Always and Forever at Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters

 

It is time to make another wonderful trip to Glendale Hall in Victoria Walters new release 

Always and Forever at Glendale Hall

Today is my stop on the blog tour and I will be sharing my thoughts with you on this book where we catch up with much loved characters as well as meeting new vibrant characters who bring a breath of fresh air to the Hall.

Anna Stewart is lost. After barely surviving a car accident as a teenager, Anna is scared of settling. Flitting between jobs, boyfriends and homes whenever she gets bored, she has no idea what the future holds. Then her brother Brodie, minister of Glendale, suggests she moves to the beautiful Scottish village, lining up a housekeeper job for her at Glendale Hall.

Out of options, Anna agrees to take the job just for the summer. Once at the hall, her culinary skills impress everyone, and she agrees to give Hilltop Farm’s new manager, Cameron, cooking lessons. Sparks fly between Anna and the handsome Scot, but Cameron keeps pushing Anna away, and Anna definitely isn't looking for love. But it's wedding season at Glendale Hall, and Anna is about to discover that her new home has a way of working its magic on even the coldest of hearts.

Will she really be able to just walk away at the end of summer, or could Anna have finally found a place to belong?

It’s summertime so pack your bags and escape to beautiful Highlands village of Glendale with this gorgeously uplifting, romantic read. Fans of Milly Johnson, Heidi Swain and Holly Martin will love this charming romance.

Victoria Walters takes us back to the idyllic village of Glendale in book 4 of the series Always and Forever where we are reunited with our beloved characters from the previous books as well as meeting our new character Anna who is Bodie the Ministers sister.

It is true to say that Anna is unlike the rest of the clan that we know and love from our Glendale community, she is a whirlwind that can not settle in one place she has a defiance and strong independence but she is also haunted by her past which has shaped her life as she knows it.

Brodie longs to see his sister plant roots and he loves having his little sister home but can the close knit group of friends sprinkle their magic and make Anna want to stay and blossom at Glendale or maybe there may be a helping hand with the handsome single farmer Cameron!

As much as I love Anna bringing a new face to the village and a fresh modern storyline to shake it up I actually found myself more eager to see how our original friends are doing with their businesses, relationships and families as they have really captured my heart. At times I found Anna quite infuriating but I could also sympathise with her in the way a tragic event in her life had led her to not feel that she is worth the good things in life and to feel that that is how other people see her too. Her passion for cooking was a great part to the storyline it was clear early on that she had an incredible flair for cooking and I do hope that if we touch on her character in a 5^th book in the series that she has followed her dreams.

I know Victoria Walters has announced a new crime series she is publishing but there is still a part of me that wouldn’t be surprised if she was to squeeze one more Glendale book out as a final wrap up for all of our couples I know I would love to see one final instalment and I don’t think I am alone in this.

Kindle                   Paperback

Hopeful Hearts at Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters

 

Heather Douglas appears to have it all. But living on a farm in the Scottish Highlands with her partner, Rory Fraser, all while bringing up their adorable toddler, Harry, isn’t easy. As a former librarian, Heather is worried that she’ll never fully fit into life on Fraser Farm. And after the death of her beloved mum eight years ago, Heather feels lost, as well as guilty for holding back accepting Rory’s marriage proposal because she can’t imagine her wedding without her mother.

So when ex-boyfriend, Stewart, appears in the village of Glendale, it’s a shock to the system. The man who broke her heart years ago now has big plans for the neighbouring farm and wants Heather to be part of the development. Knowing that she’s living a very different life to the one they had planned at university leaves Heather wondering if she has made the right choices since she and Stewart broke up. Especially when things start to go very wrong on the farm ...

This Christmas, Heather will need to face her fears and let go of the past or risk losing everything. She will need love, faith, and a whole lot of hope!

Hopeful Hearts at Glendale Hall is the latest release by Victoria Walters and sees us returning to Glendale on our third visit, reuniting us with some much loved and familiar faces. This time Heather is taking the lead role and as we peel back the layers that Heather has hidden behind, we begin to see the real Heather and she really did touch my heart.

Heathers first love Stewart unexpectedly arrives in Glendale which stirs up a whole heap of emotions for Heather. Stewart has plans for the neighbouring farm which could have a detrimental effect on Rory and Heathers farm so when Stewart offers for Heather to come onboard in the set up of the farm she contemplates taking the job to protect their farm but will there be too many emotions involved that could make Heathers world crumble?

