#Review of Just One Look At You by Jill Mansell. review by Lou @JillMansell #JustOneLookAtYou @headlinepg

Just One Look At You
By Jill Mansell

review by Louise Cannon

It is always a delight to receive a book by Jill Mansell. Just One Look is heartwarming and beautiful to the core. Check out the blurb and my review below.
Thanks to Headline for sending me a copy of the book to review.

Blurb

Venice. The perfect setting for romance, and for secrets to be shared.

Fen can’t believe her luck. A luxury holiday with her beloved grandmother Disa – what could be more delightful? It doesn’t cross her mind that she might fall in love. Or that love can bring complications . . .

Jamie can’t help it that women always fall for him, rather than for his kind-hearted friend Leon. Nor that only one of them got the looks (that would be Jamie). But how will he feel if the girl he’s drawn to only has eyes for Leon?

Disa has a secret. A few weeks ago, an old letter in a file revealed a shocking truth about her late husband. She’s come to Venice to find out more.

There’s news on the way that will reverberate through all their lives, as Jill Mansell’s joyful, heartbreaking new novel takes readers on a roller coaster ride of emotion – and makes us believe in love again.

Review

Jill Mansell’s writing truly takes you into the soul of her character and the place where you meet them.

Venice, an atmospheric place for secrets to be harboured until truths, like the waterways, begin to flow out into the wider world.
Partially set on a cruise, you already know you’re in for adventure and mystery. The scenery is painted vividly by words with characters that capture your curiosity and heart.

Disa tugs at the emotional heartstrings. She lost her husband years ago, but her life has practically stood still from that moment. She not only carry this baggage, she also has secrets. What emerges is truly not expected as the book twists and turns, keeping the hook firmly in play throughout the book.

Fen, well, will she truly find love and if she does, will she choose Leon or Jamie? There’s a bit of a love triangle going on in the city of romance. It’s fascinating watching to see how they all deal with this predicament. They are characters that you can really get involved with emotionally and intellectually.

Jill Mansell skilfully brings all the emotions from happiness and laughter, the sadness of grief and past lives and the warmth of love, whilst entrancing you into an intriguing, wonderful story of people’s lives in a way that sweeps you along and compels to keep reading with curiosity.

#Review By Lou of That Time Everything Was On Fire by Kerry Downes #KerryDownes @HQstories #summer #debutauthor

Everything Was On Fire
By Kerry Downes

Review by Louise Cannon

Looking for a debut novel this summer to read? Everything On Fire provides well-written characters in their thirties trying to navigate this next stage of life and friendships. Discover the blurb and my full review below.

Blurb

Sam and Daisy have been best friends since university. Back then Daisy was a wild, Fleetwood Mac-obsessed girl descended from the Yorkshire Moors, while Sam’s youth was misspent traipsing around Liverpool on shopping trips and nights out.

But as they lean against each other on a wooden bench in the tired garden of their beloved local pub, gazing out at Sam’s wedding, they have no idea that their paths are about to truly diverge for the first time.

As Sam’s desire to become a mother consumes her, and Daisy’s inability to resist temptation haunts her, these best of friends will lose sight of themselves – and each other. With each misstep and unintentional betrayal the gulf widens. But can they build a bridge, or will they let it burn?

Review

Everything Was On Fire is a bit of a slow-burn to begin with, but stick with it. It then hooks you in good and proper and a plot that just gets better and better the deeper you dive into the characters lives.

Sam and Daisy were best friends. Daisy was obsessed with Fleetwood-Mac and the book has some music vibes, which goes well with the story and summer.

Lives don’t always have the youthful carefree summer feel. Friendships change and so does the way they connect and relate to each other as they age. Sam and Daisy lose sight of themselves as desires consume them and those once strong bridges that created a pathway to each other, weaken. There are also other challenges that life has presented, such as needing to go through rounds of IVF to try to conceive.

It’s a book that nonetheless carries summer vibes within it and the relationships become absorbing to read about. There’s warmth and wit as well as big challenges in life to face.

That Time Everything Was On Fire is a good, solid debut and I look forward to seeing more from its author, Kerry Downes.

#Review by Lou of An Almost A Perfect Summer By Jill Mansell @JillMansell @headlinepg @RandomTTours #AnAlmostPerfectSummer #BookRecommendation

An Almost A Perfect Summer
By Jill Mansell

Jill Mansell’s books create the right atmosphere, warmth and some great humour. Almost A Perfect Summer is her latest stand-alone book. Find out more in the blurb and what I thought about it in my review below:

The heartwarming, brand-new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Jill Mansell*

Nick is the most intriguing man Nella has met in a while. He’s a 9 in the looks department (no one gets a 10), he makes her laugh, and he keeps her company when she ends up in A&E. But they live hundreds of miles apart.

Then Nella loses her job. There’s a perfect role on offer at a Cotswolds holiday retreat. The catch is that her boss would be Nick. And that makes Nick the one man she can’t risk falling in love with.

While Nella struggles with her feelings, a Hollywood star has found a haven at the retreat. Lizzie’s sworn off people – especially men – until her friendly new neighbours entice her out of her shell. Maybe she needs a flirtation – with gorgeous Nick, perhaps? Not with taciturn local Matthew, though, who definitely isn’t a member of her fan club.

Then an astonishing secret revealed changes everything . . .
The scene is set for a fabulous new novel full of friendship, warmth and romance.

