November 2023 – Page 2

Book Review – Summer In Tuppenny Bridge By Sharon Booth

It’s July in Tuppenny Bridge. The warm air swirls with butterflies and violets tumble from the window boxes of the pretty stone cottages lining the market square. Summer Fletcher – handy barmaid, devoted stablehand and definitely her mother’s daughter – is ready for a lazy summer in the Yorkshire Dales, but fate has other plans…

Summer and her mum soon find their hands full with the arrival of her future stepsister, Frankie – a blue-haired teen firecracker who’s nothing like the sweet little girl they remember. Meanwhile, local vet Ben is struggling – buried under a mountain of responsibility with trying to keep his crumbling family home Monk’s Folly standing, while supporting his reclusive mother and errant younger brother.

When Summer and Ben unexpectedly cross paths in the local bookshop, sparks fly… but despite Summer’s name, it isn’t all sunshine and roses. In Tuppenny Bridge, gossip travels fast, and each of them has their own demons they can’t quite leave behind. Will the weight of their pasts tear them apart just when they need each other the most?

With more than one heart in need of mending, a beloved old horse named Shadow, a missing pair of young lovers, and a family wedding on the cards – it will be a summer that the residents of Tuppenny Bridge will never forget.

Published Date: 16 May 2023

My Review

Summer Fletcher is navigating major family shifts, grappling with commitment issues due to her father’s infidelity, and adjusting to a new teen step-sister, Frankie, all while working at her family pub. Concurrently, Ben is struggling to preserve his ancestral home, Monk’s Folly, after the death of his father and brother. Despite knowing each other for years, when Summer and Ben cross paths again, an undeniable spark ignites. As they grow closer, they embark on a journey of self-discovery, acceptance, and love.

This book delves into the themes of mourning a loss and seizing a second chance at the life one deserves. While I admire Ben’s sense of responsibility, his occasional obliviousness to its effects on him can be frustrating. Nonetheless, I found the read to be thoroughly enjoyable

My Rating

Happy Publication Day – 22 November 2023

Welcome To The Cornish Country Hospital By Jo Bartlett

A new start…

When Danni Carter moves to Cornwall from London, she hopes it will be the fresh start she so desperately needs. She’s nervous, but hopefully the change of scene will help her to finally forget her feelings for Lucas Newman, a man she can never be with, because he’s already engaged to Danni’s best friend, Esther.

An Impossible Dilemma…

But when Lucas and Esther decide to follow Danni to Cornwall, and both announce they will be working with her at the new St Piran’s hospital, Danni is thrown into turmoil again. She can’t lose Esther, but being near Lucas is getting harder to deal with. Will she have to give up her new life before it’s even started?

A chance to start again?

Throwing herself into work, Danni finds herself drawn to new patient, Connie Berrycloth, a woman Danni knows has dark secrets of her own. Secrets that are about to be revealed….

As the two women form a friendship, Danni begins to realise that letting go of her dreams might be the only way of holding on to the people she loves.

Review Card – Summer In Tuppenny Bridge By Sharon Booth

About The Author

Link To Purchase

Happy Publication Day – 21 November 2023

A Wedding In Driftwood Cove By Olivia Miles

With youngest sister Hallie getting married, the three Walsh sisters reunite at their family’s beach house for the big event. It’s a celebratory affair, rife with cherished traditions.

But families are complicated, and these sisters are no exception. Claire, the eldest, no longer believes in love after years working as a divorce attorney, and she resorts to taking her “work husband” as her date to convince her family otherwise. Middle sister, Amy, fears a confrontation with the man who broke her heart by announcing he was marrying someone else. And although Hallie has always lived a charmed life, she’s getting cold feet about marrying her childhood sweetheart.

As the Walsh sisters grapple with the secrets they’ve kept from one another, they must decide if Hallie’s wedding is a chance to mend mistakes of the past…even if it means confronting their feelings about love, life, and one another.

Secrets Of Starshine Cove By Debbie Johnson

A warm, sparkly and absolutely unputdownable return to the unforgettable Starshine Cove!

Cally, a devoted single mum, is stretched thin between caring for her clingy mother and her day job as a hairdresser with an always sympathetic ear. When her life in Liverpool is suddenly upended, she grabs her son Sam and jumps in the car to drive south for the holidays. Searching for a tiny speck of a village she once visited as a child, they nearly give up when a snowstorm hits, only to unexpectedly stumble across it: Welcome to Starshine Cove.

Amidst the welcoming – if slightly mad – locals, Cally finds some unexpected new friendships. But as the year draws to a close, she faces a tough decision: she and Sam can’t stay here forever, and the future looks a lot less jolly back home…

Book Review – The Memory Of You By Samantha Tonge

Alex would like to believe she’s a woman who has it all. Or that’s what she tells everyone, including herself. But this is far from true. Actually she’s on the cusp of losing her home, her dream career as a writer is in tatters, her ex won’t speak to her, and her mother’s gone forever.

But then a chance meeting with a stranger named Hope gives her the opportunity of a lifetime, when Hope jokes that perhaps Alex should take over her job in a café while she goes travelling.

Just at that moment, it sounds like the answer to all her problems. So Alex persuades Hope to let her step into her shoes for a month. She brushes away Hope’s attempts to explain about the café, instead demanding to know more about the owner Tom.