Victoria Walters always excels in creating such strong believable and supportive friendships in her novels and this novel continues to show the strong bond between Heather, Beth and Emily. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses but they are always there with a listening ear and will always support each other in everything they face.

I sympathised so much with Heather and as we got to know more about her character unravelling the layers behind which her anxiety and vulnerabilities lie I felt like I warmed to her character. It became clear as the storyline flowed that events from her past had had an effect on her which has had an effect on her confidence and self-belief and that’s why with each little step she took and each little nugget of positivity she created with her Instagram posts she slowly started to believe in herself and was beginning to find out that she truly does belong on the farm and that although she may not be the most natural at day to day farm life others skills she has can still help in a big way.

Rory really is the perfect patient loveable and hardworking man and I have to say at times I did feel sorry for him and disappointed in Heather.

The storyline also looks at how grief can hold you back in certain aspects of your life but that sometimes it can just take one thing to change your mindset and look at something in a different way that will then help you to move forward and gently let go.

I enjoyed this visit to Glendale getting to know Heather, Rory and Harry a little more as well as catching up with the other characters to see how things are changing for them too. This book gets another thumbs up from me.

Kindle                             Paperback

 Head over to Love the Smell of a Book and Ginger Book Geek blogs today to read their thoughts on this novel.

New Beginnings at Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters

Emily Prescott’s life isn’t going to plan. Her dreams of starting a family with fireman boyfriend Greg and opening up her own bakery in London feel like they will never come true. So when a wedding
invite arrives from her oldest friend, Beth Williams, Emily is thrilled. Not only will she get to return to her childhood home in Scotland, but best of all – Beth wants her to bake the wedding cake!

However, her excitement is cut short when she discovers that Greg has cheated on her. Devastated by his betrayal, Emily flees to Glendale Hall, Beth’s grand estate in the Highlands, and tries to distracts herself with helping with the wedding plans, but that’s not easy when Greg keeps hounding her to forgive him. Then she’s introduced to Glendale’s new young and handsome vicar Brodie, and things become even more complicated.

When Emily discovers that Greg’s betrayal runs deeper than she imagined, she finds herself with a whole host of decisions to make, especially when she discovers her long awaited dream is finally being fulfilled – at exactly at the wrong time…

I have been out of the loop recently with latest book releases but after finally stepping back into the world of books after finding my love of reading slowly returning I noticed one of my favourite new authors, Victoria Walters had a new book out titled New Beginnings at Glendale Hall and I immediately downloaded it to read. Like I say I have been out of the loop with releases so I read this book without actually realising that there had been an earlier release called Coming Home to Glendale Hall but I still managed to read this book as a stand alone novel with no issues and after meeting the characters I now can not wait to go back and read the first book in the series.



Emily is a baking goddess and is due to set off to Glendale Hall ahead of her best friend Beth’s upcoming wedding where she will be making her friends Wedding cake. At a time when she should be surrounded by love and positivity her world comes crashing down around her and leaves her heartbroken and craving the comfort and support of those at the Hall sooner than planned. Spending so much time with friends and loved ones is just what she needs especially when she has important decisions to make but will she be lead by her head or her heart?


Emily was such a selfless character who lacked confidence and has had more than her fair share of life struggles. Greg was a character who I quickly took a dislike to due to his actions but as the storyline progressed and we find out a little more about him I found myself becoming a little more understanding but not accepting of his actions and I still wanted a positive outcome for him. I loved Emily’s best friend Beth and I can’t wait to read about her character more when I get my hands on the previous book in the series which I am lead to believes centres more on her and her partner.


The storyline does cover a number of delicate issues that many face in the real world from fertility to mental health issues and each of these topics were weaved into the storyline perfectly highlighting and bringing awareness without bringing the uplifting feel of the storyline down at the same time giving depth to the storyline.


Victoria Walters has such a n easy flow to her writing style that picks you up and sweeps you away from the first chapter and will take you on an emotional journey having you laughing one moment and bringing a lump to your throat in the next. One thing that is always strong in this authors novels is the feeling of love, support and kindness along with community spirit and this was all plentiful in this book leaving me with a warm cosy feeling as I close the last page.