Review

First page read and hooked in! Nella has a rather unfortunate time of things. She is in the Cotswolds and lands herself in hospital, where she meets Nick. Things look up, he’s quite the caring type as he ensures she makes it safely back to Manchester, but she receives the bad news that she’s lost her job. Things then look up when Nick takes real interest and gives her a concierge job within his luxury holiday home complex.
Nella’s life is a bit like the game unfortunately/fortunately playing out in someone’s life and it’s written brilliantly. She’s easy to be captivated by and want something fabulous to happen for her.

Lizzie is another main character in the plot who crosses paths with Nick. She’s sworn off men and is needing somewhere to write a book. She’s an intriguing character.
A few others enter the scene who it’s also fascinating to find out how their lives develop. There’s so much to discover.

An Almost A Perfect Summer is full of friendship, romance and intrigue that captivates until the end.

An Almost A Perfect Summer is beautifully written with each page drawing you in deeper into the zen of reading.

Buy Links:

Waterstones WH Smith

#Review By Lou of #ChristmasRead – A Skye Full of Stars By Sue Moorcroft Book 2 of #SkyeSistersTrilogy @SueMoorcroft #ASkyeFullofStars #Christmas

A Skye Full of Stars
By Sue Moorcroft

Review by Louise Cannon (Lou)

A welcome return to the Isle of Skye, which is now getting ready for Christmas, with residents and unexpected visitors bringing festive warmth, but will all be ready on time?
I enjoy Sue Moorcroft’s books, so I jumped at the chance to review A Skye Full of Stars.

Blurb

Return to the snow-covered mountains of the Isle of Skye this winter in book two of The Skye Sisters Trilogy – where new loves and unknown family are just waiting to be found…

Ezzie Wynter can’t wait for Christmas on the beautiful Isle of Skye. Her island home sparkles at this time of year thanks to the snow-capped mountains and frosty winter walks, topped off with family gatherings with those she loves the most.

But her peaceful Christmas idyll is upended when she hears that the Larson family – the owners of Rothach Hall – are flying in from Sweden for the festivities. As Manager of their grand Scottish manor house, Ezzie suddenly has decorations to hang, food to source and itineraries to organise.

Life only becomes more difficult when Mats Larson turns up. The owners’ handsome, self-assured son is used to doing things his own way – and he is only another headache to add to her overflowing list.

Yet when unexpected visitors arrive looking for Ezzie, nothing else matters as she is left questioning everything she ever knew about herself. But amidst the Christmas chaos, she might also discover that, when all is lost, it’s sometimes those we least expect who come to our aid…

A beautiful, escapist festive tale to curl up with by the fire this Christmas. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Karen Swan.

Review

In this second of the trilogy, readers are reunited with the Wynter sisters, Thea, Ezzie and Valentina.
As the snow falls onto the mountains and hills, enhancing the scenery, giving it a picturesque festive feel, readers are treated into entering the manor house, Rothach Hall. Ezzie is the manager here and this is where the book’s focus is. It highlights the hard work that goes into creating a festive feel. The itinerary dwarf’s the average house hold by a “country mile”. There’s added pressure as the Larson family, who own this grand manor are flying in. She’s a lot to contend with because they’re highly demanding and it becomes a bit emotional.

Many people attend events and/or look round big country houses around Christmas time. This shows some renewed respect for the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make what people see look so fabulous.

There’s a heart-warming feeling that’s left when all looks impossible to achieve and yet in a turn of events, someone steps up to try to help.

A Skye Full of Stars is a perfect festive book to cosy up with a hot chocolate or mulled wine and festive nibbles in an evening.

#Review By Lou of Meet Me When My Heart Stops By Becky Hunter @Bookish_Becky @CorvusBooks #ContemporaryFiction

Meet Me When My Heart Stops is a cleverly plotted romance with a difference…
Take a look at the blurb and my review to discover more…

Blurb

What if your soulmate could only ever be the love of your afterlife?

Emery is born with a heart condition that means her heart could quite literally stop at any moment. The people around her know what to do – if they act quickly enough there will be no lasting damage, and Emery’s heart can be restarted. But when this happens, she is briefly technically dead.

Each time Emery’s heart stops, she meets Nick. His purpose is to help people adjust to the fact that they are dead, to help them say goodbye, before they move on entirely. He does not usually meet people more than once – but with Emery, he is able to make a connection, and he finds himself drawn to her.

As Emery’s life progresses, and she goes through ups and downs, she finds that a part of her is longing for those moments when her heart will stop – so that she can see Nick again.

This is the story of two fated lovers who long for each other, but are destined never to share more than a few fleeting moments – because if they were to be together, it would mean the end of Emery’s life.

Review

Meet Me When My Heart Stops is poignant and tugs at heartstrings. We meet Emery, who dies the first time at a young age due to a heart defect. She has a few times when she briefly dies, but in order to be with Nick, she has to actually die.

The book explores life and death and what that might mean in a very poignant, touching way. What flows throughout is an in-depth study of exploration of mortality and the lives of Emery and Nick and the choices made and those that are made for them. Emery’s parent’s lives are insightfully written when it shows when they become over-protective and how that plays out.

Meet Me When My Heart Stops blends emotionally interesting concepts with uplifting elements.

Review written by Louise Cannon

Buy Links

Waterstones Amazon

#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.