Today I am sharing a guest post!

Synopsis

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.

Vedashree Khambete Sharma

A new city, an exciting prospect but then…

Synopsis

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?

While everything seems perfect on the outside…

Synopsis

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?

Can the truth be discovered?

Synopsis

A tragic accident?

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? 😉

I just cannot wait!

Synopsis

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.

Pre-order Link – https://books2read.com/u/mBB0aR

Publication Date: 21st November

About the author

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.

The cover!

With a little bit of help, but for whom?

Synopsis

Escape to the beautiful coast in this heartwarming romance

Dare to dream big…

When Nancy opened her dream bookshop overlooking the golden sands and shimmering waters of Driftwood Bay, she may have taken on a little too much. She might know all about books, but doesn’t know the first thing about business! She did however, want to do something meaningful with the inheritance money she got from her beloved Aunty Theresa.

When Dennis, visiting grandson of one of her dearest friends, offers to help, Nancy knows she can’t say no. Dennis is a high-flying businessman, with a fancy London job and a successful banking portfolio to prove it.

Trouble is, he makes the worst first impression. Nothing short of an insufferable know-it-all, Dennis takes every opportunity to remind her how out of her depth she is.

But Nancy knows her strengths, and just as much as she needs Dennis, he needs her too. There’s plenty she can teach him, and the more she shows off her world of Driftwood Bay, where the pace of life is slower and the morning sunrises are the most beautiful thing you can witness, perhaps they could become more than just business partners?

An utterly gorgeous romantic read set by the beautiful Cornish coast, perfect for fans of Phillipa Ashley and Heidi Swain

My review

Nancy loves running her bookshop in Driftwood Bay. But while she loves selling stories to people, it isn’t all that easy, as the downside of having a bookshop, also means running a business. And the financial bits of having a business just goes over Nancy’s head. Nancy worked so hard for her bookshop, and she won’t give up that easily. Even if that means accepting the help of obnoxious and insufferable Dennis. He has all the knowhow, as he is a great businessman working in London, and currently visiting his beloved grandmother. Even if things start of rocky, and Dennis doesn’t hesitate to point out how badly the bookshop is doing, Nancy starts to learn how to run a business. Ideas fly back and forth. And Dennis himself learns that the hectic London – life isn’t all that, and that perhaps the slower pace in Driftwood Bay is what he actually needs. And will sparks fly around between Nancy and Dennis? Or will Dennis return to the life he has known where being successful is what matters?

When I opened this book on my Kindle, I had a big smile on my face. Knowing Kim Nash’s talented writing skills, I knew that I would be loving every bit of this book, and that it would be a marvellous next chapter in the Cornish Cove series.

And from the start, I liked Nancy. Of course it helps that she is a booklover, just like me. And I admired her for realizing her dream of opening a bookshop. In a world that is more and more digital, and where everything can be bought online, it for sure is a risk to open a shop. And not just any kind of shop, but a real, old – fashioned bookshop.

I could understand her love for books (well, duh! 😊) and I could clearly see how passionate she is while helping her customers. If I were in Nancy’s shoes, I would also be working each day with a big smile on my face. And perhaps, just like Nancy, I wouldn’t be any good at looking at the financial side of having an own business. Because seeing a dream finally coming to realization doesn’t mean per se that it will be a walk in the park.

And that is exactly what Nancy is slowly learning, as she has her dream coming true, but she isn’t living the dream at all. Even if she tries to bury her head in the sand, she knows that something has to change, in order to keep her dream alive. Even if that means accepting the help from the most insufferable man she may have met.

Yes, Dennis didn’t make the best of first impressions. He for sure doesn’t sugarcoat his words. But for me, it was more a sign that with him, you know where you stand. And he does know what he is talking about, being a successful businessman in London.

