Blog Tour Review: Miss Mary's Daughter by Diney Costeloe

Miss Mary's Daughter by Diney Costeloe

Published: 15th February 2018

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Pages: 416

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

After her mother's death, twenty-year-old Sophie Ross is left orphaned in London. With no money and little chance of an income, she tries to get work as a governess to avoid destitution. Now alone in the world, she only has the company of her erstwhile nursemaid and faithful friend, Hannah.

But unbeknown to Sophie, her mother instructed Hannah to post a letter to Trescadinnick House in Cornwall upon her death. The letter will be the catalyst that changes Sophie's life forever as she learns of her mother's romance, marriage and then ultimate rejection by her own father and the estranged family she left behind in Cornwall.

The Penvarrow family welcome Sophie and Hannah into their fold, but tensions rise and family secrets are revealed as Sophie attempts to rebuild her life and find happiness.

Review

Diney Costello’s latest historical saga Miss Mary’s daughter is set in the 1880s predominantly on the rugged Cornish coast and features the Sophie Ross who has been reunited with her estranged family the Penvarrow’s of Trescadinnick.

Twenty-year-old Sophie Ross has just lost her mother and apart from her housekeeper Hannah is totally alone in the world. Until the unexpected arrival of her Aunt Matty, her late mother’s twin sister. Sophie’s mother Mary had been cast from the family years ago when she went against her father’s wishes and ran off to marry John Ross. On her deathbed Mary writes to her estranged family begging them to help Sophie and bring her into the family she’s never known. Summoned by her grandfather Thomas Penvarrow who has been left with no legitimate heir to the Trescadinnick estate, Sophie makes her way to Cornwall to meet her new family.

Sophie’s arrival is met with mixed reactions. Her Aunt Louisa is distant as she was hoping her step-son Charles would be the heir to Trescadinnick, but his daughter AliceAnne is happy to have somebody take a little more notice of her. It’s not just family members that are impacted by Sophie’s arrival, local Doctor Nicholas Bryan is instantly taken with the newcomer to the village. As Sophie settles in she begins to uncover a family secret which could change everything.

I loved this book and was instantly drawn into the story of Sophie and her new family and it got even better when there was the added mystery of the locked room.  It did slow down in pace during the middle of the story but I think that’s needed in a story when there are so many characters and their histories to discover. It did pick up pace towards the last third of the book and ended with quite a dramatic twist. I found it a joy to read all the way though and like other novels I’ve read by Diney Costello I was sad when it finally came to an end.

Sophie as a character changed quite a lot throughout this novel and it was great to go on that journey with her. At the start she’s petulant and its obvious she’s been the adored only child of her parents. Learning to take charge of her own life comes as a shock to her but by the end of the novel she’s grown enough to stand up to the men around her and not be pushed into things.

One of my other favourite characters was little AliceAnne, she doesn’t say much throughout the book but its obvious she’s a smart kid and a very good judge of character and her enthausiam for life and learning never failed to make me smile. All the other characters are well written and give a good mix of personalities to the story making it feel more real.

I loved everything about this novel it’s an intriguing plot with a well-rounded group of characters and a beautifully written setting which really did feel like 1880s Cornwall would have been. This is the perfect novel for anyone who likes Lyndsey Hutchinson, Rosie Clarke or Nadine Dorries.

Thank you so much to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy to review and inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

Blog Tour Review: The Inaugural Metting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Green

The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Grren

Published: 1st March 2018

Publisher: Sphere

Pages: 432

Available on Kindle

Pre-Order now from Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Blurb

In 1978 in Australia's Northern Territory, life is hard and people are isolated. Telephones are not yet a common fixture. But five women find a way to connect.

Sybil, the matriarch of Fairvale Station, misses her eldest son and is looking for a distraction, while Kate, Sybil's daughter-in-law, is thousands of miles away from home and finding it difficult to adjust to life at Fairvale.

Sallyanne, mother of three, dreams of a life far removed from the dusty town where she lives with her difficult husband.

Rita, Sybil's oldest friend, is living far away in Alice Springs and working for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

And Della, who left Texas for Australia looking for adventure and work on the land, needs some purpose in her life.

Sybil comes up with a way to give them all companionship: they all love to read, and she starts a book club. As these five women bond over their love of books, they form friendships that will last a lifetime.

