Tizi’s Book Review

When a sudden return makes you doubt everything.

Synopsis

Meaningful and moving, a beautiful story with life-affirming qualities.

Milly Bryne’s world came crashing down when she lost her beloved Dad and boyfriend in a matter of weeks.

Losing her Dad has broken her family. Losing her soul mate made has made her give up on life and love.
After swerving from stability to chaos to despair, Milly finally believes she has her life back on track when the unexpected return of a familiar face to Ireland throws her life once more into a spin. Milly is forced to decide if her new life is the one for her, or if there is another path that will bring even greater riches of joy, excitement and fun into her world. Life just isn’t worth living if your heart isn’t in it?

Perfect for the fans of Cecilia Ahern and Cathy Kelly

My review

Milly Bryne seems to have it all, a wealthy boyfriend and a prestigious job. Yet there is more to Milly than we think…
Instead of enjoying her life to the full, she is still heartbroken from the moment she lost her father. Losing her father alone hard, but when her boyfriend decides to leave the country without Milly, she truly feels alone.

When suddenly the ex – boyfriend reappears after years, it’s the start for Milly to rethink about every choice she made and wants to make in the future.

This author was a real revelation for me!

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was on the verge of crying over the sad parts, was laughing all over the place with the funny bits and was swooning over the sweet bits.

When I got to know Milly and her past, my heart broke for her… from the beginning I felt that her father was an amazing person and his passing was a terrible moment.
And instead of finding comfort and help in her boyfriend, he just goes away!
Without having read one word from him, I already despised Darragh! Who does that to his so acclaimed true love???

Throughout most parts of the story, Milly is doing things just to please people. She is in a relationship but is doing more things to please her boyfriend than being just her.
And that made me feel sad… everyone should be able to be who they are, not having to pretend to be any different.

When Darragh comes back in the picture, I was cheering for Milly, for not allowing him to fool her again. But of course, avoiding someone is easier said than done.
Yet Darragh being more in the picture, I had to change my vision of him. He has had also a difficult time, but as so often, coming clean about is hard…
He knows he did wrong and he respects the boundaries Milly is making. He knows that he has to make her trust him again by just taking baby steps.

There is a lot of heavy things going on, but there are also funny moments. And Mrs. Murphy surely stole my heart with her story!
And when Milly start being herself again, opening up, making up her own mind and realizes what she truly wants from life, I was cheering for her with joy!
She goes from a little wallflower to this strong woman, daring to speak up and chasing the right causes. Wat’s not to love about this woman!

This is a story about (heart-breaking) losses, stepping up, being brave, finding your place and forgiveness. I found myself dragged into the story, with no option of putting it away.

Christmas + Music = perfect match

Synopsis

There’s nothing quite like a Christmas love story, to get you in the mood for celebrating…

Cara doesn’t do sexy and she only does ‘Happy Christmas’ under duress. She is, after all, a serious musician, and her stubborn streak is born from her struggle to recover from a serious injury.

Javi lives for escapist fun – in his music, and in his life – especially since he’s always failed at life’s more serious challenges, including marriage and fatherhood.

Javi and Cara are forced to record a Christmas single together, but neither of them have plans to spend any more time with each other than they absolutely have to. With Christmas traditions that couldn’t be more different, and outlooks on life that are worlds apart, the chemistry just shouldn’t work. But the magic of Christmas can bring even opposites together…

From the snowy beauty of London at Christmas, to the candle-lit magic of Javi’s traditional family celebrations, let Leonie Mack whisk you away on a memorable festive adventure. Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Mandy Baggot and Holly Martin.

My review

Cara does not do Christmas. This all because what happened several years ago. And there is the constant reminder of her loss thanks to her injury.
But being a musician means you cannot always do what you want. So when she is forced to record a Christmas song together with Javi, she wants to spend as less time possible with that man who only wants to have fun.

When the song appears to be more successful than anticipated, it means that Cara and Javi have to spend more time together.
Their worlds couldn’t be more apart, but Christmas is known for its magic…

When I first read the short description, I thought it would be a typical Christmas story. 2 people meet, sing a beautiful song, fall in love, the end.
But was I wrong!!!

