The Girl in the Painting (The NightHawk series book 4) by Rachael Richey book review blogtour

The Girl in the Painting (The NightHawk series book 4) written by Rachael Richey, publisher The Wild Rose Press Inc is available in ebook and paperback format from 29th July 2016.

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Product Details (as per amazon page)

While her husband Gideon is recording a new album with his band NightHawk, Abi Hawk is busy getting her own career as a portrait painter back on track.

Following the death of her father, which coincides with the opening night of her first exhibition in London, Abi and her daughter come across an old painting in his attic that sets them on a journey of discovery to Paris. They uncover an astonishing and unexpected love story, one that has repercussions to the present day.

Meanwhile Gideon, in America to promote the new album, ignores Abi’s warnings and manages to put himself in a vulnerable situation that threatens to rock the stability of their marriage. Separated from Abi by nearly five thousand miles, and unable to speak to her, will he be able to resolve the situation before any real damage is done?

I am so thrilled to be involved in the blogtour promoting and celebrating the release of book 4 in The NightHawk series.  To fully engage and appreciate the series I highly recommend reading the books in chronological order as follows:

1. Storm Rising
2. Rhythm of Deceit
3. Cobwebs in the Dark
4. The Girl in the Painting

You can find my reviews here for all previous books 1, 2, and 3.

Since starting this book series I have been gripped by Abi and Gideon’s story.  It’s difficult to say which book I have enjoyed the most as I have loved them all but I must say this fourth book totally captivated me.

I do feel that The Girl in the Painting isn’t quite as gripping as the other three novels as the drama wasn’t intense but what this story has is a wonderful love story dating back to the late 1930’s.  I was captivated by the heady first love, the era, the beautiful setting in Paris … it was all just perfect for me.  I couldn’t take my eyes away from the pages.  I loved being transported back in time and overseas to Paris within the pages.  This was a tale of two stories: the here and now discovering a secret past that will change the outlook for all.  The love that was expressed so long ago was an illicit love; a love that was so wrong but was so right … the strength of this love carried through keeping the hearts together for many, many years.  This was a beautiful story that was equally heart wrenching and uplifting at the same time.  5/5*

To find out more about Rachael Richey and her books please visit the following links:

http://www.rachaelricheybooks.weebly.com/

http://www.facebook.com/RachaelRicheyAuthor/?fref=ts

http://www.twitter.com/RachaelRBooks

 

The Santiago Sisters by Victoria Fox blogtour

The Santiago Sisters written by Victoria Fox, publisher MIRA is available NOW in ebook, paperback and audio download format.

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Product Details (as per amazon page)

They should have stayed as one. They couldn’t survive apart.
It was fate, forever destined to come to this: from birth to death, two halves of the same whole.

Twins Calida and Teresita Santiago have never known a world without each other…until Teresita is wrenched from their Argentinian home to be adopted by world-famous actress Simone Geddes.

Now, while Teresita is provided with all that money can buy, Calida must fight her way to the top – her only chance of reuniting with her twin.

But no one can predict the explosive events which will finally bring the Santiago sisters into the spotlight together…

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour promoting and celebrating Victoria Fox’s latest novel:  The Santiago Sisters.  Please do stop over at the over lovely blogger stops on the tour.

About the Author (http://www.victoriafox.net/)

By day I live in London. By night I relax in my fantasy LA mansion, sipping Krug in a Jacuzzi and watching a bare-chested man clean out my pool.

I was born in 1983, went to boarding school in my teens and studied English at university. While there, I wrote my first (unpublished) bonkbuster: The Hardest Part. It had lots of sex in it and not a great deal else. Suffice to say that after a rambunctious beginning it was over disappointingly quickly.

Despite this, the genre never lost its sheen. I want to write bonkbusters with swagger; rude, racy and irreverent reads that reignite the glory days of Collins and Cooper. Plenty of sex, bags of scandal and a host of outrageous players who keep us up long after lights-out.

A long-time admirer of Jackie Collins, I often wondered what life would be like as a bonkbuster author. After working in publishing for a few years, I decided to quit and find out – and I haven’t looked back since…

 To find out more about Victoria and her books please visit her at:

http://www.twitter.com/VFoxWrites

http://www.facebook.com/victoriafoxwrites

 

I am thrilled to share an extract from Victoria’s latest book and can’t wait to start reading it this summer; perfect summer holiday or staycation read!

