Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay by Katie Ginger

Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay

Katie Ginger

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK

Hetty Colman loves her life in the cosy seaside town of Swallowtail Bay, organising children's birthdays, anniversaries and retirement parties. But after her recent break up from long-term boyfriend Ben, she's been searching for something new.

So, when Hetty overhears locals wondering how to return the old strawberry festival to its former glory, she jumps at the chance to relaunch it. There are just two problems - she only has four weeks to organise it and absolutely no where to host it!

When Hetty manages to convince the aloof, yet extremely handsome, John Thornhill to use the grounds of his rundown manor, things start to look up. But as Hetty and John grow closer and Ben tries to win back her affections, can Hetty make the festival and her love life run smoothly at the same time?

Fans of Rachael Lucas, Cathy Bramley and Jenny Colgan will fall in love with this hilarious summer read from Katie Ginger!

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I'm not going to lie, I have been so looking forward to reading another novel by Katie Ginger ever since I read the first book in this series. I absolutely loved it so I couldn't wait to read this one. The cover is so pretty and eye-catching and I love the strawberries and sweat treats that are lined along the bottom! And of course the bright blue sea and colourful bunting gives it a summery vibe. However, it did take me a little while to get into.

I'm not sure why because the location of this book is just perfect. I love the sound of the shops, cafe's as well as the beach and the pub, but I just found it a little slow at first. I didn't fully relate nor warm to Hetty and John at first and this was probably because of all the formalities at their meetings, it just seemed a little bit too high and mighty for my liking. However, once the meetings got out the way, I started to enjoy the storyline a bit more.

Once the story got going, I started to like the characters a little better and was starting to look forward to the food festival myself! It sounded like it was going to be amazing, especially with the funfair and the film screening. I could understand why John was the way he was, he was under a lot of financial and home stress so of course he was going to be a little standoffish. I wasn't a huge fan of his family, they all seemed quite stuck up and quite rude, especially Felix.

What I found a little confusing was Hetty's relationship woes. It was clear for me to see that she had feelings for John, the way she felt a sizzle every time she saw him made it pretty obvious! But, she also still had feelings for ex-boyfriend Ben, who has his own bakery in the bay. I wasn't a huge fan of Ben, simply because he seemed so sure of himself and sometimes just plain cocky. I'm not sure what Hetty see in him, but when he came up to her and was convinced they would get back together, it made me go right off him!

Overall, this was a lighthearted read but unfortunately wasn't my favourite by this author, I'm not sure what it was but it just didn't really hold my attention. I am looking forward to reading her other novels however, as I really enjoyed the first Swallowtail Bay book. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy of this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

Blog Tour: Summer at Rachel's Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts

Summer at Rachel's Pudding Pantry

Caroline Roberts

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK

The Pudding Pantry opens its doors for summer.

And there are wedding bells on the horizon . . .

Escape with the gorgeous new novel in the Pudding Pantry series.

The sun is shining as Rachel and her gorgeous beau Tom, prepare to tie the knot at Primrose Farm.

It takes a village to pull off the perfect country wedding and Rachel couldn't be more grateful for her friends and family as they roll out the hay-bales and string up the bunting - all she needs to do is focus on her Happy Ever After.

But no wedding is without drama. A face from the past is looking to stir up trouble in the village and there's a secret following Rachel all the way up the aisle . . .

With old friends, new promises and a little borrowed time, will Rachel get the wedding of her dreams?

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Caroline lives in the wonderful Northumberland countryside with her husband, and has two children and a lively spaniel. She credits the sandy beaches, castles and rolling hills around her as inspiration for her novels. She enjoys writing about relationships; stories of friendship, love, loss and family, that explore how beautiful and sometimes complex love can be.

She believes in striving for your dreams, which after many years of writing led her to a publishing deal (yippee!) with her heart-wrenching novel The Desperate Wife and The Cosy Teashop in the Castle, a romantic comedy which became a Kindle bestseller. Summer at Rachel's Pudding Pantry is the third book in her latest series, set on a farm in beautiful rural Northumberland with cakes and bakes galore.

A slice of cake, glass of bubbly, and a cup of tea, would make her day - preferably served with friends!

If you'd like to find out more about Caroline, visit her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and her blog - she'd love to hear from you!

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website

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Words cannot describe just how amazingly good this book is. It was an absolute pleasure being back at Primrose Farm with Rachel, little Maisy and of course lovely Jill. The cover of this book is probably my favourite of the whole series. I love the bright colours used, the confetti, the bunting and of course the flowers. It all ties in really well and looks so beautiful.

As the same as the other novels, this story focuses on Rachel and her life on Primrose Farm. Firstly, can I just say that I have absolutely no idea how she does everything and not collapse with exhaustion?! Rachel looks after the farm, runs the tea pantry, bakes in her spare time for the pantry, is a single mum to little Maisy, she also has a budding new romance with Tom which she is trying to keep going andddddd plan a wedding!! I mean, just how exhausting does that sound?! My hat goes off to her, because I certainly wouldn't be able to do what she does.

What is slightly different with this book is that we also see some chapters from best friend Eve's point of view. Eve is going through her own troubles, being married to Ben for years she feels that their relationship is starting to feel a little stagnant and that he sees her crafting job as just a little 'hobby'. So, when Eve goes to craft fairs to get business, she meets artist Aiden and falls for him. It was really refreshing and interesting to read more about Eve and what she decides to do. I was happy with how things turned out for her as she seemed like such a lovely and bubbly character who deserves a happy ending!