From the very start, I felt so sorry for Cara. What she went through, and is still carrying the consequences, just broke my heart!
Without giving away what happened to her, all the troubles she is still facing, it made me feel sad. But on the same time I was admiring her, because she tries to overcome her fears and restrictions.

When Javi comes in the story, imagine the typical player and you have Javi. Yet the more the story evolves, we see a kinder, more caring side of Javi I didn’t expect to see in him. yes, of course, there had to be more than sees the eyes, but I didn’t expect to see how deep his emotions would go. He also has some luggage from the past and slowly I changed my opinion over Javi. He truly amazed me with the changes he went through.

Also Cara made positive changes. From this fearful young woman, she tries to become more confident, assertive. Slowly she is making sure that her past is not holding her back.

The time they spend together, they manage to change each other for the better, without wanting to change each other.
The attraction is so obvious, but despite all those feelings, the hesitation and doubts they are having are so real and understandable.

I loved discovering how Christmas and the period just before it is celebrated in another culture. Yet even if the celebrations are different, the sense of family and being close to those you care are all the same.

And let’s not forget the music… it all starts with a Christmas song. I could even imagine how the song would sound like. And that made me a bit sad. Because it looks like a real amazing song, so I would love to hear it for real!

A beautiful story about putting the past behind you, daring to take a chance and let music guide you!

When it’s your job to find things, you may find things you didn’t expect.

Synopsis

Essy Havers is good at finding things. Her company specialises in helping clients track down anything, from missing china pieces to rare vintage clothing. But now Essy has something more important to find: herself.
Essy has always been curious about her mother’s secret past and her Cornish roots. So, when the opportunity arises, she hops on a plane in Tennessee and ends up in Herring Bay in Cornwall; the village where her mother grew up.
But once there, she’s mystified by the reactions of the villagers when they realise who she is. Was Essy’s decision to visit Cornwall a mistake, or will it lead to a summer she’ll never forget?

My review

Essy Havers owns a company who helps clients finding things. Literally things and no task is to hard. So when a client has a very specific request, involving going to Herring Bay in Cornwall, Essy sees this as an opportunity to find out the truth about her mother past and her own roots.

But not everybody in Herring Bay Is welcoming her with open arms. Yet she is determined to find out the truth. And maybe she will even find more than that?

This story just has all the ingredients for a perfect read!

Essy is this stubborn, determined young woman, not afraid to cross a whole ocean just to find out the truth.
Her American behaviour made some tricky situations just hilarious and instead me being a bit afraid of any escalation, I found myself laughing!

When she meets Ruan it’s clear from the beginning that sparks will fly all over the place! And boy, did they fly!!!
yet there are also other secrets involving Ruan and his family. For a moment I had the worst of fears, that those secrets would be something insurmountable, yet my fears were unfounded.

When all the secrets came out, I thought the secrets and what happened so many years ago, weren’t a real tragedy. But thinking about the mind-set in that period, I understood why the consequences were on such a big scale.
It was just a pity that so many years were lost because of the fear of gossip and not being accepted. It shows how narrow minded a community can be. Yet it also shows that time is a good teacher. People learn from their mistakes and dare to face the past and apologize for it.
That is something more people should do!

For me, it was a lovely, funny story to read. I found myself turning page after page (or rather swiping page after page).
I enjoyed every little bit of it!

Starting all over again, easier said than done!

Synopsis

Don’t miss the new laugh-out-loud rom com from the author of One Week ’Til Christmas!

Perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Rosie Walsh and Josie Silver.

In the space of a week, Katharine Patterson has quit her job, decided to move back home, and broken up with the guy she thought was the one.

No big deal.

Because Katharine has a plan. She’s going to open her own art gallery, just like she’s always wanted. What she’s not going to do is worry about boyfriends.

Then she meets Kit, a handsome and talented local artist. He might be the most stubborn person Katharine has ever met. He might also make her feel like no one ever has before.

And Katharine might be about to fall accidentally in love…

My review

When Katharine Patterson does not get the deserved promotion at her work, she is tired of all the favouritism and just like that, she quits her job!
As that is not bad enough, the man she is seeing makes a fool of her so out with the kind of boyfriend too!

After she moved back home, she decides to follow her dream, opening her own art gallery. Finding a perfect location was the easiest hurdle to cross. Because finding the right artist for the first exposition is the most difficult one, especially when Katherine wants Kit and his art, but Kit is the most stubborn person ever and does not even think about exposing his art!

