#Review By Lou of An Ideal Husband By Erica James @TheEricaJames @HQstories #AnIdealHusband #ContemporaryFiction #FamilyDrama #SummerRead #Summer

An Ideal Husband
By Erica James

It is exciting when I get accepted to review a book by Erica James, but every book is different, so there’s no preconceptions as to whether it’ll be a good one or not, so find out in the blurb what it’s about and my opinions in my review below…
Thanks to Ms Pickard at HQ for sending me a copy of the book to review.

Blurb

After a long and seemingly happy marriage, and a wonderful family Christmas, Louisa is stunned when husband Kip asks for a divorce on Boxing Day. He’d never seemed unhappy – and they’ve raised three children together.

For months, Kip has been secretly seeing a younger woman – and if that wasn’t bad enough – it’s the woman who broke their youngest son’s heart.

Now Kip is moving out and embarking on a new life with Zoe, and Louisa is left to pick up the pieces. Their beloved family home, Charity Cottage, is up for sale, and tensions are running high.

Yet, despite the betrayal and anger, when Louisa lays eyes on what might be a unique and welcoming new home, she feels a first glimmer of hope that life might be taking a turn for the better.

And while Louisa is making exciting plans, Kip finds himself facing challenges of his own and begins to learn that living the dream may not be as simple as he thought…

Sunday Times bestseller Erica James returns with an uplifting, wryly humorous new family drama.

Review

Well, I just couldn’t put it down. In a couple of sittings, I suddenly found myself at the last page, rather quickly than I was planning.

An Ideal Husband shows that everything can seem just fine and could well last forever, but sometimes secrets can be concealed very well. As with Erica James’ previous book, ‘Secret Garden Affair’, she deftly shows a part of relationships that aren’t often known about and perhaps what happens to Louisa, with her husband just deciding to up and leave doesn’t occur very often, but it does and this book highlights this.

Beyond the heartache comes hope and new life and in comes heart-warming aspects of the plot, but that doesn’t happen like a flicker of light switch. There are many challenges and how to deal with the way Kip behaved and divorce, which everyone deals with differently. It becomes quite thought-provoking and insightful into family life when not all is well. There are the complexities that are shown and, like in life, all isn’t straight-forward, making it a twisty plot, some parts of which are unexpected.

An Ideal Husband is a great family drama that, even through some of the most darkest, challenging times of relationships brings positivity, warmth and even a bit of humour.

#Review By Lou of Love In Provence By Jo Thomas @jo_thomas01 @RandomTTours #LoveInProvence #ContemporaryFiction #RomFic #SummerRead

Love In Provence
By Jo Thomas

Having got some family in France, although not in Provence, it’s a country I like to sometimes read in fiction. Having read and reviewed books by Jo Thomas before, I am pleased to again, on the Random T. Tours blog tour. It may make you feel all rather summery with notes of lavender.

Blurb

Escape to the beautiful lavender fields of Provence this summer

Del moved to the south of France three years ago and hasn’t looked back. She’s found new friends, new purpose, and new love with gorgeous Fabien.

But just as harvest on her little lavender farm is due to begin, Del gets some shocking news. With no time to dwell as she welcomes a new crew of lavender pickers, she unexpectedly waves goodbye to Fabien for the summer.

Usually cooking – the thing she loves best – would help soothe her troubles, but Del doesn’t remember how . . . And then chef Zacharie comes to town, dropping another bombshell!

Over one summer in Provence that’s full of surprises, friends old and new rally round. Can they complete the harvest and pull the community back together? And if Fabien returns, will Del finally get her happy-ever-after?

Review

If books had smell/scratch parts, you’d get the delightful, calming scent of lavender gently emitting from this book from the farm which Del has. There’s also a group of seasonal pickers and within this friendship buds. There’s a real sense of community spirit as people rally round to ensure the harvest is picked in time. After all the challenging times that Del is left to face, this is truly heart-warming to read. Fabian also has hard times as someone has died, so he has to rush off, which is why Del has so much to tend to on the farm.
Provence delights and has some interesting people within this books, which may make readers feel a bit peckish with all the food.

Love in Provence has a warm glow of sunshine around it for readers to soak up in their hearts.