Although this novel is a follow on from the others, I would say you could easily read it as a standalone but I would urge you to read the others first so you can really enjoy and appreciate the storyline and all of the wonderful characters! This book was like a warm hug, I adored the descriptions of the bakes and yummy food from the Pantry - it seriously made my mouth water! - and I enjoyed reading about Rachel planning her wedding. This book was a breath of fresh air, it was wonderfully captivating and enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy of this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

Sun, Sea and Sangria by Victoria Cooke

Sun, Sea and Sangria

Victoria Cooke

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK

Kat swore off dating many years ago, after her marriage ended in a catastrophic mess. Having moved to the Canary Islands for a fresh start, she has never had much time for romance, channelling all her energy into managing an all-male dance troupe - the Heavenly Hunks.

With golden beaches, sparkling blue water and relaxing after work with a glass of sangria - or three - for Kat, it's summer all year round.

But despite life being postcard-perfect, Kat can't help but wonder if she is missing out on the most important thing of all . . . love.

The dancers are well known for their flirtatious antics and aren't looking for anything serious . . . except Jay.

Handsome, caring and a good listener, he ignites a fire in Kat's heart that scares her witless. But her relationship with Jay should stay strictly professional . . . right?

As the temperature rises, will Kat be able to take the plunge, let go of her past and find romance in paradise?

Fans of As Greek as It Gets, Sunrise Over Sapphire Bay, and My Greek Island Summer will love Victoria Cooke!

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The cover and description of this book completely drew me in. I needed some sunshine and romance in my life and this fit the bill perfectly. I've enjoyed quite a few novels by Victoria Cooke before so I was eager to get stuck into this one by her, as it includes all the things I love most - Sunshine, romance and of course - COCKTAILS!

This book started off quite slowly I'll be honest. When the description said that it was all about golden beaches, cocktails galore etc and I was reading about dance routines in bars, I was a little bored and was hoping it would get going. Luckily, the more I read the more I started enjoying it. I liked Kat, she wasn't my most relatable character but she had been through a lot with a controlling ex-husband so I really felt for her and what she had been through.

What I didn't really understand at first was that when Jay came onto the scene, Kat started telling him all her woes when they'd only known each other a day or so, so that felt a bit rushed to me and the death of her school-friend kind of seemed a little irrelevant to the overall storyline (sorry I know that sounds harsh!). However, as I mentioned above the story soon got better and soon I was dying to know what was going to happen next! Whether Kat would get together with Alonso or whether she would get closer to Jay and if they won the competition!

It was an exciting novel in the end, and I did love the location as well as the overall storyline. The dancers all seemed really nice and had their own quirks and there are some laugh out loud moments that made me want to read on. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy of this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

The Little Shop in Cornwall by Helen Pollard

The Little Shop in Cornwall

Helen Pollard

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK

Claudia thought she knew how this summer was going to go. Turns out, she didn't have a clue...

It's been two years since Claudia arrived on the beautifully rugged Cornish coast with nothing but a suitcase to her name. She'd walked out on the husband who had never loved her, ditched the corporate job she'd never wanted and vowed that no gym membership card would come within ten feet of her ever again.

Swapping boardrooms and cocktails for a little shop right at the end of the beach roach should have been a bit of a shock. But from the moment she first laid eyes on the empty, run-down store, Claudia knew this was where she was meant to be all along.

After all the upheaval, Claudia was looking forward to a quiet summer, full of the usual holiday makers and long walks along the clifftops. But life in her patch of paradise is about to change in more ways than one.

Enter recently widowed Jason, dragging his sullen teenage daughter Millie in tow. Millie and Claudia immediately hit it off. And while Millie loves everything about Claudia's free-spirited way of life, practical architect Jason is less than thrilled with his daughter's new interests. He doesn't shy away from telling Claudia exactly what he thinks and sparks fly every time they meet.

But as circumstances throw Claudia into Jason's path in increasingly unexpected ways, she begins to glimpse what lies beneath his fiery temper and sharp tongue. Claudia was sure her new life was perfect in every way. But was there something missing after all?

The perfect summer holiday escape, full of warmth, humour and heart. Fans of Sarah Morgan, Cathy Bramley and Phillipa Ashley will be charmed by this seaside romance.

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I think you just know when you first start a book whether you are going to enjoy it or not. And that's what happened with me with this novel. As soon as I started reading the first page of the Prologue, I knew I was going to love it. I haven't read a novel by Helen Pollard in sooooo long so I couldn't wait to read this one. I absolutely adored her La Cour de Roses series which was set in France. So to be reading another novel by this author felt really great and I was excited to get stuck in!

This was such a refreshing read. It's about main character Claudia who has opened her own New Age shop in Cornwall after a tough divorce with her ex-husband. After wanting to get as far away as possible from her ex-husband, she decides that Cornwall is the perfect place to move to with its beautiful scenery and sea. Claudia works hard in her shop to learn about everything she sells. She offers meditation classes for free, does yoga everyday and is generally happy with the new life she has set up for herself.

That is until, Jason arrives on the scene with daughter Millie. Jason and Millie have been through some terrible heartache that made me well up with emotion on more than one occasion. Claudia can sense that they have broken souls and so tries to help them out, and in the process, she realises she has fallen in love with Jason. Jason is possibly the most different type of person from herself that she could find. He doesn't believe in what she practices and turns his nose up at half the stuff she does or says. However, the pair soon grow close because of their love of Millie and the beautiful setting of Cornwall brings them together.

This was a fabulous novel that I loved reading. I loved reading about the drama with Hester's Cauldron and felt sorry for Claudia with what she was going through. There was a bit of mystery there with Alice too and I wondered more than once whether that would amount to anything. It was a great read and I loved every page. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy of this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.