Category Archives: Book Review

Review of Eliza J Scott’s A Christmas Kiss

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With the start of my Christmas Countdown underway, I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for Eliza J Scott’s festive, feel good read, A Christmas Kiss.

The blurb:

A sparkling festive romance that will warm your heart this Christmas.

The week before Christmas, GP Zander Gillespie finds his festive plans in tatters. He’s supposed to be flying out to his parents’ chateau in Carcassonne with his high-maintenance girlfriend, Melissa. But she has other ideas. She wants to spend Christmas in London with her party friends – and he’s not invited. The prospect of facing his family, with their questions and their sympathy – not to mention the ‘I told you so-s’ – just isn’t an option. Instead, Zander decides to head to his holiday cottage in the quaint moorland village of Lytell Stangdale, where he intends to hide away with his faithful rescue Labrador Alf.

Eighty miles away, Livvie’s world has come crashing down. With plans to cook a romantic meal for her boyfriend, she heads home early and walks in on him in a compromising position with their neighbour. Fed-up of his lies and philandering ways, this is the final straw. With her Christmas plans up in smoke, the thought of spending it with her parents and her smug, married sister with her pompous husband in tow, is enough to bring Livvie out in hives. So, when she fires up her laptop and finds the perfect little holiday cottage in Lytell Stangdale available to rent over the festive period, it seems the perfect solution. Or is it…?

Zander didn’t believe in love at first sight until he set eyes on Livvie. Livvie had sworn off men until she met Zander. The pair may be reluctant to give in to temptation, but fate seems to have other ideas…

Join Livvie and Zander – and all the usual characters – for a magical Christmas in Lytell Stangdale.

Genre: Romance

My review:

A Christmas Kiss is Eliza J Scott’s fourth book in the Life on the Moors Series – but the first I have read. While I could tell there was some referencing to previous novels and characters, this book read perfectly well as a standalone novel.

I liked the characters of Zander, Livvie and, of course, Alf – the Labrador who had a big heart and lots of love to give despite his earlier misfortunes. The village of Lytell Stangdale provided an ideal setting. The scenes in the pub and other village gatherings gave it a wonderful community feel; it’s a place where everybody looks out for each other, and family and friends are paramount.

A Christmas Kiss is sure to get you in the festive mood, with snow, love and friendship aplenty, carol singing, and a whole Christmas pud sized helping of community spirit.

Overall it was a fabulously festive read, where I found myself willing Xander and Livvie to find their happy ending (even if Zander’s choices didn’t always make that easy).

Buy the book Amazon.UK | Amazon.com
Check out the Life on the Moors series here:  Amazon UK | Amazon.com

Follow the tour:

About the author:

Eliza J Scott is proud to be a member of the RNA. She lives in a 17th-century cottage in a village in the North Yorkshire Moors with her husband, their two daughters and two mischievous black Labradors. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book/glued to her Kindle or working in her garden, fighting a losing battle against the weeds.

When she’s not reading or gardening, Eliza also enjoys bracing walks in the countryside, rounded off by a visit to a teashop where she can indulge in another two of her favourite things: tea and cake.

Her biggest weakness is ginger biscuits dunked in tea.

Eliza is inspired by her beautiful surroundings and loves to write heartwarming romance stories with relatable female characters. She enjoys exploring the dynamics of female friendship, with a key feature of her books being how women pull together and support one another when things get tough.

Eliza’s novels will always have happy endings.

You can find Eliza via: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Blog | Goodreads | Bookbub

Thank you, Eliza, for a great read! Thank you, also to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for the advance copy of A Christmas Kiss, and for having me along as part of the blog tour.

My reviews are posted on Amazon UK and Goodreads. xx

Review of Rosie Green’s Bonfires and Hot Chocolate at the Little Duck Pond Cafe

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Today, I am taking part in the blog tour for Rosie Green’s autumnal feel good read, Bonfires and Hot Chocolate at the Little Duck Pond Cafe.

The blurb:

If you love all the colours of autumn, you’re sure to warm to this uplifting story of love, loss and starting over.