By nine o’clock they were crossing the steppe. The wilderness was dotted with beech forests and glittering rivers. Calida was uncomfortable on Diego’s old criollo, and, despite the extra sheepskin she had piled on top of the saddle, she lagged behind.

All morning she was forced to watch Teresita up ahead, riding alongside Daniel, as if it were just the two of them.

Approaching midday, the heat became searing. Dust swirled in their eyes and nostrils, and they tied scarves around their faces to ward off the worst. The horses’ hooves picked a path between rocks and boulders. Calida saw Daniel finish an apple then lean forward, deep over his animal’s mane, to feed him the remains. When they stopped to rest, he tethered the horses in the shade and, before fetching a drink for himself, he filled a bucket with water from the stream and poured it gently over their heads, working it through their coats and removing the metal bits from between their teeth. Calida wished her father were here, because Diego would have liked Daniel.

The herd was on the other side of the valley and they rode hard to reach it in the light. Mustering was one of her favourite things: the rush of the cattle as they swarmed across the plains and the beat of their tread echoing across the land; the chase the horses gave as they circled the drive—and how, when the job was done, the beasts poured like water through a funnel into the next prairie. When night came, they set up camp in a sheltered vale, by the remains of a fire all ash and dust from their last visit.

Daniel warmed empanadas, and cooked an estofado stew, which he prepared on a wooden board. The handle of his facón was silver and intricately carved, and Calida decided it was of personal importance to him—a gift, perhaps—and remembered the family he had mentioned, so briefly, in Europe. Who were they?

After they had eaten, Daniel lit a cigarette and lay back on the arrangement of sheepskin and leather that would serve as his bed. His features danced in the flames. He let smoke out in a thin plume that shot deep into the night.

‘Daniel, will you help me?’

Teresita was struggling to lift the saddle from the ground, caught up as it was in her stirrups and reins. Calida sat on a log, her chin on her knees, and watched.

‘Here, like this,’ he said. Teresita giggled. Calida glanced away.

‘Should I set up next to you?’ Teresita asked.

‘It’s the best shelter,’ he replied. ‘Better to be under the trees.’

‘Better to be private…’

The voice Teresita said this in was older, more adult, than her thirteen years. From where had she got this way of speaking—their mama’s books?

Daniel didn’t respond, but then maybe he didn’t need to. Maybe he was looking at Teresita in the way Calida prayed and hoped he would one day look at her.

Unable to bear it, she got into her own bed. Normally, staying overnight, she and her sister would share, warm safety in the reassuring shape of each other’s bodies. Safety? All she thought now, when she thought of her twin, was danger. She wanted to scream: What are you doing? They were meant to be allies, not rivals.

 

 

We’ll Always have Paris by Sue Watson blogtour book review

We’ll Always have Paris written by Sue Watson, publisher Sphere is available NOW in ebook and audio download format.

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Product Details (as per amazon page)

Does first love deserve a second chance?

When she was almost seventeen, Rosie Draper locked eyes with a charismatic student called Peter during their first week at art college, changing the course of her life forever. Now, on the cusp of sixty-five and recently widowed, Rosie is slowly coming to terms with a new future. And after a chance encounter with Peter, forty-seven years later, they both begin to wonder ‘what if’ . . .

Told with warmth, wit and humour, We’ll Always Have Paris is a charming, moving and uplifting novel about two people; the choices they make, the lives they lead and the love they share.

I’m so pleased to be involved in the blogtour promoting and celebrating Sue Watson’s new novel.

I’d like to thank the publishers and netgalley for an arc in return for a review.

This is a beautifully told story of one life, two loves.  The past and the present and the in between are remembered fondly and bring back emotions that at the time were so raw your heart felt like it was breaking but now the memory is just a little scar.

This story is a little different to Sue’s previous novels that were delightful, heart warming and full of fun.  This book still has the wonderful wit and humour from Sue shining through but in a more gentler, sensitive manner.  Hearts have been broken and mended but the wounds have remained.  Humour is welcomed now and is refreshing to hear of fun times from long ago.

Rosie is still grieving from the loss of her husband but a chance encounter with her first love Peter opens up the wounds she’s kept hidden.  Will this new time together let the hurt heal and bring some sunshine back into her life?

