The Last Romeo by Justin Myers book review

The Last Romeo written by Justin Myers, publisher Piatkus (Little Brown Group UK), is available NOW in ebook and audiobook format and from Thursday 31st May 2018 the book will be released in paperback format.

To buy link:  https://amzn.to/2segeKY

Product Details (as per amazon page)

James is 34 and fed up. His six-year relationship with Adam has imploded, he hates his job making up celebrity gossip, and his best friend Bella has just announced she’s moving to Russia.
Adrift and single in loved-up London, James needs to break out of his lonely, drunken comfort zone. Encouraged by Bella, he throws himself headlong into online dating, blogging each encounter anonymously as the mysterious Romeo.
After meeting a succession of hot/weird/gross men, James has fans and the validation he’s always craved. But when his wild night with a closeted Olympian goes viral and sends his Twitter-fame through the roof, James realises maybe, in the search for happy-ever-after, some things are better left un-shared. Seriously, wherefore art thou Romeo . . .

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

Wow! What a fantastic debut novel from Justin Myers and I’m so chuffed to read that Justin has a two book deal with Little, Brown so we all have another book from Justin to look forward to.

Justin Myers has written a very raw, honest story.  His writing comes from the heart, it’s fresh, candid, full of wit and humour, flirty and naughty but altogether quite fabulous.

Following the break-up of James Brodie’s long-standing relationship with Adam, a relationship that sounded pretty much one-sided he’s now single and feeling more adrift since his best friend Bella is moving overseas to work in Russia.  With his despondency spreading to his job as a journalist for a gossip mag James decides he needs to get out of this gloom.  He joins an online dating site and anonymously blogs about his journey to find the one.

James has ultimately become obsessed with his alter ego Romeo and has lost his aim in finding the one, the Last Romeo.  After so many scary, hilarious, unbelievable, gross no, no’s and a few yes’ his heart has taken a bettering and a complete detox from this ‘persona’ is needed to clear his mind.  James needed to step back and appreciate and learn from his journey.

I loved James journey, even the no, no’s.  With a whole host of great sub-characters, I especially loved Richie, the author Justin Myers has created a great romcom that would ultimately appeal to many.

I look forward to more from Justin Myers.

About the Author

Justin Myers is a writer and editor from Shipley, Yorkshire, who now lives in London. After years working in journalism, he began his popular, anonymous dating blog The Guyliner in 2010, spent five years as dating and advice columnist in Gay Times and is now a weekly columnist at British GQ. His work has appeared in a number of publications including the Guardian, BuzzFeed and the Irish Times, and his first novel The Last Romeo was published in 2018.

Follow Justin online:

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/theguyliner

Website:  http://www.theguyliner.com

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

 

Advertisement

Dreaming of St Tropez by T.A. Williams blogtour book review

Dreaming of St Tropez written by T. A. Williams, publisher Canelo, is available in ebook format NOW.

To buy link:  https://amzn.to/2J1x5KF

Product Details (as per amazon page)

After a disagreement with a billionaire, architect Jess Milton is ‘let go’ from her job. However fortune intervenes – an elderly client asks Jess to dog-sit overweight, but loveable dog Brutus in St. Tropez.
Fed up with the mega-rich, Jess is reluctant to visit the playground of billionaires, but an all-expenses-paid trip and the promise of sunshine seals the deal.
Little does Jess know how much time she’ll be spending with the family living in St. Tropez. The sullen, but very good-looking David and his millionaire father are both welcoming but guarded, haunted by their pasts…
Can Jess bring some sunshine back into their lives – and, just maybe, find love in the process?

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the launch of T. A. Williams latest novel, Dreaming of St Tropez.

Once again the author T. A. Williams has taken me on a summer holiday with his sumptuous descriptions of the locations in his stories.  Dreaming of St Tropez I would imagine is the type of idyllic setting that everyone has fantasised about sometime in their lifetime.  The author shows us that there is definitely more to St Tropez that the glitz and glamour of the rich and famous.  There is a quiet, peaceful existence of life-long residents of this town on the coast of the French Riviera who have made this their home.  There is also a historical side with remnants of WWII involvement still evident in the hills and woodlands and I was intrigued and fascinated by this when we read glimpses of it in the storyline.