Primrose Wilkins arrived in Sunnybrook with a burning desire to find the family she’s never known. But after a heart-breaking false start, she’s beginning to have second thoughts. Can she find the courage to battle on in her quest? And with her romantic life at an all-time low, will meeting the intriguing and attractive Callum Davy be just what she needs to renew her faith in love?

Meanwhile, Fen is also finding it hard to be brave. She’s made it through to the final of TV show ‘Battle of the Bakes’ (thanks to Ellie entering on her behalf), but she’s always shied away from being in the spotlight. How will Fen cope now that she’s a famous ‘celebrity’, recognised in the street everywhere she goes?

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy / novella

My review:

I love autumn and so I was very happy to see this addition to the Little Duck Pond series. Regular inhabitants of Sunnybrook all get a mention, but this book focuses on the character of Primrose and her continued search for her grandmother. It made for  a cosy read on an autumnal evening.

There is a gentle love story that unfolds as Primrose establishes herself within the community, and while there are two possible suitors it soon becomes apparent who is the right choice. As for who Primrose’s grandmother is, Rosie Green does a good job of keeping you guessing until almost the end of the book. But needless to say, you’ll be left feeling as warm and cosy as those who enjoy the bonfire and accompanying hot chocolate!

I have always liked Fen (introduced in earlier books) so I was delighted that this book provided the opportunity to see her character develop further too; discovering who won the battle of the bakes and what happens next for Fen, was a real treat for me.

Bonfires and Hot Chocolate at the Little Duck Pond Cafe could be read as a standalone book, but I think you’ll enjoy the characters and their development more if you follow their stories through the series.

Buy the book Amazon.UK | Amazon.com

Check out the entire Little Duck Pond series here.

About the author:

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centred around life in a village cafe. The latest, ‘Bonfires & Hot Chocolate at the Little Duck Pond Cafe’, is out now.

Watch out for ‘A Winter Wedding at the Little Duck Pond Cafe’, which will be published Christmas 2019.

Rosie is also writing a full-lengths, standalone book for Christmas 2019, entitled ‘Snowflakes over Moondance Cottage’.

You can find Rosie on Twitter.

Follow the tour here:

Thank you, Rosie, for another great read! Thank you, also to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for the advance copy of Bonfires and Hot Chocolate at the Little Duck Pond Cafe, and for having me along as part of the blog tour.

My reviews are posted on Amazon UK and Goodreads. xx


Review of Holly Tierney-Bedord’s The Worst Couple in the World

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Today, I am delighted to be sharing my review of Holly Tierney-Bedord’s satirical novella, The Worst Couple in the World.

The blurb:

No longer content to just be Snappigram sensations, folk hop singers Zeke and Angelique are ready to move up from coffee house performances to the big stage. With songs like “Uh Huh, Future Baby Mama” and “Don’t Worry About the Bills, Little Missus” there’s pretty much no way they can fail. But if they make it big, will there still be room in their lives for each other?

My review:

I haven’t read a satirical novel for a long time and so it took me a while to get into step with the irony and humour with which Holly Tierney-Bedord relates the life of Zeke and Angelique – a couple whose habits are purposefully as annoying as their rhyming names.

The novella follows the fame-hungry couple as their determination to achieve and maintain a popular social media facade increasingly becomes the driving force in their relationship.

As we follow their follies, the horrors of a life lived in this vacuous manner are gradually revealed. Through Holly Tierney-Bedord’s use of hyperbole the vanity, as well as the lack of connection with family, friends and what is acceptable behaviour, is exposed. I kept waiting for the punch line, or the moment of self-realisation – did it come, and who learnt more, them or me?

It is not a comfortable or cosy read, but of course, it is not supposed to be; this is a modern-day satire and a must-read for all those who care more for their social media presence than their reality. It is unlike the previous book I read by this author, and to that extent, it was unexpected but intriguing. As a novella, it is the ideal length for this type of satirical exposé.

