Wildflower Park, Part Three: Oopsy Daisy by Bella Osborne

Wildflower Park, Part Three: Oopsy Daisy

Bella Osborne

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK

Escape to Wildflower Park with Part Three of a brand new four-part serial from bestselling author Bella Osborne.

Life's not always a walk in the park...

When Anna is dumped by her fiancé, she moves in to her own place on the edge of the gorgeous Wildflower Park and pledges to stay off men and focus on her career, but a handsome new colleague seems to thwart her attempts at every turn. And when she receives an accident text from a mystery man, could it be the new start she needs? Or someone she really shouldn't be falling for?

Anna's neighbour Sophie is a stressed-out mum-of-two with a third on the way. Her husband is a constant frustration, and their children are a regular source of newly-invented swear words and unidentifiable sticky surfaces.

Luckily, Anna and Sophie have each other - and Wildflower Park proves to be a sanctuary as they map out a path to find happiness they both deserve...

Fantastically funny, this irresistibly heart-warming novel will charm fans of Milly Johnson and Jill Mansell.

-----------------------------------------

This series is seriously hotting up! I've really enjoyed this new series by Bella Osborne. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I think it's her best one yet! As I've said with all my other reviews on this new series, I absolutely love the cover. This one in particular is possibly my favourite, the blooming flowers and all their colours just make it so eye-catching and beautiful!

Onto the story itself, this one is where it really hots up. And in this one I absolutely fell in love with Bert! He broke my heart and I found my eyes welling up on more than one occasion with this lovely elderly man. As well as Bert, I also feel that we got to know all the other characters a whole lot more as well. I find myself relating to both Anna and Sophie on a much bigger scale than I was before and I'm enjoying reading about their issues and dramas!

I also find myself loving Maurice the cat and some other characters as well such as Hudson. However, I will say that I am a bit weary of Connor - I feel like he's hiding something big and I think we'll finally get to find out what in the final instalment! Which might I add, seriously cannot come quick enough. These novella's are so easy and enjoyable to read. They're quick and I find they're the perfect way to while away a few hours.

Overall, a fabulous addition to the series and I absolutely cannot wait to read the final one! I'm a bit gutted because I feel it's ended so quickly but so excited to see what's going to happen in the final novella! Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

Wildflower Park, Part Two: A Budding Romance by Bella Osborne

Wildflower Park, Part Two: A Budding Romance

Bella Osborne

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK

Escape to Wildflower Park with Part Two of a brand new four-part serial from bestselling author Bella Osborne.

Life's not always a walk in the park...

When Anna is dumped by her fiancé, she moves in to her own place on the edge of the gorgeous Wildflower Park and pledges to stay off men and focus on her career, but a handsome new colleague seems to thwart her attempts at every turn. And when she receives an accidental text from a mystery man, could it be the new start she needs? Or someone she really shouldn't be starting for?

Anna's neighbour Sophie is a stressed-out mum-of-two with a third on the way. Her husband is a constant frustration, and their children are a regular source of newly-invented swear words and unidentifiable sticky surfaces.

Luckily, Anna and Sophie have each other - and Wildflower Park proves to be a sanctuary as they map out a path to find the happiness they both deserve...

Fantastically funny, this irresistibly heart-warming novel will charm fans of Milly Johnson and Jill Mansell.

-----------------------------------------

I'm really enjoying this series now! The first one didn't give much away but when you think they're just over 100 pages long, it would be a bit hard for tons of action to start then! We're only just getting to know the characters. I really adore the cover of these series too. They're so colourful, bright and just really draw you in. I love the flowers, the swans and the pretty houses, everything just comes together perfectly and makes you want to read it.

I really like Anna's character. She seems to have gone through a lot in her life and I really feel for her. I also feel equally as sorry for Sophie, she's got a lot on her plate and her husband Dave seems to be a constant disappointment! I love the area in which they live, it sounds like a dream to back on to your own private park where only a handful of people are able to visit.

In this series, it's starting to heat up a bit and Liam arrives back in Anna's life with a big bang. She starts pretending to be in a relationship with Hudson (whom she still has some disagreements with) but since pretending to be in a relationship, the pair seem to be getting on a lot better. As well as this, poor Sophie seems to still be having troubles with her crush on Hudson and cannot get him out of her head, causing her and Dave to have a huge bust up. The main question at the end of this novella is whether they will get back together again!

