Curves, Kisses and Chocolate Ice-Cream by Sue Watson

Curves, Kisses and Chocolate Ice Cream

Sue Watson

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK (K £1.99 / P £8.99)

Synopsis:

Dani’s on a mission to get her life back on track by the end of the Summer. Running, rowing, aerobics and more, but perhaps all she needs are sweet treats and a second chance? 

Twenty years ago, Dani fled Appledore with a broken-heart and a suitcase full of shattered dreams. Only now is she brave enough to put her past behind her and return for a summer selling homemade ice-cream and getting fit by doing sit-ups by the sea. 

But the new-look cafe is filled with old memories of Jude, her teenage sweetheart-turned-sour. She thinks of him every time she swirls warm sauce onto a “chocolate-bockaglory” and even with the help of Chris, her gorgeous personal trainer, the urge to break her diet is everywhere she turns. 

When Jude makes an appearance at the cafe on the eve of Dani’s birthday party, history threatens to repeat itself. Is Dani strong enough to say no? And is the love she’s been longing for much closer than she thinks? 

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What an amazing second novel to the Ice-Cream Cafe books! I absolutely LOVED this book and it made me want to pack up my bags and move to Devon! The cover of this book is beautiful and so summery - it makes you want to head to the beach and enjoy a chocolate fudge sundae (Oh how I am craving one of those right now!). I loved everything about this book from the characters to the storyline to the location.

The story follows main character Dani on her quest to find love and lose weight. The book is full of humour, romance and some drama and you can't help but also fall for Dani's love interest Chris, he's funny and kind and all the things a woman would want! I also loved that the characters from the first book were included in this one but don't worry if you haven't read the first one - this one can be read as an individual and you won't be confused!

I loved being with Dani on her journey and if I'm honest it's made me wish I worked in an ice-cream cafe! This book was absolutely delightful and I couldn't have been happier with the ending! Sue Watson is a fabulous writer and both of the Ice-Cream Cafe books are definitely now part of my favourites!

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

Ella's Ice-Cream Summer by Sue Watson

Ella's Ice Cream Summer

Sue Watson

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK (K £1.99 / P £9.99)

Synopsis:

Ella’s life just hit rock-bottom, but can a summer by the sea mend her broken heart? When life gives you lemons… make ice-cream! 

Life hasn’t always been easy for single mum Ella, but she has just hit an all-time low; she’s jobless, loveless, very nearly homeless and, to make matters worse, now the owner of a pocket-sized pooch with a better wardrobe than her. 

Packing her bags (and a bigger one for the dog), Ella sets off for the seaside town of Appledore in Devon to re-live the magical summers of her youth and claim her portion of the family ice-cream business: a clapped-out ice-cream van and a complicated mess of secrets. 

There she meets gorgeous and free-spirited solicitor, Ben, who sees things differently: with a little bit of TLC he has a plan to get the van – and Ella – back up and running in no time. 

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Wow, I absolutely LOVED this book! I was gripped to this story from the start and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole story and was sad when it ended so cannot wait for The Ice-Cream Cafe part 2! The cover is absolutely beautiful and so so summery. I love the bunting along the top, the colours, the beach in the background - it all just looks so pretty and inviting!

The story follows Ella on her journey to finding a life for herself after having some setbacks recently. Her children have left home to go on their own travels and she has issues with her house so decides to spend a summer in the cute little town of Appledore in Devon. I mean, Appledore really does sound like the cutest and loveliest little town and this book has made me want to visit it! However, when she moves to Appledore for the summer, she soon finds that not everything as it seems (which is the part where I literally cannot put this book down!).

If you love Summery books, you would love this. Sue includes the right amount of humour and romance to make it the perfect Chick Lit book. There was a little bit of mystery surrounding Ella's family, and if I'm honest, I kind of had an idea as to what it was about half way through the book - to which I was proven right by the end. But I still absolutely loved this book and it is definitely one of my favourites!

I would definitely 100% recommend this book to everyone, the descriptions of the ice-creams and location is beautiful and it made my mouth water for some of the ice-creams that were described! If I could give this book more than 5 stars then I would. Brilliant!