I loved this storyline and the characters, I am pleased that I am not leaving the characters behind now that I can be reunited with them in the other book in the series.

Kindle

Cover reveal.

Those of you who follow my blog will have seen my reviews earlier in the year for the 4 part release of Random Acts of Kindness by Victoria Walters. I am not usually a fan of books released in parts but this one was fantastic and at the end of each part I was left wishing the days away until I could purchase the next instalment.

I am thrilled now to be able to share with you the cover for the full story release Summer at the Kindness Café.

I think this is such a quaint and alluring cover that compliments this heart warming storyline and I think this will definitely be enticing bookworms everywhere.

What do you think of the cover?

Will this book be jumping onto your To Read Piles?

Leave a comment below to let me know your thoughts.

Incase you missed my reviews for the individual parts here are the links

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

The Story as a whole is due for release on 23rd August and is available to pre-order below.

Random Acts of Kindness Part 4 by Victoria Walters

Summer is drawing to a close as Huntley Manor is due to have its grand re-opening. Abbie is determined to save the hotel from closure but she has to remember her own career too… As she and Thomas grow ever closer, will she end up making Littlewood her home for good? Or will she set up her own PR company back in London…?
Eszter has to decide whether it is time to go back to Hungary... But what has she got to return to? She has no career to speak of, and their home is filled with painful memories of her beloved husband. But can a new job, a new home and a surprise new dog convince Eszter and Zoe to stay?
Louise wants to tell Alex how she feels but decides she needs to show him after pushing him away for so long. Will a grand gesture be enough to show him she won't run away this time?
As the town of Littlewood comes together to help Huntley Manor, we’ll find out if kindness really does have the power to save the day…

I have mixed feelings about part 4 of Random Acts of Kindness, I was so eager to read this after waiting 2 months for the release but on the other hand I know I am going to be leaving these much loved characters behind.
This final part of the 4 part book ties everything up beautifully for our three protagonists. Eszter has a big decision to make about her and Zoe’s future, Abbie is praying her event for Huntley Manor is successful for Thomas and Louise is still trying to let the barriers down that are shielding her heart.
I won’t say any more then this about the details of the storyline as it is always difficult not to give too much away when a book is released in parts. The great thing is with each part we are given a brief recap as to what has happened in the previous part to refresh our minds and keep us up to speed.
I have come to really care about our characters in this book, they are three strong determined ladies who with the support of each other have taken some big steps to change the paths of their lives. The author has managed to create such realistic likeable characters who soon feel like friends to us.
The Kindness board features again in part 4 and this is something I love, the idea of sharing everyone’s acts of kindness to remind us that through all the negative press we hear there is still a lot of good in the world and the kindness board brings an uplifting and positive part to the storyline.
As I have mentioned in my review for part 1 I am not a fan of books broken down and released in parts, however, I have absolutely loved Random Acts of Kindness and I was eagerly waiting for the release of each part to catch up with the women again to see what they are upto next.
I can not recommend this book enough, the authors writing style is so captivating and she builds such rounded characters who will stay with me for a long time. I really hope this isn’t the end to these characters and that we see a sequel or at least their heads popping up in another book to see how they are all getting on. 

Kindle

Random Acts of Kindness Part 3 by Victoria Walters

Welcome to Littlewood, a small town community with a big heart. 
Abbie and her boyfriend Jack are about to start their own PR company in London, but there are so many unanswered questions about their past and Abbie begins to question her decision to leave Littlewood... Will Thomas manage to hold onto Huntley Manor without her, or has her departure ruined his chances...?
After a shaky start, Eszter is determined to show her daughter Zoe that it doesn't matter where you are from, that we are all the same. With a little help from Brew cafe, they decide to run a cake baking class for the local children to help her make some friends. But as the summer goes on, their return to Hungary looms over them... Will they go back and leave Zoe's granny, Anne, all on her own? Or is life in Littlewood the perfect fit for their newly formed family...?
Having pushed Alex away, Louise finds herself battling with jealousy when she sees him with her colleague. But when tragedy strikes, Louise is confronted with how precious and short life can be... Is she ready to tell Alex how she really feels or will she lose him for good? 

FINALLY! It seems like I have waited forever for Part 3 to be released but it was well worth the wait let me tell you!

