To move forward, I’ll have to look back to our past…
I know I have to get myself out of this funk, but it feels impossible. My childhood best friend is dead and nothing in life is working out as I’d planned.
Then Lottie leaves me a ‘jar of joy’ in her will – filled with instructions to visit places where we had our happiest memories. But with every happy memory, I also remember the things that tore us apart.
Because Lottie was keeping secrets. And Jay – the man we both loved – keeps turning up at the same places. Even as I feel pieces of myself begin to heal, some wounds run too deep.
It’s time to make a change in my life, but can Lottie’s jar of joy really give me the strength I need?
A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel for fans of PS I Love You, The Memory of Us and The Last Letter from Your Lover.
Eve Ainsworth is a public speaker, creative workshop coordinator and award-winning author who draws from her extensive work with teenagers managing emotional and behavioural issues to write authentic, honest and real novels for young people and adults. Eve’s adult debut, Duckling, was published by Penguin Random House in 2022. She has had short stories published in magazines such as Writers’ Forum and Prima and articles posted online for the Guardian, Metro and BookTrust. Eve is also a champion for working class voices, has set up the Working Class Writers Network and is an experienced mentor.
When you have to play matchmaker for the person you love…
Synopsis
What do you do when you realise you’ve fallen for your best friend, but he sees you as the sister he never had? And to make things worse, you’re stuck in the middle of a matchmaking scheme to find him someone else!
Best friends Gaby and Raff are inseparable and know each other inside out. But with Raff’s string of disastrous relationships and his newfound fame as Britain’s Best Baker, it’s time to enlist the Ever After Agency to help him find true love.
At first, Gaby is all in – Raff is a catch, after all. But as she secretly helps to find his perfect match, she’s hit with unexpected pangs of jealousy. And before she can act on her feelings, Raff falls for one of his dates.
Can Gaby keep her emotions in check, or will she risk ruining their friendship to find out if Raff feels the same way?
Set in London and Seattle, this romantic and festive romcom is perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Mhairi McFarlane and Lindsey Kelk.
My review
Gaby, Raff and Freya are each other’s best friends. And when Raff’s latest girlfriend breaks up with him, over a text, on the day he wins Britain’s Best Baker, Gaby and Freya are there for him. But they are also realistic, as Raff has a long list of disastrous relationships. And Freya has had enough, as she wants Raff to find his perfect match. As Freya works for the best matchmaking agency in the world, Ever After Agency, why not sign him up? Raff reluctantly agrees, but he doesn’t want to be involved, he doesn’t want to have his time spending completing the questionary, he doesn’t want to go on premeditated dates, nothing. So it’s up to Gaby to help the Agency to find the best possible candidates. However, while searching for Raff’s perfect woman, Gaby realizes that what she feels for Raff goes deeper than just friendship. And just when she makes this realization, Raff is hitting off with one of the chosen candidates…. And as a best friend, Gaby wants Raff to be happy, but what about her own feelings?
My dearest Sandy,
Once again you wrote a magnificent story, making me wish that the Ever After Agency truly existed. Because if it were, I would sign up immediately, being sure that Poppy would find my own perfect match.
But not only the greatest agency of all times made this a wonderful story to read. But also because the great characters that Gaby and Raff are. Even if their world is far from my own, they are both so recognizable, relatable and just loveable, even if at moments the both of them can be a tiny bit frustrating 😊.
Gaby and Raff (but also Freya, let’s not forget about her!) are so good friends, best friends. They are each other’s biggest fans, supporters. They understand each other on such a level that is even something to be envious of. Even if Gaby’s and Raff’s upbringing couldn’t be more different, they have found each other at work, and their bond has become so strong, so important, so wow… These friends want to see each other happy, no matter what. And whatever choice one of them makes, there will always be someone cheering for them.
It’s clear that Gaby understands Raff the best. She knows that he didn’t have an easy upbringing, that his parents are not the best parents in the world, even if she had the complete opposite kind of upbringing. She also knows what truly makes him happy, but also what irks him. She is perhaps his biggest cheerleader, supporting him in every step he takes in life.
So obviously Gaby is the right person to find the perfect woman for him. And even when she doesn’t realize it herself, Poppy and even we as a reader see quickly what her real feelings are. It starts when she dismisses possible matches for the perhaps the most stupid reasons. But even when the penny finally drops, Gaby does not only wants to jeopardize her friendship with Raff, but as she wants Raff to be happy, she doesn’t stand in the way when a match seems to be perfect for him.