Jess is an esteemed architect in London and has worked with many high profile clients.  When her latest client causes her complications at work another client comes to her rescue with an offer of a temporary work/vacation in St Tropez with the proviso Jess takes along the client’s dog with her.  Jess’ best friend Hope also tags along for the ride and the girls with a rather stout black Labrador Brutus start their adventure heading to the south of France.

Jess’ client forgot to mention that the family she’ll be staying with in St Tropez have suffered greatly and both father and son are feeling at a loss with the world.  Can Jess, Hope and lovable Brutus start to bring sunshine back into their hearts and souls?

I loved discovering a new exciting, beautiful area with Jess, Hope and Brutus, especially the lesser known areas of the town.  St Tropez sounded so beautiful, so idyllic and very glamorous.  This was a wonderful, heart warming story full of unexpected drama and a lovely blossoming romance.  It was just such a lovely read bringing the sunshine from St Tropez to your heart.

To learn more about the author T. A. Williams please do visit the following pages:

Website:  https://tawilliamsbooks.com/

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/TAWilliamsBooks

 

 

Raving about Rhys by Jessica Redland blogtour book review

Raving about Rhys written by Jessica Redland, publisher Little Bear Books, is available NOW in ebook format.  The ebook is also included in the kindleunlimited scheme.

To buy link:  https://amzn.to/2rVzHQj

Product Details (as per amazon page)

Bubbly Callie Derbyshire loves her job as a carer, and can’t believe she’s finally landed herself a decent boyfriend – older man Tony – who’s lasted way longer than the usual disastrous three months. Tony’s exactly what she’s always dreamed of … or at least he would be if he ever took her out instead of just taking her to bed. And work would be perfect too if she wasn’t constantly in trouble with her boss, The She-Devil Denise.

When the new gardener, Mikey, discovers her in a rather compromising position at work, Callie knows that her days at Bay View Care Home could be numbered. Can she trust him not to tell Denise? If she’s issued with her marching orders, who’ll look out for her favourite client, Ruby, whose grandson, Rhys, seems to constantly let her down? What does Ruby know about Tony? And what is Denise hiding?

Surrounded by secrets and lies, is there anyone left who Callie can trust?

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating three years since the launch of this fabulous novella Raving about Rhys, which is the prequel to the Welcome to Whitsborough Bay series.  I haven’t read any of Jessica Redland’s work before so Raving about Rhys was my perfect introduction to her work.  The ebook is of a novella size and is the ideal introduction to a new author and to a new series.

Jessica Redland’s writing style was very comforting with her description of characters that were very easily relatable and had great comedic scenes interspersed within the storyline.  I loved our main heroine Callie Derbyshire who’s in her early twenties, she’s the carer who you’d like to see in every care home.  Callie was honest, caring, reliable and loved nothing more than a good old chat with the residents of the care home.  One fault with Callie though was that she had a big heart and at the moment she was letting in womaniser Tony who was twice her age.  Callie thought she was in the ideal relationship but she was starting to have doubts with Tony as all he wanted to do was spend time with her in her flat, so the relationship was only running on his terms.  But Callie loved the attention she received from Tony which almost felt like an addiction for her.

Callie had built up a wonderful relationship with one particular resident, lovely Ruby, who with her colourful past had many tales to tell Callie.  Ruby was always going on about her grandson Rhys but as Callie had never seen him she worried that Rhys was just a figment of Ruby’s imagination.

As in all care homes there are lots of fabulous characters, those that you instantly fall in love with, the funny ones, the grumpy ones and those you try to avoid which wasn’t easy when one of them was your employer.  However, Callie was starting to have concerns about her boss Denise and she felt like someone should keep an eye on her.

This was such a lovely story that I enjoyed very much.  Full of a myriad of characters, humour, warmth, drama and it has left me wanting more.  I’m looking forward to learning more about the residents of Whitsborough Bay.

To learn more about the author Jessica Redland please visit the following pages:

Website:  http://www.jessicaredland.com/

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/JessicaRedland

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

 

Her Secret by Kelly Florentia blogtour book review

Her Secret written by Kelly Florentia, publisher Urbane Publications, is available in ebook and paperback format from 17th May 2018.

To buy link:  https://amzn.to/2InmqX5

Product Details (as per amazon page)

After being in a long-term relationship for eight years, Audrey Fox never thought she’d tie the knot. But at the age of forty-two, fate throws her a lifeline and she finally has it all – a loving husband, successful career, beautiful family and loyal friends. Life couldn’t be better for Audrey … until a family member entrusts her with a secret that threatens trouble in paradise.

