A Clean Sweep by Audrey Davis

A Clean Sweep by Audrey Davis

Published: June 2017

Pages: 314

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5 

Blurb

A CLEAN SWEEP is a laugh-out-loud tale of love, lies and second chances.
Love comes around when you least expect it. Fifty-something widow Emily isn't expecting romance. Nor is she expecting a hunky twenty-something chimney sweep on her doorstep.
Daughter Tabitha knows something isn't quite right with her relationship, while her boss – Abba-loving Meryl – thinks she's found the real deal. Are they both right, or pursuing Mr Wrong?
Emily's sister, Celeste, has the perfect marriage … or does she? Can a fitness tracker lead her down the path to happiness or heartbreak?
Susan is single, overweight and resigned to a life of loneliness. There was the one who got away but you don't get another try, do you?
Prepare for a rollercoaster ride of emotions in a book that will grab your heart, make you smile and wish you had a chimney to sweep.

Review

A Clean Sweep is a heart warming tale centred around the relationships of five women. Emily the main character is a fifty-something widow who on the outside appears to be fine on her own after the death of husband Jim, but deep down she’s looks for something to put the sparkle back in her life. Along comes Joe a thirty-something hunk who comes to sweep her chimney (yes really) and the pair just seem it to hit off. But can they actually have a relationship?

Emily’s daughter Tabitha is staring to find fault with her long-term relationship with boyfriend Tom, can they put the magic back in their relationship or is it time to call it done. Tabitha’s boss Meryl is still searching for her hero, but has she finally found someone who’s perfect for her in tall dark and handsome Miroslaw? Susan is an over weight and lonely woman who is approaching 50, she still dreams about the love she once had with Jonathon. When theirs paths cross again is it second time lucky for this pair? Emily’s sister Celeste believes she has the perfect marriage to Michael, but when a fitness tracker leads her to a hasty conclusion can she fight to get her perfect marriage back on track.

All of these women are very ordinary and experience highs and lows in their lives which many of us can relate to. This along with Audrey Davis’ fabulous comedy writing this made for an addictive and very enjoyable read. I laughed all the way through this book and can highly recommend it if your looking for something which will leave you with a smile on your face.

Everything ties up well at the end, which was good but left me a little sad as I’d love a sequel with these characters as they’d begun to feel like friends.

Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy to review honestly, which is what I have done.

About the Author

Audrey Davis survived secondary school on the West coast of Scotland. Rubbish at science but not too bad at English, she originally wanted to be an actress but was persuaded that journalism was a safer option. Probably wise. She studied at Napier College in Edinburgh, the only place in Scotland at that time to offer a journalism course.

Her first foray into the hard-nosed newspaper world was as a junior reporter in Dumfriesshire. Duties included interviewing farmers about the prize-winning heifers to reporting on family tragedies. She persuaded her editor to let her launch an entertainment column which meant meeting the odd celebrity – or just the downright odd. From there, she moved to the loftier rank of senior reporter back in her home patch. Slightly more money, less farm animals but a higher crime rate. As Taggart would say: 'There's been a murrrrder!'

After a stint in London on a video magazine – yes, she is that old – Audrey moved to Singapore with her fiancé. She tried valiantly to embrace the stinking heat, humidity and lack of jobs, although she did work briefly on a magazine which was banned by the government for 'artistic' use of naked men's bottoms.

Next on her adventures was a land Down Under where her main focus was raising Cost Centre One (aka firstborn) and coming to terms with the imminent arrival of Number Two. Still, she loved the Aussie way of life – BBQs, beaches and bring your own booze to restaurants – so it came as a blow when OH announced a move back to the UK. Not a job between them, the climate a possible deal breaker and an Exorcist-style vomiting infant on the flight home didn't bode well …

Always a survivor, Audrey sought out similar-minded friends (i.e. slightly bonkers), got the children into a good school and thought about taking up writing again. Sadly, thinking about it was as far as she got, unless you count shopping lists. Then, hubby drops another bombshell. Switzerland. As in – it's packing time again. Off to the land of cheese, chocolate, scarily efficient trains and a couple of teeny, tiny issues. Like driving on the 'wrong' side of the road and speaking a foreign language (French). The former was conquered fairly quickly (we'll skip over the wall demolition in week two), the latter remains an ongoing battle of the hopeful against the hopeless. At least she provides amusement for the local workforce.

It wasn't until 2016 that Audrey rediscovered her writing mojo with an online Writing Fiction course. From there, her first novel – A Clean Sweep – was born, although it took a bit longer than nine months from conception. A short, darker prequel – A Clean Break – followed, and in November 2017 she published the first in a novella trilogy, The Haunting of Hattie Hastings Part One. Part Two is published on 21 March 2018, with the conclusion following in May/June. After which she might have a wee lie down …

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