Because that is the kind of person that Gaby is, putting everyone’s happiness as a priority. We do not only see that with Raff, as she even goes that far to invite him over to her parents’ home for Christmas, but also how she is hands – on when ‘disaster’ strikes at Christmas.
I have to say, as an amateur – baker myself, Raff for sure ticked off many boxes for me. is there anything sexier than a man that can not just bake, but create actual masterpieces? And just like Gaby is for him, he is a great, supportive friend. He believes in Gaby and her capacities, he knows what she is able to, even if she doesn’t know it herself.
But it also needs to be said, he is also the most oblivious person in the entire world! Just like Gaby and Freya say themselves, women could be have their heads tattooed stating their interest in him, Raff wouldn’t notice it! Yet that is also part of the attraction he holds!
And I have talk about his parents… how obnoxious, unsupporting can you be as a parent? My heart broke for Raff seeing not only how he was treated at a younger age, but still is. And that while Raff is just this amazing, wonderful persona, going after his dreams. Luckily he has the best kind of friends, and the best Aunt in the world!
It was sweet to see their relationship slowly shift in this book. Gaby is in this impossible position, between a rock and a hard place. Because not only she wants to see Raff happy, even if that will cause her own personal heartbreak. But there is also the issue that she doesn’t want to lose what she has with Raff, this strong friendship. And Raff is this utter romantic soul, believing in that happily ever after, despite the example he has had in his own life.
Obviously, seeing Poppy again was also beautiful, as we can to see what happens after a happily ever after. And her strong relationship with Tristan, and their evolutions are for sure couple goals to achieve in life!
So you see Sandy, what you did to me? You made me once again fall in love with a great story, wonderful characters, keeping me believing that perhaps there will be someone like Raff to Gaby, like Tristan to Poppy, for me, out there somewhere! And it there isn’t, well, I have plenty of your stories to have perfect book boyfriends/husbands/partners!
Oh, and thanks to this book, I am stuck with Adele’s song with the same title in my head! 🙂
When an amazing author has written her 25th book, that for sure needs a celebration, doesn’t it?
And is,there a better way to celebrate this milestone than a huge tour with all her 25 five books having a day in the spotlight? And you guessed it right, today it’s my turn!
Let me remind you of the wonderful story that ‘Is This Love?’ is…
Synopsis
A love like no other . . .
Caring Tamara Rix has never left her childhood home, the village of Middledip.
Both her life and her heart revolve around her beloved sister Lyddie, who needs round-the-clock care after a devastating accident as a child.
She would do anything for Lyddie, even if it means losing out on love and putting herself second.
But when Lyddie’s childhood sweetheart and ex-boyfriend Jed Cassius returns to Middledip, he brings with him a secret he promised his dying father he’d share. A secret that shakes the Rix family to their core.
Jed’s life is shrouded in mystery, but despite his strange background, Tamara can’t help but be drawn to him.
But can Tamara find a balance between her love for Lyddie and growing feelings for Jed, or will she discover that some kinds of love just don’t mix?
Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author. Her novels have been #1 on Kindle UK and Top 100 on Kindle US, Canada and Italy. She writes two books a year for publishing giant HarperCollins and has won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Novel of the Year, Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award, two HOLT Medallions and the Katie Fforde Bursary. She’s the president of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Her novels, short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses have appeared around the world.
When becoming a lady’s companion is just the means to an end…
Synopsis
Spring, 1811… A stranger arrives at Wyverne Hall
Sophie Delavallois is the new companion to the ageing Dowager Marchioness, but she also has another reason for coming to the infamous Wyverne mansion, one that will shake the family to their core.
Lord Drake left his childhood home many years ago, and only returns now to see his beloved grandmother. He takes little interest in the goings on of the house, until the arrival of Mademoiselle Delavallois. There’s something about her that he can’t put his finger on; it’s as if he’s seen her before, but surely, that is not possible…
Sophie is also drawn to Drake, but he is a Wyverne, and she cannot allow herself to fall for him, because her intentions towards the family are resolute – revenge. But inside the walls of WyverneHall, she discovers the rumours about the family barely scratch the surface, and she can’t escape the dangerous allure of the Viscount.