Review

The idea of the “book club” was what drew me to The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club as I love reading books about people reading books, so I was a little disappointed that the book club theme was only a very small part of this book. What I did find on reading it though was a very enjoyable read about five women who are initially brought together through their love of books but become much closer.

This book is set between 1978 and 1981 on the Fairvale cattle station in the northern Territories of Australia. This is a place which is in the remote outback where the nearest town is over an hour away and the whole way of life is split into two seasons. Governed by the two seasons of wet and dry, life on Fairvale is isolated and hard and this is the main reason Sybil decides to start o book club.

Sybil is married to Joe and is the one who makes sure everything runs smoothly on the station. Grieving for eldest son Lachie who has left Fairvale and doesn’t want to be found, Sybil decides she needs a distraction and daughter-in-law Kate needs some new friends.

Kate, recently married to Sybil’s younger son Ben is finding life at Fairvale hard and very different from her life in England. She feels disconnected from her new life and is longing for a baby to make her feel part of the family and give her purpose.

Sallyanne, married to Mick and a mother of three longs to escape her everyday life and longs for a life like the romance novels she adores.

Della has recently left Texas and is looking for an adventure, she finds work at Ghost River a neighbouring cattle station, but is drawn to Fairvale and its head stockman Stan.

Rita is Sybil’s oldest friend and has joined the Flying Doctor team in Alice Springs, here she finds something she’s been searching for her whole life.

These five women may have all met anyway despite the book club, especially as two are related and one is Sybil’s life-long friend but through the book club they become even closer and form a close bond which despite the miles between them keeps them together. I found this book to be more about the relationship the women had with each other than the books they were reading. Each woman has to face a kind of heartache in this novel and this has been written about so tenderly and with real compassion from the author.

I found this a beautifully written novel, one which explores friendships, love, death and racism and family loyalty in a sensitive and intriguing way. It’s not a big punchy book but its one which will leave you thankful for the people who’ve been by your side through the rough stuff and one which will make you appreciate the little things in life.

Thank you so much to Sphere for sending me a copy to review honestly and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

Blog Tour Review: Last of the Summer Moet by Wendy Holden

Last of the Summer Moet by Wendy Holden

Published: 1st February 2018

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Pages: 400

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Top reporter Laura Lake has struck journalistic gold.

She's discovered a super-exclusive English village where the rich and famous own weekend retreats. Where film stars, Turner-prize winners and Cabinet ministers park their helicopters outside the gastropub and buy £100 sourdough loaves from the deli.

Outsiders are strictly forbidden. But luckily Laura's best friend Lulu, a logo-obsessed socialite with a heart as huge as her sunglasses, suddenly fancies a quiet life in the country. The door to this enchanted rural idyll opens for Laura. Revealing a great professional opportunity.

Can Laura write an expose before the snobbish villagers suss her true identity? And before the world's poshest pub quiz triggers a political scandal not seen since Profumo?

Review

With Last of the Summer Moet Wendy Holden is back with her second novel in the Laura Lake series. This time Laura is after the story that will cement her position as editor for Society magazine. She’s heard rumours of a super secret village hiding some of the countries rich and famous. Through her connections with celebrity billionaire heiress Lulu, who just so happens to want a country home, Laura gains access to the exclusive village of Great Hording and sets about investigating. Before Laura has chance to write her expose on the village her arch enemy Clemency Makepeace returns to well…. disturb the peace.

As the second book in this series it follows on well from where the first book ended and I love that so many of my favourite characters from the first Laura Lake book have returned such as Lulu, Casper and Clemency. I’m particularly glad Lulu is back, I love Lulu and her quirky dialogue which can often be misinterpreted. Leading to some interesting conversations.

Along with getting her great story Laura is also having trouble in her love life as both previous lovers Harry and Casper are vying for her attention, she’s not entirely sure of the sincerity of either though, as both quite literally disappear from her bed as soon as they’re in it.

The plot of this book does border on the ridiculous, especially the ending but I think this is the kind of book where you just must not take it too seriously and enjoy it for what it is fun. I find Wendy Holden’s writing incredible funny, so I love her far-fetched storylines and the over-exaggerated characters, the wackier the better in my opinion.

I love that Wendy Holden has not given all the answers surrounding the mystery of Laura’s father Peter Lake, which fingers crossed means there is a third book in the pipeline, no doubt with an even crazier storyline.

I think Wendy Holden fans like me are sure to adore this latest edition to her growing collection of light-hearted, quirky and full of fun novels.