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

Sunshine after the Rain by Daisy James

Sunshine After The Rain

Daisy James

Rating: 3.5 stars

Amazon UK (£1.99)

Synopsis:

A summer that changes everything…

Frazzled workaholic Evie Johnson has finally had enough! When she’s blamed for a publicity disaster at the art gallery she loves, she decides to flee the bright lights of London for the sun-drenched shores of Corfu and turn her life upside-down.

Under the shade of the olive trees, she picks up her dusty paintbrushes and begins to chase the dreams she had put aside for so long. But she never expected to bump into drop-dead-gorgeous Sam Bradbury – and certainly not whilst wrapped only in a towel!

A summer fling is the last thing Evie wanted but a few stolen kisses under the stars might just begin to change her mind…

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3.5 stars.

I'll be honest, at first I wasn't sure of what to make of this book. I fell in love with the cover and the storyline sounded good so I felt a need to read it! However, I would probably have enjoyed it more if I had a passion for the main subject: Art. A lot of the book was talking about Evie's painting and her art career and although I found the location and her relationship side of the book intriguing, I found the parts about art a little too much.

The book starts up with Evie losing her job at an art gallery in London and after breaking up with her boyfriend, she is persuaded to go for a holiday at her boss' villa in Corfu. The description of the location in which Evie ends up is beautifully written and I found myself getting drawn into the novel and wanting to go to Corfu! It definitely is a lovely summer read.

At the beginning I found this story was a little slow and romantic interest Sam doesn't come into the story much at all until half way through. One thing that did confuse me was the relevance of Andreas, I found his whole character to be a little irritating (I know you're probably meant to, he's like the villain in this book!) but a little unbelievable. Would Evie really jump on his boat when she first met him? I'm not sure. I did find that Evie and Sam's romance story did get a little rushed towards the end but I did enjoy reading about the dates they went on.

Overall, still a really nice summer read with beautiful descriptions of sunny Corfu.

Thank you to Netgalley and to HQ for a chance to read this book, to which I have read and reviewed honestly.

Summer at the Cosy Cottage Cafe by Rachel Griffiths

Summer at the Cosy Cottage Cafe

Rachel Griffiths

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK (£0.99)

Synopsis:

Allie Jones loves her cosy cottage café in the picturesque village of Heatherlea. She has her independence, two grown-up children and two cute cats. Life is settled and she thinks she's happy. 

Author Chris Monroe has it all. Critical success, a luxurious London apartment, and the kind of jet-set lifestyle most people dream of. But something's missing. 

When a family bereavement throws these two old friends together, they begin to question the true meaning of happiness. 

Love is in the air, but do Allie and Chris have room in their hands-on lives for more than a summer fling? 

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As soon as I spotted this cover on Twitter, I just knew that I had to read it and that I was going to enjoy it. The title of this book is lovely and the cover really draws you in. I found this book so lovely and easy to read that I literally flew through it in a day. It wasn't long enough!

The story follows Allie as she works at her cafe with her son Jordan after the death of her husband, Roger six years ago. When a funeral wake takes place at her cafe, she finds herself running into old friend Chris and things spark between them.

Without giving too much away, this book is all about rekindling friendships and perhaps realising that life is too short to not give in to what your heart desires. I found this book really charming, and the storyline and all the characters worked really well together - it was written beautifully and was so easy and lovely to read.

I've just seen the cover for the second book in the Cosy Cottage Cafe series (Autumn at the Cosy Cottage Cafe) and I cannot wait to read it! The cover is even cosier than the Summer one and it makes you want to curl up with it next to a warm fire! Brilliant novel from Rachel Griffiths, can't wait to read the next.

The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea by Jennifer Joyce

The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea

Jennifer Joyce

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK (K £0.99 / P £7.99)

Synopsis:

Escape to the seaside this summer!

Mae loves running her little Bed & Breakfast, it’s the perfect place to raise her adorable four-year-old daughter! And no matter how persistently local vet, Alfie, chases her, she just doesn’t have time for men in her life.

Willow is busy building her dream home with her husband, Ethan, but with every month that passes she secretly worries that her happy every after will never come true…

Melody only intended to stay in the bustling seaside town for a few days to capture the perfect photo. But when she meets Hugo – the charming man in the ice cream van – she decides to stay a little longer!

