Contemporary/Chic-Lit/Womens Fiction
#BlogTour | Four Weddings And A Festival by Annie Robertson #FourWeddingsAnAFestival #Review @annieauthor @orionbooks
Hello my lovely readers! I have the massive pleasure to be todays stop on the brilliant blog tour for the gorgeously funny; Four Weddings and a Festival by Annie Robertson. My goodness this books is so good, I’m telling you now if you love Four Weddings and a Funeral as much as I do, then this book is the book for you.
Four months. Four weddings. One happy ending…?
Lifelong friends and rom-com fans Bea, Lizzie, Hannah and Kat have curled up with Bridget Jones, sobbed at Love, Actually and memorised the script to Notting Hill. They always joked about getting married in one summer – their own Four Weddings – and it seems like this might just be the year . . .
That is, until Bea turns down her boyfriend’s proposal. Is her own Hugh Grant waiting for her amid the champagne and confetti? Can real-life romance ever live up to a Richard Curtis movie?
As the wedding – and festival – season gets into its swing, can all four friends find their happy ever after…?
Raise a glass of champagne and get ready for this summer’s most charming romantic comedy! Perfect for fans of Sophie Ranalds, Mandy Baggot and Sue Roberts
This book!! I am in utter love with it, I knew the moment I set eyes on the title alone that I had to read this book, after all it is inspired and loosely based on one of my whole time favourite films; Four Weddings and a Funeral, and how much do I love that film! Who doesn’t cry at Gareth’s funeral during John Hannah’s recital of Stop the Clocks? or Who doesn’t laugh every time Rowan Atkinson presides over wedding number two? I think you have an idea of just how many time I have watched it and believe me there were moments while reading this book that just screamed that film, so you cannot imagine my utter excitement when I managed to wangle myself a place on this blog tour. Imagine a spinning top which has had too much candy and you get the gist 😉
So, I’ll stop waffling on about Four Weddings and Funeral and actually talk about this book, that’s what your all here for right? So, we have four lifelong friends; Bea, Kat, Lizzie and Hannah, who all have a love of a certain film, as teenagers they made each other a promise that they would all marry in the same summer to have their own ‘Four Weddings’ but hopeful not with the funeral. As the years go by, they still remain the closest of friends, which is quite remarkable on itself as how many of your teenage friends can you say you are still in contact with? And then the unexpected happens Lizzie, Hannah and Kat all become engaged and plan to wed in the same years, so obviously they all start to look at Bea so they can make their little teenage pact a reality- only problem with that is, Bea isn’t sure she want to get married, in fact she isn’t even sure that her Boyfriend; Simon is the man for her.
Just as with the film, love never comes easy, in fact even weddings never come easy as we soon find out as Lizzie, Kat and Hannah prepare to say I do.
Lizzie is besotted with Jack; her intended, they genuinely do love one another and that is so sweet that there is a genuine true love, only problem he is off on tour with his band right after the wedding – Bugger!
Hannah and Remy are an absolute delight, as different as they come but such a beautiful couple, the issue here is Hannah hasn’t told her grandparents that Remy is in fact a woman, well that’s going to be a interesting wedding day, for sure.
Kat is such a tom boy, she doesn’t want fuss and bother, she just wants to say I do, sign the paper and be done with it, but does her betrothed Henry feel the same, in fact does he feel anything?
Then there is our Bea, she is such a ‘Charles’ she becomes stuck in the middle of two men, every girls dream to have two drop-dead gorgeous men fighting over you, right? Well, not so much as their attentions just confuse her mind and her heart, her mind is telling her one thing but her heart is shouting another, but which will she follow? – Let me just say, that when she does decided who she wants to be with, when she finally declare her feelings for him it is such a Four Weddings and a Funeral scene, Richard Curtis couldn’t have written better 😉
Yes, this is a hugely fun, romantic and feel good book, that will have you laughing and crying in equal doses, but for me what really makes it stand out and keeps it head and shoulders above all other books in this genre is the beautiful friendship between the four women, it is so real and relatable, each woman has their own issues and hurdles in life and being true life long friends they stand by each other no matter what. I absolutely love the way that Annie Roberston has written it, you can real sense the connection between the woman, it gives off such a feeling of joy and hope, it’s down to earth, fun writing at it’s very best.
Oh, I do have to mention Aunt Jean, what a hoot!! Oh, she is wonderful, definitely the star of the show for me, she is the kind of aunt that we all want in the family; fun, hugely witty, caring and a little bit eclectic. Every book needs and Aunt Jean in it, she’s brilliant.