Sue sensitively and beautifully tells a story of grief, motherhood, families, friendships and love.  I was enthralled with the love that was; that is and that can be … 5/5*

 

I’d like to share a quote from the novel that I particularly liked:

“You must have hated me.”   “I did – but I loved you too.”

To find out more about Sue Watson and her books please visit the following links:

Home

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https://www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks/?fref=ts

The Perfect Gift by Emma Hannigan book review

The Perfect Gift written by Emma Hannigan, publisher Headline Review is available NOW in ebook, paperback and audio download format.

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Product Details (as per amazon page)

Happy Birthday, darling girl…

Ever since she can remember, Roisin has received a birthday card in the post. Signed with love from the birth mother she has never met.

Brought up by her adoptive parents, Keeley and Doug, Roisin has wanted for nothing. But on her thirtieth birthday a letter comes that shakes her world.

For Keeley, who’s raised Roisin as her own, the letter reminds her of a secret she’s been holding for thirty years.

And for Nell, keeping watch in the lighthouse, the past is a place she rarely goes. Until a young runaway arrives seeking shelter, and unwraps the gift of hope for them all…

Great Lighthouses of Ireland, image courtesy of google images

 

I’ like to thank the publishers for an arc in return for a review.

This is Emma Hannigan’s tenth novel and she is becoming one of the bestselling Irish authors since Maeve Binchy.  Emma writes from the heart about real life emotions.  She has a way of surrounding heartbreak with smiles.  After reading an Emma Hannigan novel you feel completely shattered emotionally but you also feel comforted with the warmth from her words …

This story opens with one of the most deeply moving prologues I’ve read.  I was emotionally captivated with this prologue and felt inspired with hope and was eager to dive into the story.

The story centres around three women who have suffered much pain and sorrow.  They are secretly linked together by a gift that was selflessly given.  Can their link bring new hope and joy to them all?

This story was so beautifully written dealing with the loss of a loved one and the struggle afterwards coping without them.  It was so sensitively written with wonderful moments of warmth, love and promise of new beginnings skilfully woven around the heart ache.  My emotions were spent at the end of this book but I felt uplifted with the gift of a selfless act, of memories that can never be forgotten and of a love that will continue to give.  Sometimes in life you have to experience pain and heart break before you can appreciate real joy.  A stunningly, beautiful story that in itself was a gift to our hearts and mind. 5/5*

To find out more about Emma Hannigan and her books please visit the following links:

http://www.emmahannigan.com/

Tweets by MsEmmaHannigan

https://www.facebook.com/Author-Emma-Hannigan-170231413020818/

What Happens at the Beach blogtour author guest post with TA Williams

I’m so pleased to be involved in the blogtour promoting What Happens at the Beach written by T.A. Williams.  It’s been a few weeks now since the publication of this delightful novel.  To purchase the novel please click on the following link:

Link back to my review of: What Happens at the Beach by TA Williams book review

I’d like to welcome T.A. Williams to my blog today:

Hi Adele

Thanks again for your lovely review of What Happens at the Beach. And thanks for helping out on this blog tour. Here are my answers to your questions.

Best wishes

Trevor

 

Q:  I really enjoyed What Happens at the Beach … what inspired you to start this What Happens series?

A:  The first one was just called “Tuscany” while I was writing it.  It was only once it was finished and I was discussing with my editor at Carina UK what title to give it when the idea struck me.  I was already planning another book to be set in Cornwall so that’s how the idea of a series of standalones in different places came about.

Q:  I love how you feature a black labrador in your stories and understand you have a dog of your own, does your dog get involved with your story planning and writing?
A:  Alas, my faithful old black lab went to that great kennel in the sky a few years ago. He was 13 and he was an abused child – we got him as a rescue dog and the vet told us he’d be lucky to live to four or five. He made it to 13. He died while I was on a long bike ride all the way from here to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain and my wife was heartbroken, she vowed never to get another dog. So, that’s why I get my gratuitous canine fix from sticking one in all my books. Although, spoiler alert, there isn’t a lab in my next book. I’ll be waiting for the comments from my readers… 

Q:  What are you working on at the moment?
A:  I’m just editing my next book, recently finished. This one is set in London and Venice and the title will probably be something different from “What Happens in..” but I’m not sure what yet.

Q:  If you had to pick your favourite ‘What Happens’ book which one would it be?
A:  I’m a total tart, really. I always like my most recent book more than any of the others. That said, I really love What Happens in Tuscany because we lived for four happy years in that old Tuscan villa and I loved it.