But it was also clear that beside being a successful businessman, he doesn’t truly know a lot about the things that matter in life, things like family, love and care. I am absolutely not saying that Dennis is a superficial man. But his life for sure scarred him, and if it weren’t for the love and support from his grandmother and other important people in his life, I don’t know what kind of man Dennis would be turned out to be.

Nancy and Dennis for sure stand very differently in life, as Nancy has always been surrounded by love and is a loving and caring person herself. While Dennis has always been more focused on becoming successful. But when their paths cross, it’s clear that they both have a lot to learn from each other.

For Nancy it starts with picking Dennis’s mind with ideas to improve the business of the bookshop. But she also understands that wanting to sell to her customers isn’t the intrusive business handling she thought it was.

However, more important is that Nancy learns that closing off your heart for love isn’t a recipe for happiness. Even if I understood that she ahs high standards, in the sense that she sees what a happy relationship looks like with her parents as the perfect example, she also sees how a bad relationship looks like, with her brother’s as an example.

And for Dennis, it’s just learning about love. Because he has missed this essential, vital concept in his life. Even he has loving and supporting people in his life, or had in his life, from the people he wanted to have it the most, were the people that gave him the least…

With spending time with Nancy, Dennis learns that there is so much more in life, and that what he thought what matters in life, isn’t that important at all. In this lovely little village of Driftwood Bay he learns more about the world and about what truly matters.

In this book we see there is a lot of giving and taking. It isn’t that Nancy is subject to Dennis, or Dennis to Nancy. Both characters have an evolution, even with trail and error, and yes even some heartbreak in the process.

But there is also the fact that people are accustomed to the world they know. And when taking a step aside, realization may dawn that while their life isn’t a wrong one, there can be more to it than what may be thought.

This was absolutely a heartwarming, lovely story from an author that knows how to pull your heartstrings with a what may initially seem a light story, yet slowly shows serious depth in it. Kim Nash wrote exactly what I expected, wanted and needed!

When an inheritance brings you to Pepper Bay

Synopsis

Welcome to Pepper Bay, where you’ll find love, drama, and a happily ever after.

Snuggle down with this cosy, feel-good, comfort read that whisks you away to a beautiful bay on the Isle of Wight – Perfect for fans of Christie Barlow, Alison Sherlock, Rachael Lucas, and Holly Martin.

The Pepper Bay books are standalone stories, best read in order, that intertwine with recurring characters.

Pepper Lane Sweet Shoppe: Erin Mason didn’t know she had any family left, so when she inherits a sweet shop, she’s not entirely sure what to do. There isn’t much else going on in her life, so she goes to check it out in Pepper Bay. After all, a short trip to the Isle of Wight is hardly going to change her life.

My review

Erin has always missed having a real family. It has always been her and her mother, and now that her mother is gone, Erin feels more alone than ever. That is until she learns that her grandfather left her a sweet shop in Pepper Bay. A grandfather she didn’t know she had, and it breaks her heart to have lost another member of her family. After losing her job too, why shouldn’t she head over to the Isle of Wright to see this shop of her mysterious grandfather? What Erin didn’t expect though, was to get seasick on the ferry on her way to Pepper Bay. Luckily a stranger takes pity on her and takes care of her. A stranger that isn’t having the best time of his own life either, as Tyler just discovered the affair his girlfriend was having with his own best friend, on the wedding day of the latter. However, even some vomit cannot stop Erin and Tyler to feel a connection between them. But with both having their hearts broken, can Pepper Bay work its magic once again?

Aaaah Pepper Bay, a place that I just want to visit myself. No, that is not the truth, because Pepper Bay is a place where I want to live myself, with its quaint homes, amazing families and how love is found so easily even if the road to love isn’t that easy.

Even without knowing all the details of Erin’s life, my heart broke for her as it’s clear that she is very lonely and feels like she has no one in the world. The only family she had was her mother, and now she is just on her own… And with losing her job, she just doesn’t know what to do with her life.

