Return to the Little French Guesthouse by Helen Pollard

Return to The Little French Guesthouse

Helen Pollard

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK (K £0.99 / P £8.99)

Synopsis:

Blue skies, new love, and a glass of Bordeaux ... what could possibly go wrong?

When Emmy Jamieson leaves her life behind and moves to La Cour des Roses, a gorgeous guesthouse amidst vineyards in France, everything is resting on her success as the new guesthouse manager.

Looming in the calendar is the biggest booking ever, when the entire eccentric, demanding Thomson family will descend for a golden wedding anniversary. With airbeds on the floor and caravans in the garden, La Cour des Roses will be bursting at the seams.

Emmy knows she's up to the challenge, especially with the support of the gorgeous Alain, the half-French, half-English, caramel-eyed accountant. But she hadn't counted on a naked, sleepwalking travel blogger, or the return of owner Rupert's venomous ex-wife Gloria.

Gloria has a few things to say about Emmy's new role, Rupert's finances, and the unsuspecting Alain, which send everybody reeling. Just when Emmy can see a future for herself of endless sunshine, true love and laughter, are her dreams about to be ripped at the seams?

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Another great book to join the first La Cour des Roses series. It made me so happy to return to this story you have no idea! I absolutely loved the first and couldn't wait to read the second. The cover, once again, drew me in and I found that I couldn't say no (even though I have a ton on my TBR pile!).

The story follows Emmy after her very recent move to France and you find yourself reading about her settling in to her new role as guesthouse manager for La Cour des Roses. I was thrilled when old faces joined the story and couldn't wait to read more about Emmy's adventures into French everyday life.

I loved reading about the French markets, the cobbled streets of the town and the crisp and chilled wine. I will admit one thing, and it's that this series has made me long to go to France! I found that Emmy's relationship with Alain was lovely to read and it made me feel all warm inside when they finally came together! I loved all the characters and enjoyed reading about their lives as well as Emmy's.

There is some more drama in this book as well as the first, what with the gargantuan booking that Gloria simply forgot to tell them about, the return of said ex-wife Gloria and a huge bombshell that Gloria (can you see a pattern here?) dropped just before she left. The book leaves you hanging on to every chapter, dying to know what happens next.

Overall, a brilliant second part of the series. I've just finished the third and final instalment (boo!) and the review shall be up on my blog soon!

The Little French Guesthouse by Helen Pollard

The Little French Guesthouse

Helen Pollard

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK (K £1.99 / P £7.99)

Synopsis:

Sun, croissants and fine wine. Nothing can spoil the perfect holiday. Or can it?

When thirty-one-year old Emmy Jamieson arrives at La Cour des Roses, a beautiful guesthouse in the French countryside, she can't wait to spend two weeks relaxing with boyfriend Nathan. Their relationship needs a little TLC and Emmy is certain this holiday will do the trick. But they've barely unpacked before he scarpers with Gloria, the guesthouse owner's cougar wife.

Rupert, the ailing guesthouse owner, is shell-shocked. Feeling somewhat responsible, and rather generous after a bottle (or so) of wine, heartbroken Emmy offers to help. Changing sheets in the gites will help keep her mind off her misery.

Thrust into the heart of the local community, Emmy suddenly finds herself surrounded by new friends. And with sizzling hot gardener Ryan and the infuriating (if gorgeous) account Alain providing welcome distractions, Nathan is fast becoming a distant memory.

Fresh coffee and croissants for breakfast, feeding the hens in the warm evening light; Emmy starts to feel quiet at home. But it would be madness to walk away from her friends, family, and everything she's ever worked for, to take a chance on a place she fell for on holiday - wouldn't it?

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What a delightful start to the Little French Guesthouse series. At the moment I'm obsessed with books set in France. I'm not sure why but everything about them I just love. Especially those set in rustic villages with fields of lavender or towns with cobbled streets. But I think what I love most is the talk about the food. Gooey cheeses, crusty bread and oozing honey. Even writing that down made my mouth water!

So this series is brilliant so far (I've also just finished book two so that shall be making it's way to the blog soon enough!), with the main story revolving around Emmy who has just left her cheating boyfriend, Nathan, to help the owner of a French guesthouse. Except it's not all drinking chilled wine and lounging in the hot French sun. Emmy encounters a lot of drama and issues with her life and has to make a few hard decisions.

I really did enjoy this book, I flew through it and started straight away on the next one because I just couldn't wait to read more! The characters are all really loveable and relatable (except for Nathan and Gloria of course!) and you find yourself really connecting with Emmy and wishing you could be in France as well!

Overall, I really loved this story. It made me feel like I was in France myself and now I do really want to visit there! The cover is simply stunning and drew me in straight away. It's an easy and lighthearted read that will leave you wanting to read more.