Ezster is getting to the point now where she needs to start looking ahead at her future and she is going to need to make some difficult decisions ahead but you can see she wants to do what ever is the right thing for her little daughter Zoe's future. They have both become more involved and embraced by the community but with family still at home over seas too it is a tough choice to make.

Abbie finds she is unexpectedly missing Littlewood and her sister Louise is missing having her around especially when she could do with someone to talk to about her choices she had made with Alex, has she done the right thing?

I can not get enough of these characters and with only one part of this series remaining I am already missing them, I feel we have only really just got to know this wonderful trio and the supporting characters and I for one am not ready to part with them yet. I do hope that once the book is released as a full novel that everyone else feels the same and will urge the author to revisit the characters in another book. 

This part was as good as the previous two the pace has increased and there is a lot going on in this part to keep you engrossed the whole way through. Now here I am again desperate to wish away the weeks away until we can read the last instalment!

Kindle

Random Acts of Kindness Part 2 by Victoria Walters

Welcome to Littlewood, a small town community with a big heart. Abbie's ex-boyfriend and colleague, Jack, has arrived back on the scene... Will she be lured back to London or has her heart taken root at Huntley Manor? 

Louise has promised to be kinder to herself, but after suffering one heartbreak too many, she isn't keen to try her luck again.... Can the handsome local vet convince her otherwise?

Eszter, who is over from Hungary with her daughter for the summer, has been met with nothing but kindness since she arrived in Littlewood, and now she and her daughter Zoe are all set to return the favour as Eszter's mother-in-law Anne finds herself with nowhere to stay... Eszter is determined to help Anne get back involved in the community after being alone for so long, but do they belong in Littlewood or will the three of them remain outsiders? 

As soon as I finished reading Part 1 of Random Acts of Kindness by Victoria Walters I instantly downloaded Part 2 eager to continue the ladies journey. If you haven’t read part 1 there is a little summery dropped into the storyline to get you on track with what happened to the women in the first part but you really must read part one as this was where you really warm to the characters and form that bond with them.

Eszter is becoming part of the community and is finally cracking her mother in-laws hard shell as we begin to find out more about her history. Louise still has her heart well protected and she is not about to drop the barriers any time soon. Abbie has enjoyed working away on plans to rescue Huntley Manor from financial ruin but after an unexpected phone call and visit opens another door for her will she see her plans through or will she be heading back to London?

I loved this part just as much as part 1. For me I felt like part one focused more on Abbie whereas part 2 we learn more about Eszter and her mother in-law so I am hoping that in part 3 we will see more of Louise’s journey. I can feel that we are approaching some big decision-making times for all three ladies and I know how I hope they are all going to pan out.

My only problem now is trying to find the patience to wait for the release of part 3, I for one will be counting down the days for the next instalment to ping onto my Kindle

Kindle

Random Acts of Kindness by Victoria Walters

Welcome to Littlewood, a small town community with a big heart... 
Abbie has fled London and the humiliation of not being able to make rent after being made redundant. Louise, unlucky in love, has thrown herself into her career at the local hospital. And Eszter, who has travelled from Hungary with her daughter Zoe, hopes to fulfill her husband's dying wish... to reunite his family

I am so excited that Victoria Walters is back to bring us another book as I absolutely loved her debut The Second Love of My Life which in my opinion didn’t get the attention it deserved. Now she is back with Random Acts of Kindness which is being released as 4 parts which you all know I am not a fan of purely because of the fact I am greedy and impatient! However I wasn’t going to miss out on the chance to enjoy more of Victoria Walters writing so I was willing to put my greed to one side and download part one ( it helped knowing part two had already been released shh!)

The first part of this series is called Promises and we meet three characters who right from the get go I knew I was going to love. Abbie has just been made redundant, with no job and no money she can no longer afford to stay in London so she makes her way to a little town called Littlewood to stay with her sister Louise. Louise is looking forward to having her sister around for company as she has just found out some news that is breaking her heart all over again.

We then meet Eszter and her sweet little daughter Zoe who has made the journey to England after losing her husband and is now trying to fulfil his last wishes. Things are daunting arriving in a new country with a young girl in tow with no where to live and no job but it soon becomes apparent that this lovely little community will do all they can to help each other out and Eszter has already shown she will fit in after kindly finding Louise’s lost bag and returning it to her.

