Tizi’s Book Review

When a happy ending is just the start…

Synopsis

Brand new from the top 10 bestselling author of New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms and Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow.

With new arrivals comes new responsibilities…
The sun is shining, wild flowers are blooming and Hedgehog Hollow is officially open for business.

For Samantha, the proud owner of this beautiful rescue centre, life has never been busier. But with an influx of new hogs and hoglets to take care of, not to mention a full-time job and ongoing family issues, can she accept the possibility that she has taken on more than she can handle?

Fortunately, she has the love of her life, Josh, by her side for support and encouragement. But Josh has his own family troubles to deal with. And soon he must decide if he’s ready to do the one thing he swore he’d never do – forgive his father.

For both Samantha and Josh it’s a season of change and for figuring out whether the past can ever truly be forgotten.

Escape back to wonderful Hedgehog Hollow with top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland for the perfect uplifting read full of love, hope and forgiveness.

My review

Now that Samantha has finally opened her hedgehog rescue centre, life as never been busier. Sam loves taking care of the hedgehogs, but finding the perfect balance between the hedgehogs and her job as a tutor seems harder than it seems.
Especially as she is still recuperating of the fire was in, and her family is being typically selfish (with the exception of her father).

Also her perfect Josh is facing some serious troubles… his ex – girlfriend suddenly appears out of the blue, with news about his father.
Can the past just be put away and will Josh’s future include his father?

And will this beautiful couple be able to finally have the future they dream of? Or are there more changes in store for them?

If there is one couple I cannot get enough of, it’s Sam and Josh. It’s not only the love for each other that just sparks off each page, but also the love for animals that is something I can truly relate to.

But where the first part of the series was more about Sam and finding her place, this story was in my opinion even more dramatic…
Sam is a woman who does not want to let down anyone. And despite the things she has already been through, instead of taking things easy, she takes more than she can manage.
She does everything with the best intentions, but in the process she forgets about herself… that made me want to get into the book and talk some sense in her. But luckily she has a perfect boyfriend and great friends who did that!

In this part, we get to know more of Josh and his past, and it was even more terrible! I completely understood that Josh didn’t want to have any contact with his father and Beth. But lovely Josh wouldn’t be Josh if he could cut them all out so easily…

It’s not only the drama concerning both families that is going on, but also the troubles at the rescue centre are far from over. People show both their nastiness and their lack of heart towards innocent people and animals. But their actions are also wiped away by people that are the total opposite. Those people show that Sam and Josh are not the exception, that there are persons that care about animals, and will go lengths to protect those tiny, cute animals that are suffering more because of human beings ignorance…

This story broke my heart even more than the first part (which I truly recommend to read!).
We have Sam, with her heart at the right place, wanting to help out everything and everyone, but not getting much love from the people she needs it the most. Because no matter how much I despised her family in the first part, I truly started to hate her mother in this part… Even Chloe is now permanently in my book of person I do NOT LIKE AT ALL! And yet Sam tries to make amends, and is ready to open her heart again to those who just… do… not… deserve… it!
Also Josh had some heart-breaking moments, and yet no matter how hard he tries to block out his feelings, there are moments that are just overly sweet, thanks to a certain little boy…

I adored the first part, so I kind of feared that this story wouldn’t fulfil my expectations, but the author managed again to break my heart, healed it again, made me swoon, made me smile, made my cry, made me angry and in the end, just made me utterly happy… oh yes, and made me love hedgehogs even a little bit more! 😀

Love never comes how you expected!

Synopsis

A quiet governess…

An unruly heart

Sir Nicholas Denny is desperate to find a governess to care for his boisterous nieces and nephews. Demure vicar’s daughter Mary Smith seems ideal—at first. All too soon Nicholas discovers a different side to her… She’s a beautiful, vivacious woman, even if she infuriates him with her strong opinions! When he waltzes with Mary at a party he knows he’s in trouble—the spark between them is so tempting, but she challenges everything he thought he wanted in a wife!

My review

When Sir Nicholas Denny is looking for a governess to take care for his nieces and nephew, Mary Smith, daughter of a vicar, seems apparently just perfect for the job.
Little does he expect that Mary is not afraid to express her strong opinions and has an own way of educate his nieces and nephews.
Even if she infuriates him, after a waltz at a party, he starts to see Mary with different eyes. Yet Mary is not what he thought a wife of him should be like.