Lying to her new husband definitely wasn’t on the cards when Audrey took her vows, but now she feels there’s no other choice. She either keeps the secret or risks hurting the people that she loves. And then just when the dust seems to settle, an old flame turns up and creates a storm that could bring her world crashing down …

Unable to discuss her dilemma with her significant friends Louise and Tina, or sister-in-law Vicky, the cracks begin to show. Torn between her husband and the people she’s known and loved for years, Audrey’s perfect life begins to spiral out of control. Where do her loyalties lie and whom can she trust? Because there’s no smoke without fire and everyone has secrets … don’t they?

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the launch of Kelly Florentia’s latest novel: Her Secret.  Her Secret is the sequel to her bestselling romantic comedy No Way Back.  You can find my review for this novel here.

I absolutely loved No Way Back, Audrey Fox is such a brilliant character and had many tears, dramas and laughs in book one and we were left with a sort of junction in Audrey’s life at the end of book one, a junction with two different paths left open for her and I was so keen to continue with her story.

The author, Kelly Florentia, hasn’t disappointed me with this sequel.  In fact, at one point I was so overcome with emotion I wanted to tweet expletives to her, asking why would she do this to her characters she had so lovingly created on the pages.

The story carries on with Audrey’s life a few months after the end of the last novel, I’m not going to reveal which path she took as you’ll have the pleasure of finding this out when you read the book.  Audrey is faced with a major dilemma, a secret is revealed to her, one that jeapardises someone’s life very close to her and she is put in a very awkward position to keep this secret to herself.  With one secret, comes another and another and like a stack of dominoes they all start tumbling causing much chaos to all involved.  Matters of the heart and people’s personality and history are left in doubt and Audrey becomes almost obsessive about this tangle of lies, deceit and secrets.  She doesn’t know who or what to trust.

Kelly Florentia has written such a twisting, emotive, dramatic sequel to No Way Back.  I couldn’t quite believe myself the turns the storyline was taking and the ending … omg I was broken.  Brilliant, brilliant storytelling with characters you fall in love with and a great entourage of sub-characters that could quite easily have their own novel centred around them.

Loved it, want more please 🙂

To learn more about the author please do visit the following pages:

Website:  https://kellyflorentia.com/

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/kellyflorentia

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

Meeting Lydia by Linda MacDonald blogtour book review

Meeting Lydia written by Linda MacDonald, publisher Matador books, is available NOW in ebook, audiobook and paperback format.

To buy link:  https://amzn.to/2KBKkyH

Product Details (as per amazon page)

Marianne comes home from work one day to find her husband talking to a glamorous woman in their kitchen. Old childhood insecurities resurface, stemming from a time back at school when she was bullied. Jealousy rears its head and her happy marriage begins to crumble. Desperate for a solution – and introduced by her daughter to social networking – she tries to track down her first schoolgirl crush, the enigmatic Edward Harvey. But Marianne is unprepared for the power of email relationships …

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the launch of the second edition of Meeting Lydia by Linda MacDonald.  This second edition has been reworked on the early chapters of the first edition, making for a pacy and shorter version more in line with the audiobook.  I first discovered the work of Linda MacDonald last year when I read and reviewed one of the stand-alone sequels to Meeting Lydia.  You can find my review of The Man in the Needlecord Jacket here.

Linda MacDonald has studied and taught psychology and this is clearly shown in her writing as she understands the complexities of the human mind and relationships.

Meeting Lydia is a story of a young girl who was so cruelly bullied at school until one day a like-minded scholar joined her class and she felt like she’d gained a comrade and had a kinship that could share the load of troubles.  Now the young girl Marianne is in her mid 40’s she’s starting to recall her troubled times as a child and the constant fear she felt throughout her childhood.  With Marianne’s life now changing into it’s next natural path she is starting to feel vulnerable again.  Marianne’s husband has started to gain the attention of a much younger female colleague which is bringing back feelings of fear, isolation and despair.

To try and put the ghosts of unwelcome feelings from her past behind her and to seek friends and classmates from her school days Marianne decides to seek the help of an online site.  This site has given her an invisible cord to her past and she finds the courage to speak behind a screen about her insecurities and her demons from the past.  This little connection has given her the strength to find positivity from her past and to accept that there was good in everything.

