Review of New York, Actually by Sarah Morgan - 5**


Blurb:

Meet Molly

New York’s most famous agony aunt, she considers herself an expert at relationships…as long as they’re other people’s. The only love of her life is her Dalmatian, Valentine.

Meet Daniel

A cynical divorce lawyer, he’s hardwired to think relationships are a bad idea. If you don’t get involved, no-one can get hurt. But then he finds himself borrowing a dog to meet the gorgeous woman he sees running in Central Park every morning…

Molly and Daniel think they know everything there is to know about relationships…until they meet each other that is…

Review:

What's not to love? NYC, gorgeous dogs, great characters and truths and deceptions.

I absolutely adored this book and read it in two sittings! I've enjoyed Sarah's New York series and this is the first of a spin-off series focussing on the dog walking business and the people who run it. Nice references to the previous books, but this is easily read as a stand alone.

I really enjoyed the way that Daniel and Molly reacted to bad news/discoveries. They reacted immediately but then went away and thought about it and changed their tunes. All too often in romance books the lead characters fall out and then simmer with anger for weeks/months/years. Human nature usually reconsiders after examining the facts in a sensible way and after talking to others.

What was particularly charming was the way Molly's defences dropped without her realising. When all her friends turned up to support her I was crying!

Can't wait for the next one - and since we've had hints regarding Fliss & Seth, I'm hoping it covers their relationship!!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon UK - £4.49

Review of The Girl on the Beach by Morton S Gray - Five **


Blurb:

Who is Harry Dixon?

When Ellie Golden meets Harry Dixon, she can’t help but feel she recognises him from somewhere. But when she finally realises who he is, she can’t believe it – because the man she met on the beach all those years before wasn’t called Harry Dixon. And, what’s more, that man is dead.

For a woman trying to outrun her troubled past and protect her son, Harry’s presence is deeply unsettling – and even more disconcerting than coming face to face with a dead man, is the fact that Harry seems to have no recollection of ever having met Ellie before. At least that’s what he says …

But perhaps Harry isn’t the person Ellie should be worried about. Because there’s a far more dangerous figure from the past lurking just outside of the new life she has built for herself, biding his time, just waiting to strike.

Review:

Morton keeps us guessing all the way through! Fabulous characters that I immediately liked and rooted for. Harry is a very complex character and Ellie wonders if she can trust him in view of his denial of their first encounter years before.

Ellie has her own problems as her ex husband is released from prison and the tension mounts. Her son is a fabulous character and so well written.

I really enjoyed the educational and mentoring side to the story. Very positive and made a lovely contrast to the darker main plot. 

I look forward to more from Morton :)

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon UK - £1.99

And it's finally my turn for the Blog Tour for Jules Wake's amazing new book "From Rome with Love". 

A HUGE 5** and only 99p!!!

Blurb:

If you can’t stand the heat…

Rome is the city of love and seduction, right? Not if you find yourself staying in a beautiful apartment with your childhood-friend-turned-arch-enemy, Will Ryan…no matter how hot he is!

Romance is the last thing on Lisa’s mind. She’s got more important things to focus on, like hunting down her estranged father. Except when her search falls at the first hurdle, Will doesn’t just help her get back on track, he also shares the romantic sights – and exquisite tastes – of the Eternal City, and Lisa starts to wonder if it’s not just Rome seducing her.

Only, as Lisa and Will dig into the past, neither of them is prepared for the long-buried secrets they reveal. Secrets that will turn both their world’s upside down …

Review:

I have been waiting and waiting for Will & Lisa's story and I was ecstatic to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

And I was in no way disappointed! Jules describes the love/hate relationship perfectly and the sexual tension rises steadily through the book. I loved Nan and her interfering ways and Giovanni and his boyish enthusiasm for everything!

The descriptions of Rome were magical and I was so glad to see my favourite building, The Pantheon, included. But these were nothing to the descriptions of the food! My mouth watered on and off the whole way through and made me want to try loads of Italian dishes! Who knew that Balsamic Vinegar had so many flavours.

Thank you Jules, for a wonderfully romantic travelogue!

Amazon UK - 99p

My turn for the Blog Tour for Antonia Hayes' new book "Relativity" - Four **

Blurb:

Ethan is an exceptionally gifted young boy, obsessed with physics and astronomy.

His single mother Claire is fiercely protective of her brilliant, vulnerable son. But she can't shield him forever from learning the truth about what happened to him when he was a baby; why Mark had to leave them all those years ago.

Now age twelve, Ethan is increasingly curious about his past, especially his father's absence in his life. When he intercepts a letter to Claire from Mark, he opens a lifetime of feelings that, like gravity, will pull the three together again.