Thank you so much to the publishers Head of Zeus for sending me a copy to review honestly and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

Blog Tour Review: Accidentally in Love by Anna Premoli

Accidentally in Love by Anna Premoli

Published: February 1st 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 412

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5 

Blurb
Sara Di Giovanni is a successful lawyer in New York City: she is the star of her profession, an excellent role model to her very vivacious little sister, but has so far been unlucky in love. . . Ethan Phelps is the rich playboy trouble-maker whose only talent in life is spending money and dating women. . . That is until Ethan's father dies with no will to his name, leaving his two sons the legal heirs to his billion-dollar company. Sara is forced to become the court-appointed guardian to handle Ethan's share of the fortune, as his family do not trust him to manage it himself. Sara thinks it should be easy, but it's not so simple when Ethan is determined to get rid of her by whatever means necessary. . . What ensues is a dramatic and hilarious power-play between Sara and Ethan. . . but what will happen when feelings start to get in the way?

Review

Accidentally in Love by Anna Premoli features two very different forced together by law. Sara Di Giovanni is a very successful lawyer in the field of patents, so she can’t understand why Judge Richter has appointed her the new court guardian of Ethan Phelps. Ethan is rich, handsome and goes through money faster than Sara goes through olive oil. He owns a 15% share of his deceased father’s business and his uncle and brother have appointed a court guardian to try and curve his spending habits and stop him fluttering away his share of the business. Being renowned as meticulous and ruthless in her pursuit for justice in the courtroom has landed Sara the job.

These two are clearly chalk and cheese but both are determined to be successful in how this new partnership turns out. Sara is no pushover and despite Ethan trying many underhand tactics to get her to quit so he can regain control of his money, she doesn’t, in fact she becomes even more determined to change Ethan for the better.

As these two spend more time together the sparks fly and not always in a good way but eventually they begin to bond, initially over a mutual hatred of a spider and its not long before their relationship turns into something not strictly professional.

I loved reading about these two so much, they seem such an unlikely pair that somehow you just know they should be together. Sara is an absolute control freak and needs to have a plan and budget for everything she does. She finds in incredibly hard to relax and just be, so much so she hates weekends when she can’t work. Ethan is the exact opposite, for him life is one big party and he’s happy to foot the bill. Living from one day to the next he has no plan, no direction and no sense of purpose, until Sara shows up. Together them seemed to make each other better and more mellowed out versions of their selves and I loved reading how they changed throughout the book.

This is a great read full of fun moments, heated arguments and the odd sparkle of romance. It’s one of those books that will just put a smile on your face while you and that you can’t help but enjoy.

Thank you so much to Aria for sending me a copy to review honestly and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

Publication Day Review: Marrying Mr Valentine by Laura Barnard

Marrying Mr Valentine by Laura Barnard

Published: 22nd February 2018

Pages: 199

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Blurb

Nadine Roberts smiles for everyone, but beneath it she hides a heart-breaking past that only a few know about. Throwing herself into her new career; wedding planner at The Duck & Goose, a property recently purchased by newlyweds Florence and Hugh, has helped distract her from her loneliness.

When a teary bride suddenly cancels her upcoming wedding Nadine looks to the two year waiting list. Clara Blumenkrantz and Hartley Valentine. It’ll have to be a quick turnaround, but what’s the worst that can happen, right?

This should be like every other wedding she plans, but the magnetism she feels towards Mr Valentine disrupts the orderly life she’s worked hard to carve out. 

Can she ignore her intense desires and be a professional? Or will she open up her heart to the one person that has the power to break it? And in doing so endanger not just her job, but her venue’s reputation?

Review

Nadine Roberts has worked tirelessly over the last year to put The Duck and Goose on the map as the place to get married for her best friends Hugh and Flo, winning the pub the converted award as one of the Best Wedding venues of 2017. Working hard to make every couples wedding perfect has been helping Nadine mask her own heartbreak, until now. Her latest couple to get ready to walk down the aisle are Hugh’s cousin Clara Blumenkrantz and Hartley Valentine.  Clara can only be described as a “bitch” and Hartley, well Hartley makes Nadine’s heart sing like it hasn’t done in a long time. Can Nadine manage to keep her feelings to herself and get Clara and Hartley to Mr & Mrs?

