August 14, 2026 – My Sanctuary

Between Greek Balconies By Francesca Catlow

When burnt-out human rights barrister Alisha Harding is forced to take a sabbatical, she heads for the one place she’s dreamt of since childhood: a small, sun-drenched island in Greece.

In her new home by the sea, the volcanic landscape, the warmth of island life and the unhurried pace slowly begin to do what London couldn’t. She’s here to heal—not to be distracted by her brooding next-door neighbour, Helios, who seems determined to keep the world at arm’s length.

But night after night, sharing wine on their adjoining balconies, the intimacy between them grows. And Helios, it seems, is hiding his own painful past.

When duty calls Alisha back to London, the fragile peace she’s found on the island is abruptly shattered. Pulled between the life she’s always known and the one she’s only just begun to imagine, she must decide what truly matters. Can love bridge the gaps between language, loss and two very different worlds, or is the distance between them too great to overcome?

Sealing The Deal By Bella North

Grayson Ashborne is public enemy number one in laidback Denver, where the locals really don’t like the idea of a ruthless New York billionaire taking over their football team, the Stormhawks… especially local fan bar owner Flic Moore. She’s as sassy and straight-talking as she is beautiful. But Grayson is used to getting whatever he wants…

Flic might just be the leader of Grayson’s hate club. The most beloved Stormhawks fan in the city, she has nothing but an eye roll to offer the infuriatingly handsome out-of-town billionaire. Until he makes her an offer she can’t refuse: help him win over the fans, and he’ll buy her bar’s premises and sign it over to her. No more rent hikes, no more landlords.

It’s strictly business. Until it’s not… soon they’re sharing intimate private jets to away games, heated debates in stadium boxes, and steamy elevator rides to penthouse apartments. Flic’s willpower when it comes to Grayson begins to crumble as fast as the walls around her heart.

When wedding planner Toni Goschl arrives on the sun-drenched Tuscan island of Elba, she can’t wait to finally meet her online friend Gabri in person.

There’s only one small problem… instead of the female florist she’d been expecting, waiting for her is heartbreakingly handsome, jaw-droppingly gorgeous, Gabriele Orzati. With only a week to go until the beach-front wedding Toni and Gabri are working on, they decide to make the best of an awkward situation and spend the time together as planned.

For seven unforgettable days, as Toni gets to know the breathtaking island – and the open-hearted man who calls Elba home – she finds it increasingly difficult, in the close quarters of Gabri’s clifftop villa, to resist turning their friendship into something more.

But Toni and Gabri both have heartache in their pasts, complex lives and commitments and as the week of the wedding gathers pace, real life swims back into focus. When the time comes for Toni to head home, there’s only one question she will have to answer – can a romance begun under the dreamy Italian sun ever become a happily-ever-after?

About The Author

My Review

This book is about a carefully structured woman whose tidy life begins to unravel the moment she arrives on Elba expecting to meet an online friend and instead finds Gabriele, a surprise that sparks instant tension, curiosity, and a slow-burning romance. In this story, sunshine and sea breezes frame a story that balances dreamy escapism with grounded emotional stakes.

Toni is wonderfully relatable: organized, capable, and quietly carrying emotional baggage. Gabriele complements her beautifully—warm, steady, and layered in a way that keeps their connection feeling natural rather than rushed. Their relationship grows through small, intimate moments and meaningful conversations, creating a believable friends-to-lovers journey filled with tension and tenderness.

The island setting becomes a character in its own right, wrapping the romance in a golden, suspended-in-time atmosphere while wedding chaos hums in the background. Yet beneath the idyllic bubble lies the real question: can a holiday romance survive once real life returns?

Blending forced proximity, second chances, and gentle slow burn, this is a heartfelt, immersive escape.

My Rating