But Mary has her own agenda and is looking for a way to help her father. Will Nicholas stand by her side or will he think she is conspiring together with her father?

The thing I enjoyed the most about this story, is that Mary is absolutely NOT a damsel in distress. Yes, she is dependant of her father in the beginning, and further on in the story she has to work as a governess so that she’ll be able to maintain herself.
But her father raised her to question everything, and not just being a yes – woman. She has her own opinions and is not afraid to speak out.
Sometimes she has a bit of a temper, and at those moments I thought that maybe she should first calm a bit 😀)
She is also an inventive woman. She sees what is lacking in the education of the nieces and nephews and finds different way to peek their interest, intriguing them and thus wanting them to learn more.

Nicholas was from the beginning someone who intrigued me. He seems a distant, cold man and certainly not very happy when his sister and her children are staying with him. He wants his own peace and shows this also in being indifferent towards the children. It’s clear he cares about them, but is lacking somehow in the knowhow of showing this. Yet when someone (read: Mary 🤣) points out that there are things he has in common with them, we start to see the real Nicholas. And he surely was someone I liked!

This story has many intrigues and lot of things going on. Some things were obvious, other things were a surprise. There are characters in the story that I despised, some acted in a way I couldn’t agree. But there is growth in them.
Of course the bad guys remain bad, but the persons that are truly growing, evolving, admit their errors and know they have been wrong.

Everything happens for a reason, and that just kept me reading.

This story entertained me, with not only the blooming love between Nicholas and Mary, but also about having faith in the people we care, readjust your opinions and views but also about widen your own horizons and truly see what’s going on around you.  

Can a marriage made for money made into a marriage of love?

Synopsis

Money can buy her marriage

But will it lead to love?

Miss Lily Wilkins hopes her American money will compensate for her lack of etiquette, as she needs a prestigious marriage to save her sisters’ prospects. Raised to believe wealth was her greatest attribute, she’s stunned when her unconventional ways catch the eye of the notorious Duke of Lennox. He’s far from the safe, sensible match she’d planned on—but Lily might just discover he’s the one she needs!

My review

Lily Wilkins has moved from America, hoping to get a prestigious marriage. not only for herself, but to save her sisters’ prospects.
But despite the money everyone knows she has, not everybody is welcoming her and her family. Because people still care about etiquette. And her upbringing prepared Lily for many things, but etiquette is something she is still lacking.

Yet she attracts the attention of one man… the Duke of Lennox. Even if initially there seems to be a click, his past is a bit troublesome.
Can Lily marry someone only for money, even if her dream is to marry out of love? Or is there more to the mysterious Aidan, Duke of Lennox?

I cannot imagine what it must be like when you have to marry someone just for convenience and not of love.
To make it even harder to imagine, what if you have to leave your home and go to a whole other continent!
And yes, the language is still the same, but the way of living in England is totally different compared to the American way. And add the gossip you have to hear about yourself…
But this is exactly what Lily is going through. I understood how she does not like to be in the centre of the attention, and afraid to make a faux pas.

Her reluctance is cause of meeting Aidan. He also does not like to stand in the spotlight, and enjoys his far journeys more than being a Duke.

And yes, you know how the story will end, so why would you bother? But bother you should! Because the characters are not superficial. Lily knows why this specific Duke would want to marry her, purely because of the money that will come with her.
But like so many of us, we just want to be loved and give our love to someone who deserves it.

Lily and Aidan are both finding themselves in situations they don’t like, but because of destiny they have found each other.  They have obvious differences, but they have also so many things in common. And it’s finding those things that can make or break a relationship (any kind of relationship).

This story shows us that communication is what makes a relationship work. Both characters are not expressing their own feelings, afraid of being hurt. But not talking may cause even more heartache, and sometimes even unnecessary heartache. And it’s always better to say the truth, and having no secrets than keeping it for yourself, being afraid of the reaction.

When returning to a place means uncovering the truth.

Synopsis

Monte Carlo means different things to different people; a billionaires playground, overflowing with glitz and glamour but also where dangerous secrets hide.

For Nanette Weston, and her then fiancé, F1 racing driver Zac Ewart, their dream life came to an abrupt halt 3 years ago following a car accident which Zac walked away from, but left Nanette being airlifted back to the UK, never to return and never to see her fiancé again.