Once her plans are set in motion, will he be her saviour or her ruin?
My review
Sophie Delavallois has lost everything, as she is the only one of her family left. After surviving the Terror in France, she and her family thought that a new life was waiting for them. But things went a totally different direction, leaving Sophie all alone, and on a path that may not be so acceptable. Nevertheless, Sophie is set on revenge, revenge on the family that took everything from hers. And her plan is starting to take fruition as she starts as the new companion to the ageing Dowager Marchioness, as it’s that exact family, the Wyvernes, the culprits. But what Sophie didn’t take in account, is the presence of Lord Drake, grandson of the Dowager. His greatest wish is to stay as far away as possible from his childhood home, but his love for his grandmother makes him to check on her and visit her regularly. And while he distrusts the latest arrival, being Sophie, there is also something about her that intrigues Drake… And Sophie cannot deny to feel the same about Drake, despite all the despicable rumours being spread about him… So will Sophie be able to set her plans into action, gaining her revenge? Or will there be another outcome?
Regency is an era where women don’t have much voice, they are expected to be following the rules, play the game and hope for the best possible marriage proposals. But what happens when all your securities fall apart, when you lose every member of your family and you have to survive on your own?
That is exactly what happened to Sophie at the start of this book. She lost absolutely everything. Not only that, but she lost it all in a terrible way, with only one man, one family to blame, the Wyvernes.
Sophie had to find ways to survive, ways that not everyone would find acceptable, but when needs must, Sophie didn’t have much choice. And in a way, she has been lucky to have found someone to take her under his wings.
Reading about her past, I could for sure understand her thirst for revenge. What happened to her and her family was so despicable, and if I were her, I don’t think I would be able to keep my coolness, my calmness throughout the story.
I liked Sophie, as she is a strong woman, despite everything she has been through? Of course, in a way, she had to become this strong persona, in order to survive. But she has a mind of her own, she is not ashamed of what she has done and is going to do. And I was even in awe of her, having that kind of emancipation, in a time where it isn’t even a word yet…
But beside her strong character, I liked her gentleness with the Dowager. In a way, she finds a kindred spirit, perhaps even a (even though a strange one), grandmotherly figure. Because even if the Dowager has a blessed age, she notices things, she understands more than you may think. Yet she isn’t ashamed to speak out words of disgust even against her own flesh and blood.
I am not averse some spicier moments in book, and when Sophie meets Drake, for sure there are some heated moments. As righteously should, because sparks for sure fly between the pair. But there are moments that are just so despicable, shocking, making me doubt the sanity of some characters.
And those moments made me understand better why Drake wishes to keep his distance from his family. Because it’s obvious that Drake is the good kind of person. His love for his grandmother is obvious, and not only that. He has taken some measurements to protect others, to avoid the family’s name to be tainted even further, as he has also been victimized by some actions…
With two main characters, so set on (self) preservation, and one even so set on revenge, it was amazing to see how they would find each other. And even if their (current) lives couldn’t be more difference, there is an acceptance of each other, without prejudice. There is even an understanding, a belief of what is being said. And that was the beauty of this story, because not everyone would accept Sophie’s actions, or would believe Drake’s words.
I have to say, the ending surprised me with a few revelations I didn’t see coming, but also with perhaps a bit of abruptness. There was a lot happening, and suddenly it was perhaps over too quickly. But that didn’t take away I liked reading this story!
We see in this story that despite everything that has happened in someone’s past, someone who has seen all the ugliness in the world, there are still amazing things, amazing people with an open mind and understanding can be found.
And that revenge perhaps can taste sweet, but aren’t there also other things that taste even sweeter?
Ila has her pride. And she’s about to discover just how much trouble that can be…
It’s 1976 and in the Vile Parle suburb of Mumbai, bastion of the Maharashtrian middle-class, Ila Bendre’s mother is determined to get her four daughters married off as soon as possible.
Ila has no intention of snaring a proposal from some dull specimen of Marathi manhood so she can pretend to care about cricket for the rest of her life. She wants a career and life of her own, and she’ll do whatever it takes to escape married bliss, no matter what the neighbours might say.
