Review of Little Teashop of Horrors by Jane Lovering - Five **


Blurb:

Secrets, lies, carrot cake – and an owl called Skrillex!
Amy Knowles has always been the plain sidekick to her pretty best friend Jules. And whilst the tearoom they both work in on the Monkpark Hall estate in Yorkshire is not exactly awash with eligible bachelors, it’s obvious where the male attention is concentrated – and it’s not just on the cakes! 
There is one man who notices Amy. Joshua Wilson also works at Monkpark, where he flies his birds of prey for visitor entertainment. He lives a lonely existence but he has reasons for choosing isolation – and, in Amy, he may have found somebody who understands. 
Then a management change brings slick and well-spoken Edmund Evershott to Monkpark. He’s interested in Amy too, but for what reason? Josh suspects the new manager is up to no good – but will Amy? Because Edmund could leave her with much worse than a broken heart … 

Another wonderful quirky, fun novel from this award-winning author. Sit back, grab the chocolate, you're in for a real treat!

Review:

I have always loved Jane's books - she brings so much humour to them. The humour is still there in this one but it goes a little deeper than usual. The hero is dysfunctional, the heroine is not a stunning blonde and is too nice for her own good.

I couldn't put it down. In the usual romcom you don't root for the people in the way that I did for these characters. Josh was such a damaged man and so unlike an alpha male hero! Amy was far too nice - it was always the line of least resistance for her. But things start to happen - Amy has such patience with Josh, he starts to come out of his shell. They work in a Heritage house and Amy discovers that there is skulduggery afoot. She is forced to act out of character and truly finds her voice finally!

And then there's Skrillex. A hero of a very different kind!

Loved it and thank you to Choc Lit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. How do you do it? I can honestly say, hand on heart, I've never read a Choc Lit book that I haven't loved! And this one is near the top of that list!

Amazon UK - £0.99

Amazon US - $1.24

My turn for the Blog Tour for TA Williams' new book, "To Rome With Love" - Five **


Blurb:

Escape to Italy this summer with this fabulously feel-good beach read!

A summer of second chances…

Just a week before her big day, Sarah returns home to find a note from her husband-to-be – the wedding’s off! So when her boss decides to send her on an epic cycling trip, from Venice to Rome, it seems like the perfect distraction…

Although she never expected the distraction to come in the form of her oh-so-handsome, but slightly serious, cycling companion, Miles. And with still 600 miles of beautiful scenery, mouthwatering food and delicious wine yet to cover, anything could happen!

Review:

What a fun book this is! Set in Italy, it follows the fortunes of the members of a charity bike ride - with particular emphasis on Miles & Sarah. It really does have everything - great characters, glorious scenery, which is well described and yummy food! Oh yes - and a dash of tension for the will they? won't they? romance!

I always enjoy Trevor's books - one of the authors I discovered after I got my kindle, and always look forward to his next one! Since he is a prolific writer, I never have to wait long. If you've never read any of his books, what are you waiting for??

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon UK: £2.99

Review of The Girl in the Photograph by Kirsty Ferry - Five **



Blurb:

What if the past was trying to teach you a lesson?
Staying alone in the shadow of an abandoned manor house in Yorkshire would be madness to some, but art enthusiast Lissy de Luca can’t wait. Lissy has her reasons for seeking isolation, and she wants to study the Staithes Group – an artists’ commune active at the turn of the twentieth century.

Lissy is fascinated by the imposing Sea Scarr Hall – but the deeper she delves, the stranger things get. A lonely figure patrols the cove at night, whilst a hidden painting leads to a chilling realisation. And then there’s the photograph of the girl; so beautiful she could be a mermaid … and so familiar.

As Lissy further immerses herself, she comes to an eerie conclusion: The occupants of Sea Scarr Hall are long gone, but they have a message for her – and they’re going to make sure she gets it.

Book 3 in The Rossetti Mysteries, Book 1 – Some Veil Did Fall. Book 2 – The Girl in the Painting

Review:

Kirsty Ferry just goes from strength to strength! This book was fascinating from two points of view. The interweaving time slip story was really well crafted and the research Kirsty has done on the early photographers and artists' groups was really interesting. In fact there was a BBC4 programme about early photography and Kirsty and kindled an interest so I watched it and learned even more!

The intertwined love stories are beautifully written, particularly the 1905 one. I'm not going to say too much except to say that Lorelei was a fabulous character and I got really worried about her "happy ever after". The settings in Whitby and Cornwall were brought to life and I could clearly see the beautiful scenery in my mind.

As ever, Choc Lit has another winner - how do they do it?

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

Amazon UK - £1.99

Amazon US - $2.45