I could understand the shock and the pain Erin felt when she learned about her grandfather and how he left her his shop in Pepper Bay. Because this means that Erin wasn’t without a family, and that she could have had a relationship with her grandfather, weren’t it for a feud he and her mother had.

It seemed in a way, that Erin’s illness on the ferry was the expression of how Erin feels. And perhaps it even was like a forecast that Tyler comes at her rescue?

If the story weren’t be taking place in Pepper Bay, I would be very wary of Tyler’s kindness. Well, not only Tyler’s, but just everyone’s. Not only because Erin is spending her first night with Tyler in one room (not like that! 😊) but I wouldn’t be thinking of spending the night with a complete stranger, no matter how sick I would be feeling. But if I would be doing that, there is only one place where I would be feeling safe anyway, and that is Pepper Bay.

Obviously Erin meets Tyler when he is in turmoil himself. And I have to admit, I was furious in his place, as he has been betrayed by two people that he trusted the most. And the fact that there were no repercussions for them, on the contrary, made my blood just boil!

Yet I jut loved Tyler. Of course he needs to digest the betrayal, yet he never loses his kindness, his gentle character, or to make it easy, the uniqueness that makes Tyler such a lovely character! Perhaps he was a bit too pushy towards Erin, wanting her to keep the sweet shop, but he does it with the right intentions, and not for a personal benefit.

I knew that Erin would be finding what she is looking for in Pepper Bay, not in the way she thought she would. Her wanting to have a family, to belong to a family makes so much sense, because in the end, that is what we all want, no matter what that family looks like.

Maybe, just maybe, Tyler’s family looks too perfect, but as a fan of the series, I know what his family went through before. And they worked very hard to get their own happinesses, and they aren’t afraid to share their happiness with others, or welcome others into their family. And that is truly heart – warming to read, how Erin is easily accepted into their family, into the Pepper Bay community.

Seeing Erin and Tyler growing closer was so sweet, two broken people finding each other, having fun together, but also understanding each other, feeling a strong connection despite just having met.

In this marvellous new chapter in a series, we see that sometimes in the most unexpected ways we can find what we were looking for. But we also see that, just look at Erin, it’s not always to understand what our heart is telling us. Or what direction our heart is pulling us.

K.T. Dady wrote again a great story, about lost souls, the unexpectedness of love, the warmth of a community (always great to catch up with old friends!) and best of it all, the importance of finding family, a place of belonging. This all is captured greatly in this heart – warming story, added with a sparkle of Christmas!  

Can you start over when you once were on the top of the world?

Synopsis

Lottie should be on top of the world – her boutique has just opened in the quaint little village of Lily Vale and her designs are already delighting the locals. But just nine months ago, she was fired from her dream job and forced to move in with her dad, all because of one big mistake and a betrayal from someone she thought was her friend.

During a fitting appointment, Lottie meets groom-to-be Kit Brooks. Her first impression? Arrogant, rude, and a downright snob. However, as they work together to create the perfect bridesmaid’s dress for his little sister, Lottie begins to view Kit in a whole new light.

Suddenly, she’s battling to keep her heart under control – after all, Kit is getting married. But nothing could prepare her for the identity of his bride…

Wedding Cake and Big Mistakes in Lily Vale Village is the eighth story in the Lily Vale Village book series, a charming set of novellas revolving around the lives of the ordinary people who reside in the beautiful countryside community. It can be read as a standalone story, or as part of the series.

My review

Nine months ago, Lottie believed she had it made in Paris. Until one disastrous night and one big mistake left her not only fired but also blacklisted. She had no other option to return to her father. Now finally she has opened her own boutique shop in the quaint village of Lily Vale. She hopes that her designs will charm the villagers.
Slowly the customers are finding her, and Lottie is quickly charmed by teenager Tanya, who is looking for a bridesmaid’s dress. But Lottie cannot say to be charmed by Tanya’s brother and groom – to – be Kit Brooks. He is rude, arrogant and just a snob. But slowly she realizes that there is more to Kit than she initially thought. Until she learns who the bride – to – be is, the same person that ruined her career in Paris…

There is something about stories with characters moving away from where they have built a life, to return back to their roots somehow. For the main character it may feel like a failure, but I always enjoy reading how in fact it is a second chance, to rebuild something and just have a fresh start, after what they have already been through.