Buy the book: Amazon.UK | Amazon.com

Giveaway to Win a $5 Starbucks Gift Card (Open to US Only) *Terms and Conditions –US entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize. Enter here.

About the Author:

Holly Tierney-Bedord is the author of over twenty books ranging from serious women’s fiction to romantic comedies, domestic thrillers, humor, and cozy mysteries. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Discover more about Holly and her work here: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub | Goodreads | Website | Amazon | LinkedIn | Pinterest |

Thank you, Holly, and thank you, also to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for the advance copy of The Worst Couple in the World, and for having me along as part of the publication celebrations.

My reviews are posted on Amazon UK and Goodreads. xx

Happy publication day, Jane Cable!

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Today I am wishing my dear writing friend, Jane Cable, a very happy publication day for her haunting love story, Another You!

I read an earlier version of Jane’s book and so, not only am I super excited for her, I am also delighted to share my review.

The blurb:

Sometimes the hardest person to save is yourself… 

Marie Johnson fell in love with The Smugglers pub when she first moved to Dorset with her husband, Stephen. But when Stephen’s wandering eye caused the breakdown of their marriage, and the costs of running the pub started to mount, Marie felt her dreams crashing down around her.

With local celebrations planned for the 60th anniversary of D-Day, Marie is hopeful things will turn around. But she could never have predicted the ways her life will soon be changed forever.

A charming American soldier walks into Marie’s life, but it becomes clear nothing is really as it seems…

Why is Marie suddenly plagued by headaches? Is her American soldier everything he seems to be? Or could the D-Day re-enactments be stirring up something from the past…?

Genre: Romance | Paranormal romance
Published by: Sapere Books

My review:

As I have come to expect from Jane Cable, Another You is a story that makes you think, that makes you question your understanding of what you have read and inspires you to want to read on.

I was fascinated, not just because of the well crafted and intriguing characters but also because of the historical references and the representation of the impact of war. It is well researched, with interesting historical detail throughout.

The characters, like the landscape in which they live, are brought to life well. While there is the question of who the heroine will end up with, I felt the book explored a variety of different relationships between the characters with equal importance.

For me, the central theme was the discovery of self, as the heroine, Marie, as well as others in the story embark on attempting to understand their identity beyond the expectations and issues that have impacted upon their lives.

An enjoyable, interesting read, that turns into a speedy page turner towards the end.

Buy the book here.

About the author:

Jane Cable says, “Perhaps writing is in my blood. My father, Mercer Simpson, was a poet; my cousin, Roger Hubank, a novelist; Roger’s uncle, John Hampson was also a novelist and fringe member of the Bloomsbury Group. And it’s even rumoured that John Keats is somewhere back there in the family tree.

“No wonder that I have always scribbled. But it took me until I was in my forties to complete a full length manuscript. And then another, and another… Writing stories became a compulsive hobby. I could lose myself in my characters, almost live their lives, and I started to long for readers other than my mother and a few close friends to be able to do the same.

“It was reaching the final of The Alan Titchmarsh Show’s People’s Novelist competition in 2011 which made me take my writing seriously. I went to a self publishing conference organised by the Writers & Artists Yearbook and was inspired by the speakers to publish independently.

“My first novel, The Cheesemaker’s House, was published by Matador in September 2013 and tells the story of Alice, who moves to Yorkshire following the breakdown of her marriage and meets her new neighbours from the present and the past. It was a finalist in the Alan Titchmarsh Show’s People’s Novelist competition and won Words for the Wounded’s independent book of the year award in 2015.

“My second book, The Faerie Tree, is a second chance novel also published by Matador. This time the mystery revolves around a couple who meet twenty years after a brief affair only to discover that their memories of it are completely different.

“My latest book, Another You, is OUT TODAY with Sapere Books. Marie Johnson feels her dreams have been shattered, but commemorations surrounding the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day become the catalyst for change she never could have imagined.”

Discover more about books by Jane Cable here: Facebook | Twitter | website | Chindi Authors | Apricot Plots | Sister Scribes .

Enjoy your special day Jane, I can already see Another You flying up the rankings! xx