Q:  You’ve written in quite a lot of genres, is there a genre you fancy exploring?
A:  I love history. In fact, as you can see from What Happens at the Beach… I am fascinated by the Cathars of Southern France. I think I might try my hand at historical fiction again one of these days. 

I look forward to a historical novel from yourself 🙂

Q:  Which genre of books do you enjoy reading and have you had a favourite read this year?
A:  I actually read a lot of non-fiction. I’m hooked on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and this year I read a fascinating historical novel called just “Q”, written by a secretive group of academics spread around Europe. Fascinating.

Q:  How long have you been writing and what drove you to put pen to paper?
A:  Believe it or not, I’ve been writing since I was 14. That’s over fifty years! I still have all 44 handwritten pages (in pencil) of “The Lake Dwellers”, a shameless ripoff of Arthur Ransome’s “Swallows and Amazons”. As to the question of what drove me to it, I really don’t know. Now, (and I’m sure my wife would agree), it’s a drug. If I don’t get my regular daily writing fix, I feel I’m missing out. 🙂

Thank you so much Trevor for joining me today, it’s been an honour to have been chatting with you.

To find out more about T. A. Williams and his books please visit the following links:

https://tawilliamsbooks.com/

https://twitter.com/TAWilliamsBooks

Sunset in Central Park by Sarah Morgan book review

Sunset in Central Park (From Manhattan with Love book 2) written by Sarah Morgan, publisher MIRA is available from THURSDAY 14th July 2016 in ebook and paperback format.

To pre-order/buy link:

Product Details (as per amazon page)

True love can be hard to find. Even when it’s been right under your nose all along…

After witnessing the fallout of her parent’s divorce, love has never been a priority for garden designer Frankie Cole. The only man in her life is her friend Matt–but that’s strictly platonic. If only she found it easier to ignore the way he makes her heart race…

Matt Walker has loved Frankie for years but, has always played it cool. Until he uncovers new depths to the girl he’s known forever, and doesn’t want to wait a moment longer.

Matt knows Frankie has secrets and has buried them deep, but can he persuade her to kiss him under the Manhattan sunset?

I’d like to thank Sarah Morgan and her publishers for an arc in return for an honest review.

Sunset in Central Park is book 2 in the From Manhattan with Love series.  The books are set around 3 girl friends living, working and looking for love in New York.  The books are standalone but to appreciate and fully enjoy the characters I would recommend reading all the books in the series.  The books in chronological order are:

1. Sleepless in Manhattan (From Manhattan with Love, book 1)
2. Sunset in Central Park (From Manhattan with Love, book 2)
3. Miracle on 5th Avenue (From Manhattan with Love, book 3)

I fell in love with all the characters in book 1, Sleepless in Manhattan, very early on in the book.  Sarah Morgan is very good at writing characters that are relatable and easy for readers to bond with.  You can find my review for Sleepless in Manhattan here.

This second book in the series was gorgeous, sexy, heart warming … all that I expect from Sarah Morgan and more.

This story concentrates on Frankie.  I loved Frankie’s character when we first met her in Sleepless in Manhattan, although she was very reserved and you could tell there was some hidden depth to her persona.

Frankie is one third of Urban Genie, the event organising company, the girls set up recently.  Frankie is the creative flair in the florist and horticulturist field.  Although she loves flowers and nature she is not a girlie girl and is quite a strong, independent young woman who likes her own company and especially likes escaping with a good horror book or thriller.  However, Frankie does have a vulnerable side to her and Matt, who is the brother of Paige and close friend to all 3 girls thinks he knows and understands Frankie.  Matt is hoping to break down Frankie’s barriers as he has been secretly holding a very bright flame for her and has been for a long time.

Matt understands he has to be careful with Frankie and play it real slow and gently ease their friendship into something more.  Frankie’s heart has been broken in the past and she doesn’t trust romance or relationships.  She believes they will all end in disaster.  Can Matt make Frankie realise that relationships and love can work?

This story was just so addictive.  It was a beautiful tale of friendship with some very poignant moments.  Sarah Morgan describes the locations of Manhattan and its surroundings including the idyllic Puffin Island so vividly, I could see the moody colours from the sunsets, smell the coastal air from Puffin Island and feel enveloped in the cosy atmosphere in the log cabins … bliss!  The mixture of romance with desire and heart warming moments was perfect.  I can’t wait for book 3: Miracle on 5th Avenue.