Blog Tour: A Wedding in Cornwall by Laura Briggs

Today I'm absolutely delighted to be able to welcome author Laura Briggs to my blog! She's kindly taken the time out of her schedule to write up a guest post for my blog about her novel A Wedding in Cornwall - and I couldn't be more thrilled!

A Wedding in Cornwall

Laura Briggs

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK (Currently free!)

Synopsis:

It's the career move of a lifetime, and Julianne can't believe it's hers: a position as an event planner at a country house in Cornwall, England, beginning with the wedding of a celebrity! If her old firm's senior planner back in the States hadn't fallen suddenly sick with chick pox, Julianne would never have found herself chosen for a life in one of England's most beautiful coastal counties, surrounded by rugged shores, quaint cottages, elegant gardens and a house to die for.

But life in Cornwall isn't exactly as Julianne imagined it. Her first bride-to-be is a resentful, petted snob, the groom is immature and bored, and the Cornish staff of Cliffs House has a difficult time believing that an event planner from a mid-level position can handle a wedding this big. And then there's a personal matter -- the handsome, sometimes charming, sometimes standoffish gardener Matthew Rose. He and Julianne have a strangely complicated relationship somewhere between friendship and attraction. But with a secret in his past, and a scheming bridesmaid plotting to have Matthew all to herself, will Julianne find a way to untangle her feelings and the problems of planning a perfect Cornish wedding?

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Thanks so much to Stacey for letting me share about my Cornish-themed romance books with all her lovely readers!

When I first penned the romantic novella titled A Wedding in Cornwall about a year ago, I imagined a quiet little coastal village, and a determined young American wedding planner taking up residence there as a fish out of water. Add to that a gorgeous Cornish manor house, a celebrity wedding to plan, and a handsome, Poldark-esque gardener, and I had created a story I was more than happy to revisit a few months later for the holiday sequel.

For this follow-up book, I had to imagine the same Cornish village at the most magical time of the year — Christmastime. Fans wanted to know what happened to Julianne and Matt (more of them than I'd ever imagined, actually), and so the second book needed not only to give them a chance to fall completely in love, but to do so surrounded by beautifully-decorated Christmas trees and tasty holiday biscuits from Dinah’s kitchen.

That was just the beginning, though. What started as a simple wedding story and its sequel has become a series of now seven short romantic reads, all featuring the same plucky heroine and her adventures in a fictional Cornish village. I’ve very much enjoyed learning more about the real Cornwall with each new installment, everything from the counties’ winter weather patterns to the nature of ‘the Lizard’ landscape (which Julianne wants to explore with Matt), to the traditional dance and music celebration known as ‘Troyls’, and the scrumptious sounding meat pies referred to as ‘oggies’.

Imagine my surprise, though, whenever a reader tells me the series keeps getting better with each new installment! Well, I’m awfully glad they feel that way, since I’m not quite ready to tell these characters goodbye either, it would seem. Not for a few more stories yet, I hope, as long as readers are eager to see what Julianne, Matt, and the rest of their friends are up to next.  

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About the Author:

Laura Briggs is the author of several chick lit and romance stories. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and admires novelty scarf designs as well. Her favourite Jane Austen novel is Sense and Sensibility, and she enjoys reading everything from women’s fiction to modern day mystery novels. She loves spending time with family, caring for her pets, going to movies and plays, trying new restaurants, and dreams of traveling around the UK and Europe someday.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaperDollWrites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlaurabriggs

Website: http://paperdollwrites.blogspot.com/

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Review:

What a lovely introduction to the world that belongs to Julianne. Get ready to dive into a story full of romance, humour and drama! It's a very short but sweet novel which is a great start to the rest of the series - it gives you an outlook on how each character is going to act and what they are like.

The story follows Julianne on her journey across the pond to start a new job as an event planner in the beautiful setting of Cornwall - and although we don't get to hear a lot about the location, the descriptions we do get are written beautifully and you can truly imagine the story as though you are there at Julianne's side.

As this is the first book of the series, I think it shows us that the rest of the series are going to be just as intriguing and I cannot wait to read the rest! It's such an easy read that is light-hearted and enjoyable.

This was my first time reading a story by Laura and I honestly can't wait to read the others in the series. I love Laura's writing style - it'll make you laugh out loud in parts, just what you want from a chick lit novel! And straight from the start I was hooked into the story - afterwards wishing that I was an event planner for an incredible place just like Cliffs House.

Thank you to Laura Briggs for a chance to read this novel in return of an honest review.

Summer at Coastguard Cottages by Jennifer Bohnet

Summer At Coastguard Cottages

Jennifer Bohnet

Rating: 4 stars

Publication date: 23rd of August

Amazon UK (£2.99)

Synopsis:

A summer of secrets!