How will Katherine manage to make her dream come to reality with such a stubborn man?

I loved reading about Katherine and what she went through. But I must admit, for me, it was more than just a romantic story.

Yes, of course there is something going on concerning love, but it was just more than that. When we get to know Katherine for the first time, she seems to have it all. A job she loves, with a promotion on its way, dating a man even if they haven’t labelled their relationship as such.
But it’s not all love and roses.

It was inspiring to read how Katherine dares to take this huge leap of faith, giving up everything she knows and just jumps into the big unknown. Of course, she stays in the world of art and has managed several expositions, but putting every little bit of your own money in it, it is a risk.

It was wonderful to read how she also finds her passions again, and manages to even add it to her art gallery.
And at the moments she is doubting her choices, she has he family and friends around her to assure her she is doing the right thing.

And het interactions with Kit/Christopher were just hilarious! All his grumpiness are frustrating Kate and not only her! Yet the more time they spend together, the more they come to an understanding.

A lovely story about finding yourself again, chasing your dreams, not giving up and finding your own happiness again! 

It’s never too late for a wakeup call.

Synopsis

‘It got better, in time, though to be truthful it always felt more of a duty than a pleasure: a little like homework, satisfying when over, and done well, but never exactly enjoyable. But then nobody had ever suggested it could be otherwise.’

This was the view of Claudia Faraday, 1920s respectable wife and mother of three, on the subject of sex. That is until an unexpected turn of events shakes her out of her torpor and propels her back into the world revitalised and reawakened, where she discovers, as Marie Stopes might have said: Approached in the right way, even homework can be fun.

My review

Claudia Faraday is a respectable society lady in the 1920s. Being in her fifties and a husband far away, she does think of sex as a task to do, even is that specific task gave her three lovely daughters.
now that her daughters are married themselves, Claudia has an empty house and too much free time.

But a random encounter suddenly stirs something and Claudia realizes that there is more to sex then just ‘something to do’.

This story is set in the 1920s but is still up to date in the 2020s…
I am not the age of Claudia, but I can understand her thinking. Especially in that time, it was a taboo talking about how enjoying sex (or the lack of it). And talking about the faults in your marriage is definitely something you don’t do.

So when Claudia starts her new adventure, we saw a side of Claudia we could never imagine.
Now, don’t expect that Claudia starts acting like a woman who goes around town and seduces each man she meets to satisfy her feelings.
Here and there were encounters with men, but it was more than just that.

I loved reading how Claudia really opens her eyes and sees a whole new world and starts imaging things she never thought of.

For me, it was not pure a sexual awakening for Claudia, but more on an emotional level. Claudia realizes that there is so much more in life than just being married and raising your children. She also realizes that people love in different ways.
During her journey, Claudia also learns to be more confident, and she learns what she truly wants.

It was nice to read how Claudia evolves in this story from a wallflower to a confident woman, chasing her dreams.
I had also much fun reading how Claudia learns things of herself she didn’t know and how many things she can imagine!

A funny read, with an important message underneath!

Today I want to tempt you with this amazing cover! Dont’ you just LOVE it??? 💕💕💕

Synopsis

A gorgeously romantic festive read from the author of A Mistletoe Miracle, guaranteed to warm your heart this Christmas!

Could it be the start of her happy ever after?

Ashleigh could use a little Christmas magic. She’s still living in Brighton with her Nan — who could give the Grinch lessons in how to be miserable — her acting career has been reduced to playing one of Santa’s elves, and not even the prospect of a friend’s winter wedding can cheer her up…

That is until Olivier, the gorgeous French chef, reappears in her life. Or more accurately, next door.

When they were teenagers, Olivier would spend every other Christmas with his mother, who just happens to be Ash’s neighbour and owner of the best chocolate shop in England.

If anyone can bring a little sparkle back to Ash’s life, it’s Olivier. All she needs is one kiss before Christmas…

Feel-good and festive, this is the perfect romance to curl up with this winter!