But when Ila’s Bollywood-obsessed younger sister, Latika, takes the matter of marriage into her own hands, it looks as if the Bendre family’s reputation in this close-knit community will be ruined once and for all…
As we follow the Bendre sisters from dinners to parties to weddings, from Vile Parle to Pune, will love eventually conquer all in this ingeniously witty and charming tale of pride, prejudice and puranpolis?
Guest post
LOVE, MARRIAGE AND THE GREAT INDIAN FAMILY
An old professor of mine had once said that Americans have social security; Indians have their families. It’s the most succinct description I’ve heard, of the institution that is the Indian family.
It forms the very centre of our society and culture – love it, hate it, there is no escaping it. And there are plenty who argue that there is no need to escape it in the first place. After all, Indian children often live with their families well into adulthood, if not for their entire lives. Oprah had once famously asked Indian actress Aishwarya Rai and her husband, actor Abhishek Bachchan, “You live with your parents? How does that work?” To which Abhishek Bachchan had quipped, “You don’t live with your family? How does that work?”
See when it comes to marriage in India, whoever you marry isn’t just marrying you, they are marrying into your entire family. And so, the thinking goes, the rest of your family gets to have a say in who becomes your better half. After all, they’re going to have to live with this person for their whole lives too (we don’t consider divorce, it’s too Western).
In fact, the very concept of arranged marriage is centred around these beliefs. On the idea that if two families from the same socioeconomic class, belonging to the same religion, caste, subcaste even, are connected by marriage it’s better for everyone involved. There is a shared heritage of customs and cuisine, language and lifestyle that means that both families don’t have much to adapt to, after the wedding. But what about the personalities of the people getting married? Their like-mindedness? Common interests? What about love? Eh, all that will happen later probably, don’t worry. Ok, sexual compatibi-? Ssh, we don’t talk about sex, we’re Indian.
Which is why love marriage is considered such a transgression. While it’s pretty common these days, there are still enough and more Indian parents who, on some level, feel that it’s unthinkable that their child even think of making such a huge life decision independently. We raised you, they think, we know what’s good for you and you think you can just choose a life partner without involving us in the process? You?!? Who can’t be trusted to make a trip to the grocery store without adult supervision? You, marrying whoever you want? For love? You may as well slap us across our faces and be done with it.
Not to say there aren’t those who throw caution – and any hopes of wedded bliss – to the winds and marry against the explicit wishes of their family. Now, to be honest, many of these stories do get a reasonably happy-ish ending. Eventually. The family becomes nuclear, not joint. Relations turn cordial over time, if not entirely Hallmark-card-worthy. People make do. But some love stories… they just become cautionary tales. Every few months, you see a newspaper headline where two young people, from different religions or castes or economic classes, are found dead somewhere, all for the monumental crime of daring to love each other, without their family’s approval.
Romeo & Juliet ain’t got shit on us.
So what then, you ask? Well, if you want a happy married life which a. includes your family b. doesn’t include constant disapproval of everything your spouse does and c. some modicum of mental peace, your best bet is the arranged love marriage. Where you consciously or subconsciously pick a partner your parents are sure of approve of, then bring them home so your family can officially approve them for marital purposes, and then lather, rinse and repeat the process with your partner’s family. This way, everyone goes to their shared home happy. There is a wedding that makes it to Instagram under the hashtag #MyBigFatIndianWedding and within six months, both sets of in-laws start asking if the new bride has any “good news” in the pregnancy department.
But that, as they say, is a story for another day.
It’s been years since Anna has seen Leo Knight. And of all the apartments in all the cities in all the world, he just happens to walk in to her cosy new attic home – as her new housemate.
As the two walk the cobbled streets of Prague, taking in the sights and sounds from Wenceslas Square, frosted with snow, to the soft glow of candlelit Charles Bridge, the enchantment of the City of a Hundred Spires soon starts to work its magic on them…
My review
Anna is over the moon and super excited to be staying in Prague for an actual beer brewing competition. She cannot wait to work at the brewery, and being able to create her own special beer for the competition. Even if that means being away from her steady and safe boyfriend…However, Anna is shocked to learn who her housemate will be for the next few months. Because of course there are other competitors, and as board and lodging are included, although shared. Of all the people, the man that is staying with her at the apartment, is Leo Knight, the man that broke her heart. So obviously Anna wants to keep as far away from his as possible. However, even if they are adversaries, living back together, discovering a wonderful city together and sharing a love for beer, what will happen?