I’d like to share a quote that I particularly enjoyed from the story:

Would she spend less time worrying about things going wrong, she wondered, if she’d spent more time seeing them go right?

To find out more about Sarah Morgan and her books please visit the following links:

Website:  http://sarahmorgan.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SarahMorgan_

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSarahMorgan/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

 

Urban rooftop garden, New York … courtesy of google images

 

What Happens at the Beach by TA Williams book review

What Happens at the Beach written by T A Williams, publisher Carina an imprint of HarperCollins UK is available NOW in ebook format.

To buy link:

Product Details (as per amazon page)

For the perfect summer romance…

It’s finally time for Natalie Dryden to decide what she really wants! After ditching her sparkling engagement ring, and her ghastly fiancé, she jets off for the sun-kissed shores of Southern France – the only place that has ever truly felt like home. For the first time ever, Natalie is determined to forget all about men and follow her dreams!

…head to the French coast!

Only, avoiding the male population isn’t quite so easy, especially when she meets smooth-talking Philippe and gorgeous fisherman, Remy! But then Natalie, quite literally, bumps into brooding millionaire Mark whilst swimming in the glittering azure-blue bay – and her life is turned upside-down.

Love might be off the cards for Natalie, yet suddenly she finds herself in her dream job and working with her dream man! But is it all too good to be true…?

 

I’d like to thank netgalley and #KEPRTours for an arc and to be involved in the #ReleaseDayBlitz for this novel.  What better to help promote this gorgeous summer read than a review of the novel …

This is TA Williams 5th novel in the What Happens series. Each book is a standalone but each one and a further other contemporary romance novel TA Williams has written features a wonderful furry friend character.  They say a man’s best friend is his dog but in TA Williams novels it appears the dog has a liking for the female leads.

This story is set around Natalie, a recent graduate in Medieval History.  Following the very recent split from her fiancé David, Natalie escapes his over bearing mother and travels to the south of France to stay with her elderly grandmother.  Her grandmother, Collette, is 90 but is still quite young at heart in her mind.  She lives in a gorgeous house close to the beach.  The house has been in the family for years and Natalie has enjoyed many summers spending time with her gran at the beach.

Natalie is enjoying this time relaxing with her gran, visiting the beach, swimming in the glorious clear turquoise blue sea.  She’s managed to gain a part-time job helping out old friends at the local restaurant and manages to catch the eye of a millionaire yachtsman and the local fisherman.  However, Natalie is not interested in love so soon after her break-up with David until she meets the owner of the chateau next door to her gran’s.  Mark Markeson sparks an interest in Natalie, not only is he her gran’s neighbour but he is also the master of the adorable black Labrador that visits Natalie’s gran daily.  The black Labrador is such a wonderful addition to this story, he sparks a warmth to the storyline and I also do believe animals can help bring people together.  I believe this is very clever of TA Williams acknowledging the charm of animals and bringing it to life in his stories.  Without revealing too much about the storyline Mark Markeson has a secret job and aspiring dream and when it’s revealed it helps bring Natalie and Mark closer together strictly in a professional manner (much to her gran’s dismay).  Can the hurt from both Natalie and Mark’s past be healed?

I loved how this story led us into the history of the area.  I could tell the author knew about the area and I was fascinated hearing about this and it has sparked my interest in finding out more.  This is my first read of TA Williams, although I do have a few of his other books patiently waiting for me on my kindle.  I love his writing style, his description of the location of his settings is very clear in this case I could picture the beach and the sea and I had fallen for this wonderful chateau that Mark lived in.  The whole area sounded so idyllic.  I loved all the characters, the main characters were easily recognisable and soon well liked and the array of sub-characters fitted in well with the storyline.  I could easily imagine further stories being told about some of the sub-characters.  The story had much warmth, humour, it was quite touching and emotive at times.  A thoroughly delightful story that will encourage me to read all the other What Happens books.  4.5/5*

View of medieval city Carcassonne, image courtesy of google

About the Author

Firstly, my name isn’t T A. It’s Trevor. I write under the androgynous name T A Williams because 65% of books are read by women. In my first book, “Dirty Minds” one of the (female) characters suggests the imbalance is due to the fact that men spend too much time getting drunk and watching football. I couldn’t possibly comment. Ask my wife…

I’ve written all sorts: thrillers, historical novels, short stories and now I’m enjoying myself hugely writing humour and romance. Romantic comedies are what we all need from time to time. Life isn’t always very fair. It isn’t always a lot of fun, but when it is, we need to embrace it. If my books can put a smile on your face and maybe give your heartstrings a tug, then I know I’ve done my job.