It's a great addition to the story, and as the second and third novella was uploaded onto Netgalley at the same time I was able to start reading the third one in the series straight away which was lovely! I'm now halfway through the third and loving it! Seriously cannot wait to read the fourth in the series. Overall, a really enjoyable addition to the series, would 100% recommend giving this a read. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

Christmas at the Little Cornish Gift Shop by Rachel Griffiths

Christmas at the Little Cornish Gift Shop

Rachel Griffiths

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK

Following a series of disastrous dates and losing her job as a room attendant at a top London hotel, Ruby Penrose heads home to Cornwall. Her dreams of making it as a screenwriter failed and she has no idea what to do next.

Reality TV star Jake Woodhouse was delighted to find a small, isolated Cornish cottage to rent for the holidays. He aims to spend his days there in peace and quiet, licking his wounds - his only company his faithful, but stubborn, British bulldog, Sherlock Bones.

But as Ruby and Jake are drawn together by the magic of the festive season and the Little Cornish Gift Shop, they both begin to realise that sometimes it is possible to learn to trust again, and that friendship can be the most valuable Christmas gift of all.

This is the first of three short stories in The Little Cornish Gift Shop series.

Look out for Spring at The Little Cornish Gift Shop coming in 2019.

------------------------------------

Rachel Griffiths has done it again! This was a delightful and festive heartwarming story and I loved every page. If you wasn't in the festive mood before you saw the cover, then you certainly would be once you saw this one! I love the falling snow, the cutest little cottage with the wreath on the door, the Christmas lights and of course the two cutest little doggies at the front of the cover! It's delightful and if you ask me, it's everything you want in a cover.

Onto the story itself, it starts with Ruby working in London and being set up for cleaning 'accidents' that she didn't do. However, being the caring person that she is, she took the blame for a heavily pregnant single mum and got fired in the process. So not the best end to the year for Ruby, but having said that, this was just what she needed. She desperately wanted to get home to see her nanna and spend Christmas with her loved ones.

What I love about this novel is that we also get to see everything from a male perspective as well. We get to read about Jake and what's going through his past relationships and his urgent need to get away from London. He was a great character with hidden depth and I could just feel that connection between Ruby and Jake straight away. I loved reading about their growing relationship and I was sad when I came to the end of the novella!

I absolutely loved where this was set, the location sounded idyllic on a winters day and it desperately made me want to move or visit somewhere similar! It was so Christmassy and festive that I devoured this book in such a short time and I'm so looking forward to reading the rest in the series. Thank you to Rachel Griffiths for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

The Pet Shop at Pennycombe Bay by Sheila Norton

The Pet Shop at Pennycombe Bay

Sheila Norton

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK

Jess is looking for a fresh start and facing an uncertain future.

She takes refuge in the beautiful Devon seaside town of Pennycombe but her confidence is at an all-time low after losing her job. She's treading on eggshells living with her cousin Ruth, who seems to be permanently angry with her, and although she enjoys her new job at the local pet shop, with boss Jim pondering retirement, it's soon threatened with closure.

But with faithful dog Prudence by her side, Jess decides it's time for her to overcome her shyness and make a life for herself in Pennycombe. After volunteering for Pets at Therapy she soon becomes more involved with the local community and makes new friends, including handsome Tom and his son Jacob. But her hopes of romance are dashed when she sees Tom with a mystery woman.

Will Jess finally get her happy ending and feel at home at Pennycombe?

-------------------------------

I always get really excited when I see a new book by Sheila Norton. Her style of writing draws me in straight away and I always feel I'm right there next to the main character. She also instantly makes you want to visit wherever the book is set and this novel of hers is no different! I love that once again animals are included and are quite a main factor in the novel and I also like the cover. I enjoy the bright, summery colours and the little cute parade of shops at the top of the cover.

When this one started, I didn't relate to Jess as much as I would to Sheila's other main characters. I'm not sure why I didn't warm to her at first - I thought that she was a bit of a pushover and I didn't like the way she let people talk to her. I understand that she was very shy but didn't understand why she let cousin Ruth (who she lives with) talk to her terribly! I did feel really sorry for Jess throughout the start of the novel, and perhaps this was what made me warm to her in the end.