I am not into fashion myself, I don’t follow the hypes but I can get a bit jealous thinking how fashion designer can come up with great ideas and design the most amazing outfits. So already from the start I was a bit in awe of Lottie, as she for sure has this talent, or rather this gift. But of course I also felt sorry for her, as at the epitome of her dreams, she gets betrayed by someone she believed she could trust and believed to be a friend.
Obviously Lottie’s world fell apart, and as Paris is a hard city to be living and working in, I could understand why she escaped that city and decided to return closer to the comfort and support of her father.
So in one way I felt sorry for her, as it’s clear that Lottie is devastated by everything that happened. But I also admired her, as she is ready to start over in the little village of Lily Vale.

I have to admit, this is the first book I have read in this series, but I can say that even if I am perhaps late with the love, I fell in love with quaint little village. Because it warmed my heart to see how welcoming the inhabitants were, and how each and everyone of them wants to help Lottie out, in their own unique way.
And it’s with their help that Lottie meets teenager Tanya on the look for the perfect bridesmaid dress.

Lottie and Tanya immediately hit off, even if their lives couldn’t be more different, and Lottie is in a whole different stage of life compared to Tanya. Even if they just meet, there is this sweet connection between them. It truly felt like a big sister – little sister situation! The way Lottie just gets Tanya, understands her and is there for her, truly heart – warming!

And with Tanya obviously, Kit enters the scene. I have to say, he doesn’t make the best of entries, as his complete attitude is just off and bad. He acts all this superior, and I couldn’t see how he would be able to shake off that bad first impression.
But the more I got to know him, the more I realized that my (and Lottie’s) first impression, was a wrong one. Because slowly we learn that he has a huge responsibility towards Tanya, and he is just in fact an amazing, caring, loving big brother. He wants nothing but the best for Tanya, and for her happiness, he is even ready to make a complete fool out of himself. 

And that version of Kit was just so loveable, that it made it even herder to comprehend who his fiancée was… Because his fiancée is someone from Lottie’s Paris – past, and someone Lottie truly believed to be never be seeing again.

While Lottie is struggling on several levels, it truly was just sweet to read how she and Kit are growing closer, are understanding each other and are just there for each other. But while of course I wanted things to progress, I especially liked it how no boundaries were broken, as there is a respect for the situation they are in. And that is admirable, because it would be easy to cross that line…

With now having to create a wedding dress for her personal nemesis, I would be surprised if Lottie wouldn’t be struggling. But at the same time, this is also the perfect opportunity for Lottie to not only process what has happened but also to grow. At the start of the book, Lottie is a rather insecure person, not only because her misadventure in Paris, but she also feels as a failure whenever she talks to her own mother. Lottie lacks self-confidence, while she should be as confident as hell, because believe me when I say that Lottie just got it. She only needs to see it herself and learn to stand up for herself.

For me, that is the main message of this book. Be proud of who you are, stand up against bullies, be a kind and understanding person. Do not let anyone bring you down, no one should have that power over you. The right people in your life will appreciate you for who you are, will stand by your side and understand you even when you don’t actually speak out.

For a first encounter with a series, this was a great experience. I loved reading it, loved getting to know the characters and loved reading about the growth and journey the characters are going through. It made me eager to discover the other books in this series! 

In the midst of chaos

Synopsis

Two very different worlds are about to collide.

Feisty country girl Annabeth Hope has sworn off men since her ex abandoned her. Juggling three resentful step-teens, a hyperactive toddler, a smallholding, and a herd of rescued llamas, she has her hands full.