Monte Carlo was a place she wanted to forget, not revisit. But when her friend and employer, Vanessa asks Nanette to look after her children in the Principality for a few months, Nanette knew she had no choice but to return.

As the F1 circus once again comes to town, with Zac in pole position, mistakes of the past, leave legacies for the future…

This book was previously published as Follow Your Star by Jennifer Bohnet.

My review

Three years ago, Nanette Weston had a terrible accident in Monte Carlo. Not only does she not remember anything of the accident, it caused also her fiancé, F1 racing driver Zac Ewart to walk away from her in her time of need.
So it’s obvious that when her friend but also employer Vanessa asks to look after her kids there, Nanette is not over the moon.
But not wanting to disappoint her friend and making sure the children are looked after, Nanette returns to the place that caused her so much pain, literally and emotionally.

Her return to Monte Carlo takes place at the same time the F1 is there. A meeting with Zac seems inevitable…

I have to admit, I had a whole different story in mind. But also I have to say that I was glad this was not what I expected.

From the very start, it’s obvious that Nanette had a terrible accident, but the details are not clear, just like they aren’t clear to Nanette.
She is now living in the UK, employed by her friend Vanessa, and is looking after Vanessa’s children.
When Vanessa asks her to move temporarily to Monte Carlo, so that she can still look after the children while staying at their father’s place, it’s crystal-clear that Nanette wants to do everything except that.

When Vanessa explained why the move to Monte Carlo was necessary, I had to frown my eyebrows for a minute. I found it a hard concept to understand that Vanessa wanted to go with her new husband to the Amazon forest, but it was clear that there is a bigger picture in this story.

I have been just once in Monte Carlo, as a passing visit, so it was lovely to see all those places again. Just like Nanette I was discovering the Principality all over again.
But for Nanette it was also a place with an ugly past and encounters she truly didn’t want to make.
Slowly the cloudy mists over her past are chased away as her memory is returning. But it’s not at all what I expected.

Also the character of Zac was not what I expected, in a bad way. I hoped there was some kind of logic in what he did to Nanette, but the truth was just plain ugly…

This story was full of mystery, deception and secrets. Nothing was what it seemed, people surprised me both in a good way and in a bad way. I couldn’t see where some characters were going.
But it was also full of hope, because Vanessa found a purpose, love has been found in an unthinkable place, and laughs were caused by Nanette’s sister!

I found it a very difficult book to put away, because I wanted to know the truth, the outcome of everything and hoping for a happy ending for everyone I started to care about.

Is moving to Switzerland the first step of a second chance or the end of a life together?

Synopsis

Charlotte Egerton and family are off to Switzerland, after husband Dom bags a big-time job promotion.

But Charlotte isn’t exactly yodelling with delight at the prospect. Not since a chance discovery cast a shadow over her ten-year marriage. And navigating twisty Swiss roads and getting to grips with French only adds to her woes…

Following a bumpy encounter with an arrogant German, Charlotte is far from convinced the expat life is for her.

With doubts about Dom — and concerns for her best friend, Ruth — plaguing her mind, will Charlotte embrace the Swiss way of life, or are some mountains just too hard to conquer?

Embark on a journey filled with laughter, tears and lessons in love. Sometimes you just have to seize the day…

My review

Charlotte Egerton and her family are moving to Switzerland, when her husband Dom receives a promotion he cannot refuse.
Charlotte sees this as an opportunity to start afresh, after having doubts that Dom has cheated on her.
But she is also a bit reluctant of the move. Because it means going to a country she does not speak the language, moving away from her best friend Ruth, and getting used to a whole other way of living.

And making new friends is not as easy as it seems, because are they all genuine? And let’s not talk about a certain arrogant German who literally made her crash!

When I think about Switzerland, I see this idyllic place, even magical to spend a holiday. But just packing everything and moving there definitely, well, I would need a lot of extra courage!
So I admired Charlotte, daring to take this huge step with her family.

Charlotte has been married with Dom for ten years, and it’s obvious what a dedicated mother she is. She is also a wonderful wife, because she puts her husband’s career above her own.
But no matter how many good intentions she has, the move to Switzerland is not as easy as it seemed.
And here the author made a great job of describing all the difficulties Charlotte is encountering. Charlotte left everything and everyone behind, and is struggling with adapting. Not speaking the language, having nobody nearby to discuss everything, and a husband who seems being even more distant.
She is having so many worries, and also her best friend Ruth is cause for extra worries.