Over all, this is the perfect summer light-hearted read. Its heart-warming and witty, there is a real energy in the writing that I found very engaging from the start. I thoroughly enjoyed this, its a wonderful little story that will leaving you smiling….Now, I’m off to re-watch Four Weddings and a Funeral for the millionth time 🙂
This was an Arc copy via the publisher in exchange for an honest review as apart of this blog tour, thank you Kate at Orion.
Four Weddings and a Festival is to be released on 12th July and can be pre-ordered at Amazon.
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Do check out the other blog’s which are participating in the wonderful blog tour.
#Review | Love Heart Lane (Love Heart Lane Series #1) by @ChristieJBarlow #LoveHeartLane @HarperImpulse
Cosy up on the sofa with this year’s most heart-warming, feel good comfort read!
Welcome to Love Heart Lane…
When Flick Simons returns to the cosy village of Heartcross she only expected to stay for a few days. The white-washed cottages of Love Heart Lane might be her home, but the place holds too many painful memories, and of one man in particular – Fergus Campbell.
When a winter storm sweeps in, the only bridge connecting the village to the main land is swept away. As the villagers pull together, Flick finds herself welcomed back by the friends she once left behind. And as the snow begins to melt, maybe there is a chance that Fergus’s heart will thaw too…
Readers ADORE Christie’s books:
‘A hug in a book’ Jeannie, Amazon
‘A warm, cosy winter read perfect for January nights’ Susie, Amazon
‘I love reading about a community pulling together in the face of adversity…These days so many live lonely, anonymous lives in towns and cities’ Joanna, Amazon
‘A book full of love and community spirit’ Kathy, Amazon
‘I want to live there!!!’ Cally, Amazon
‘Delightfully warm feelgood fiction at its best’ Lorna, Amazon
I hate to say how long this has been sitting on my Kindle shelf, how could I have not devoured this before now? It seems unbelievable that I left this untouched, but I got there eventually and it was well worth the wait as this book is so cosy and heart-warming, it’s like being wrapped in a huge snug blanket, its comforting as well as heart-warming.
The story follows lead character Felicity (Flick) as she returns home to Heart Cross village after eight years away, she really only planned to stay for a few days, maybe a week most as the village and more importantly the people bring back far too many painful memories for her. But, as we all know nothing goes plan all the time, there are always hiccups with any well laid plan, and the hiccup here is that once Flick reaches Heart Cross there is a huge storm that cut the village and the people off from the rest of the world – slightly over dramatic, I know but it’s the truth, the only bridge leading in and out of the village is destroyed so Flick is essentially stuck.
It is here that you really see the good in people, it is so heart-warming to see how the community pulls together in it’s hour of need. But, one of the reasons that Flick wanted to stay away is stuck in the village along with her, the man she has always loved deep down before things got complicated and she left. To say that Fergus is less then pleased to see Flick back in the village is an understatement. I love how they are forced to face one and other because there is no where to escape to, how we see them battle their emotions.
The thing that I really got from this book was a sense of hope, that no matter where you look there will always be something positive and pleasant waiting for you. Christie Barlow has a real gift at cementing character’s into the readers lives in such a way that it is very hard for us to let go, we become completely sucked into their lives and their world.
This is a wonderful story full of hope, second chances and more then that a real sense of community spirit that is so lacking in the world today. I love the characters each brings something different just as each one is just as important to the development of the story as the heroine; Flick. There are some wonderful, heart-warming moment just as there is some sadness, the writing is fluid and full of warmth.
A sweet and loving story full of hope and very recommended, I am looking forward to what comes next from the little village of Heart Cross.
#Review | His Innocent Seduction by Clare Connelly #HisInnocentSeduction #DoYouDare #MillsandBoonInsiders @clarewriteslove @MillsandBoon @HarlequinBooks
A sexual initiation…
I enjoy the finer things—aged whisky, gourmet meals, beautiful women… So when sweet virgin Millie Davis propositions me, I vow we’ll savor every moment. It’s completely no-strings—love is too dangerous. Yet, how can someone so innocent bring me to the brink of losing control?
Phew, this is hot!! When I say hot, I mean scorching, you need to go and through yourself in frozen lake; hot. It’s a fast paced, scorching hot romance that will leave the reader gasping for more. For those who aren’t a fan of erotic romances, this maybe not the best book for you, but for those who love a good getting twisted within the bedsheets, then I say grab a copy and snuggle down for a bit of carnal lust. 😉
I’ve not read any of Clare Connelly’s books before, but I have heard some really great things about her work, well I have to say that she doesn’t disappoint, she definitely lives up to her marvellous reputation as a stonking great Dare author, as this is amazing and I will definitely be grabbing as many of Clare’s books as I can get my little hands on.
