Tizi’s Book Review

Today it’s time for a new review!

Synopsis

Don’t miss the new delightfully uplifting book from the author of A Recipe for Disaster!

A second chance at love…

When globe-trotting Emmy first fell for first-aider William on a freezing New Year’s Eve, she really believed that their love would go the distance.

But when she returns to Australia, her letters start to go unanswered and her emails bounce back unread, Emmy decides it’s time to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and start afresh in London.

So she’s shocked when William walks in on her very first day at her new job! Even worse, he’s hotter than ever. But why did he disappear for so long? What has he been hiding? And could this really be their second chance at falling in love…? 

Perfect for fans of Carole Mathews, Mhairi McFarlane and Carrie Hope Fletcher.

My review

What a lovely story to read!

But let’s start with the beginning, as I was facing a ‘reading block’, as I really couldn’t read a book for a whole week.

What’s a week in a lifetime? But for me, it’s like hell freezing over…

So slowly I started reading this book, being mentally prepared for only reading a few pages.

And then, before I knew, I reached the end.

So it’s pretty obvious I enjoyed reading this book.

It starts as a holiday fling between Emmy and William. They start writing letters (yes actual letters 😀 ) but all of the sudden, William stops replying…

And Emmy learns to cope with her heart break, and even falls in love again.

Taking the next step,in their life, Emmy and her boyfriend decide to move from Australia to London.

And then Emmy realises that William of all people is a doctor at her new job!

This was a really really really really nice book to read. It has all the drama you expect in a romantic story. So it’s not all puppies and sunshine.

But it’s the drama that kept me reading. Why is William being such an a**hole when they first meet again?

And what will happen with Emmy her relationship?

Will all secrets be discovered?

And will there be place for forgiveness?

All the above are sufficient reasons for liking the whole story. But it’s the easy writing and the fact that you can relate to everything that made me love it!

I can go on forever finding reasons to persuade you to read this book, but I think that if I tell you,that I finished it in only a few days (keeping in mind that I have to work 8 hours a day) you have a pretty good idea what my opinion is!

And here is my review for the second book in the series!

Synopsis

Two years ago Rebecca Miles won the lottery and ended her marriage to her overbearing and unpleasant husband Daniel. She had every intention of putting the past behind her and starting again, but it turned out to be so much more difficult than she had imagined. Then Daniel announces he is getting married again and as Rebecca broods over how he has found it so easy to move on her daughter phones with good news – she’s getting married too! Determined not to be left behind Rebecca throws caution to the wind and finally meets someone who can give her the new start she so desperately wants. Now her ex-husband is back in her life, the future Mrs Miles wants to be her best friend, she has her daughter’s wedding to plan and a ramshackle old wedding venue to renovate to its former perfection in just a few months, if only she can find a builder who will take on the job. There are challenges, surprises, love and heartbreak ahead but at the end of a long, hot summer, will there be any weddings?

My review

After reading the first book, I was looking forward in reading the sequel.

In this book, Rebecca is ‘freed’ from her husband and enjoying her new life after previously winning the lottery.

But then her ex-husband calls her with the news he’s getting married and he wants her to meet his future-wife-to-be.

And a little bit later her daughter has also great news: She’s getting married!

And here the story really begins…

As so many things are happening around her, Rebecca starts to feel lonely, as although she has the money, she doesn’t feel happy as she thought she would.

Being matched with Charles, will she finally feel satisfied? Or will builder Drew be more than just a handsome man?

I was very curious for this second part and it didn’t disappoint me.

It has the same style as the first book and reads very easily.

Just a nice book to read if you are in need to relax, the mood I obviously had.

Rebecca starts finally standing up for herself but finds it hard to continue doing so with the fiancee of her ex.

Of course, who wouldn’t struggle in the same situation? You want to be the nice person but hate it when you are taking advantage off…

Also in the second part, we get to know Sarah, Rebecca’s daughter. While you are getting to know her better, you see the resemblance between her and her mother. And it’s nice to see how their relationship evolves during the story.

So what made this a nice story and not a great story?

Well, I can’t put my finger on it, but I have the feeling there is something missing…

Did the end came all too fast and easy?

Was it an actual end for all the characters? I feel there was so much more to tell…

And how the story of Daniel and his fiancee ends, , gives me the idea of sending the total wrong message, just to settle in believing you can’t get any better.

That’s not what to expect from a romantic story, right?

And yes, I know the story is about Rebecca and not Daniel, but wouldn’t it be nice if everybody got his/her truly happy ending?

I think that’s the reason that I liked the story, but not loved it.

As stated earlier, it’s nice to read on a lazy day, just as the first part. But being a real romantic soul, I just wished everybody got what they desire the most. And just like in real life, that’s just not always an option…

So I guess here is also a lesson to be learned: you don’t always get want you want.

Another review for Rachel’s Random Resources!

Synopsis

Did I Mention I Won the Lottery?