Being an Italian Belgian (or Belgian Italian, depending on my mood 😊), you would assume I would love drinking a good beer. Because Belgium is of course also known as a beer country. Unfortunately, I do not. The only kind of beer I enjoy drinking, is a good kriek, a fruity beer. And only if it’s the right brand. Me picky? No, not at all! 😊
However, I let people enjoy their beers, and I can for sure enjoy reading books about this beverage, even if I would pick something else to drink while reading.
And I absolutely love reading stories about people moving (even if only temporarily) abroad, ready for a brand new adventure. And as Prague is on my bucket list for cities I want to visit asap, could I get a better preparation than reading a book set in this city? Oh, and a book by an author that I for sure love?
While it’s clear that Anna is a great person, it’s also clear that she is holding back for reasons that aren’t known yet. For one thing, there is the boyfriend that I didn’t think was truly a match. He doesn’t do anything wrong initially, but from his first appearance, he just didn’t do it for me. And further along in the story, my dislike for him only grew. And no, it doesn’t has anything to do that I was Team Leo from the start 😊
But back to Anna for a moment… Because what she has been through in the past, for sure turned her in the person she is now. And no matter how lovely Anna is, she is also wary, scared and very careful. She has not have an easy childhood, and while growing up, well, it’s easy to say that she didn’t have the best example in front of her…
I was eager to learn more about Anna’s and Leo’s past, as it’s obvious that things didn’t end on good terms. Yet seeing Leo, and getting to know him better, I kept wondering what…
Because let’s be honest, Leo is this open, warm, friendly character. He is the kind of person that will help anyone out, is easy approachable, easily makes friends and for sure is the light of the party. Yet we also see that when things ended with Anna, he truly got hurt by it.
Even when things don’t start very amiable between Anna and Leo, their forces proximity, and with the help of their lovely and funny neighbours, there is a slow shift taking place. They start spending more time together, are discovering the wonderful city that Prague is together and even are able to clear the air about the past.
While this for sure is a slow – burning story, as Anna starts in this book as being in a relationship, this was absolutely a heartwarming story to read. Heartwarming because not only we see two people rebuilding some kind of friendship again, but also heartwarming because we see how surrounding yourself with the right people, can make you feel more confident. And this is so clear with Anna, because she is the perfect example how self-doubt, a low self – esteem and just fear in general can jeopardize the best thing you could have…
Julie Caplin didn’t disappoint me at all with this wonderful book. This is escapism at its best, with an amazing setting, wonderful characters on an inspiring journey, and a message that perhaps sometimes taking a chance can be scary, but won’t the final rewards be worth it?
Kate seems to have it all – wonderful friends, a successful career and an idyllic life in the quirky Yorkshire town of Essendale. But under the surface Kate’s lonely, and she longs to feel part of a family – especially during Christmas.
With the holiday season fast approaching, and the town desperate to attract more visitors, Kate conceives a brilliant plan: an enchanting living Advent calendar. Each December evening, a captivating window display will be unveiled across town. With local businesses struggling, including her best friend’s board game café, she’s feeling the pressure.
But Kate’s picture-perfect plans take an unexpected turn when her ex-boyfriend arrives in Yorkshire, insisting on creating the Christmas Eve display. Can Kate trust him to deliver a show-stopping window? And can she finally put the past behind her and embrace the future she’s always dreamed of?
My review
At first sight, you would think that Kate has it all: she has the best friends, a successful career and even if she lives a little bit further away from her friends, she likes her own little home. But what nobody seems to notice, is that Kate at moments feels very lonely. Everyone around her seems to move forward in their lives, while Kate is still single. And especially now that Christmas is approaching, her loneliness screams louder and louder, and her desire for a family is palpable. However, Kate doesn’t want to be a burden to anyone, so her latest determination is to attract more visitors to the town of Essendale, as the local businesses need them to remain profitable. And she comes up with the idea of a living Advent calendar featuring the locals and their windows. As Kate has the reputation of being Miss Perfect, everyone is trusting her to run things smoothly. Between al the hectic of making a success of her plans, Kate finds herself unexpectedly in a romantic turmoil as a new flame and an old one are suddenly in her life…
Yes, once again I started this book with a smile on my face. Because even if I am not into board games and don’t even know half of the discussed games in this book, I truly enjoy reading the journeys of the main characters.