I‘ve lived all over Europe, but now I live in a little village in sleepy Devon, tucked away in southwest England. I love the place. That’s why you’ll find leafy lanes and thatched cottages in most of my books. Oh, yes, and a black Labrador.

I’ve been writing since I was 14 and that is half a century ago. However, underneath this bald, wrinkly exterior, there beats the heart of a youngster. My wife is convinced I will never grow up. I hope she’s right.

To find out more about T A Williams books please visit the following links:

Tweets by TAWilliamsBooks

 

 

An Unextraordinary Life by Jo Hollywood book review

An Unextraordinary Life written and self-published by Jo Hollywood is available NOW in ebook format and at time of print its currently free!

To buy link:

Product Details (as per amazon page)

When Tess unexpectedly bumps into Jack one cold day in March, her world is quite literally turned upside down. Can she make a new life for herself with Jack, based on how happy they were in the past? Or does she need to make a new start and find love in the arms of her new work colleague, Rob? The path of true love never does run smoothly.

Meet Tess, a woman who is still in love with her husband, who died five years ago.

Meet Jack, the ghost, who wants to make Tess happy again.

Finally there’s Rob who wants to win Tess’s heart.

Who will she choose?

I love discovering new authors and when Jo Hollywood approached me regarding her debut novel, An Unextraordinary Life, I was delighted to help.

I was drawn to this novel by the silhouetted cover, I’ve seen a few covers similar to this and really like the mood the background colours make.  The synopsis sounded like a very different romance and I was intrigued.

After reading the first two chapters I felt like my heart was breaking for both Tess and Jack.  Very poignant and heart wrenching

The story is a little far fetched but that is the beauty of novels, you can take your reader wherever you want.  If you take yourself away from reality and concentrate on the very real emotions the characters are going through it’s quite a lovely but sad romance.

Romance isn’t straightforward ever and this love triangle of Tess, Jack and Rob certainly isn’t.  I did feel the story was a little long winded in places and I felt the author was repeating herself (which is why I’ve scored it down by half a point).  However, the premise of the story was good, a little unusual and you have to ‘think outside the box’ but none the less I enjoyed it.  It reminded me a little of Ghost Whispherer and I could imagine Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character waving ‘cupid’s arrow’ for Tess and Rob and helping Jack say his goodbyes.  I look forward to more from Jo Hollywood.

A paranormal romance with very real emotions 3.5/5*

To find out more about Jo Hollywood and her writing please visit the following links:

http://johollywood.wix.com/writer

https://twitter.com/mummyworgan

 

 

The Family Divided:Volume 4 (The Guernsey Novels) by Anne Allen book review

The Family Divided book 4 in The Guernsey Novels written and self-published by Anne Allen is available NOW in ebook and paperback format and is also in the kindleunlimited scheme.

To buy link:

Product Details (as per amazon page)

One family, divided by death – and money Andy Batiste, at loggerheads with his degenerate cousin, seeks to discover the truth of his family history. Why was his pregnant grandmother forced to flee to France? What really happened to her husband during the German Occupation, sixty years ago? Who accused Edmund, the elder son and Batiste heir, of being an informer? Was he really a traitor – and who murdered him? With Edmund’s brother Harold now head of the family, enjoying the wealth which ought to have come to Andy’s father, the family is forever divided. Andy yearns to clear Edmund’s name and restore his father to his rightful inheritance. Into the conflict comes Charlotte Townsend, newly divorced, lonely and struggling with writer’s block and the consuming threat of impending loss. She returns for healing at Guernsey’s natural health centre, La Folie, and becomes involved in Andy’s family affairs. Together they embark on a hunt for the truth.

I’d like to thank the author, Anne Allen, for an arc in return for an honest review.

This is the first book by Anne Allen that I’ve had the pleasure to read.  The Family Divided is book 4 in The Guernsey Novels.  A series of contemporary romance mystery novels set on the beautiful island of Guernsey.  Each book is a standalone but characters do appear from one book to another.