The story was quite thought provoking at times and very poignant.  I felt empathy for Marianne’s character and could totally appreciate and understand that the situation Marianne was in would be felt by thousands, if not millions, of people around the world.  We often think our problems are unique but each and everyone of us feels the emotions of vulnerability at some point in our lives.

I’d like to share a quote from the book I particularly found apt:

“but it was excruciatingly difficult to swap the safeness of the duvet for the unappetising day that lay ahead.”

To learn more about the author Linda MacDonald please visit the following pages:

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/LindaMac1

 

One Summer in Rome by Samantha Tonge book review

One Summer in Rome written by Samantha Tonge, publisher HQ Digital, is available NOW in ebook format.

To buy link:  https://amzn.to/2IgR7wN

Product Details (as per amazon page)

To Rome…with love?
Mary Smith is turning her very ordinary life upside-down! She’s bought herself a one-way ticket to Rome and is ready for a summer she’ll never forget.
Men might be off the cards for waitress Mary, but within hours of arriving at the utterly charming family-run La Dolce Vita pizzeria, she’s already fallen in love with the bustling capital!
Only Dante Rossi, the mysterious (and drop-dead gorgeous) chef seems displeased with her arrival. And in the heat of the kitchen, it doesn’t take long for long-buried secrets to surface and sparks to fly…

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

This was such a wonderful treat of a read, a read that whisks you away to Rome that wakens up all your senses with it’s sights, sounds, tastes and aromas.  The author, Samantha Tonge, took me to this beautiful sounding city with it’s ancient monuments and piazzas filled with fountains, street artists and authentic Italian restaurants.  I could easily picture the scenes and the characters taking part in their daily lives.

This is the story of Mary Smith who has taken the plunge to leave her broken heart in the UK and move to Italy to work for a small family-run restaurant in the city.  Mary has had a tough upbringing and has longed for the love and support of a strong family unit.  Joining this Italian family was difficult at first as she felt like an outsider but the warmth she felt from her new employers gave her the confidence she needed to accept herself and her history.  Not all members of the family and team at the restaurant were quite so welcoming, Rocco the waiter and Dante the son had some reservations against Mary working at the restaurant.  Slowly barriers were let down and Mary was beginning to understand this close-knit team.  Mary also started letting her own barriers down but feared her heart would be broken again.

The restaurant has in the last few years experience much heartbreak and tragedy and it’s been particularly hard keeping the business going with Mary’s arrival she seems to have brought a certain joy and new ideas to the family.

A storyline that wasn’t all sunshine and amore Samantha Tonge has included a few serious topics in the storyline that were dealt with in a very sensitive manner.  However, to guide us away from the hardships of life we have a dance competition, Italian festival, Italian food, a wonderful feeling of togetherness and Dante who isn’t your average book hero, he’s so much more.

A book that makes you feel as bright, warm and comforting as the Italian sun and it’s cuisine.

To learn more about the author please do visit the following pages:

Website:  http://www.samanthatonge.co.uk/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

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

 

 

The Map of Us by Jules Preston book review

The Map of Us written by Jules Preston, publisher HarperImpulse, is available NOW in ebook format.

To buy link: https://amzn.to/2jKDQSI

Product Details (as per amazon page)

 Violet North is wonderfully inconvenient. Abandoned by her family and lost in an imagined world of moors and adventure, her life changes in the space of just 37 words exchanged with a stranger at her front door.
Decades later, Daniel Bearing has inherited his father’s multi-million pound business, and is utterly lost. He has no idea who he is or where his life is headed.
When Violet’s granddaughter’s marriage falls apart, Tilly, always adept with numbers, compiles a detailed statistical report to pinpoint why. But the Compatibility Index Tilly creates has unforeseen consequences for everyone in her world.
Tilly and Daniel share a secret too. 10.37am, April 22nd.
Soon, a complex web of secrets and lies is exposed and an adventure begins with a blue typewriter…

The Map of Us is the debut novel by Jules Preston.  The storyline is quite a clever mix of family drama, grief, betrayal, bullying, diversity, courage and love.

The author’s writing style is full of wit and wisdom and had a multitude of short chapters.  At times, for me, I did find the storyline a little repetitive but by the end of the story all these character idiosyncrasies with their quirks and insecurities all made complete sense.  Now and again the author would throw a little line and it would completely melt my heart and would leave me feeling joyous.