Relativity is a tender and triumphant story about unbreakable bonds, irreversible acts, and testing the limits of love and forgiveness.

Review:

This was quite different to anything I have read before. I do like a book that informs me as well as entertains and this certainly fits the bill! The story is about Ethan, a young boy with a fascination for the stars and physics, his mum and dad. I really enjoyed the way Antonia wove the emotions around the science - it made for an interesting read. I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Amazon UK - £8.99 for paperback, £5.99 for Kindle

Very privileged to be part of TA Williams' Blog Tour for his new book "Chasing Shadows"

A full 5**!!

Blurb:

The Present Day: Left blind and without her family, Amy feels she needs to get away. On a trip along the Camino, she is accompanied by the mysterious and troubled Luke. Having been set up to help Amy by a mutual friend, Luke finds he is also running from his past…

1314: A Templar Knight, Luc, is also running. He meets the wife of a former comrade, now blinded in a terrifying attack: Aimee. Taking her under his wing, they must journey together through a dangerous world.

As they travel through the stunning scenery of Northern Spain, this couple, so very like Luke and Amy, emerge from the shadows of time carrying a treasure of inestimable value.

Chasing Shadows is an enchanting novel about the search for happiness, fulfilment… and love.

Review:

I always enjoy Trevor's books and this is a new genre for him so I was looking forward to reading it. Time slip is one of my favourite genres and this one certainly didn't disappoint.

We follow the stories of Amy & Luke in 2016 and Aimee and Luc in 1314. Both pairs are on a Pilgrimage on the Camino and their stories interlink as the book progresses. Modern day Amy has been blinded in a dreadful accident and Luke has emotional baggage. In 1314 Aimee has been blinded in a bandit attack and Luc is a fleeing Templar Knight.

As both girls are blind, Trevor treats us to wonderful descriptions of the scenery and the food! The contrasts between the 2 journeys could not be more marked and I found myself totally involved in both plots. 

A lovely read and thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon UK - £1.99

Amazon US - $2.44

My turn for the Blog Tour for the amazing book, The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick -
Five **

Blurb:

“My name is Mary Seymour and I am the daughter of one queen and the niece of another.”

Browsing antiques shops in Wiltshire, Alison Bannister stumbles across a delicate old portrait – supposedly of Anne Boleyn. Except Alison knows better… The woman is Mary Seymour, the daughter of Katherine Parr who was taken to Wolf Hall in 1557 as an unwanted orphan and presumed dead after going missing as a child.

The painting is more than just a beautiful object from Alison’s past – it holds the key to her future, unlocking the mystery surrounding Mary’s disappearance, and the enigma of Alison’s son.

But Alison’s quest soon takes a dark and foreboding turn, as a meeting place called the Phantom Tree harbours secrets in its shadows…

Review: 

I love a good time slip book and this is one of the best. It differs from the normal ones in that Alison is actually from the 16th Century and is trapped in the 21st Century. It really has everything - history, intrigue, romance and really, really believable characters.

The historical detail is fascinating - I could almost smell the tanneries myself! The comings and goings of the Seymour family was so well described. The disgrace after Thomas and his brother are executed for treason and the fall out from that are explained well.

I felt so sorry for Alison and her son, Arthur. Life was so different 5 centuries ago and she really suffered.

Highly recommended!!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Amazon UK - £3.99

Amazon US - $4.88

Review of The Thief's Daughter by Victoria Cornwall - Four **


Blurb:

Hide from the thief-taker, for if he finds you, he will take you away …
Eighteenth-century Cornwall is crippled by debt and poverty, while the gibbet casts a shadow of fear over the land. Yet, when night falls, free traders swarm onto the beaches and smuggling prospers.

Terrified by a thief-taker’s warning as a child, Jenna has resolved to be good. When her brother, Silas, asks for her help to pay his creditors, Jenna feels unable to refuse and finds herself entering the dangerous world of the smuggling trade.

Jack Penhale hunts down the smuggling gangs in revenge for his father’s death. Drawn to Jenna at a hiring fayre, they discover their lives are entangled. But as Jenna struggles to decide where her allegiances lie, the worlds of justice and crime collide, leading to danger and heartache for all concerned …

Review:

What a wonderful debut novel from Victoria Cornwall! I'm not usually an historic romance fan but I was swept up in the story and the beautiful scenery descriptions.

Jenna and Jack's relationship has highs, lows and strong arguments! I love a relationship that isn't black and white and this one is very colourful! I also enjoyed Jenna's attempt to escape her past and not be painted with the same brush as her family.

As my readers know, I am a great fan of Choc Lit and this is yet another book worthy of them. I look forward to Victoria's next book.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon UK - £1.99

Amazon US - $2.46