#Review By Lou of Second Chance Summer By Phillipa Ashley #SecondChanceSummer @PhillipaAshley @RandomTTours @PenguinUKBooks

Second Chance Summer
By Phillipa Ashley

Summer is upon us and as our minds turn towards that perennial question as to what to read this summer, I am recommending Second Chance Summer.

Blurb

From the moment Lily Harper arrives at a remote retreat on the breath-taking Scilly Isles, she is itching to get back to civilisation – and her thriving business.

Slowing down simply isn’t in her vocabulary, and so she quickly clashes with the gorgeous but dour Sam who runs the retreat.

Just as Lily is about to give up and leave, disaster strikes, and she is involved in an incident that changes her perspective on everything.

Lily is no longer sure she wants to return to the life she thought she loved. But will she have the courage to give the retreat, and Sam, a second chance?

Review

Meet Lily Harper, a woman, a bit like myself, always on the go, yet the idea of a retreat is always idyllic. Lily actually tries out a retreat and where better than in the heat and beauty of Sicily. She knows she has to slow down and her body tells her to in quite a dramatic way. She’s also at the sharp end of the press when she becomes the craft business woman turned craft judge on a tv show.

When Lily goes to the retreat, she isn’t exactly enamoured and old habits are hard to kick, so she naturally wants to go home and get back to her business and be as busy as ever, but not before clashing with retreat owner, Sam, whose business could do with a bit of her oomph.

What unfolds is a gorgeous summer read to sink into your sun lounger with and soak up the rays and feelings of being on holiday, whether it’s a staycation or away somewhere. It’s a heart-warming book with a lot of hope and promise that life, even when tragic circumstances occur, not all is lost, even when there are twists and turns in rebuilding yourself.

Thanks to Random T. Tours for the blog tour invite for this summery read.

#Review By Lou of The Holiday Escape By Heidi Swain @Heidi_Swain @BookMinxSJV #simonschusterUK #TeamBATC #SummerRead #BeachRead #TheHolidayEscape

The Holiday Escape
By Heidi Swain

What better way to start the spring/summer season with a book by Heidi Swain to gently ease us out of the wintry freeze and into something heart-warming, with all the anticipation of summer sun. I say anticipation because I’m still in a jumper as I write this review, but I have a lot of hope that this shall pass and summery t-shirts and dresses will peek out of my wardrobe and decide to dance one day soon.

Blurb

Her dream holiday is his everyday life. His dream holiday is her normal life. What happens when they collide?

Ally and her dad, Geoff, run the family business, a creative retreat, from their home Hollyhock Cottage in picturesque Kittiwake Cove. They give their guests their dream break, but Ally hankers after glamourous city living, fancy restaurants and art galleries.

Ally’s survival strategy is to escape out of season, take a break abroad and pretend to be the person she always imagined she would be. She meets Logan while she’s away and he turns out to be exactly the kind of distraction she’s looking for.

With her spirits restored, Ally returns home, picks up the reins again and sets her sights on another successful season, but when Logan unexpectedly arrives on the scene, she soon realises she’s in for a summer that’s going to be far from straightforward…

A story about bringing a holiday home – and what happens when what goes on on holiday comes back to bite you…

Review

A trip to Kittiwake Cove holds a summer of interesting times and of course the birds, Kittiwakes. If you’ve ever seen a Kittiwake, which I’ve seen several, they congregate in certain areas of the UK at certain times of the year and can be quite noisy and sometimes you need to hold your nose going past them, but apart from that, there’s still something endearing about them.

The people in Kittiwake Cove have busy lives. Ally is at a bit of a stumbling block with hers. She’s been busy with her dad, Geoff, giving people wonderful holiday experiences at a retreat and realises she wants more out of life and to see what the buzz of cities have to offer, Barcelona, in-particular. She wants to escape the memories Kittiwake Cove holds, such as her mum dying and perhaps be “someone else” for a time to see what she can discover. There aren’t any Kittiwakes, but there is a parrot who is full of cheekiness and humour. Who she discovers is a guy, who later brings complications and secrets, especially when she returns home.