Violet North was a very ill child and her parents treated her badly, once she reached adulthood they abandoned her and left her to her own devices.  This unbeknown to her family was the best thing that could have happened to her.  To while away her time Violet decided to write herself a companion and she wanted this companion to travel on the paths and roads, hills and mountains that she couldn’t.  Violet’s imagination was just wonderful and for a while this was all she needed in her life.

Matilda (Tilly) North is the youngest of three grandchildren to Violet North.  Tilly is a statistician and when her marriage broke down she decided to analysis it’s downfall with pages and pages of research and compatibility equations.  Tilly loved the simplicity of numbers, her brother Jack loved colour and her sister loved handbags.  Their father, who I adored, loved sand and sculpting amazing shapes and creations out of the sand.

These little quirks that each member of the family held was their own way of dealing with life and they were accepted for all that they were, as a family unit they blended perfectly.

A very fresh, imaginative approach to a love story.  A love story that has spanned decades and has weathered time.  I look forward to more from this promising new author Jules Preston.

About the Author

Jules Preston was born in London, and has had lots of jobs. Some good. Some bad. The best was cutting up national newspapers with a huge pair of scissors. He now lives in Devon, surrounded by piles of paper held together with bulldog clips. One day they might get turned into books too. Hopefully.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jules_preston_

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

Blogblitz: One Summer in Rome by Samantha Tonge

One Summer in Rome written by Samantha Tonge, publisher HQ Digital, is available NOW in ebook format.

To buy link:  https://amzn.to/2KMTGIF

Product Details (as per amazon page)

To Rome…with love?
Mary Smith is turning her very ordinary life upside-down! She’s bought herself a one-way ticket to Rome and is ready for a summer she’ll never forget.
Men might be off the cards for waitress Mary, but within hours of arriving at the utterly charming family-run La Dolce Vita pizzeria, she’s already fallen in love with the bustling capital!
Only Dante Rossi, the mysterious (and drop-dead gorgeous) chef seems displeased with her arrival. And in the heat of the kitchen, it doesn’t take long for long-buried secrets to surface and sparks to fly…
A deliciously heartwarming romance to have you dreaming of summer. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Caroline Roberts.

I am so pleased to be involved in the publication day blogblitz for Samantha Tonge’s latest heartwarming romance: One Summer in Rome.  I’ve read a few of Samantha Tonge’s novels and thoroughly enjoyed them so I’m eagerly awaiting to be transported away to the historical city of Rome.  I’m looking forward to sharing my review with you all soon as this novel is primed on my kindle as my next read.

About the Author
Samantha Tonge lives in Cheshire with her lovely family and a cat who thinks it’s a dog. When not writing she spends her days cycling, willing cakes to rise and avoiding housework. She has sold over 80 short stories to women’s magazines. Her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award in 2014. Game of Scones hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Best Romantic Ebook category at the 2015 Love Stories Awards.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor
Website: http://samanthatonge.co.uk/

Grace After Henry by Eithne Shortall blogtour book review

Grace After Henry written by Eithne Shortall, publisher Corvus Books, is available NOW in ebook and paperback format.

To buy link:  https://amzn.to/2HWVhOA

Product Details (as per amazon page)

Grace sees her boyfriend Henry everywhere. In the supermarket, on the street, at the graveyard.

Only Henry is dead. He died two months earlier, leaving a huge hole in Grace’s life and in her heart. But then Henry turns up to fix the boiler one evening, and Grace can’t decide if she’s hallucinating or has suddenly developed psychic powers. Grace isn’t going mad – the man in front of her is not Henry at all, but someone else who looks uncannily like him. The hole in Grace’s heart grows ever larger.

Grace becomes captivated by this stranger, Andy – to her, he is Henry, and yet he is not. Reminded of everything she once had, can Grace recreate that lost love with Andy, resurrecting Henry in the process, or does loving Andy mean letting go of Henry?

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the launch of Eithne Shortall’s latest novel: Grace After Henry.

Oh my goodness after I finished reading Grace After Henry, which is Eithne Shortall’s second novel, I felt completely wrecked.  The emotions that the author evoked with her words has completely wrung me dry.  Eithne Shortall is a very clever, perspective author who knows clearly how to draw you into a story and it’s characters, to capture your heart instantly and then slam dunks you into an emotional turmoil.  I was destroyed at this point, then along comes these wonderful sub-characters.  Grace’s mother and father, who have the most craziest double act, I loved them instantly.  Then the author gave us Betty, the nosy neighbour, that was such a card!  We were also treated to the Three Wise Men who I wished could be packaged up and deposited in every cemetery across the lands.  These characters in particular picked me back up and made me smile and laugh so many times.