This book – as you would expect from a Dare, is sizzling, the temperature sours, the sex is steamy and raunchy and to be honest that really is the focal point of the story, as our heroine Millie being a virgin, she has basically had enough and wants – to put it bluntly; sex and lots of it – which is what she gets with lusty, workaholic Michael.
Millie is in the middle of travelling around Europe and she finds herself in Ireland where she starts working in a bar for a short time until she What I really like about this is how Millie, even though she is very naïve and there is something very innocent about her, she knows what she wants and she isn’t afraid to go out and get it. She wants Michael, she has been watching for a while as he goes into the bar she works in, she is fascinated by this enigmatic and suave looking man with the glorious Irish accent and she has got to the point in her life where she want to throw all rules out of the window and have a night of hot sex – which is where Michael comes in. He is a machine, his whole life revolves around work, he doesn’t want a relationship he is more than happy with one night stands and casual sex, so he is more than amiable when Millie puts her no strings proposition to him.
This is a fun, quick read that does entertain, the Irish setting is gorgeous – as gorgeous as our hero. The character’s are passionate and even though I felt that there was something missing about them, I can’t quite put my finger on it, it’s nothing huge that impacts on their relationship with each other or the story, it was just a niggling feeling I got, but apart from that, they are good fun and very likable.
I really liked the way it this was written it has a great flow to it that does make the reader keep turning the pages, Ms Connelly has got a wonderful way at developing a scene and enhancing the already simmering sexual tension between the two leads, she doesn’t keep pushing sex in your face while reading, the tension builds up brilliantly.
Overall a very entertaining book that you will devour in one sitting.
This was an Arc copy from Mills and Boons Insiders via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
His Innocent Seduction is available at Amazon.
#BlogTour | The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick #TheLibraryOfLostAndFound #Review @phaedrapatrick @HQstories
Hello my lovely friends! I have the huge pleasure to be todays stop on this wonderful blog tour for the utterly enchanting; The Library Of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick, as always grab yourselves a cuppa and let me tell you a little about this gorgeous and heart-warming book.
A librarian’s discovery of a mysterious book sparks the journey of a lifetime in the delightful new novel from the bestselling author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.
Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people―though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she’s invisible.
All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend―her grandmother Zelda―who died under mysterious circumstances years earlier. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda’s past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change her life forever.
Filled with Phaedra Patrick’s signature charm and vivid characters, The Library of Lost and Found is a heart-warming reminder that even the quietest life has the potential to be extraordinary.
This is one of the most adorable and heart-warming books I have read, I loved the simplicity and of the plot and the message of how through books we can really discover who we are as people. As soon as I heard about this, I just had to read it. A book about a book, set in a library! What more could I possibly want?
This is a wee bit more then just a story about a woman who works in a library and finds a book with a hand written dedication from her grandmother to her, from this one message Martha sets off on a life changing voyage of discovery, learning truths, secrets and lies as she goes, she starts remembering things that had been closed away in her mind and soon Martha begins to see her childhood, her parents with new eyes. I can only imagine how traumatic that must have been for Martha as her whole life and what she thought happened and what she believed soon coming unravelling, all because of a book.
Martha is a woman who no matter who you are, you will relate to her in some way. I know that I did! She has sacrificed everything; a life of her own, a career, happiness, even romance and relationships all for her parent’s, she has done the dutiful daughter, she has cared for them for years putting everything else aside for them and their needs. I can relate to Martha in ways that not a lot would, I understand her wanting to do right by her family and I can also understand her frustration with how her life turned out. Now that her parents are no longer there she has again fallen into the role of carer – or a general dogs body – with everyone else, with the people at the library, with neighbours and even her sister.
Well, you can only keep pushing a person so far before they snap, which is what Martha does, she finally says no and it is that moment when she takes hold of her life and does something for herself for a change, and that is to discover the secret of the book and what really happened to her grandmother; Zelda, she was told as a child that her grandmother had died, yet this book says a different story all together and it is a story that Martha wants to know, but is she really ready for what she discovers?
I love how there is a slight timeslip aspect to this book, as we follow Martha on her journey we get flashes into her past which are told through her mother’s point of view. I really enjoyed that, getting to see Martha’s childhood and the complicated dynamics of the Storm family is fascinating to read, we really see and understand why Martha has surpassed so many memories, it wasn’t the most pleasant of childhood that’s for sure.
The Library of Lost and Found is a magical and heart-warming tale, it has a real whimiscal feel to it that is so charming to read, the writing is superb, I’ve not read Phaedra Patrick’s work before but I will definitely be scouring the shops for more. This is a real winner, it is a book that you will devour in one lazy afternoon, and one that you will keep pulling of the shelf again and again until your copy is battered and worn.
Utterly charming, I cannot recommend this more.
This was a complimentary copy via the publisher in exchange for an honest review as apart of this blog tour, thank you Izzy.
The Library Of Lost And Found can be found at Amazon.
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Do check out the other blogs which are participating in the wonderful blog tour.
#CoverReveal | Sweet Little Lies (Angels Sands #3) by @CarrieElks #SweetLittleLies #AngelSandsSeries
Hello my lovely readers! Today, I have the huge pleasure to be taking part in this exclusive cover reveal for; Sweet Little Lies by Carrie Elks. If you love your Contemporary Romance books, then I can guarantee you will love this cover, it’s so lovely and romantic.
Title: Sweet Little Lies
Author: Carrie Elks
Release Date: August 7, 2019
He was the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. She was everybody’s princess. Ten years later, he’s back in town and this time he has something to prove.
Aiden Black never thought he’d return to the small beach town he grew up in. But as the new director of a luxury resort, he’s determined to make it a success. What he doesn’t expect is to run into an old flame, the girl that got away.
Single mom, Brooke Newton, cares about two things. Taking care of her son and helping out at the local animal shelter. Until she’s sent on a mission to save an endangered dog, and comes face to face with the only man she’s ever loved.
As soon as they meet, the attraction between them reignites. But Brooke has a secret – a big one – and she has no idea how to tell Aiden. As lies are exposed, and truths are told, they’re determined to take advantage of this second chance. It’s a shame not everyone in town has got the message…
**Sweet Little Lies is the third book in the Angel Sands series, set in a small beach town on the California coast. If you like a heartwarming second chance romance that’s low on angst and big on feels, this is the story for you!**
Amazon / Goodreads
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About the Author
Carrie Elks writes contemporary romance with a sizzling edge. Her first book, Fix You, has been translated into eight languages and made a surprise appearance on Big Brother in Brazil. Luckily for her, it wasn’t voted out. Carrie lives with her husband, two lovely children and a larger-than-life black pug called Plato. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found baking, drinking an occasional (!) glass of wine, or chatting on social media.
To keep up to date with all of Carrie’s books, be sure to subscribe to her Newsletter HEREÂ
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
#Review | The Space Between Time by Charlie Laidlaw @claidlawauthor #TheSpaceBetweenTime
There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on Earth…
Emma Maria Rossini appears to be the luckiest girl in the world. She’s the daughter of a beautiful and loving mother, and her father is one of the most famous film actors of his generation. She’s also the granddaughter of a rather eccentric and obscure Italian astrophysicist.
But as her seemingly charmed life begins to unravel, and Emma experiences love and tragedy, she ultimately finds solace in her once-derided grandfather’s Theorem on the universe.
The Space Between Time is humorous and poignant and offers the metaphor that we are all connected, even to those we have loved and not quite lost.
Well what can I say about this? Other then utterly captivating, it’s not only a stonking great story that has real human emotion and relatable character’s, but I love the wit and some what darker humour that is laced through out the story from the first page. This is the first I have read by Charlie Laidlaw, and I have definitely been missing out on something, this book is so good, it’s such a captivating story that really captures the readers attention. There are some thought-provoking and highly emotional themes that develop as the story moves steadily onwards.
This is one of those books that is so immersive and so intricate with his fascinating story that it is a hard book to write a review for as I don’t want to give a single spoiler away, this is one of those rare books that no matter what genre you read this will be read and enjoyed by all. But the main thing I got from reading this is just how other peoples actions can determined the outcome of another’s life, especially when that person is a parent, that alone makes it so relevant for many, ti’s relatable and at times very hard hitting, it pulls at the heart strings.
The lead character Emma Maria Rossini never had the best or most conventional childhood, as we see from the first page her father is never home, and she is raised in what could be called a single parent family by her mother. Who from the off you instantly see that there isn’t something no quite right about her erratic behaviour, her mother fully believes that her father is having an affair. Unfortunately, Emma grows up surrounded by so much tension what is going on between her parents is not hidden from her, she sees and hears everything and that does have a lasting effect on her that stretches into adult hood, you can see how her relationship with her father becomes strained and how it all puts a huge strain on her own mental health.