I could go on talking about the storyline but I don’t want to give too much away with it only being a small part of the storyline. Once again the author has created such a loveable group of character who all have their own personal struggles but she shows that just by trying to help others you can not only make their lives easier you also feel good for being able to help and sometimes that act can be repaid. 

I loved this opening part to this story and I can not wait to start part 2 which I am going to do as soon as I finish this review! I am looking forward to see how the women progress and what they achieve in the next part.

Get in QUICK as Part one is currently FREE on kindle! ( at time of review )

The Second Love of my Life by Victoria Walters

In the Cornish town of Talting, everyone is famous for something. 

Until recently Rose was known for many things: her infectious positivity; her unique artistic talent; and her devotion to childhood sweetheart Lucas.

But two years ago that changed in one unthinkable moment. Now, Rose is known for being the young woman who became a widow aged just twenty-four. Though Rose knows that life must go on, the thought of carving out a new future for herself is one she can barely entertain. Until a newcomer, Robert, arrives in Talting for the summer...

Can Rose allow herself the chance to love again?

I recently read The Summer I Met you by Victoria Walters which is the prequel to The Second Love of my Life, and although I am not typically a fan of short stories I loved that one and I couldn’t wait to meet Emma, John, Rose and Lucas again in the full length novel. I enjoyed the novella so much that I then dived straight into reading The Summer I met you without reading the synopsis so the start of the book was so shocking for me and I felt like Victoria Walters had broken my heart along with Rose’s in two.

Our protagonist is the delightful Rose who I just wanted to wrap up in cotton wool after the world she knows has crumbled down around her when her childhood sweetheart dies at such a young age and now Rose needs to move on with her life but how when the biggest part of her life has gone? Where will her life take her now and will her heart ever heal and find love again?

This was such an endearing read that had me captivated from the first chapter. What I love most about this book is the supportive friendship between Rose and Emma they have such a close relationship and they pull each other through such difficult times but also enjoy the good times together too. Their friendship is so realistic which helps bring these characters to life.

The storyline is sure to break your heart into a million pieces and then slowly put them together again but not without some more heartbreak along the way. The author manages to show the emotions and daily struggles that poor widowed Rose goes through and I was just longing for her to find happiness and get her life on a new path as she was such a loving character who deserves happiness.

With the storyline covering grief I thought it could be a real sad emotional read but the storyline also is full of hope and new beginnings so there is an uplifting feel too.

There were a couple of occasions in the book that had shocking revelations which I really didn’t see coming which only added to the enjoyment of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it reminded me of the early books by Paige Toon and also fans of Giovanna Fletcher will love this book too. Victoria Walters is an author to watch out for this was a praiseworthy debut novel and one of my favourite books of the year so far.

Paperback               Kindle

The wonderful team over at Headline have kindly offered 2 copies of this fabulous book 

for a giveaway which is open to UK residents only. 

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Summer I Met You by Victoria Walters

When Emma leaves her Cornish hometown of Talting for a summer in Devon, the last thing she dreams of is falling in love.

But sometimes the people who affect us the most come along when we least expect it.

As the summer comes to the end, will it herald the start of something that could last for ever?

You will very rarely see reviews for short stories on my blog because I hold my hands up and say I am not really a fan of them for the pure and simple fact that I am Greedy! I love a big storyline to pull me in and not let me go where as I find that short stories leave me feeling like someone has dangled a chocolate bar in my face and only let me lick it! 

I was sent a copy of The Summer I Met you by Victoria Walters along with her full length novel The Second Love of my Life which is due out in April and so because it was a prequel I decided I would give it a try.

I was surprised in only 65 pages the author has managed to introduce us to four engaging characters who I can not wait to meet again. Emma and John seem like very fun loving and spontaneous characters and Rose and Lucas seem like they have a strong relationship and are very protective over their friend Emma and really want to see her happy.  Not only has a holiday relationship quickly blossomed but you can already see a fabulous foursome friendship forming too. 

I can not wait to read The Second Love of my Life now to see how the relationship has progressed and how John is settling into his new life. I am look forward to returning to the Summery setting of Talting and I think The Summer I Met You is a good little teaser that will then leave you desperate to read the novel.

Kindle