About the author

Author of the Best Selling A MISTLETOE MIRACLE and contender for the Joan Hessayon Award 2020, Emma has been a devoted bookworm and secret-story-scribbler since she was 6 years old. When she’s not running around after her two daughters and trying to complete her current work-in-progress, Emma loves to read, bake, catch up on binge-watching TV programmes with her partner and plan lots of craft projects that will inevitably end up unfinished. Her latest romantic comedy, SUMMER IN THE CITY, was released in June 2020.

Emma also writes historical and fantasy fiction as Emma S Jackson. THE DEVIL’S BRIDE was published by DarkStroke in February 2020.

The cover!!!

When life keeps bringing two people together…

Synopsis

‘An epic, sweeping romance about soulmates and second chances’ Holly Miller. 

‘An absolutely unforgettable love story’ Mandy Baggot. 

‘A deeply moving, richly evocative story of love, loss and the power of hope’ Miranda Dickinson. 

Finding the one is only the beginning… 

1954. Zara is fifteen the first time she meets Leon. During a power cut in a small French museum, the two spend one short hour in the dark talking about their love for art, Monet and Paris. Neither knows what the other looks like. Both know their lives will never be the same. 

1963. In Paris, Leon no longer believes he will ever find the girl he lost that night. After dreaming about him for years, Zara thinks she has already found him. When they meet at an exhibition, they don’t recognise each other – yet the way they feel is so familiar… 

Over the course of twenty years, Zara and Leon are destined to fall in love again and again. But will they ever find a way to be together? 

‘It’s about dreams and taking chances. Missed opportunities and mistakes. Loss and sacrifice. But above all, it is about love. The kind of love that survives time, distance… even death. The kind of love I wish for you.’ 

A magical new love story about star-crossed lovers, perfect for hopeless romantics and fans of One Day and The Notebook. 

My review

Zara meets Leon for the first time when she is fifteen years old. Even if they don’t know how they look like, they bond quickly over art. Their mutual love for art makes it easy to instant like each other. But one hour spent together is all it takes for a pull impossible to ignore.

Over several years Zara and Leon meet again, at first oblivious at recognizing each other, but later their love only grows. Yet life stands in the way… Will there ever be a chance for their love to get real? Or is their love doomed to die?

This book was very hard to put away. Each time I was doing something else than reading, the story about these two people just kept spinning in my mind.

When we first meet Zara and Leon, it was a sweet moment, and yet beside the sweetness, you knew that this would be the start of a heartbreaking tale.

Both Zara and Leon cannot forget the other one, and do their best to meet again. But as often, that is easier said than done.

Yet their determination to meet again is something beautiful to read about!

There are many flashforwards in this story, and even if I sometimes wished we could see more of the inbetweens, they show what an impact these two random people had on each other.

I can start talking about each character separately, but that would do no justice to the whole story. So many things happen, good ones, but also sad ones.

The good ones made me laugh, cheer and the sad ones made me find myself on the verge of crying.

Zara and Leon have gone through so much during their lives, even sometimes having given up,on meeting again. They tried to move on, seeing other people, building a life without each other. And even if those moments made me sad, it also showed that letting go is the only way of being able to move on.

It’s hard to put to words why this story touched my heart. But after finishing it, I felt hopeful, because the characters have found love, lost it, but kept on trying to find it again.

The love starts on a sweet note, but only grows during the years. The hope just sparks through each page.

There is just one things left to say… just read this beautiful love story, but before you start, lake sure you have plenty of time, because you’ll find it impossible to put it away and go on with your own life!

Ow, and for those who are feeling lucky, there is also  a Goodreads giveaway for 50 kindle copies of Someday in Paris (It is open to US only as per Goodreads latest rules):

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/311490-someday-in-paris

When the end of one thing is the start of a whole new adventure.

Synopsis

Welcome to the idyllic country retreat of Christmas Steepleton, and let Jane Lovering whisk you away with the most heart-warming, romantic and comforting read of the year.

Leaving London and her ex-husband Luc behind, Katie and her 14-year-old daughter Poppy move into their very own, very ramshackle cottage near the village of Christmas Steepleton on the Dorset coast. 

Harvest Cottage has been unloved for many years, so the job of bringing it back to life is a slow and expensive one. So, with funds running low, Katie jumps at the chance when a film company asks to use the cottage as a location.  But even as things are looking up, as harvest time passes and autumn chill starts to bite, the prospect of a cold winter in the country is daunting.

