Falling For You by Heidi Swain

 

There is something so special about opening a new Heidi Swain book, but knowing you’re returning to a place you already love makes it even more magical. I was lucky enough to get a copy of her latest release for my Birthday from my nephew and this was going to be my first seasonal book of the year.

Falling For You feels like being welcomed back home to Prosperous Place, catching up with much-loved characters and spending time once again at the Grow-Well. It’s like reuniting with old friends you’ve missed, and I absolutely loved being back with this wonderful community.

As well as revisiting familiar faces Heidi has introduced us to more new characters who bring their own personalities, stories and experiences to the community, making you feel as though there is always room for one more friend at the Grow-Well. I love how she creates these little community filled villages where you become so invested and where the people feel real and you genuinely care about what happens to them.

Skylar although rather hesitant at first to embrace the community soon found like everyone who arrives on Nightingale Square that it has a way of pulling you in. As ever we know to expect a bumpy blossoming romance along the way and this comes in the shape of Eric who is navigating his own way as he settles into life on the square too.

With romance, friendship, community spirit and those heartwarming moments that Heidi does so beautifully, this is another story that draws you in and makes you wish you could step straight into the pages and become part of it all.

Returning to Prosperous Place was an absolute joy, and I loved every minute of catching up with everyone at the Grow-Well while getting to know the new additions to the community.

Even better at the time of review the kindle version is only 99p so a worthwhile little treat to kick off your weekend. Available here on kindle!

The One Day you Were my Husband by Rosie Walsh

 

HE PROMISED HER A LIFETIME. HE GAVE HER FOUR HOURS.

Twelve years ago, Carrie said "I do" on a sun-drenched beach in Thailand. Four hours later, her world shattered when her husband, Johan, was snatched away in a violent abduction. He was never seen again.

Today, Carrie is a working mum, navigating the beautiful chaos of raising premature twins and rebuilding her life with a man who truly loves her. She has finally found peace. The past is a closed book.

Until she sees his face on a computer screen.

Johan is alive. He has a new life. And he never tried to find her.

Driven by a desperate need for answers, Carrie risks the stability of her marriage and the safety of her family to uncover the truth of what happened that day in Thailand. But as she peels back the layers of Johan’s double life, she is forced to face a devastating question:

Is the truth worth the destruction of her second chance at happiness?

Well simply put this is Rosie Walsh's best book yet.

This book grips you right from the start with an opening that already has so many questions and theories running through your mind and yet we have barely even met the characters!

Carrie is only married for a matter of hours when her new husband Johan is detained on the beach of Thailand. 

The book jumps back and forth in time to when Carrie and Johan met to Carrie years later in her new relationship and then back again to the events that surrounded Carrie and Johan's marriage to what unfolded after he was detained. By the book being told in this back and forth motion it really keeps us on our toes, collecting all the information and building a picture in our mind as to what really happened and one minute being sure Johan was innocent to then having doubts and believing he is a criminal to only then being thrown back to our original thoughts once again, I am surprised I didn't get whiplash with the constant back and forth of opinion! 

One thing I should have known was though that Rosie Walsh was going to pull the wool right over my eyes and unleash a twist out of nowhere that was in no way predictable at all as she has done this to me before in her books and yet she still gets me every time.

This is certainly a book I will be recommending because I was gripped from start to end of this book.

Girl 99 by Andy Jones

 

Before Tom finds The One, he needs to find himself.

When Tom’s girlfriend walks out on him the day before Christmas, he feels humiliated but not necessarily heartbroken. Sadie wasn’t, after all, The One. If we’re being precise, she was number eighty-five.

Tom’s first mistake is sharing this information with his best friend El. His next mistake is listening when El suggests that he bring his eighty-five up to a nice, neat one hundred.

It was never going to be a good idea, not least because everything else in Tom’s life is in complete chaos. His best friend is dying of a slow and cruel disease, his teenage sister is at war with his well-meaning but dogmatic father, his elderly neighbour is having romantic problems (and makes a dreadful cup of tea), and he has to shoot four commercials with four children and a bad-tempered producer.

And then Tom meets Verity. Whether she’s The One remains to be seen, but she’s certainly more than just another number.

This is my second book by Andy Jones with the first being The Two of Us which I thoroughly enjoyed and I was over the moon when I started reading this to find that our much loved El from that book is in this one and for me it was the biggest highlight. El and our main character Tom are best friends and after Tom makes a mistake which results in him becoming newly single its El who sets the wheels in motion putting a bet forward for Tom to get his bed post notches up to 100!

This is a typical lad lit novel that brought out a few chuckles here and there as we follow Tom on his somewhat entertaining mission to win his bet but there are more than a few bumps along the way. We do get to see a more caring side of Tom when time is spent with friends and family so he doesn't come across as some cheap playboy but his actions do none the less feel very ladish and it was great to see him come unstuck at times.

It was an easy read with humour, loss, friendship and a little romance aside from the obvious but still for me I really looked forward to the parts which feature El and Tom together and I greedily wish there was more moments with them but I appreciate this book was Tom's story not El's.

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.