This is a book which is jam packed full of fun, as a lover of all things wedding I secretly love reading about them when things go a bit wrong. For the first time in her career as a wedding planner Nadine is having problems, mostly caused by being around Hartley.  From being locked in broom cupboard, to badly stained outfits and gravy incidents the sparks seem to fly when these two get together which made for very funny reading. This is one of those books you just have to keep reading just to find out what other scrapes Nadine can get herself into. There is also a more serious side to this book also with teenager Anna, which I think makes this a perfectly balanced read.

Marrying Mr Valentine may be a short read with a predictable outcome, but I loved the journey Nadine goes on to get there. Laura Barnard’s writing is full of light-hearted fun making this the perfect read to put a smile on your face.

Giveaway

Head on over to Laura's Facebook page (details below) to enter her release day giveaway to be in with a chance of winning a £10 Amazon Gift Card!

Stalk Laura

Website - http://www.laurabarnardbooks.co.uk/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laurabarnardbooks

Twitter – https://twitter.com/BarnardLaura

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/laurabarnardauthor/

Pinterest – https://uk.pinterest.com/barnardlaura/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3490836.Laura_Barnard

Blog Tour Review: Villa of Secrets by Patricia Wilson

Villa of Secrets by Patricia Wilson

Published: 22nd February 2018

Publisher: Zaffre

Pages: 377

Available on Kindle

Pre-Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Rebecca Neumanner's marriage is on the brink of collapse, as her desire to be a mother becomes an obsession. Then she receives news from her estranged family in Rhodes.

Called back to the beautiful Greek island of her birth, she realises how little she knows of the grandmother she has eluded for over a decade. Bubba has never spoken of the Nazi occupation during her youth, but there have always been whispers. What desperate measures did she take that terrible day in 1944 when her family was ripped apart? Can the rumour she had blood on her own hands really be true? But Bubba intends to take her secrets to the grave.

However, as Rebecca arrives on Rhodes, bringing the promise of new life, this broken family must come together. The time has come to tell the truth about the darkest of days . . .   

Review

Villa of Secrets is the second novel by Patricia Wilson and was a book which had a lot to live up to as her first novel Island of Secrets was one of my favourite novels of last year. Not to worry though I think Villa of Secrets is even better.

Sisters Naomi and Rebecca have been estranged for ten years after Rebecca chose her husband over her family.  Both sisters are feeling lonely in their own ways, Rebecca is starting her forth round of IVF and is feeling further and further away from husband Fritz as the longing for a baby overtakes her. Naomi is suffering empty nest syndrome with both her grown boys away at university and husband Costa working on a cruise ship, the strain od Bubba’s stroke is also taking its toll on her. Now the sisters must come together once more as their grandmother has decided its time to share her. Can this family put the horrors of the past behind them and finally come together for the future?

The narrative of this story is split between the present day reuniting of Naomi and Rebecca and through Bubba’s diaries of the past. For me its though these diaries that the story really comes alive and where Patricia Wilson’s writing is at its best. The diaries are from when Bubba or Pandora as she was named, and her family were made to leave the island of Rhodes during WWII being that they were a Jewish family. The tell of how Pandora being small managed to escape being taken away by the Nazi’s on the evacuation ship to the concentration camps. They gradually unravel how Pandora showed great courage at just sixteen and joined the resistance and helped to try and sabotage the war for the Germans.

I found these diaries incredibly powerful in their storytelling, every emotion and every detail has been written about so precisely it’s as if you are there reliving the whole events. It’s through these diaries that we learn just how courageous Pandora was, risking her life to try and bring freedom to the island and they kind of left me in awe of how inspiring and determined she was. I’m ashamed to say that when I’ve thought about WWII, the Greek isles and Rhodes particularly have never really crossed my mind. Rhodes has always just been that happy relaxed holiday destination that we all think of. Villa of Secrets has altered that view dramatically and shown that the effects of the War affected all of Europe and not just the bigger countries like Poland, Germany and France.

The present-day side of the story shows us both Rebecca and Naomi have also inherited the Cohen determination and ability to fight for what they believe in. This comes across more with Rebecca as she left her family to be with the man she loves and has been determined to be a mother despite having many setbacks getting pregnant.  I also think Naomi shows courage and determination, in a smaller dose granted but she’s single-handedly nursed Bubba back to health after her stroke and has had to help to raise Rebecca also after losing her parents at ten years old.