As this was my first encounter reading The Guernsey Novels I read The Family Divided with fresh eyes and treated it as a standalone.  It did take me a little while to understand all the characters, I felt like I’d missed out on some of their history, however it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book as the characterisation was well written along with the storyline and I was soon hooked!  It did help that I was swept away by the location.  I’ve never been to Guernsey and it’s not crossed my mind to visit but with Anne’s description of this beautiful, idyllic island with it’s rugged coastline, beautiful countryside and almost cosmopolitan towns I now want to visit this area.

This story was wrapped around a 70 year old mystery surrounding the sudden death of Edmund, Andy Batiste’s late grandfather.  This fatality was shrouded in mystery and secrets, rumours of a WWII espionage upset the family which later resulted in a division with the family and it’s inheritance.  Andy is desperate to find the truth and when publisher and aspiring author, Charlotte Townsend, visits the island to see friends and for a well deserved respite at the natural healing centre the chance of helping Andy with his research into his family’s history is too good an offer to refuse.

Charlotte is suffering with writer’s block so the research for Andy is giving her a much needed distraction.  Charlotte also has worries regarding her mother’s health and her relationship with her mother has been difficult at times.  The closer Andy and Charlotte work together the more they start to appreciate each other.  They both have been hurt in the past with broken relationships so are reluctant to pursue a new relationship but romance soon blossoms.  However, obstacles for the fledgling couple cause a few headaches along the way.

I enjoyed this story of romance, mystery, intrigue, history of a time not to be forgotten.  When it ended I was hoping for an epilogue as I wanted to know what happened next but book 5 in the series, Echoes of Time, will hopefully see some of the characters I’ve learned to love pop up.  A romantic, mystery with secrets spanning over 70 years set on the beautiful, idyllic island of Guernsey.  4/5*

To find out more about Anne Allen and her books please visit the following links:

http://www.findingmother.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anne-Allen-Author/176883759173475

Tweets by AnneAllen21

A Summer Romance: The Little Perran Romances book 3 by Lynda Renham book review

A Summer Romance (The Little Perran Romances book 3) written by Lynda Renham, publisher Raucous Publishing is available NOW in ebook format.

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Milly settles into her new job but does her boss, Ashley Wilmot-Fox, have secrets that he is hiding in Briar Lodge? Will he be able to help Milly fight the ghosts from her past? Will Billy’s blundering romance last, and will Rafe’s secret affair be exposed? As the villagers prepare for their summer fete they have no idea what will be revealed on that day.

I’d like to thank the author, Lynda Renham, for an arc in return for an honest review.

This is the third book in The Little Perran Romances and I would advise you to read book 2 as this story continues from then.  However, to appreciate all the characters and the setting I would encourage you to read the whole series, which in order is:

1. A Christmas Romance (The Little Perran Romances book 1)
2. A Village Romance (The Little Perran Romances book 2)
3. A Summer Romance (The Little Perran Romances book 3)

Total price to purchase all 3 ebooks at time of print (2/7/16) is £3.98 … great price for a wonderful, fun, flirty series of stories set in an idyllic village in the Cotswolds.

We left the villagers in book 2 getting use to the two new inhabitants of Little Perran.  Billy Baxter, aged rocker, was just getting to grips with country life with the much needed help of Cynthia.  His celebrity status brought the press and media to the village and chaos erupted with hilarious consequences.  However, behind this frivolity danger was lurking concealed to one of our much loved villagers.

Milly was now working for the author Ashley Wilmot-Fox and she makes a startling discovery and immediately confronts Ash about it.  She is shocked and angry with this new found information but surprisingly Ash feels quite enlightened that Milly has been frank with her words.  Romances starts slowly blossoming for Milly and Ash but can they stop the horrors from her past spoiling their future?

Birdie also has to quarrel with her heart and she struggles with her conscious for the right direction.

This was another book full of humour and warmth from Lynda Renham.  I was so pleased to rejoin the characters I had grown to love in Little Perran.  I love Lynda’s frankness with her writing it makes the characters so much more real and easily imaginable in your head.  This story also had a little darkness and drama it also had episodes of lust but the changes in direction fitted in well with the storyline.  I hope this isn’t the last we’ll hear of our friends in Little Perran.  5/5*

To find out more about Lynda Renham and her books please visit the following links:

http://www.renham.co.uk/

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