Karen is escaping to her little cottage on the Devonshire coast this summer - it's the perfect way to forget about her ex-husband. So she's surprised to find love again when she least expected it!

Bruce is learning to live again after the death of his beloved wife. She loved their cottage by the sea but Bruce is torn but the bitter sweet memories - should he sell up and stay in the city?

Carrie is at a crossroads in her life after inheriting a fortune from the father she never met. Now she must make a life-changing decision that will affect her new friends, too...

Could eight weeks at Coastguard Cottages change all of their lives - forever?

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What a lovely and feel-good read by Jennifer Bohnet. I've never read any of her other books and now I find myself questioning why that is! It was a light-hearted and easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

It's set in the beautiful Devon with descriptions of the town and the sea that will make you want to pack your bag and head on down there yourself. The book follows three main characters - Karen, Bruce and Carrie (as above) - whom each have their own life issues. However, all the characters somehow interlock and I found it so interesting how they done so.

The stories all come together in some way or another which shall have you at the edge of your seat when the twist happens! (which I was not expecting!) Even though there is a twist, the whole rest of the book has more of a relaxed feel about it which makes it a really enjoyable summer read.

One thing I absolutely adore about this book is of course - the cover! It is absolutely beautiful and draws you in straight away and just makes you want to read it. I love the colours, the lighthouse, the sea - everything is just so pretty! And I think I'm not the only one who wants to read a book purely from it's cover!

The characters are all very likeable and I enjoyed getting to know each of them in turn and finding out what was happening in their lives. This book includes everything you could possibly want in a love story - romance (of course), drama, and a beautiful setting. I think the only person I disliked was Karen's husband Derek (but he wasn't in the story that much).

Even though not much happens (there isn't a huge event that takes place) it's still really enjoyable and overall, a beautifully written summer read. A must have even if you are just snuggled up on the sofa as opposed to laying on a hot beach somewhere!

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a chance to read this novel which I have reviewed honestly.

The Big Dreams Beach Hotel by Lilly Bartlett

The Big Dreams Beach Hotel

Lilly Bartlett

Rating: 3.5 stars

Amazon UK (K £2.99 / P £7.99)

Synopsis:

This is a brand new standalone novel from the author of the Carlton Square series with a whole new cast of characters to fall in love with!

Wriggle your toes in the sand and feel the warm breeze on your face when you check into the hotel that's full of dreams...

Three years after ditching her career in New York City, Rosie never thought she'd still be managing the quaint faded Victorian hotel in her seaside hometown.

What's worse, the hotel's new owners are turning it into a copy of their Florida properties. Flamingos and all. Cultures are clashing and the hotel's residents stand in the way of the developer's plans. The hotel is both their home and their family.

That's going to make Rory's job difficult when he arrives to enforce the changes. And Rosie isn't exactly on his side, even though it's the chance to finally restart her career. Rory might be charming, but he's still there to evict her friends.

How can she follow her dreams if it means ending everyone else's?

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At first, I'll be honest - it took me a little while to get into. I think what it was is that I was actually confused as to where it was meant to be set! Was it in New York or was it in England? (It's set in England, just FYI). After I realised where it was set I did get into a bit more and started to enjoy the story.

I've never read a book by this author, so I didn't know what to expect. One things for certain though, all of the authors books have absolutely stunning covers! They draw the reader in and I for one fell in love with the cover of this novel. The colours are beautiful and I simply adore the bunting going across the top!

I think one of the things that confused me at the beginning (wondering if it was set in NYC or not) was actually one of the things I did enjoy about this book in the end - you see, the story is set around main character Rosie and her journey as to why she left her job in NYC. Throughout the book there are 'flashback' in which we go back and learn a bit more. I don't want to give too much away obviously but this was certainly one of the things that kept making me want to keep reading!

The characters were all really quirky and unique and another thing I enjoyed was that there was a real sense of friendship and community between those who worked at the hotel - reading it made me want to be part of it! I liked Rosie's character and found her to be easy to relate to. One thing I didn't think was entirely plausible was Rory's character and his place within the story - again I won't go into too much detail but I found sometimes I was a little bored reading about him.

Overall, it was an easy, romantic read. I wouldn't say it was one of my favourite books but it was enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

Publication Day Review: Escape to Willow Cottage by Bella Osbourne

Escape to Willow Cottage

Bella Osbourne

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK (K £2.99 / P £7.99)

Synopsis:

The Escape to Willow Cottage was originally published as a four-part serial. This is the complete story in one package.

A cosy and heartwarming seasonal romance.