I think Villa of Secrets is a great novel which has been thoroughly researched and very well written. Patricia Wilson has written about this sensitive time in history with great empathy and has developed a strong and courageous heroine in Pandora Cohen. This novel is about family loyalty, love, religion and fighting for what you a believe in. It’s a novel full of emotions which will make your heartache in places but its also a novel which shows there’s nothing stronger than love.

Thank you so much Bonnier Zaffre for sending me a copy to review which I have done honestly and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

Blog Tour Review: Best Friends by Carys Jones

Best Friends by Carys Jones

Published: 1st February 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 330

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 3/5

Blurb

Four friends, a terrible secret, and one week to stay alive. . . Grace doesn't have a family. That was taken away one dreadful day when she was just six, and her twin brother Peter was killed. Instead she has her best friends and flatmates – Jasper, Franklin and Aaron – and nothing can tear them apart. Living in London, and trying desperately to make a living, the four friends are rapidly running out of money and hope. So, when they find a discarded suitcase in a skip, they can't believe their eyes when its contents seem to answer all their prayers. But then a there is a knock on their door, and a very disgruntled thug with revenge on his mind, gives them one week to return his belongings, or they will pay with their lives. Soon the fractures in their friendships begin to show, and when one of them ends up fighting for his life, the stakes are raised even higher. Will any of them get to the end of the week alive, or will the best of friends become the deadliest of enemies. . .

Review
Best Friends is the first novel by Carys Jones that I have read and is a novel which I found gripping in places with a sinister undertone throughout. Best friends Grace, Franklin, Aaron and Jasper all share a two bedroom flat in London while they struggle to makes their dreams of fame and fortune a reality. It’s almost rent day and with no fixed employment between them the friends have once again struggled to find the rent money. After yet another day of let downs and setbacks the friends decide to head out and drown their sorrows with a drink or two. Many drinks later the foursome head home facing possible eviction from their flat. Franklin in his drunken state decides to have a rummage in skip they pass by, what they find in the skip changes their lives but not quite in the way they first expect. They’ve found a case with £20,000 and all their prayers seem answered. Until the owner of the case wants it and its contents back. Having spent all the money the friends have just seven days to pay back what they owe, or they will pay with their lives. What follows is an intense week where these four friends are tested to their limits.

Each of the friends are longing to pursue their dreams of fame through various creative outlets. Aaron is a guitarist in a small band struggling to hit the big time, Franklin longs to be an actor and Jasper is in the middle of writing a novel while working as a freelance writer and Grace, a classical trainer dancer longs to find that special dance company where she can finally feel she belongs. As the week progresses they each question if they really can make it to stardom or whether to give up and get a regular job. I liked that there are hints of romance between Grace and Aaron which has gone wrong but I would have liked more details of how their relationship fell apart.

I wanted to love this novel as I thought the premise was unique but sadly it left me a little disappointed. It started out well and I was gripped with how the friends reacted to finding the money and then their struggles as they tried to pay it back. I found myself racing to the end to find out what would happen but sadly the ending felt very anti-climactic and that ruined the story for me, after so much build up I was expecting a little more. I also found it strange how Grace’s past is mentioned throughout the book as I didn’t feel this fit with the rest of the story. It also seemed odd that the four friends just seem to take the stranger demanding the money at face value and didn’t seem to question who he was, where he came from and if the money was actually his.

Best Friends is an interesting read which centres around the concept of every action has a reaction and it might not be the one you’re hoping for. It’s a novel which takes a good look at friendship bonds and examining just how far they can be pushed.  Although not my favourite book it was still an enjoyable read and one which may appeal to those who want something a little different.

Thank you so much to Aria for sending me a copy to review honestly and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

Blog Tour Review: Scandal by Sasha Morgan

Scandal by Sasha Morgan

Published: 1st February 2018

Publisher: Aria 

Pages: 418

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

As the new custodian of the ancestral home, Treweham Hall, Tobias Cavendish-Blake soon discovers exactly what he's inherited. Instant financial action is needed if the Hall is to survive the mounting debts it's racking up. Adding insult to injury the family is forced to sell the Gate House on the estate to lottery winners Gary and Tracy Belcher – not the kind of neighbours Tobias was hoping for. Megan Taylor inherits her grandmother's country cottage in the village of Treweham and decides to make a fresh start there, taking a job at the local country pub. When Megan meets Tobias, the attraction is clear, but she is determined to resist his charms, put off by his reputation and that of his best friends – the rakish Seamus Fox, son of a millionaire race horse trainer and dastardly jockey Dylan Delany. But Tobias is a hard man to resist. . .