I love the use of the animals throughout the novels and found little Prudence sooooo cute! I absolutely love animals so I feel like this is why I love Sheila's novels! As well as the animals, we heard a lot about the secondary characters and I love the community feel in this particular book and that everyone looks out for one another. I really liked Jim, Jess' boss, he was really kind and I liked their relationship with feisty Vera and her new cat Doc! I also loved the setting, it sounded so beautiful and I found myself on more than one occasion wishing I could live somewhere as idealistic as Pennycombe Bay!

I was actually surprised that this novel was released as one whole book at first (unless I completely missed the four different parts being uploaded separately on Netgalley?!) but actually I preferred reading it as one big story as you don't need to wait to hear that happens next! I'm not patient in the slightest so selfishly this book being released as one big novel worked out perfectly for me! Overall, I feel like this novel was a lovely and entertaining and easy to read book that I really found myself enjoying. As always, Sheila Norton has pulled it out the bag! Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

Blog Tour: A Very Lucky Christmas by Lilac Mills

A Very Lucky Christmas

Lilac Mills

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK

Things can't get worse for Daisy Jones... Can they?

Christmas is meant to be the happiest time of year so why is absolutely everything going wrong for Daisy? Reeling from a bad breakup, moving back in with her parents and hounded by trouble at work she really shouldn't be surprised when things go from bad to worse...and she ends up in A&E!

Her great-grandmother persuaded her to plant a silver sixpence in the Christmas pud for luck but choking on the coin isn't the 'change' she'd wished for. Yet when dashing Dr Noah Hartley saves the day things finally start to look up. With Christmas Day just around the corner Daisy's determined to make her own luck...and hopefully bag herself a dishy doc in the process!

A heart-warming Christmas romance perfect for fans of Holly Martin, Debbie Johnson and Daisy James.

-------------------------------

I'd previously read Lilac Mills' other novel Love in The City by the Sea and really enjoyed it, when I saw the cover revels of Lilac's other novels I was really eager to read more by this author. This cover certainly didn't disappoint, I adore the Christmas pudding in the centre (oh the relevance!) and of course the snowy scene out the window, the candles, crackers and the baubles just make for an extra festive and just beautiful cover! It's just so twinkly and pretty!

On to the story itself, it was just as good as the cover! From the off I was so drawn in to the storylines and the characters. I was eager to find out what was going on, and although I didn't twig what Freddie was up to at first, I soon caught up with what was going on when Daisy showed up at Freddie's house early! To say I couldn't believe it would be an understatement! As well as this, I actually found parts of the scene quite funny (although this is obviously meant to be an emotional and heart wrenching moment for Daisy), Carl in particular had me laughing with his sass and attitude - and the dress that Freddie was using to cover himself - don't get me started! Ha!

I felt really sorry for Daisy throughout this novel though, I know that Daisy's mum, nan and great-nan were probably meant to come across in more of a jokey way but I felt really sorry for Daisy and felt that she was being picked on by her family quite a bit. There was only a few moments when her family were nice to her which made me feel quite sad indeed! With regards to the other characters, I liked Noah, he seemed quite gentlemanly and really nice! Some of the conversations in this novel actually had me laughing out loud. There were quite a few times where a conversation would take place but one character would get the wrong end of the stick, ending in more confusion and more laughter from me!

Overall, this novel was funny, full of laughs and in moments quite heart-warming. I really liked the character of Daisy and felt her to be quite relatable. I wouldn't say it was overly festive, as Christmas takes place nearer the beginning of the novel, it's more a story about something that takes place on Christmas Day and the effects it has afterwards. It was really enjoyable and such an easy read. I read this in about two days because I just couldn't put it down. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

Wildflower Park Part 1: Build Me Up Buttercup by Bella Osborne

Wildflower Park Part 1: Build Me Up Buttercup

Bella Osborne

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK

Escape to Wildflower Park with Part One of a brand new four-part serial from bestselling author Bella Osborne.

Life's not always a walk in the park...

When Anna is dumped by her fiancé, she moves in to her own place on the edge of the gorgeous Wildflower Park and pledges to stay off men and focus on her career, but a handsome new colleague seems to thwart her attempts at every turn. And when she receives an accidental text from a mystery man, could it be the new start she needs? Or someone she really shouldn't be falling for?

