When a booking goes wrong, what could possibly happen?

Synopsis

Two weddings, three hotel reservations gone awry…and one weekend in Cornwall they’ll never forget!

When the similarities between Ella Swift and Callum Smith’s last names lead to a hotel room mix-up, they find themselves sharing a cramped cottage in Porthkara rather than the private luxury hotel suites they expected.

Each in town for a different wedding – and carrying more baggage than just the suitcases in their hands – the reluctant roommates are forced to share a shelter from the storm surge that sweeps in off the Atlantic. But as the rain crashes down there’s a shift in more than just the atmosphere, and by the time the sun rises on a new day, Ella and Callum’s futures have already been forever changed…

My review

Ella Swift and Callum Smith arrive at their booked hotel to attend a wedding. They are attending different weddings and haven’t ever met before. But when the new owners of he hotel have to admit that there was mix – up with their last names, and there is no other room available, these two strangers have no other option than sharing a cramped cottage that has past its best time in Porthkara.
To make things even worse, when a storm passes, have no other choice than spending even more time together. More time together where they both realize that they both have internal storms raging on, with dark clouds from their pasts.
And before they know, Ella and Callum find themselves finally finding someone that they can trust without any condition attached. But is one weekend enough to chase away all of their demons? Or will it stay to this one perfect, yet not without hiccups, weekend? 

Whenever I go to a hotel, I always have this small fear that we will discover that something went wrong and that there is no room available for me. Yes, I am one of those worst – case – scenario people, eve if nothing like this actual ever happened to me.
So of course I was curious to see what kind of story and solution the author could come up with. 

I have to say, before I started this book, I was not completely convinced about the mix – up as in my modest opinion, Swift and Smith were two very obvious different names.
But I was glad that there was a perfect logical explanation for the mix – up! And I truly couldn’t be angry with the new owners, as for sure they are in too deep, and the new system isn’t making things easier for them, on the contrary. 

Ella and Callum couldn’t have a more different background. Not only that, but their demons are also very different. Yet somehow I found it that despite their differences, they were both very alike. The pains from their pasts for sure scarred them deeply, and both of them are somehow afraid to move on, even not knowing how their future would look like. 

Of course I had my laughs reading about the state of the cottage, if you can call it like that, and how this unlikely pair have to struggle with every little thing. Yet it’s also each and every one of those struggles that bring them more and more together.
From a fear of the storm, to organizing the perfect wedding venue, slowly Ella and Callum realize themselves how alike they are, and how they can trust each other, even if they don’t know each other at all. 

And for me, that was the essence of this book. Yes, you know that the feelings between Ella and Callum will develop. But they are both initially not in the right place (figuratively speaking of course) to even understand that shift.
Because they both have to understand themselves and allow themselves to make that growth for themselves, before they can think about getting involved. 

Both Ella and Callum have to understand where they truly belong, and how to move on from those painful feelings. And letting go of the past doesn’t mean forgetting about who we lost. But letting go means forgiveness, understanding and remembering the good while letting go of the bad. 

So even if the chemistry between the main characters wasn’t very palpable from each page, I saw it more as the need for each of them, and especially Callum, to make that internal turmoil stop and allow love back in their lives. 

I truly enjoyed reading this book, as we see how one weekend can affect someone’s life. For Ella is was finding a place she could call home, and let her life move on from the big spotlights. And building a relationship with her also – famous father.
And for Callum is was returning to a place that holds many memories, but also being back there, discovering that he has more people that love him than he thinks. And of course allowing his broken heart to mend again and allow it to be open to love once again. 

This is a book about how one moment can change your life, how it can make you find the courage to something new. And this all set in a wonderful setting, even if the cottage itself initially could definitely need a lot of TLC, that the readers for sure are willing to give!