Beth is running away. With her young son Leo to protect, Willow Cottage is the lifeline she so desperately needs. Overlooking the village green in a beautiful Cotswolds idyll, Beth sees a warm, caring and safe place for little Leo.

When she finally uncovers the cottage from underneath the boughs of a weeping willow tree, Beth realises this is far more of a project than she bargained for and the locals are more than a little eccentric! A chance encounter with gruff Jack, who appears to be the only male in the village under thirty, leaves the two of them at odds but it's not long before Beth realises that Jack has hidden talents that could help her repair more than just Willow Cottage.

Over the course of four seasons, Beth realises that broken hearts can be mended, and sometimes love can be right under your nose...

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Looking for a place to escape for your summer holiday? Then look no further, Escape to Willow Cottage is the perfect book just for that! As stated above, this book was originally a four part serial but has now come together as one book. I've never really liked that books can come in four parts, I find waiting for the next one in the series absolute torture as I never like to wait! Very impatient.

So, as you can imagine, I was very pleased when I saw this up on Netgalley and a chance to read the story as a whole. This series was on my TBR pile before I even knew it was coming out as one (I always like to wish that they do), but let me tell you - I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did.

Now normally, I'm quite a slow reader - I like to read with my breakfast in the mornings and then of an evening (working everyday makes reading during the day near impossible), so I make up for lost time in the evenings. So normally I read one to two books a week (depending on how long they are). This book by Bella Osbourne adds up to over 400 pages and it seems so long but let me tell you - you will be flying through it!

This book was so enjoyable I can't even put it into words. I absolutely loved it! I loved all the characters and I found myself relating to every one of them. I also loved how Carly had her own kind of focus on her and Fergus (even though it doesn't mention them in the blurb) and they all blended so well into the story together. This book is so well written and I was totally hooked. There's a bit of a twist in there as well that I definitely wasn't expecting!

The story itself is so, so interesting. There's drama left, right and centre and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Nearer the end of the story I couldn't put the book down because so much was happening! Another thing I loved about this book is that it takes you through the seasons - I love reading about summer time but I also love reading about firework night, Christmas etc. And this book mentioned all the holidays.

Overall, I couldn't recommend this book enough. You'll find yourself longing to visit the Cotswolds and be dreaming of living in a house just like Willow Cottage (once Beth has decorated it of course!).

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a chance to read this book. Which I have reviewed honestly.

Truly, Madly, Greekly by Mandy Baggott

Truly, Madly, Greekly

Mandy Baggot

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK (K £1.99 / P £8.99)

Synopsis:

Sun, sea and a sexy stranger - a whole lot of fun just got a lot more complicated.

Capable, confident and career-driven, Ellen had her dream job and a marriage proposal from boyfriend Ross. Life was good, her future set. Until it wasn't and everything fell apart...

Whisked off to the beautiful island of Corfu to plan her sister Lacey's big, fat, Greek wedding, Ellen is hoping some time out will help clear her head and heal her heart. But letting go of her past is not going to be easy.

With Lacey in full on Bridezilla mode, Ellen is soon distracted from her own problems. And when the all-inclusive treats on offer at Hotel Blue Vue include one gorgeous, brooding Adonis - Yan - Ellen finds him difficult to resist.

But Ellen isn't looking for love or lust, or anything involving too much ouzo...or is she?

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Get ready to be whisked off to the beautiful island of Corfu in this sizzling romance novel by the amazing Mandy Baggot.

Main character Ellen is at her wits end, so what better way to forget everything than to go on holiday with her sister to help 'plan' her wedding? Along the way secrets are revealed and to be honest, there are twists and turns the whole way through which makes it just so exciting!

Before this novel, I'd only ever read one other book by Mandy and I'm so surprised by this! I simply love her uplifting and enjoyable way of writing - it'll make you feel happy from just reading them. I did really enjoy this story, it felt a bit more serious than the other Mandy Baggot book I read but I still found it enjoyable all the same.

I found that, with main characters Ellen and Yan, they both have a dark past - making them hold back in doing things that they long to do. Whilst both characters are on the run, they both come to terms with why that is and both try their hardest to become a better person. To say there is a lot of drama in this book is an understatement!

As well as the drama, this story will have you longing for a slice of Greek paradise. Your mouth will be watering reading the descriptions of the crunchy salads and the thick, creamy yogurt that Ellen eats whilst she's at her all inclusive holiday.

Of course, with Mandy Baggot novels, there are always bits that make you laugh out loud - and this book makes you do just that. It's uplifting in places and other parts make you understand the characters more. With each chapter, we have ones focusing on Ellen and others focusing on Yan - giving you a clear insight into what each one is feeling and thinking.

Overall, a really enjoyable read. Nearer to the end of the book I found that I just couldn't put it down - too much was happening! It was a great ending and one I really loved.