My opinion of Dom will I keep to myself, even if I think that you will have the same opinion as me!

There were several times I pitied Charlotte, because she tries so hard, with not always the desired effect.
But there are also happy moments, before you think it is a total depressing story. When she starts making friends, it’s immediately obvious who is genuine and who not. And the genuine ones welcome Charlotte and help her out.
Also Jürgen seems not to be what we thought!
Charlotte slowly adapts to another way of life, even if it’s so different of what she is used to. But her determination to make it work, is admirable.
And the end was everything I wanted for Charlotte, because she deserves her own happiness. Because having read about her and everything she had to go through, I saw her more like a real person and not just a fictional character, and her loving character made me wanted to be truly friends with her.

This story is a perfect way to escape your own life. It shows all the ups and downs of a move to another country, and the same time to trying to fight for your marriage.
But I found it also a story about realizing what’s worth fighting for and what not. It’s about standing up for yourself and do what’s best for YOU and not only please someone else.

When one night only results in more than bargained for.

Synopsis

A VIP assignment…
an unexpected consequence!

Ex-SAS officer Jacob Wolfe’s latest job, as aristocrat Charlotte Pemberton’s bodyguard, is pushing him to his limits. Never one to step over the line, he’s determined to ignore their intense connection. Until a single dance leads to a forbidden kiss… and Jacob is tempted to break all his rules. But their resulting night together has an unexpected consequence…

My review

Charlotte Pemberton is ready to shine. She is part of a fashion family business and is ready to show what she is capable of. But when there are threats, the family takes no further risks and hire a bodyguard.
Former SAS officer Jacob Wolfe latest assignment is protect VIP aristocrat Charlotte. He is used of keeping his distance and emotions out of the way, but both do not expect to have such an intense connection.

When one dance leads to a kiss and even more, there are consequences nobody could have foreseen.

In my modest opinion, I think the title is a too big giveaway… you know what the result of that one night will be, while it actually only takes place past halfway the book.
I thought “it” would happen earlier and that there would be more struggles with the unexpected news.
But anyway, I found this a lovely story to read.

Charlotte may have all the luxury and money anyone could dream of, but I found it easy to relate with her. Not because of the money (I wish!!! 🤣) but because deep down, she is just a young insecure woman like us. She knows what she is doing, but sometimes she is afraid to show her true colours.
Of course she doesn’t show this, and can be rather resolute, especially when the family business is concerned. But even if now she wants to stand in the spotlights, she only shows what is expected from her and not what she truly is.

Jacob is everything I expected from a bodyguard. He is focused on the job, and does not take any risks. But the more time he spends with Charlotte, we see this other side of him. He sees more behind any façade, and is gently pushing Charlotte to show the world how she truly is.

Both Charlotte and Jacob are very strong characters, bound to clash. And whenever that happens, on more than one occasion, I was having so much fun!
Yet even if they are so different, the attraction is also very obvious. And the clashing is just the prelude to finally giving in.

I found this a story not only about attractions and about the consequences. But also about how despite big differences, people are perfect to each other. The right person takes you out of your shell, sees you just how you are.
And even if there are unexpected consequences after one night of passion, people can surprise you in a beautiful way, by opening their hearts and souls.

When falling in love is the easiest part…

Synopsis

Jess is falling for Sam.

Sam is falling for Jess.

But it seems life will do whatever it takes to make them fall apart.

When Jess and Sam lock eyes at a party, a spark ignites. The spark. But love at first sight isn’t like the movies, especially when Sam’s ex, Victoria, is determined to make their honeymoon period a living hell.

Is love at first sight enough?

My review

When Jess and Sam meet, it’s love at first sight. The spark ignites and the attraction is instant. Only problem: Sam has a girlfriend, Victoria.
Jess does not want to be ‘the other woman’, so she tries to forget about Sam.
But when some time later, Sam tells her that he is no longer in a relationship, they can finally be together.
They are a perfect match and enjoy getting to know each other, and are over the moon with the thought that they belong together.
Yet not everybody is happy with this love at first sight that cannot be ignored, and  their new relationship has to endure not only gossip but also sabotage.

This story stole my heart, broke it and fixed it again. And if a book can do all this, it’s a wonderful thing!

