What eally Happened to Me? by Ellie Barker

 

Sometimes losing everything is the only way to find yourself.

Grace Leven seems to have it all―CEO of a national TV channel, a picture-perfect family and a life others envy. But behind the glossy façade, cracks are forming. Her career is on the line, her marriage has crumbled and her best friend has disappeared.

Lost and alone, Grace stumbles upon the Strawberry House Hotel, a haven in the idyllic Strawberry Village. Here, surrounded by a community that values truth and connection over social media perfection, Grace begins to ask the one question she’s been avoiding: What really happened to me?

What Really Happened to me is my first book by Ellie Barker and what a great one to start with.

When I first started this book I wasn’t sure if it was going to be for me, Grace didn’t seem like she was going to be a relatable or likeable character but I was so surprised how over the course of the book my opinion on her changed and I really started to fall into the storyline and was routing for her to start her life again on a new exciting chapter doing what she wants to do with her life and discovering her own joys in life.

The book goes on a learning and discovery journey whilst looking at the rights and wrings of other people and our own actions which quite often we are not aware of but it also shows that when you feel like your life is crumbling to the ground that your never to old to start again and more often than not the next chapter is often a more authentic and exciting one.

Strawberry Village was the main setting for this book and what a beautiful alluring place to be, I would love to run off to this place of calm, positivity and welcoming community that seems to have healing powers and makes you take time to stop, breathe and heal.

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend and I will also be looking for another of her books now too.

Available to purchase here

Walking on Sunshine by Heidi Swain

 

A Summer in Suffolk could be just what she needs…

When Tilly heads to the river in Willowell, Suffolk, to scatter her dad’s ashes, she’s in need of some rest and relaxation. Life has been tough lately, and she wants a new start.

Constance has lived in Fernside forever. She owns the beautiful Willowell Woods – but she can’t manage them alone, and they’re now up for sale.

Her nephew, James, has always loved Willowell Woods – and he doesn’t want anyone taking them over. So when Tilly asks to buy them, with an exciting idea for the land, sparks begin to fly… the problem is, they’re already falling in love.

Can Tilly and James find a way to turn sparks into fireworks? And will Constance finally realise that letting in the new doesn’t have to mean getting rid of the old…?

Heidi Swain has done it again!

We have a whole new location of Willowell to explore and brand new characters to get to know in this new release Walking in Sunshine.

The storyline follows family dynamics, new love and dealing with life alongside grief so there is certainly a tender side to the book but it isn't a tear jerker it is an uplifting feel good read and a lot of that is because of a wonderful ambition and a beautiful unlikely friendship that blossoms between young lovable Tilly who has a pure heart of gold and her new friend older friend Constance.

Watching the friendship develop between this pair was glorious as they were both helping each other in a time of their lives where they were struggling. Alongside Constance, Tilly is enveloped in the villages community making so many supportive friends in such a short space of time. Of course we have a bumpy romance to come along for the ride with the delightful James.

I really enjoyed this book especially because alongside what I have mentioned above there is a potential business idea trying to be launched and I love books with Entrepreneurs and with the gardening and outdoors references it really rounds this book off into a beautiful wholesome Summer read that I highly recommend.

Available to purchase here

Falling in Love at Nightingale Farm by Emma Bennet

 

Polly Pressman is a London girl through and through. So when she’s asked to help save an old family friend’s struggling farm, she’s way out of her depth.

She arrives at Nightingale Farm trying to impress John and his gruff-but-hunky son Mark with her business know-how. But it’s clear from her sky-high stilettos that she is woefully unprepared.

Polly knows how much the farm means to John, and she’s doing everything she can to get it back on its feet. Soon people are flocking to visit the petting zoo and cute coffee shop and go strawberry picking.

Finally Mark sees that Polly truly cares about Nightingale Farm. And one night after too much of John’s homemade cider, the pair find themselves alone and unable to deny their attraction...

Romance is blossoming at Nightingale Farm. Will Polly trust her instincts and leave behind the big city for good?

I do have a soft spot for books that have a new business start up or a struggling business so this one was already off to a good start and after reading a few books recently where I haven't warmed to our main character it was a breath of fresh air to meet Polly who was instantly likeable. 

This was a cosy feel good read that I really enjoyed, yes ok the romance was totally predictable but we still enjoy going along for the bumpy ride! 