Anna's neighbour Sophie is a stressed-out mum-of-two with a third on the way. Her husband is a constant frustration, and their children are a regular source of newly-invented swear words and unidentifiable sticky surfaces.

Luckily, Anna and Sophie have each other - and Wildflower Park proves to be a sanctuary as they map out a path to find the happiness they both deserve...

Fantastically funny, this irresistibly heart-warming novel will charm the fans of Milly Johnson and Jill Mansell.

-----------------------------------

Oh how lovely it was to be reading a novel by Bella Osborne again! I love her novels, they're so witty and enjoyable. They're also really easy and heartwarming to read so I was so happy when I saw this one pop up on Netgalley. I love the cover of Bella's new novella's. They're cosy, I love the bright colours, the colourful houses and flowers and the cute little pond with the ducks. It's all very cute and draws you.

Now onto the actual story! There isn't too much that happens in this one, but it's left on a great cliffhanger that I just know will build up and I can't wait to read about what happens! The story follows two main characters, best friends Sophie and Anna. Two completely different people. Anna is single, and just broken up with her ex-fiance. She's just moved into a new flat which backs on to Wildflower Park. A lot of the book is spent where Anna is at work, but I enjoyed this as with Anna it's based around her colleagues. She has to work beside new American worker Hudson and whilst she finds him annoying, she also finds him a bit attractive.

Then there's Sophie, and Anna isn't the only one who finds Hudson attractive! Whilst Sophie is pregnant with her third baby, she is feeling really unappreciated with her husband and starts to fantasise about Hudson. She's really struggling with being a mum to Arlo and Petal and says to Anna that she needs to get away. There's loads of potential with Sophie's story and I can't wait to read more about her! I think I preferred Sophie's character to Anna but I enjoyed reading about both of them.

Overall, not a bad start. It has loads of potential with being an amazing story (and I know it will be!) and I can't wait to read the next one in the series to find out what happens next! Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

Blog Tour: Five Ladies Go Skiing by Karen Aldrous

Five Ladies Go Skiing

Karen Aldous

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK

A delightful new novel of Love and Friendship from Karen Aldous...

Ginny is now alone after losing her husband, so her friends (her F.L.O.W.E.R.S) decide with his first memorial imminent, learning to ski in the Swiss Alps would be a great distraction for her.

What Ginny's friends fail to add into the equation however, is their own distractions! The baggage they carry with them not only threatens their skiing but scales mountainous emotions throughout the trip.

The questions then are... Can their friendships survive, and can Ginny ever trust enough to love again?

-----------------------------------

What a wonderful festive read by Karen Aldous. I don't think I've ever read a novel by this author before and after reading this I can't imagine why! It was gripping right from the start, and after the first couple of pages I actually had a few tears in my eyes as it was quite emotional!

Quickly talking about the cover, this is what automatically drew me in. I love the pale blue sky full of snow, and of course the thick snow covering everything in sight! The skiers, the lodge, and the mistletoe around the edges makes such a beautiful cover that I couldn't wait to get stuck in! I also love that all five women are featured on the front cover, as it gives you a better idea of the story. The blurb also drew me in, it sounded so exciting and really intrigued me!

I really found that I related to all of the characters in their own certain way. They were all quite different but it was refreshing to read about different characters. It had everything you could possibly ask for in a novel, it had love, friendship, drama and snow! It had deep meanings behind this novel and for that I was completely gripped. I would 100% recommend giving this novel a read, as you will be hooked after the first page! I will certainly be looking out for more novels by this author in the future that's for sure!

Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly and thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for allowing me to be a part of this amazing Blog Tour.

-----------------------------------------------

Karen Aldous enjoys village life on the edge of the north-downs in Kent with easy access to the buzz of London. Not only does she love the passive pleasures of reading and writing, she also craves the more active pursuits of her family and friends such as walking, cycling and skiing especially when they involve food and wine!

Much of Karen's inspiration comes from her travels and meeting people. The UK, France, Greece, Switzerland, Italy and parts of the USA and Asia are just some you will experience in her books to date. However, wherever she goes, new characters emerge in 'Karen's World' screaming at her to tell their stories; past or present. She loves to write about strong independent women who can direct their own lives - but struggles to control them! And, of course there's always a hunk or two!



Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook