe librarians aren’t old and stuffy as can be perceived.

Librarian, Liv has read many books and recommended just as many. Now she dreams of creating her own book for those shelves, the hands that touch them and the eyes that read them. She is an aspiring romantic novelist, but is discovering she has no substance to her loveable rogue, the hero of the piece.

As for her brother, you don’t know whether to yell at him or hug him. I mean, he left Aiden Rivers, one of the most irritating men ever to stay with her and yet becomes her muse as she writes and writes a character who may just become someone resembling one people will want to read. Just shows that even the most annoying of people may spark something into life, even when you may have an instinct to kick them out.
If you’ve read Pride and Prejudice and seen the 90’s film version, then you really get the sense of what Aiden sounds like, basically in my head, a bit like Colin Firth.

Victoria Walters has created characters you want to see how it ends up, especially whether writing on a page can ever translate into real life in good-terms.

It’s worth taking the plunge into The Love Interest for warm-hearted entertainment. It isn’t hilarious all the time, but there are enough laughs and it is a good read to jolly life along and make those happy endorphins leap around and fill you with happiness.

Buy Link:
Waterstones WH Smith

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.