It is when she is advised to start writing a journal to put her mixed thoughts in one place, you really see Emma come out, Charlie Laidlaw has written a beautiful, heart-wrenchingly complex and realistic character with Emma, no matter what is going on in her tangled mind and life she has this great voice, that is so engaging.
Overall a great story that can really put life in general into perspective, its a very relevant story that hounds the message home not to judge on just one part of the story, there are always too sides.
Highly recommended!
This was an Arc copy via the author in exchange for an honest review, thank you Charlie and apologies for the late review.
The Space Between Time is available now and can be purchased from Amazon.
#Review : The Time Of Our Lives by @PortiaMacIntosh #TheTimeOfOurLives @HQDigital
Hello everyone! Today I have the great pleasure to be sharing my review of The Time Of Our Lives by the wonderful Portia MacIntosh, so grab a cuppa and let me tell you about this gorgeous book.
Love is in the air…?
Luca is used to being the ‘single one’ at weddings – it happens, when all your other friends are engaged, married or taken. But when she bumps into Tom, her friend from university who broke her heart into a million pieces, she finds herself wondering what could have been.
It’s ten years later, surely she should be over that Tom by now? So why is he looking even more gorgeous than ever – and why doesn’t he seem to be able to keep his eyes off her either?
And as the champagne flows and old secrets resurface, Luca realises that perhaps the time to take a chance on love and life is…now?
The laugh-out-loud new novel from bestseller Portia Macintosh
Well, Portia MacIntosh you have gone and done it again, this is good, so good! I will admit that I am very late to discovering Ms MacIntosh’s work after only reading my first of her work at Christmas, but I am definitely well and truly a fan of hers.
The story is split between two times of Luca’s life; present day and then it flits back to her university days and I really love how this is written, it really gives and insight into what was going on and how Luca found herself where she is in her life. I found that the flashbacks to her university days really brought Luca to life and you began to understand her and her friends all the more, at times this kind of writing can be a bit confused for the reader but Ms MacIntosh has nailed it.
I really like Luca, she is a down-to-earth, likeable and very real character, she is a woman whose life hasn’t exactly gone to plan she has headed way off the planned path of life – I think every single one of us can relate to that in one way or another! Single, in a job she has come to pretty much hate and surrounded by happily married/coupled people, something she is used to, so when she is invited to the wedding of one of her oldest university friends she knows that it will end up being a reunion – and she is ready for being the only single one left amongst their little circle. She is ready to blow their socks of at what a successful woman she has become – even if that does mean buying an out fit that could make her go hungry for the next few months, but hey; she can always take it back to the shop! What she isn’t prepared for is to unexpectedly bump into the very person her broke her heart all those years ago, a man whom she says she is over but deep down she is in fact still that heartbroken young woman and seeing him again at the wedding is a real punch for her. It is bumping into Tom; the one who broke her heart, that really makes Luca start evaluating her life.
This is a great story, the present is set during the wedding and we all know what mayhem weddings can bring on their own, let alone mixing in a bunch of old friends, ex’s popping up left right and centre and a bit of a romance blossoming – but from what direction is this romance? You will just have to read it to find out! The main message I got from this above the romance, the heartbreak, the emotional upheaval was that true friendships can last forever, no matter where you are going in life, those special friendships will always be there when needed.
The Time Of Our Lives is a fun, engaging and very sweet romance that I am positive readers will relate to in some way, there is a realism about it – or more accurately about lead character; Luca. I know that a lot of readers will probably say the same, but there is something very real about Luca, she is one of those character’s that you can instantly see a certain aspect of yourself in and you just know and understand her in every way. This is so rare to find and I absolutely applaud Portia MacIntosh for writing this wonderful story, for bringing Luca into the world where we all can sit back and say; ‘That is so me’ or ‘My, goodness, yes I think that too’. I literally finished reading this, sat back and heaved a sigh, wiped a tear at the perfect story I’d just read.
Ms MacIntosh is an astounding writer, she really captures Luca in this she is so real to me, it is so rare to really connect with a character from the very first page but here I instantly did. The story really does pull at the heartstrings, you will be laughing out loud, blubbering like a baby with it’s intricately woven tale of love and friendship, there are secrets and lies some of the best wedding scenes ever – honestly think Four Weddings and a Funeral and you will know what I mean about fun and love at a wedding.
Overall, this is one of the best romantic comedy’s I have read, highly recommended and one that you will be pulling of the bookshelf to re-read.
This was am Arc from the publisher, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Time Of Our Lives is available now and can be found at Amazon, and do grab a copy.
