Monthly Archives: July 2025

Review Card & Book Review- Finding Home In Hartfell By Suzanne Snow

The eldest of five siblings and mother of teenage Harriet, Pippa is the glue that holds the family together. When her father, rock legend Jonny Jones, asks her to ‘sort out’ an old family home in Hartfell, the last thing she wants is to spend hers and Harriet’s summer holiday in the Yorkshire Dales.

Surprises lie in wait – the house has a tenant, local vet Gil, who does not want to leave. Even as sparks fly with the handsome vet, tensions rise when Pippa’s plans put his practice and the village fete under threat.

Can she turn the fete into a success and win back the villagers’ approval? And will Pippa unstick herself from her demanding family enough to go after what she needs?

About The Author

My Review

Pippa and her daughter Harriet arrive in Hartfell to sell an inherited farmhouse but soon find themselves drawn to the charming village. Pippa clashes with Gil, the local vet who lives in the farmhouse, while Harriet bonds with a local boy and helps at the animal sanctuary. Village tensions rise due to Pippa’s rockstar father’s past, but a special performance by her famous brother may help mend relationships. As Pippa uncovers family secrets and warms to Gil, she must decide where her future lies. A heartwarming tale of love, second chances, and community, with humor and vivid rural charm.

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Review Card & Book Review – The Many Futures Of Maddy Hart By Laura Pearson

Suddenly Maddy is right there… in her own future. And it’s all wrong, yet again.

It happens to her every time. When the kisses lead to the bedroom, just when she thinks she might have found the one… Just for a split second, Maddy disappears, and she finds that she’s living her own life. But ten years from now.

She’s only there for a little while. But each time, it’s long enough to know that she doesn’t want to be any of those versions of Maddy. Because every man she falls for seems to lead her to a life that is just… wrong.

Until she meets Oliver. And the vision of what lies ahead for them is happy. A little girl runs around, her braids flying behind her, giggling about how she wants sausages for dinner. She has eyes just like Oliver’s.

There’s just one catch. If Maddy wants the life she’s seeing with Oliver, she realises she has to break his heart now…

About The Author

My Review

This novel presents a unique and thought-provoking premise, following Maddy as she experiences time jumps and glimpses into possible futures. Her journey, particularly in navigating her chaotic love life and evolving career, offers an intriguing exploration of life’s unpredictability.

One of the book’s strongest aspects is its realistic portrayal of dreams and ambitions, such as Maddy’s transition from struggling actress to screenwriter and Henry’s unfulfilled football aspirations due to injury. However, the romance between Maddy and Oliver falls short, as the moral dilemma surrounding their relationship feels unsatisfying and underdeveloped.

Despite its creative concept, the novel’s brevity limits its ability to fully explore key themes and plot points. Unresolved elements, such as the significance of Isla’s name and Maddy’s visions involving her mother, leave gaps in the story.

Overall, this book is an ambitious and imaginative read that could have benefited from more depth.

My Rating

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Happy Publication Day – 20 July 2025

Desired Hearts By Cissy Mecca

The Rules of the Bachelor Pact – Never stay the night…

Parker

All I ever wanted was to be part of a family. But that’s what I have found in The Bachelor Pact.

That’s why I’ve moved into the Heritage Hill Inn in Cedar Falls. To help with the renovations and plan my next move.

I wasn’t looking to meet anyone, but sometimes people are meant to show up in your life I guess. Delaney is everything I didn’t know I was looking for. But I made a promise to the guys…Never stay the night.

Delaney

I should know better than to fall for the dirty-talking confirmed bachelor Parker.

But no one said anything about getting stuck in a cozy, snowbound log cabin together and indulging in a scorching, no-strings fling!

Parker Scott may have a reputation as “the nice guy,” but he’s also a ruggedly sexy commitment-phobe who does more than just sweet-talking! So despite the sizzling chemistry crackling between us, I don’t take his flirty innuendos too seriously. And that suits me fine, I’ve sworn off relationships for good.

But everything changed that weekend. Now I’m hopelessly addicted to Parker’s unique mix of tenderness and sin. Was this eternal bachelor perhaps not so sworn to the pact after all?

Review Card & Book Review- Sweet Escape By Meredith Wild & Jillian Liota

After a heartbreaking betrayal, singer-songwriter Vivian Walsh needs a getaway. Her best friend Murphy’s family vineyard is the perfect refuge to focus on her new album, free from unnecessary distractions—like men. Few are more tempting than Murphy’s workaholic brother, Memphis. He’s infuriatingly handsome, and Vivian can’t resist teasing him whenever she gets the chance.

Memphis has a lot on his plate with his struggling family business. The last thing he needs in his life is a spitfire like Vivian. They have nothing in common but the heat between them. The good news is that neither of them are looking for a relationship. Just release from the pressure. One no-strings night with Vivian couldn’t hurt. Or two. Or three. Maybe a distraction is exactly what they need.

When Vivian’s life back in LA comes calling, both realize their feelings might have grown far more than they planned. They will have to decide: Is it time to say goodbye? Or can their sweet escape turn into their forever?