Kate in the previous books always seemed like this strong woman, seeking perfection in everything she does. But she is also a great friend, being often the voice of reason, or the people turn to for help. But while that strength, that ‘power – womaness’ is something that made me admire Kate, I liked reading in this particular book how vulnerable Kate in fact truly is.
Because while Kate is obviously a great character, seeing this softer side of her, seeing her struggles and her pain, made her more real, more recognizable. And I really wanted to learn where those pains came from, why she acted and acts in a specific way. And I often just wanted to enter the book to give her a huge hug, showing her that she is not the only to have such thoughts of loneliness, insecurities and even perhaps a feeling of failure.
When Peter crosses her path, I could understand her train of thought, her not wanting to betray one of her best friends, but also thinking that it may be her own loss if she doesn’t pursue it further. This shows us that even if Kate herself could ‘gain’ something, she doesn’t want to hurt her friends, and that she is in fact a genuine, honest person.
So when Kate has a revelation, realizes the truth, it saddened me with the choice she makes there, because she deserves more and better. Yet in a way, her acceptance of the facts also resounded to me, as I truly believe that often people make such choices for a lack of better options…
I liked Kate’s inventiveness, how she comes up with the idea of a living Advent Calendar, involving all the businesses in town. And while initially she is reluctant of being the driving force behind it, we see slowly how much she enjoys being part of something so important. And just like Kate, with all the secrecy, very curious to discover what each window would look like! 😊
Of course there is also more romance – drama in this book than just what she has with Peter. And this is truly a blast from the past, as Kate is shocked to discover who has just moved to Essendale…
Obviously it doesn’t come as a real surprise, as there are flashbacks in this wonderful story. Yet I have to admit, that initially I didn’t like how Kate acted, as it fell so out of character and even felt so judgmental of her. But of course, I should have known that there was more to it than what seemed.
And with this return, I truly had the most fun while reading. Because there is an easiness, lots of banter, understanding, comprehension, even when the total opposite could be taking place. That truly warmed my heart, reading how perhaps things just need to be happening at the right time and the right place. How perhaps other things need a resolution before it’s time for a second chance…
I truly LOVED returning to Essendale, see lovely characters again, getting to know some better, meeting new people. This book was exactly what I wanted it to be, and all of this in a warm, comfy embrace that Christmas is!
When the only sparks are with a man that doesn’t want what you want…
Synopsis
A bookshop face off!
NHL hot shot, Nick Hawkeye Hawke has 4 months to recuperate from a potentially career ending injury. All he has to do is take it easy and keep things low key. So, looking after his grandmother’s beloved second hand romance bookshop and working very closely with the ruthlessly efficient Samantha Evans is just what he needs right? Wrong!
Career driven Sam has impulsively decided to swap her highly stressful corporate job for a slower pace in her favourite bookshop at the exact time her biological clock has started to tick. And she wants absolutely none of that. But when your boss is a hot hockey superstar and you can’t stop daydreaming of him being your baby daddy, forced proximity takes on a whole new meaning.
With temptation around every book shelf, Nick and Sam find themselves skating on thin ice until they put themselves firmly in the friend zone. But the more they try to resist their slow burn, the more they want each other. How long can they stay in the zone until one of them breaks the ice?
Previously publishd as Risky Business
My review
Sam never expected that her biological clock would be ticking so loudly. Because now time is of the essence, Sam realizes that what she truly wants, is a baby. Little detail that is missing, is that Sam is still single… And with her swapping her stressful corporate life for a more peaceful job in the bookshop she loves. A bookshop that is taken over by NHL player Nick ‘Hawkeye’ Hawke. After his injury, running his grandmother’s second hand romance bookshop is the perfect way to keep his mind of the thought that his career may be over. But working with Sam may bring a whole different kind of challenge for Nick. Because her character and her curves make it impossible for Nick to not feel attracted to her. However, Sam has made it crystal-clear that she wants to find a man that wants children himself. And Nick is not that man. To make things even worse, Sam has asked Nick to find her possible matches.Yet that doesn’t stop them to become real friends, and learn that they may have more in common that initially thought. However, there couldn’t be possibly anything happening between them, as their future will go in different directions…
When I started reading this book, and with such a title, I was expecting a story with a little bit more focus on the sport – aspect. So when I realized that it would be more focusing on the book – aspect, I was pleasantly surprised, being a huge bookworm myself!