Review

Scandal by Sasha Morgan is a book full of secrets, lies, romance and sex and is the perfect guilty pleasure read. In the quiet Cotswold village of Treweham a whole array of scandal is unfolding, involving more or less the whole village.

Tobias Cavendish-Blake has just taken over the role of Lord Treweham Hall the passing of his father. He may have inherited a beautiful house, but he’s also inherited a load of stress as the upkeep for the hall is too high and with the debts his father has left the family are struggling. He needs to reign in his mothers spending and provide a much-needed income quickly.

One of Tobias’ money-making schemes involves renovating and selling off part of the estate, the Old Gatehouse. This is something he finds particularly hard, especially when he sees what the lottery winning buyers Gary and Sharon do to the place.

Newcomer Megan has inherited her grand-mother’s quaint little cottage in the village, a place she sees as a sanctuary after her recent break-up with cheating ex-boyfriend Adam. It’s not long before Megan has fully integrated herself into village life, taking a job in the local pub, becoming firm friends with local girl Finnula and catching the eye of the new Lord.

Village Casanova Dylan Delaney may finally have met his match with stable-hand Flora, will she be the one to finally settle the famous jockey.

These among other great characters make a great story with numerous plotlines which all interweave and work beautifully together to create an engaging and thrilling read. I love Sasha Morgan’s writing and think this story could be made into a series as I’d love to read more about these characters.

I also loved the way the idyllic scenery of the Cotswolds and grandeur of Treweham Hall have been captured in the writing. I’ve been to this part of the country and reading Scandal has made me long for another visit to the quaint chocolate-box villages of this part of the country.

Full of sexy liaisons, family secrets and horsey shenanigans Scandal is the perfect escapist read ideal for fans of Jilly Cooper, Tilly Bagshaw and Fiona Walker. I loved everything about this novel and am keeping my fingers crossed for more form Sasha Morgan very soon.

Thank you to Aria for sending me a copy to review honestly and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

Blog Tour Review: The French Adventure by Lucy Coleman

The French Adventure by Lucy Coleman

Published: 1st February 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 292

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Suddenly unemployed and single, Anna escapes to her parents' beautiful house in France for a much needed recharge – and to work out what she wants to do next with her life now her carefully mapped out plan has gone out the window.

Anna gives herself 6 months to recuperate, all the while helping renovate her parents' adjoining gites into picturesque B&Bs. But working alongside the ruggedly handsome Sam on the renovation project, she didn't expect for life to take an unexpected, if not unwelcome, twist...

Review

When Anna witnesses her boyfriend of over a year Karl deny all existence of their relationship to get himself a promotion, Anna does the only self-respecting thing she can do and walks out of her job and out of a life with Karl. After renting out her house Anna sets off to spend six months in France to help her parents renovate their farmhouse B&B in the countryside, but also to figure out what to do with the rest of her life.

Anna is soon enchanted by life in France, the slower pace and beautiful countryside make her relax and enjoy the little things in life. It also helps that she’s working alongside sexy handyman Sam whose passion for his work hides his deeply tormented past. A past Anna longs to know more about, but Sam’s a very private person and doesn’t initially let Anna in, but slowly the two begin to form a solid friendship. A mystery surrounding the history of the B&B brings Anna and Sam even closer and soon Anna begins to realise that maybe her heart belongs in France not just for the summer.

The French Adventure is a beautifully written story about love, planning, and not letting the past control your future. Anna is a great character, she’s caring, and she’s not afraid to get stuck in and try something new and put her twist on it – rendering with a plastic knife and gloves for example. Anna needs to have a plan and needs to know the next step, that’s probably why working on the farmhouse suits her so much, this is the total opposite to Sam though. Sam prefers to live completely in the moments blocking out all traces of the past and not even planning for tomorrow, which drives Anna nuts but as they say opposites attract right?

I loved the way this book is written; the characters are well developed the plot is interesting, but I think my favourite part was the vivid images that were conjured up through Lucy Coleman’s writing. I would just have loved to have seen the beautiful field of sunflowers bobbing their heads at sunset and feel very jealous of Anna that she got to see this. The French Adventure is a beautiful romantic tale from start to finish and I loved every page.

Thank you so much to Aria for inviting me on this blog tour and sending me a copy of The French Adventure to review honestly.