About The Author

My Review

In Sweet Escape by Meredith Wild and Jillian Liota, singer-songwriter Vivian Walsh visits her best friend, Murphy, after discovering her boyfriend’s infidelity. A night out leads her to a charming bartender—who turns out to be Murphy’s brother, Memphis Hawthorne. Their instant attraction was never meant to last beyond one night, but fate has other plans.

Memphis is focused on saving his family’s struggling vineyard, taking on any task necessary, including shifts at the restaurant’s bar. Meeting Vivian is an unexpected but welcome distraction. As their chemistry deepens, they must decide if they’re willing to take a chance on something real.

With sizzling romance, heartfelt emotion, and well-developed characters, Sweet Escape is a captivating love story filled with passion, witty banter, and just the right amount of drama.

My Rating

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Review Card & Book Review – The Little Island Flower Stall By Tilly Tennant

When Bella’s heart is broken by her cheating husband, she runs towards those who love her and won’t let her down. Packing a bag, she escapes to Jersey, to help her beloved great-aunt Celestine run her seaside flower stall.

Soon Bella begins to find peace as she arranges wildflowers in vases and learns lessons about life from Celestine, who has loved and lost many times during her years on the island. But when charismatic, brooding Rory arrives at the flower stall, seeking answers about his own family’s past, could all that be about to change?

Bella can’t help but be drawn to Rory, with his aquamarine eyes, and as they walk together under vast blue skies, discussing his tragic family history, Bella wonders if her great-aunt might be able to help.

But when Bella shows Celestine a letter about Rory’s lost grandfather, hidden on the island during the war, her beloved aunt shuts her out. What does Celestine know and why won’t she open her heart? And when Bella discovers that Rory has been keeping something important from her, she fears she has trusted the wrong person once again…

Bella is determined to get to the bottom of the long-buried secret at the heart of this beautiful island. Can it bring her the new beginning that she desperately needs?

About The Author

My Review

Set on the idyllic island of Jersey, the novel follows Bella, a woman reeling from her husband’s betrayal, who seeks refuge with her fiercely independent 94-year-old great-aunt, Celestine. The charming flower stall becomes more than just a backdrop—it’s a symbol of resilience, renewal, and community.

As Bella helps Celestine and tries to rebuild her own life, she crosses paths with Rory, a man on a poignant quest to uncover the truth about his grandfather’s wartime origins. Their shared journey through local archives and long-held secrets gradually brings them closer, while also unearthing moving stories of courage and love from the past. Bella’s emotional growth is handled with sensitivity, and the budding romance with Rory feels genuine and grounded. Celestine, with her feisty personality and quiet wisdom, is a standout.

Overall, this is a lovely escape with emotional resonance and an uplifting message about starting over and embracing the unexpected.

My Rating

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Happy Publication Day – 19 July 2025

Living The Good Life By Celia Anderson

New beginnings. Old wounds. And a village with its own secret to happiness. . . ✨🦋

The peaceful village of Willowbrook seems to be the ideal place for a new lease of life – at least according to Nell’s husband, Barney. With an empty nest and coming towards retirement, he’s persuaded her to try country living. Their cottage even has an annexe that’s perfect for Barney’s widowed father, Frank.

Nell is less sure about this fresh start… and it’s not long before cracks in her thirty-year marriage begin to appear. Instead of spending more time together, she and Barney seem to be drifting apart. Frank, too, is unsettled.

A weekly community group exploring the secret of happiness provides a way for Nell and her father-in-law to navigate their new surroundings. Nell finds some friends, and Frank is quickly taken in hand by the neighbourhood matriarchs – the self-styled ‘Saga Louts’!

But will questioning what makes her happy push Nell even further away from Barney, especially when she discovers the secrets her husband has been keeping? Or can opening up to others help old wounds heal and bring them back together once more? What really is the secret to happiness?

Review Card & Book Review- Secrets Of Foxglove Cottage By Rebecca Alexander

From her open window at Foxglove Cottage, she looks out at the garden full of wildflowers drenched in golden sunlight. Her fingers tremble as she turns the fragile page of the old diary and discovers a secret that will change her life forever…

When Zosia arrives at Foxglove Cottage holding her small son’s hand in hers, she is desperate for a new beginning. Her new job is to help seventy-year-old Hazel transform her tumbledown cottage and re-open the enchanting old café, seeped in folklore. Hazel is warm and welcoming, but Zosia can never share the truth about why she has left her own home.

When neighbourly Leon, a bear of a man with deep brown eyes, arrives to help them restore the cafe, Zosia can’t help falling for his rugged charm. But her heart has been shattered before, so she distracts herself by translating an old diary that’s been in Hazel’s family for generations. She discovers an extraordinary love story hidden in the yellowing pages. It pulls her back into World War Two, as if the past is whispering through the garden’s tangled vines and the granite cottage walls. Could the old wartime romance help broken-hearted Zosia believe in soulmates again?

Zosia longs to open up to Hazel and Leon but if her past catches up with her it could ruin everything. When she uncovers the diary’s long buried secret, will it help her let go of her own past? Or, when she receives a letter that threatens everything she holds dear, will she be forced to leave Foxglove Cottage for good?