John will melt your heart and you can see why Polly couldn't say no to him when he asks for help in saving his precious farm. It was great to see Polly coming up with ideas to help bring the farm more into the current times utilising the skills both John and Mark have and I was routing for her plan to be a success.

This is an ideal easy uplifting read to read between heavier reading and this is certainly an author whose books I will look out for in the future.

Somewhere Only We Know by Cathy Bramley

 

When Magnolia Jones finds her daughter's travel journal, she can think of no better way to honour her life than setting off on the gap year trip that twenty-three-year-old Brontë had dreamed of taking.

It was meant to be Brontë's adventure, but perhaps following her daughter's footsteps around the world is exactly what Magnolia needs to piece her broken heart back together and begin to heal.

As her travels take her further away from home, memories of a long-ago summer come flooding back. Magnolia barely recognises that girl she used to be - the dreams she had, the freedom ahead, the midnight kisses on the beach with curly-haired, brown eyed Jackson.

Maybe, just maybe, in this magical place that is somewhere only they know, Magnolia is about to discover that her journey isn't over - it's just about to begin...

Well quite simply put this in my opinion is Cathy Bramley's best book to date. Do not be fooled by the cover your not going to get some fluffy light hearted forgettable romance, this one is an emotive read that follows Maggie who after the tragic death of her daughter and navigating both the grieving process as well and a void that has been left decides that she is going to embark on her daughter gap year travel plans in her daughters place.

We journey along with Maggie as she visits a number of exotic places as she takes on different challenges and sees different sites but more than that we watch as she goes on a journey of healing and self discovery.

I was really touched by this book and it was clear to see that the author has not only done extensive research for this book but has also literally poured her heart and soul into this book and it can be felt in every chapter. Although for some this may not be a tear jerker if you are lucky enough to not relate to the subject matter in any way, you will still find it emotionally charged.

I really did't want this book to end or to leave Maggie behind because she really was a courageous and remarkable woman but what I will say is the ending was a wholesome one that left me with a hopeful smile on my face.

Love in Provence by Jo Thomas

 

Escape to the beautiful lavender fields of Provence this summer

Del moved to the south of France three years ago and hasn’t looked back. She’s found new friends, new purpose, and new love with gorgeous Fabien.

But just as harvest on her little lavender farm is due to begin, Del gets some shocking news. With no time to dwell as she welcomes a new crew of lavender pickers, she unexpectedly waves goodbye to Fabien for the summer.

Usually cooking – the thing she loves best – would help soothe her troubles, but Del doesn’t remember how . . . And then chef Zacharie comes to town, dropping another bombshell!

Over one summer in Provence that’s full of surprises, friends old and new rally round. Can they complete the harvest and pull the community back together? And if Fabien returns, will Del finally get her happy-ever-after?

This book has been waiting for me on my kindle for far too long. An author who I love but I know I soft DNF it at the time but couldn't remember why. I decided to try again today and I am so glad I did because I read it in one comforting sitting and loved being reunited with Del, Fabien, Stephanie as well as so many other characters. As well as old favourites we meet a whole group of new characters who arrive to help with the Lavender harvest and they all have their own reasons for escaping their day to day lives to take some time out and lend a hand at Le Petit de la Mer.

This book many are going to relate to a character along the way as so many different life challenges are being explored when we reach a point in our lives where we suddenly stop and re-evaluate our lives, what we are doing, where we are and who we are with and think is it really what I want and it is never to late to change if your really unhappy but equally sometimes just stopping makes you appreciate what it is in life you love and maybe might be neglecting.

This is certainly a foodie lovers dream of a book because community coking features heavily in this book and my tummy was rumbling the whole way through. There is a real community spirit flowing through the pages again in this book which is something I adore in a book as it seems to be something we are losing in our society,

I do remember now why I soft Dnf this book last time as I had the same wobble when first starting this today and that was the French language that is scattered throughout the start of the book, I am ashamed to say I don't speak French so it stopped me getting into the flow of the book at first but after the first few chapters there wasn't anywhere near as much so I found my enjoyment and intrigue in the storyline growing.

I would definitely recommend this book for foodie lovers who like an idyllic setting and a comforting feel of community spirit thrown in for good measure.

Available to purchase here

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle

 

The women of the Novak family were each born with a gift: they can, just once, turn back time.