But she should have asked for more details. Because the ‘Wrong Order Café’ isn’t like anywhere she’s ever been before. And Alex’s life is about to change forever…

Published Date: 16 May 2023

My Review

In the book centering around the Wrong Order Cafe, the narrative sensitively addresses the topic of dementia. The cafe, previously run by Tom’s now dementia-afflicted father, has workers Renee and Fletch who, due to early stages of dementia, often mix up orders. Alex steps in to replace Hope, residing in the apartment above the cafe while Hope is on vacation. Initially seeking an escape from her declining writing career and poor life decisions, Alex, who starts off as rather self-centered, almost abandons the cafe. However, she soon recognizes the profound impact of the cafe and undergoes significant personal growth as she confronts various challenges. The book, commended for its research and heartfelt writing, encapsulates themes of love and kindness, deeply resonating with the reader.

My Rating

Review Card – The Memory Of You By Samantha Tonge

But then a chance meeting with a stranger named Hope gives her the opportunity of a lifetime, when Hope jokes that perhaps Alex should take over her job in a café while she goes travelling.

But she should have asked for more details. Because the ‘Wrong Order Café’ isn’t like anywhere she’s ever been before. And Alex’s life is about to change forever…

About The Author

Link To Purchase

Book Review – Not Today, Cupid By Jennifer Bonds

Notes from Triada Investment Meeting:

As compiled by Scarlett Evans—executive assistant, grad student, and reluctant admirer of CEO Nick Hart’s snacktastic abs

Well, my fellow corporate drones, it’s another less-than-exciting investor meeting with the executives (Loud Talker, Human Buzzword, Master Delegator). And at the front, CEO Nick Hart, the world’s coldest—and ok, unbelievably sexy—tech badass. The man hasn’t smiled in the history of ever, he runs a tight ship filled with miserable employees, and gosh, he just really does not love feedback. Especially from me.

Development updates, acquisition delays, and…holy hell, why does he keep looking at me? I don’t work for him. I work for his brother. Which is good, because otherwise I’d spend every meeting secretly wondering what actually lies beneath that cool, aloof demeanor. Like, is he an uptight geek in the boardroom…and a sexy-assed freak in the bedroom?

He’d better not find out I’m the one stuffing the company suggestion box. What’s so wrong with a Valentine’s Day Social, anyway? But the fact that my notes are less professional and more entertainment is one seriously dangerous game. Because if he ever found out what I really thought of him, there’d be all kinds of sweet, delicious hell to pay…

Published Date: 8 May 2023

My Review

Nick Hart, a meticulous co-founder of Triada Tech, struggles to retain an assistant. He resorts to borrowing his brother’s assistant, Scarlett, for note-taking. At first, he perceives her as timid, but her candid, witty notes catch his attention. As they collaborate on a Valentine’s Day event, their relationship blossoms.

The novel presents a delightful romance, brimming with witty exchanges, palpable chemistry, and passionate moments. Scarlett’s chapters, alternating in perspective, are particularly sassy and entertaining. Both protagonists exhibit substantial character development, making them endearing to readers.

Scarlett’s unique background as an industrial organizational psychology student adds depth and rationalizes her actions throughout. The plot features a communication mishap, resulting in both hilarious and cringeworthy moments, culminating in a significant gesture by one character in the climax.

My Rating

Review Card – Not Today, Cupid By Jennifer Bonds

Notes from Triada Investment Meeting:

As compiled by Scarlett Evans—executive assistant, grad student, and reluctant admirer of CEO Nick Hart’s snacktastic abs

About The Author

Link To Purchase

Happy Publication Day – 17 November 2023

Always The Bridesmaid By Laura Carter

A cheeky chappy comedian

Charlie is most comfortable playing the funny man in front of boisterous crowds in London’s comedy clubs. But he’s about to be swapping his routine for wedding speeches. And his new acquaintance Sarah thinks he is anything but amusing.

The woman who’s got it covered

Weddings are always a difficult time for widow Sarah, but you would never tell – she’s too focused on making the week of her best friends’ wedding as perfect as possible. She definitely has no time for the grumpy and surly Charlie, who it’s clear her friends are trying to set her up with.

And only one room left at the rental…

When a drunken invitation adds more people to the pre-wedding holiday house than Sarah organized for, she finds herself spending A LOT more time with Charlie than she intended. If only they could both let their guards down, they might find they have more in common than they think.

Book Review – Playing For Keeps By Julie Hammerle

Bryce Barrett has disappeared off the face of the earth. Well, technically she’s just temporarily hiding out in a teeny Midwest town, away from her ruined marriage and professional demise…at least until she can figure out her next steps. But when she bumps into her ex—dressed in what could be only described as “dumpster chic”—she does the only reasonable thing a woman can do: panics and pretends the cute security guard on the scene is her new boyfriend.

Free-spirited nomad Jake Warner knew returning to his hometown was a bad idea. It’s bad enough that his family’s pressuring him to step into his dad’s hypercompetitive shoes and settle down, but when a complete stranger (cute, though possibly unbalanced) enlists him as her fake boyfriend, Jake knows he’s making some questionable choices…especially when he inexplicably goes along with it.

Now these two mismatched misfits are temporary allies against a town filled with happy, normal, and annoyingly stable people. Fake dating keeps everyone off their back while they plot their respective escapes. But nothing botches a plan more than unexpected chemistry…

Published Date: 8 May 2023

My Review

Bryce Barrett, after facing a professional setback in Chicago, finds herself in a Midwest town where she meets Jake Warner, a security personnel at a resort. They enter a fake dating relationship for personal reasons, and despite Jake’s intent to leave town after saving money, they form a close bond. The story delves into serious issues such as suicide and opioid addiction. Jake struggles with his manipulative family and past issues. While the narrative is engaging, some resolutions, like Jake’s swift career transition and Bryce’s dropped legal advice, seem overly simplified and don’t do justice to the complexities introduced in the story.

My Rating