The fact she returns home shows her loyalty to her dad and his business, which makes Ally appealing and brings a whole new slant to this genre. One that’s relatable as not everyone escapes something forever and bonds can still be there, even when there are bigger dreams that have to be dashed for a while. There’s friendship and warmth and humour to be found, which is a great recipe for a summer read, as well as great locations.

So, as we hope for lots of sun or a book to pack into a suitcase to hit the beach or poolside, this book has lots of summer vibes just waiting to get out.

#Review By Lou of The Holiday Bookshop #LucyDickens @PenguinRandom #SummerRead #BeachRead #TheHolidayBookshop

The Holiday Bookshop
By Lucy Dickens

A quick look at the blurb that reads like an ad for a job as a bookseller in a beautiful location and I am hooked. I also would like the job….

The Holiday Bookshop

Blurb

Are you looking to start a new chapter?
Role: Bookseller wanted! (3-month fixed-term contract) Location: A luxury resort on the island of Bounty Cove Cay.
Skills required: The ideal candidate will have experience in a retail environment, preferably within the book industry.
Desired qualities: This role will appeal to a book lover with an adventurous streak who is looking for an escape from their everyday life.
What to expect: Sun, sea, and a bookshop that is far from thriving. No one said it would be smooth sailing.
Please note: You may fall in love with more than just our island along the way…
Looking for your next beach read? Look no further! Escape with The Holiday Bookshop, perfect for fans of Jo Thomas, Phillipa Ashley and Jenny Colgan.

Review

Okay, so I would love the job and maybe I could be somehow spared for 3 months from normal life. I am just about all those things and I could easily get around not working in a bookshop before due to retail and other book experience.

Okay, I’m obviously not the candidate. Jen is the successful candidate and is off for a new life in the Maldives to run the bookshop.

Jen and Marianne were once best friends, but something happened that caused cracks, that becomes a bit of a rift. They ran and co-owned a bookshop called:
The Book Nook, so you really feel for them that things aren’t working out quite as well as they might and both end up leaving Marianne’s brother to run it. Jen, as said, goes off to the Maldives and Mari, along with her boyfriend, plan a trip of a lifetime.

The book is part adventure as it takes you from your cosy reading nook to various places by page. It’s adventure by location and life as, especially Jen, when she meets different people, discovers something quite special, but just needed a nudge to see it.

It’s a lovely read, just when it’s that time of year of planning holidays or lazing around on a beach for a day or even in the garden on a warm day. Even on a rainy day, this brings guaranteed sunshine and joy.

#Review By Lou of Thirty Days In Paris By Veronica Henry @veronica_henry @orionbooks #RomanticFiction #RomFic

Thirty Days In Paris
By Veronica Henry

A lot can happen in Thirty Days in Paris. There’s a lot to capture the imagination and go on a wonderful adventure through the city of romance and culture.
What will happen when Juliet revisits this city? Travel down to the blurb and then find out in my review, what else I though of this book, thanks to Orion Books for allowing me to review.

Blurb

Because Paris is always a good idea…

Years ago, Juliet left a little piece of her heart in Paris – and now, separated from her husband and with her children flying the nest, it’s time to get it back!

So she puts on her best red lipstick, books a cosy attic apartment near Notre-Dame and takes the next train out of London.

Arriving at the Gare du Nord, the memories come flooding back: bustling street cafés, cheap wine in candlelit bars and a handsome boy with glittering eyes.

But Juliet has also been keeping a secret for over two decades – and she begins to realise it’s impossible to move forwards without first looking back.

Something tells her that the next thirty days might just change everything…

Review

30 days and life might just change, but will it be for the better or not, well, you’ll need to read this captivating book. What I will say is that a 2 decade secret adds emotion and is a really good vehicle of creating this adventure. She’s a woman after my own heart, in some ways, so I found Juliet interesting in what took her back to Paris and how she deals with her past.
I am a firm believer of, if something ends and you have memories of a particular place, it is worth re-visiting to create new memories that can then, to a certain extent, supersede those of old.

The city brings evocative scenes, adding richness and colour to the Juliet’s journey to try and re-discover her dreams and discover where she’s heading. Whilst in Paris, she rekindles old friendships and romance, once again beckons.

30 Days In Paris is a warm, engrossing book.

Buy Links
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