About The Author

My Review

This is an evocative and emotionally rich dual-timeline novel that beautifully blends historical fiction with contemporary women’s fiction. Set against the tranquil yet sometimes treacherous backdrop of the English countryside, the story explores the power of love, resilience, and healing across generations.

The present-day narrative follows Hazel Wojcik, a spirited 70-year-old recovering from surgery and determined to breathe new life into her beloved Foxglove Cottage. Enter Zosia Armitage, a Polish immigrant on the run from an abusive past, with her young son in tow. Their unexpected connection grows as Zosia not only helps Hazel restore the café but also begins translating wartime documents left behind by Hazel’s Polish father. As the women forge trust and purpose, danger unexpectedly creeps back into Zosia’s life, raising the emotional and suspenseful stakes.

The historical timeline is equally compelling. We’re transported to WWII, where Casimir Wojcik, a brave Polish pilot, crashes in the English Moors and is rescued by Rosie—Hazel’s mother. What unfolds is a poignant, high-stakes romance between two young people trying to survive the brutality of war. Rosie’s work in a munitions factory and Casimir’s perilous missions as a fighter pilot offer rich historical detail and constant tension, underscoring the human cost of conflict and the fierce hope that love brings.

The parallels between the two timelines are thoughtfully drawn, with themes of survival, trust, and new beginnings woven seamlessly throughout. Overall, it is a beautifully crafted story that delivers emotional depth, rich historical atmosphere, and strong female characters. With its blend of danger, romance, and healing, this book is a must-read for fans of dual-timeline fiction like The Nightingale or The Lost Girls of Paris.

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Happy Publication Day – 18 July 2025

Hot To Go By Kristen Bailey

The vacation ended. The heat didn’t…

Meet Suzie Callaghan: French teacher, newly single, newly heartbroken. After an awful break-up, she heads to Mallorca for a much-needed holiday with her cousins, expecting sun, sangria, and siestas.

She isn’t expecting to fall in love – especially not with the handsome Spaniard who rescues her when she gets separated from her group during an ill-judged midnight skinny dip.

But what starts as a steamy holiday romance built on white lies and mistaken identities turns into something more complicated when “Carlos” shows up at the school she works at.

Except his name isn’t Carlos. It’s Charlie Carter, and he’s the new Spanish teacher.

Now they’re stuck in department meetings pretending they haven’t seen each other naked, both feeling thoroughly duped, both wondering if that hot holiday fling can exist in real life? But when they’re thrown together again on a school trip to Seville, the heat between them proves impossible to resist.

Review Card & Book Review- Lie For A Million By Janet Dailey

Lila Culhane’s life is in turmoil. As if coping with the murder of her husband isn’t enough, now the glamorous young widow has Frank’s even younger mistress to contend with. His pregnant mistress. Crystal. But Lila hasn’t got time for more heartache. With everyone grasping to profit from Frank’s death, including fighting for possession of her beloved ranch, she needs leverage for the battle.

As it turns out, Crystal may be carrying just the edge Lila requires: an heir. Crystal offers to let Lila adopt Frank’s baby—for a price. Lila is willing to consider it—pending a paternity test. Until then, she’ll focus on her role in the upcoming high-stakes Run for a Million reining competition, and her ranch manager—and lover—Roper McKenna.

Rugged, hardworking, and talented, Roper is finally getting his dream to ride in the prized competition. Lila expects he’ll choose the Culhane’s legendary stallion, One in a Million, as his mount. But when he considers other offers, she finds herself questioning his loyalty . . .

Meanwhile, Detective Sam Rafferty’s list of suspects in Frank’s murder is growing. Besides Roper and Lila, Frank’s bitter first wife and his sparring extended family, there are adversarial neighbors, ex-lovers, and perhaps even the woman Sam loves—Frank’s own pampered daughter, Jasmine. And as the surprises multiply, a killer remains free to strike again—if these rivals don’t kill each other first . . .

About The Author

My Review

Lila Culhane, a recently widowed woman caught in a perfect storm of grief, betrayal, and power struggles. As if losing her husband Frank weren’t enough, she’s forced to confront his much younger, pregnant mistress, Crystal. But in true Dailey fashion, nothing is black and white—Crystal may hold the key to Lila keeping her beloved ranch, and the two women strike a morally gray but compelling deal.

The novel weaves together multiple storylines: Lila’s fight to retain her place in the Culhane legacy, her tense relationship with her lover and ranch manager Roper McKenna, and the increasingly tangled murder investigation led by Detective Sam Rafferty. With a long list of suspects—ex-wives, disgruntled family members, jilted lovers—the whodunit element adds suspense to an already emotionally charged plot.

Roper’s potential betrayal cuts deep, introducing themes of loyalty, ambition, and trust, especially as he considers riding for another team in the prestigious Run for a Million competition. Lila’s vulnerability in this moment is sharply written, layered with her need to assert control while protecting what she loves most—her ranch and her legacy.

Lie for a Million delivers a fast-paced and juicy mix of romantic suspense, ranch drama, and a murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the final page.

My Rating

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