Grace was trying so hard to continue her life after Henry, memories of him were everywhere in the city they loved and had shared many beautiful moments in.  But when Grace meets Andy she feels like she has stepped into her own ‘soap opera’, her life feels a little deja vu and for a while she relishes these second chances to reminisce.  But as time goes on something doesn’t sit quite right and with news of something she never expected to happen she starts to re-evaluate her life and what has been thrown her way.

Eithne Shortall is a new author to me but she has got me totally.  I was in awe of her writing, I loved the emotional turmoil she threw at me and then her fabulous witty writing filled my heart with laughter and warmth.  Grace After Henry was just so sad, so beautiful and so heart warming, I was just lost in the author’s words.

I’m now off to buy her debut novel, Love in Row 27, as I need more words from Eithne Shortall!

To learn more about the author please do visit the following pages:

Website:  http://eithneshortall.com/

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/eithneshortall

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

 

Absent in the Spring by Carrie Elks book review

Absent in the Spring written by Carrie Elks, publisher Piatkus, is available NOW in ebook and paperback format.

To buy link:  https://amzn.to/2JYHnHZ

Product Details (as per amazon page)

Losing control never felt so good . . .
A successful lawyer, and the eldest of four sisters, Lucy Shakespeare is used to being in control of everything and everyone around her, most particularly herself – until she meets the gorgeous Lachlan MacLeish.
Lachlan’s hired Lucy because he needs the best. His inheritance is suddenly in doubt, thanks to his devious half-brother and there’s no way he’s going down without a fight. The very last thing he wants is a distraction, but as soon as he sees Lucy, he knows he’s in trouble.
Despite their efforts to resist, it isn’t long before Lachlan has Lucy longing to break all her careful rules. As they travel from Scotland, to Paris and on to New York, Lucy can’t help but wonder: is it sometimes worth risking it all?

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

Absent in the Spring is book 3 in the Shakespeare Sisters series, the books can be read as a standalone but I would highly recommend reading all the books in the series in order as they are gorgeously addictive.  The books in the series are:

• Summer’s Lease
• A Winter’s Tale
• Absent in the Spring
• By Virtue Fall (due to be released in September 2018)

When millionaire businessman Lachlan MacLeish is bequeathed a Scottish Castle and Laird from his deceased father he finds himself in need of a top class lawyer as his step-brother has put in a counter claim against the requests of the will.  Across the seas from Lachlan’s NYC office Lucy Shakespeare is handed a crucial new case for the firm she works for.  She’s been hired to fight with Lachlan for his right to acknowledge his father’s wishes in his will.

Lucy Shakespeare is the eldest of the four sisters.  Since the untimely death of their mother when Lucy was 15 she has taken the reigns of responsibility of maintaining the family unit caring for her grieving sisters and father.  However, since the death of their mother Lucy has held a secret from the rest of the family and it’s been eating away at her.  Lucy is highly respected in the legal world and loves living in Edinburgh.  She lives and breathes her work.  This new case looks very interesting and her first task is to meet with Lachlan at one of his many international bases.

Both Lachlan and Lucy are highly professional in their work but this initial meeting of client and lawyer sparks unnerving emotions with the pair, emotions that they both have not felt in such a long time.

As the case progresses and the pair are flying from Edinburgh to the States and to Paris a playful banter emerges and soon develops into a highly unprofessional sexual desire.  Can the pair keep their professional lives away from the ever increasing beats of their hearts?

Lachlan and Lucy have both experienced heartache in their childhood which has given them the strength to follow their dreams and succeed in their professions but this has left no time to let anyone in their hearts.

I loved Lucy’s story.  The different localities sent you to a wide range of landscapes and Lachlan and Lucy’s personalities changed according to the locations, a softening of character was felt when they were away from their office environments and the beauty of nature reminded them of what was important in life.  This was another gorgeously, sexy, addictive read from Carrie Elks.  I’ve really enjoyed sharing the journey the Shakespeare Sisters have been taking and we have the pleasure of the final instalment in September 2018.

I’d like to share one of my favourite quotes from the book:

“He had the kind of body that could shelter you from a storm, if only you would let him in.”

To learn more about the author Carrie Elks please visit the following pages:

Website:  https://carrieelks.com/

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/CarrieElks

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