Haven’t we all had that moment in life where we realize that time is truly going by really really fast? And that the things we would have thought to have achieved by now, are perhaps now just a faraway dream, replaced by something completely different.
In that mindset, I could relate to Sam, as seeing that I am getting closer to the 4 with time passing by, that biological clock for sure is ticking for me too!
And that is not the only thing that I could relate to with Sam, because I am too rather on the curvy side, with the accompanying doubts included.
Plus her love for books made me initially think I had found truly a kindred spirit in Sam.
But I also have to say, that at moments I found Sam a bit annoying or even a little bit childish. Yes, I understand her desire to find the perfect man. But as we are all imperfect in one way or another, I think that sometimes she was a tiny bit too harsh on her dates…
Of course sparks are very important, but it’s also true that sometimes those sparks don’t come immediately. And that looks can for sure ignite lust, but that love comes from someone’s persona.
And then those shouting eggs…
Nevertheless, I liked reading how Sam found her inner calm working at a place that brought her so much happiness in the past. Not only did I see truly a change in Sam, from a workaholic to a woman in a peaceful place, but also I saw how Sam starts to realize that being successful can be achieved in different ways, and doesn’t mean per se in a careerwise way.
Obviously, her new job is thanks to Nick, a NHL player recovering from a serious injury, and the person that has taken over the bookshop after losing his beloved grandmother.
Saying that Nick is a player, in you know which sense I mean, would be an understatement. To be strictly honest, I couldn’t blame him, as long as he didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings…
I found it great to see the body positivity in this book, because sparks for sure fly around between Sam and Nick, how curves are embraced in this book. But I also found it realistic seeing how Sam and Nick aren’t giving in that easily to those sparks, as they have different thoughts about their future, and those visions don’t seem compatible at all.
We see Sam and Nick both growing in this book, they not only learn to become each other’s friends, but they also learn to accept themselves, to believe each other and to trust each other. They also learn that with the right person, visions and ideas can change. But most important they, and especially Sam, learn to love themselves. Because if you can’t love yourself, how can you love someone else?
The sparkling NEW Christmas Romance from the author of A Wedding in Cornwall!
Quirky, creative, and dedicated to their work, window dressers Nina and Molly can’t believe the news from the upscale staging and design company which occasionally hires them as extras during the Christmas season: their tiny New York company has just been tapped to create a magical Christmas window and showroom display for London’s newest designer fashion boutique!
With their trusty assistant in tow, they catch a plane across the Pond, making their way to the historic former department store with a unique past in Parkleigh Square—and their once-in-a-lifetime chance to impress the ultimate client, legendary fashion designer Simone Van Stewart.
But a humiliating encounter with the London branch’s new frosty director reveals a tragic truth — the duo was hired by mistake. With time running out before the store’s unveiling, and the best window stagers already booked, however, Nina and Molly have been given a tentative trial period to prove they can do the job – and they’ll need a miracle to survive it. Battling deadlines, a delivery disaster, and their own personal doubts, it seems their dream assignment could soon spiral into their worst nightmare.
Not everybody at the exclusive store for Van Stewart is against them, however. Rugged, handsome fashion designer Vincent is supportive of their chances, and makes Nina’s heart race whenever their paths cross. Can she risk romance with an ocean between their two worlds, and with all her future plans and dreams at stake? Her friend Molly worries she’s getting in over her head—but Molly has her own complications to worry about, both personal and professional, as the dream team from Queens searches for the key to make Parkleigh Square’s newest business come alive with Christmas magic, which may just lie in histories both beloved and forgotten.
Filled with flurries of romance, friendship, humor, and heartwarming revelations, A Nightingale in Parkleigh Square is the must-read new release of the Christmas season.
Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller ‘A Wedding in Cornwall’. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.
When Italy’s greatest opera singer, Rodolfo Argento, is killed in a terrible car accident, the police initially rule his death a tragic accident or suicide. But his elderly mother, Violetta, believes this to be poppycock! Her son was a brilliant driver and had too much to live for. She suspects foul play and turns to Private Investigator, Dan Armstrong to discover the truth.
A cheating spouse?
So Dan and Oscar travel to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, to find out what really happened. There Dan discovers Rodolfo’s private life could have come straight out of a Shakespeare play. Although now happily married, Rodolfo was a man with a reputation to rival Casanova, his past strewn with heartbroken women. Could his death have been a star-crossed lover determined to get revenge?