Rebecca Miles has won the lottery and is now living a millionaire lifestyle. The only problem is – she hasn’t told her husband. So at weekends she’s a dutiful wife in Darlington, working at the local deli and making shepherd’s pie for dinner, but during the week she’s living in her new mansion in Leeds spending her days shopping whilst her husband thinks she’s looking after her sick mother. Will she get the courage to tell him before he finds out for himself? And can several million pounds in your bank account save a failing marriage?

My review

What would you do if you won the lottery? For me, it would be impossible as I never participate 😀

But Rebecca is shocked when she realises that her numbers are the winning numbers and she won millions!

And so the story starts…

This is a nice story to read during a relaxing January day, when you have absolutely nothing else to do.

I felt instant sympathy for Rebecca and instant dislike for her husband Daniel.

Rebecca moved 5 years ago from Leeds to Darlington because Daniel’s job but never liked it there and missed her old home. The relationship between the two is not what a relationship should be and Rebecca is not enjoying her life, just surviving it, as figure of speech.

So when she wins the lottery, I was happy for her, as she finally has some joy in her life and has the chance to change her life.

And when she decides to keep this as a secret for a while, I can understand it, because knowing what Daniel’s like, he’ll just decide by himself what to do with the money.

At the beginning of living with her secret I was thinking that Rebecca was doing the right thing, spending a small part of the money how she wanted, not having to justify it to anybody. Just do what you want!

But the more she spent, the less I liked her…

Okay, you have every right to spend the money how you desire, but keeping this a secret as long as Rebecca did, just didn’t seem right…

So the more (sometimes even futilities) she bought, the more I disliked her.

And then the secret is out and more secrets come out from Daniel’s side. And Daniel is even more a a**hole than initially thought while poor Rebecca slumbs back in being the ‘yes-woman’ as before and not the independent woman she was becoming.

My feeling towards Rebecca started as feeling sorry for her, then I was happy for her. After a while there was dislike followed by feeling sorry for her again.

At the end she stands up for herself and I was honestly proud of her, as she wanted to do the right thing, even if it meant to go against her own husband.

In general this was a relaxing story, where you see the character grow. There aren’t any unneccessary chapters just to keep the story going. It’s well written and you want to know how the story will end.

Now I’m eager to read the second part, and can’t wait to see what will happen next!

Here in another review I gladly wrote for Rachel’s Random Resources!

Synopsis

An Unconventional Affair Book 2, A Risk Worth Sharing

This second part of An Unconventional Affair finds Barrington Stone working in Australia for a year. Tranquility“Tee” Hammond, fifteen years his senior, has ended their affair, but for Barrington it was never over. He can’t wait for the year to pass to go back to her. However, after a drunken encounter, with a woman he later discovers is a sex worker, his life is changed forever. How can he possibly leave Australia, now that he has a daughter?

After accepting that Barrington won’t be coming back to the UK, Tee rekindles her relationship with the charming-yet-unconventional Sebastian Chandler, owner of a motorsportsracetrack. Although living with Sebastian is “complicated” and life for the couple isn’t perfect, they are settled and Tee is happy.

But everything changes when Barrington returns. Tee’s heart is in turmoil, and Sebastian is afraid he will lose the woman he loves. As the plot thickens and twists unravel, Barrington must decide if there is one risk worth sharing.

My review

Most common fear of readers is that if there is a sequel, the sequel is never as good as the original. Not only readers have this fear, but also film lovers.

How many books/ movies have there been in history that just couldn’t compete with the first part?

Too many to tell…

So it’s obvious that when I started reading ‘Book 2’ I kind of mentally prepared myself to be disappointed.

And then I started…

And for once, I actually liked the sequel better than the first part.

As in the first part, I couldn’t find the real joy of reading it, I hoped this one wouldn’t be one of those sequels that were just a glimpse of what has already been known.

That I could relate to the characters, would be a strange assumption, as I for starters, am single, not left abroad, don’t have a child with someone I didn’t really want to be with.

So a lot of reasons that I couldn’t relate…

But for some other reasons, I could understand what Barrington was going through in Australia.

I understood his choices and I even think I would have done the same if I were to be in his shoes.

And also what happened with Tee, meeting again with Sebastian and give their relationship a second chance. And even if Sebastian is feeling like something is missing, again, I understood them.

Only little point of critisism… what annoyed me a bit, were the huge time jumps… suddenly there is a jump over 10 years, and to me, it was a too big jump.

But beside that, I really liked reading this book.

During the reading, when Barrington and Tee meet again, I felt immediately where their story would go.

Even though their unconventional affair isn’t really my thing, I wanted to know how everybody in the story would react and handle their own feelings.

And I must say, it was all well written. Ok, there are some explicit scenes, but you know you are getting them, if you chose to read this story.

And they are not disturbing at all, they even give you that little extra to understand the whole situation.

So if you’re not afraid to read some explicit sex scenes, and want to know what happens after the first book, you’ll really like this one!