Lauren has known since she was fifteen that her mother Marcella saved Lauren’s father from a deadly car accident. Dave is alive and happy, and out on the Malibu waves. But ever since, Marcella, her power spent, has lived in fear of what she won’t be able to reverse. Her own mother, Sylvia, is her polar opposite: a free-spirited iconoclast with a glamorous past she only hints at. Lauren has spent her life between these two role models—and waiting for her own catastrophe to strike.

Then one summer, Lauren’s husband takes a job in New York and she moves back to Broad Beach Road, back into her childhood home on the shores of Malibu. Lauren looks forward to surfing with her dad again and perhaps repairing an unspoken fracture in her relationship with her mother. What she doesn’t expect is for the boy next to door to return home as well: Stone, Lauren’s first love, who broke her heart nearly a decade before.

As Lauren falls into familiar patterns, with her family and, more dangerously, Stone, she finds herself thinking about all the choices, large and small, that have brought her to this moment. And wondering, finally, if one of them should be undone.

I really enjoyed In Five Years so I was eager to read Rebecca Serle's new release Once and Again. 

I loved the premise of this book as it really gets you thinking if you had a ticket to be able to have just one do over again in your life when do you think you would use it, or would you always be keeping it there as security blanket.

The story-line does cover some emotive topics and yet I found this book unfortunately didn't have any emotional effect on me and that I believe is because I couldn't connect with any of the female characters in this book they were quite cold unlikable characters so much so that I longed for the presence of Lauren's dad Dave to bring some likeability and lightness to the story.

Although this one didn't hit the mark for me I would still pick up another by this author as I love the storylines she creates.

On Wings of Blood by Briar Boleyn

 

Welcome to Bloodwing Academy.

Expect magic. Expect competition. Expect blood.

I didn't sign up for this. A half-fae in a school of highblood vampires? That's a recipe for suffering.

I'm Medra Pendragon, last of the dragon riders--or so they tell me. Funny thing is, there are no dragons left. Not a single one. But somehow, that hasn't stopped the vampires from deciding I'm worth capturing. Now I'm stuck at Bloodwing Academy, where the highbloods run everything, and blightborn like me? We're just blood in their veins, pawns in their games.

But that's not even the worst part. Enter Blake Drakharrow: cold, arrogant, and way too gorgeous for his own good. He's been tormenting me since the moment we met, and now, thanks to some ancient ritual, we're betrothed. He acts like he owns me, but I'm not going down without a fight.

Bloodwing isn't just a school--it's a battlefield. Highbloods fight for power, and if you're weak, you're dead.

Between deadly competitions, lies that could get me executed, and a dragon-shaped secret looming over my head, all I have to do is survive. Easy, right? Except I'm starting to think the real danger isn't the academy--it's what I'm becoming in this twisted game of power.

And Blake? He might just be the one who pushes me over the edge.

They think they can control me. They think they can use me. But they have no idea what they've awakened.

Wow, well I haven't been so engrossed in a fantasy book since reading Fourth Wing but I think I would even go as far as to say this book which is book 1 in the Bloodwing Acadamey series actually beats Fourth Wing for me!

I am surprised how much I enjoyed this because foolishly I actually didn't read the blurb before diving into this one and I have never considered myself a fan of Vampire novels ( other than Twilight but come on who didn't love Twilight!) I was expecting fire breathing Dragons to be plentiful but the book is bursting with vampires but I loved it.

Although this is book 1 it doesn't feel like one of those first books that are just teasing you in ( yes hello ACOTAR I am talking to you) This book is action packed and dark with challenges and saucy spice! 

Our main character is Medra but she isn't a Vampire she is in fact a Dragon rider but without a dragon! When circumstances have her wound up at Bloodwing school and promised to none other than the cold blooded gorgeous Blake she faces danger at every turn but she is determined to survive and get herself out of this situation.

Like so many other schools we have visited Bloodwing feels exciting, enchanting and dangerous, we see the divide between the Highbloods and the Blightborn and like Medra we can't understand why the Blightborn are so blinded to the way they are treated and looked upon by the Highbloods.

Medra has made friends and enemies already in book one and she has certainly faced her fair share of trials and I was routing for her the wholeway through because she really is a bad ass! 

Blake is certainly going to be one that will find a weakness in me as well as Medra I am sure but after this explosive ending of this book I am desperate to jump straight in to book 2 and see what on earth is going to happen next now that they have opened a whole can of worms!  

Available to purchase here