Some light relief comes from new friend Gabriel, so different from Katie’s exuberant but arrogant ex Luc. Will their friendship blossom into something more romantic, or will the reality of a tough country winter send her and Poppy scurrying back to the comforts of town? 

Let Jane Lovering spirit you away to the perfect country escape, far away from the bustle of the city. Just right for fans of Emma Burstall, Fern Britton and Kate Forster.

My review

After divorcing Luc, Katie needs a whole new start. So she moves from London to a cottage in Christmas Steepleton with her 14 – year old daughter Poppy.
Yet starting over is not so easy… The cottage she bought is lovely, but it needs a lot of TLC. But with funds running low, having struggles to find a new job and Poppy being the cliché teenage daughter, it’s looking that Katie will have even more difficult times head. 

When suddenly a film company sees the cottage as the perfect setting for their ideas, Katie jumps at the opportunity to make some money for getting their lives back on track. And another benefit is that Gabriel is partly involved with the film company. Despite hitting on the wrong foot initially, he quickly becomes a new friend for Katie.  

But will Katie and Poppy manage surviving in a rural cottage with a life so different from what they know in London?  

How many story have any of you read about someone wanting a fresh start in a new place? Of course there are so many stories with this plot. But what this story makes it more different, is just everything that is going on… 

It already starts when suddenly a pony appears out of the blue. Yes A PONY!!! Only the great mind of an author could come up with something like that!
And the whole plot only thickens after this episode! 

Katie did what seemed best for her and her daughter, but quickly realizes that starting over isn’t always that easy. Buying a place is just the beginning, but when the place just needs everything redone, well, I wouldn’t want to be in Katie’s shoes. 

Yet I admire her determination to make the best of everything. When she finds herself having a camper in her garden, I wouldn’t be surprised if Katie would go all crazy and just pack and leave. Add a stubborn teenager and I would just give up…
Despite all the setbacks she tries to make the best of it.   

The most fun I had was whenever Granny Mary appeared in the story. She is so NOT your image of an granny!
Whenever she appears, you don’t know what to expect. Yet it’s obvious she is a caring person and she knows what people need. If it’s just some good advice or just a kick in the butt, whatever the characters needed, Granny Mary provided it!

For me, this story is about starting fresh, not giving up, but also about trusting people around you. Being afraid isn’t always the correct feeling and sometimes you just have to take that huge leap of faith. Allowing the past to put a hold on your present and future works only restricting.
With the right people at your side, with their trust and help, there is no problem you cannot overcome. 

When life doesn’t go like expected.

Synopsis

Arriving in London with £5, Stella rapidly begins hopping from one disastrous job, bedsit and boyfriend to another. All the time she is trying to paint pictures and write poetry. At last she gets a place in Hampstead but various men distract her from reaching the goal of holding an exhibition. An ever-changing group of friends moves her along from place to place. After each drawback Stela moves on, disaster after disaster, while the tally of of pictures shrinks to 36. Set in the heady days of 1960s Swinging London, this vividly charts one girl’s track through the untidy years at its height.

My review

It’s the early 1960’s and Stella has big dreams. She is a graduate from art college and wishes to hold her own exhibition.
But living alone in London is not an easy task for a young woman. So Stella starts going from one job to another, having relationships with several men, all distracting her from her one goal.

This story doesn’t sugar-coat anything… it shows the raw struggles Stella is having and how she is trying in just surviving.
Although I cannot agree with many of Stella’s choices, I understand her reasoning. When you’re finding yourself alone in a big city, it’s easy to make mistakes.

We get to learn Stella as an eager woman, determined to make her dream happen. But as often, life is not always fulfilling our dreams. Despite the hard times Stella is living in, she always keep the bigger picture in mind, that one day she will have her exhibition.
I admired her way of picking up the pieces of her life. Each time when she is at her lowest, she finds the courage to start all over again, no matter how bad the circumstance are.
Stella never gives up, no matter how easy that solution seems to be. And even when she is tempted to throw it all out of the window, somehow she gets her head back straight and keeps on fighting.

This story shows that life isn’t always all fun and games, on the contrary. Sometimes it’s a real struggle. And the struggles Stella is going through could be happening in the 1960’s but is still something very actual.

After the end, it left me still pondering, about the bad things, but also about how you should never give up and just keep chasing your dreams.