One thing is for sure, summer at the little Bed & Breakfast by the sea certainly has a few surprises in store…

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This was a really lovely and enjoyable read by Jennifer Joyce. It's lighthearted and the romances make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I found this book really easy to read and it made the book go by so quick! I was soon finding that I was nearly finished but didn't want it to end!

This is the perfect book to read by the pool on your summer holiday but also a great one to read snuggled up on the sofa with a hot cup of coffee. There are three main characters and their stories - Mae, Willow and Melody. All with completely different stories and lives but somehow all come together in Mae's bed and breakfast. The three girls soon all become friends and I found that their stories all blended well into one anothers.

This book was charming and such an easy to read story. This story made you fall in love with English seaside towns and made me want to travel around them all like Melody was planning! It'll definitely have you craving fish and chips and spend some money in the arcades this summer!

Thank you to Netgalley and to HQ Digital for a chance to read this book in return of an honest review.

The Gin Shack on the Beach by Catherine Miller

The Gin Shack on the Beach

Catherine Miller

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK (£0.99)

Synopsis:

You’re never too old to try something new! 

When octogenarian Olive Turner is persuaded by her son to move into a retirement home, she congratulates herself on finding the secret to an easy life: no washing up, cooking or cleaning. But Olive isn’t one for mindless bingo with her fellow residents, and before the first day is over she's already hatching a plan to escape back to her beloved beach hut and indulge in her secret passion for a very good gin & tonic.

Before long Olive’s secret is out and turning into something wonderful and new. Only a select few are invited, but word spreads quickly about the weekly meetings of The Gin Shack Club. Soon everybody on the beach wants to become a gin connoisseur and join Olive on her journey to never being forced to grow older than you feel.

A journey of friendship, defiance and a quest for the perfect G&T.

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Wow, what a lovely story! The book captured me from the start, from it's eye-catching cover (how pretty is it?!) to the title. Catherine Miller is a great author and really made me not want to put the book down!

The book follows Olive, a woman in her eighties who LOVES gin with a passion. After her son moved her into a retirement home, Olive made it her mission to sneak out and visit her beach shack as often as she could. Along the way there is drama, mystery and friendships blooming - all around the love of gin.

This particular storyline is different to what I usually read I admit as I usually tend to pick out a love story (I know, typical), but from the start of this one I was drawn in by the humour and by just how beautifully it was written. The characters all went together lovely and their friendships were well thought out and if I'm honest I just think this whole book was really interesting and entertaining.

If you thought that from the description of the book that you wouldn't enjoy it - or it's not for you then I urge you to think again! A brilliant book and I can't wait to read more of Catherine Miller's novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and to HQ Digital for a chance to read this novel in return of an honest review.

Summer at Conwenna Cove by Darcie Boleyn

Summer at Conwenna Cove

Darcie Boleyn

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK (£0.99)

Synopsis:

In a gorgeous Cornish village, two brokenhearted people fall head over heels. But can the magic of Conwenna Cove heal the hurts of the past?

Eve has a glittering career, a loving husband and a future. But a terrible twist of fate means she loses it all, and with nowhere left to turn she flees to her Aunt Mary’s home in Cornwall. The last thing on her mind is romance – until she meets Jack.

Jack has seen the worst things people can do to each other and realised he is better off alone. He settles in Conwenna Cove, and saves his affections for the rescue dogs he cares for. But when Eve arrives in the village he can’t deny his attraction to her. 

Eve and Jack are both scared to trust, but when they come together it’s impossible for either to ignore their feelings. Can they put their fears aside and learn to love again?

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Summer at Conwenna Cove is one of those books that as soon as you start reading it, you're 100% drawn into the storyline and are desperate to finish it to find out what happens.

The cover of this book is absolutely stunning and being a huge greyhound lover, I absolutely loved their part of the storyline! I also really enjoyed the setting of this book, it desperately made me want to visit there, and perhaps even be like Eve!

The book follows Eve and her choice to visit her Aunt Mary in Conwenna Cove after suffering from anxiety attacks from her hectic and very busy job as a headteacher of a primary school. During her stay at her Aunt's, she meets Jack, who like her, has been through pain in his life.

You can really see the change in Eve's character even after a few days at her Aunt's and I think the character development and relationships in this story is written beautifully. It was a a heart-warming novel and I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for the chance to read this book in return of an honest review.