A family feud?
Or does the truth lie much closer to home? With his large inheritance still to be settled, the motive for Rodolfo’s murder could simply be greed. As Dan searches for suspects while staying at the Argento Opera Academy (where people randomly launch into operatic arias.) life for Dan is complicated by the fact that Oscar has a habit of joining in with the singing…
Can Dan solve the case before he and his tone-deaf dog get thrown out?
My review
Dan Amstrong is a bit surprised when after living for a while now in Tuscany to finally meet his actual neighbour. To say that the elder Violetta Argento is excentric is an understatement. However, now she seeks out Dan’s help. Because even if her son’s death was ruled as an accident or even a suicide, Violetta doesn’t believe it. And she wants Dan (and Oscar) to discover the truth about Rodolfo’s death. This new investigation brings Dan, Oscar and Anna to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet. Slowly Dan learns Rodolfo’s real character and life, one that could fit easily in all the opera plays Rodolfo was famous for singing in, or Shakespeare’s plays. Because even if Rodolfo was happily married, his life before marriage for sure was one that could fill many gossip pages. Can Dan figure out what truly happened to Rodolfo? Or was is just like the police said, just an accident or an act of suicide?
Of course reading a book from this talented author, sweeps me back to Italy, the country of my roots and places I have visited before and have fallen in love with. And this time, we are in lovely Verona!
And I have to admit, just like Dan I was more intrigued by the city’s actual, real story during my visit than the hype set around Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. While visiting cities, I believe that the actual history of a place prevails over the fiction. So in that aspect, I was happy that the author shared my same vision, and didn’t ‘waste time’ over Romeo and Juliet yet took us once again to a marvellous (re)discovery of a wonderful place.
But enough about Verona itself, let’s talk about the story 😊.
With each story in this cozy series, we see how more settled Dan and Oscar are in their new Italian life. So I was a bit surprised that Dan never heard or had never seen Violetta Argento before. With a larger than life attitude, I would expect that Dan would at least have heard her name before, or at least know about her son, being a famous opera singer.
I could understand Violetta’s desire to find out the truth, I can only try to imagine how it feels to lose a child, no matter if he/she is still young or already an adult. And if the police is perhaps too quickly to exclude foul play in Rodolfo’s passing, why wouldn’t Violetta want to hire Dan to figure out what really happened?
However, to say that Violetta is excentric, would be an understatement. And the relationship she had with Rodolfo was an ‘interesting’ one… There are possessive parents, and then there is Violetta. I don’t think that I would be able to live with such a character, so I was a bit shocked to see how Rodolfo just let his mother dictate his life. And the more I got to know Violetta, the more I didn’t like her, to be honest. She has one vision, her vision. And if you don’t agree with her, or contradict her, you’re out. Or if you take away her son from her, by falling in love with him and marry him, you’re the main suspect, even without any kind of proof…
Now, it’s easy to put all the blame on Violetta, and even suspect her for a moment (because, yes that is also something I did). But it’s not that Rodolfo’s life was so unspoken about. He had a certain reputation, thus making the list of possible culprits (if there was an actual crime) even longer.
Like I am used to with this series, there are several possibilities and reasons for the not yet confirmed crime. Fingers can be easily pointed in so many different ways, that each time Dan and Oscar found a lead, I believed we had it. But of course I should have known that all would only be revealed in the end…
And like I am used to with this author, this was a cozy mystery, pulling me in all different directions, but also with a lovely lightness in it. Not only was it sweet to see how Dan’s relationship with Anna is still going strong, but for me, the lightness of this book came absolutely from Oscar’s side! Seeing how he falls in love with Elektra, seeing his tail wagging like crazy whenever she is around. Dogs do fall in love too! 😊
T.A. Williams once again took us on a wonderful investigation journey. His on point descriptive ways made me feel like I was walking alongside Dan in Verona, seeing the places easily. Even the music in a way found a touching place in this book.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this great next chapter in a wonderful series. Although I am getting a bit concerned about the number of murders taking place as if T.A. Williams continues with this series, I believe there will be no one left in Tuscany. 😊 But on the other hand, more Dan and Oscar, is that really such a bad thing? 😉
Tizi’s Book Review 