When we get to know Jess, II was a bit afraid she would become actually ‘the other woman’, just going after the man she has fallen in love with.
But when it was clear Jess isn’t that kind of woman, I admired her. She prefers to stay single and not take another woman’s man.
Her determination to not break up a relationship, shows what kind of woman she is. She hasn’t had the easiest of youth, but this did not make her into a selfish woman. All she wants is to be loved, and that she is the first priority, not just someone “extra”.

I also respected Sam, because he was in the impossible position of falling for another woman while being in a relationship. And how easy it would have been for him, just to have his cake and eat it too. Yet he does the right thing, and only after a period he contacts Jess again.

When Sam and Jess are together, it’s just an overdose of sweetness. They truly are made for each other, and the Lego reference makes perfect sense.
This couple is how each couple in real life should be. The love truly sparks (pun intended) from each page.

But the story broke my heart at the injustice this couple has to endure. Not only the ex is still around the corner, but Sam is feeling the repercussion of breaking up with Victoria, as he is not only losing his friends, but also his own parents siding with her. And let’s not forget the dream he has, also falling apart.

I think this book should start with a warning: impossible to put away!
Because once I started reading it, I wanted to read more about this beautiful couple, I wanted the bad things to be over quickly and I just wanted this couple to have their happily ever after they deserve.
This book shows us that not always you can chose who to love, and that loving someone shouldn’t come with strings attached. And that yet somehow you have to fight for the one you love.

I adored reading this, and it left me with mixed feelings. I was reading it finding it impossible to put it away, yet I was sad when I finished it!

Dare to dream big!

Synopsis

‘A lovely escape that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Just what’s needed at the moment’ No1 bestselling author Jane Fallon

The world is waiting…but just outside of your comfort zone.

Jo Campbell is perfectly content in a perfectly structured life.
Nothing ever changes in Jo’s life, and she likes it that way.
Or at least, she tells herself she does.
Most of the time, she manages to push down the tiny voice that tells her to chase her dream and maybe, just maybe, open her battered and bruised heart up to love.
But to chase her dreams she needs to take chances that are way out of her comfort zone and learn to not put other people’s happiness above her own.
Most of all she has to learn to trust her heart, which may just be the biggest challenge of all.

My review

Jo Campbell is happy with her life. She owns together with her brother Noah the local pub. Even if at the moment she is staying at her mother’s place, helping taking care of her little sister now that her father is away for work, she does not see it as a problem. On the contrary, she enjoys the fun she is having with that little girl!

On her free moments, she is writing her book and her ultimate dream is to see it published. But the fear of rejection is holding her back. So when her best friend Libby does the unthinkable, Jo is shocked by the effect.
Can Jo dream of having her biggest wish granted?

I found it lovely returning to Ivy Lane! In the previous part we got to know Libby and Noah, and so I was very ecstatic to discover Jo her story.
Reading the first part is not a requirement, but it helps to have some background information.

Immediately it’s clear what an amazing person Jo is. The way she cares about her little sister, and spends time with her, it’s just so admirable and also adorable.
The Campbell’s family is for me the perfect example of altruistic people, opening their house and hearts for those in need.

Because of the way the Campbell’s have raised their children (own children, adopted or fostered), Jo is someone who puts someone else’s need before her own. There isn’t a thing she wouldn’t do for someone she cares about.
But it’s because of her altruistic behaviour that she has put her own dreams away. She believes that her book could be a success, but the fear of being wrong, is holding her back.
And when she finally has found the courage to let someone read it, it’s Libby that does the thing Jo should have been doing a long time ago.

When new characters appear on the scene, just like Jo I had my opinion ready. And just like Jo again, the characters surprised me, both in a good way and in a bad way. I’m not going to give anything away, because I want you to discover it all by yourself, while being captivated by the rest of the story.

The main theme of the story is not romance, but daring to dream big, and not be afraid to chase your dreams! The fear of not succeeding should never hold someone back to go for it.
I loved also the love that sparks of the book. Jo is a great sister, but also a great friend and daughter. Even if her past has caused her a broken heart, she has overcome it and is now focused on her future.
Everyone cares about each other in Ivy Lane, and a helping hand is always nearby. For me, it’s like a dream location to live and work! You are never on your own.

This story captivated me, I turned page after page, smiling over the sweet moments, laughing at the mischiefs (thank you Clara 😁), but also heartbroken over the sadder moments, angry over the sleaziness of some people.
This story kind of gave me hope that there are kind people over the world, ready to stand by your side. And that dreaming big doesn’t mean dreaming about the impossible.