With the roof about to collapse on her crumbling New Forest home, she is desperate to find a way to hold her patchwork family together. The last thing she needs is an attractive distraction moving in next door.

Burnt-out inner-city doctor Rick Mahon has left London and his medical career behind in a moment of professional crisis. A malpractice lawsuit is on the horizon, and the cancel culture mob are snapping at his heels. His plan to stay under the radar is thrown off course when he meets his new neighbour and sparks start to fly.

Annabeth and Rick couldn’t be more different, but maybe they hold the key to each other’s happiness…

“What more could we want from life? Family, friends, llamas, and hope…

An excellent read.” Jenny Kane, author of the bestselling Mill Grange Series.

My review

Annabeth Hope, Beth for her friends, had never expected to be looking for her three step – children and her own little girl on her own. But as her husband just abandoned her, she has no other option. She has her hands full with keeping the place running, with a leaking roof, rescued llamas, an energetic toddler and step – teens that just don’t like her.
Things are anything but easy for Beth, with absolutely no support from her (ex) husband and no friends. The last thing she needs is facing her new neighbour, Rick Mahon.
Rick himself is into hiding, after being sued for malpractice. He finds himself being the target of a real witch hunt and hopes that nobody will find him.
But when he meets his warrior queen neighbour, sparks start to fly around. However, both their lives are in such turmoil, and their differences couldn’t be any bigger. So is there time for love and romance in their lives?

I have to be honest, I had some struggles with this book. Not because it was badly written, or that the story itself didn’t drew me in. But my struggles were because we see bits of humankind that I find honestly despicable.

Not only there is Beth’s husband disappearing and let Beth and his own flesh and blood in the dark and with many problems, and even later on even more despicable behaviour. But there are also the vultures at the lookout for Rick.
We see perhaps one of the most ugly bits of people, and as I am anything like those characters, I found it difficult to understand how someone can just be like that…

But on the other hand, on the positive hand, we also see the resilience of people. Beth for sure isn’t having an easy time. But we see how she tries to make the best of each situation.
And I admired her in very different ways. Because not only is she struggling financially, also her farm is falling into pieces, and she has no respect from her stepchildren.

I felt that the last bit was the most struggling bit for Beth. She does her utterly best, she encourages the three siblings, and yet she is facing wall upon wall upon wall. Yet she never talks ill about their father, no matter how easy that would be. Despite the animosity, it’s clear that she cares and loves the stepchildren as they were her own, her own flesh and blood.

It was also sad to read how lonely Beth has been. She has no friends, and has nobody to rely on. She truly has the weight of the world on her shoulders, and nobody to help her carry that burden.

I could perfectly understand her wariness towards Rick. They for sure don’t start in the best of ways (even if their first encounter was exactly that 😊) as their encounters aren’t always the happy kind. Beth is protective of her (step)children and is adamant that she can do things on her own, that she doesn’t need help.
And Rick is wary of everything and everyone, afraid of his hiding place become general knowledge and being haunted again.

Rick’s situation really angered me. As a doctor, he does his best to help the people in need, but one event is risking to ruin everything he has been building for so long. And seeing how he literally has to escape and run away felt so unfair.

Despite the turmoil he is in, we see that Rick is genuinely concerned, not for himself, but also for those involved. He is the kind of person that wants to do the right thing, even if everyone advises him not to.

Even if things start off the wrong foot for Beth and Rick, slowly they find each other. They find someone that will help, someone that will listen, that will advise. Even if sometimes judgements are made too quickly even in their cases, it’s all understandable and the assumptions are made with the right set of mind.

Slowly we see that the main characters, not only between themselves, open up more, learn to understand that asking for help isn’t a sign of defeat and learn that opening up can help the troubled relationships.
I liked reading how perhaps difficult choices were made out of protection, as a sign of their love and care.

And so this book even became an inspiring one, as even how uncomfortable things may feel, the outcome of it can be bring the so much needed relief, and can make you a stronger person.