Blog Tour Review: Prosecco and Promises by A.L. Michael

Prosecco and Promises (Martini Club #2) by A.L. Michael 

Published: 12th February 2018

Publisher: Canelo

Pages: 202

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

A feel-good story of self-discovery and love in the face of grief, join Mia in the beautiful Italian island of Ischia. Perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Lindsey Kelk and Lucy Vine.

Since her mother died when Mia was a child, her dad has been her best friend and her idol. Now, the cancer he survived years before is back, and this time there’s no fighting it. To make matters worse her dad’s last request is for Mia to leave him and visit her mother’s family on the Italian island of Ischia so she doesn’t have to be there at the end.
Arriving at the sun-soaked island, Mia is embraced by the warm, crazy family she doesn’t know. While she waits for the phone to ring with the dreaded news, Mia desperately looks for a connection to the mother she never knew. Stumbling upon an antique shop run by the charming Antonio and his grouchy but handsome grandson Salvatore, she throws herself into helping with the shop restoration. As Mia and Salvatore’s bickering soon turns to chemistry, will she risk having her heart broken when she knows what’s waiting for her at home?

Review

Prosecco and Promises is the second novel in A.L Michael’s Martini Club series. I haven’t read the first book in this series Cocktails and Dreams yet but as I enjoyed Prosecco and Promises so much I intend to go back and read it very soon. Don’t worry if you haven’t read Cocktails and Dreams either as Prosecco and Promises focuses on another of the club’s regulars Mia and works perfectly well as a standalone novel.

Mia’s heart is on the verge of breaking. She’s losing her dad and instead of staying by his side until the end, he has sent her away to the island of Ischia near Naples to learn more about her mother’s family. Being among relatives is strange to Mia at first as its been just her and her dad for so long but and she resents being pushed away during his last few days. It’s not long before Mia starts to unwind and finds that being around people who care about her is something she could get used to. Her stay on the island is also helped by the handsome but arrogant Salvatore who Mia just can’t seem to stay away from.

I have always loved A.L. Michael’s ability to create sassy strong female characters and I think Mia is my favourite to date. She’s had a lot of hurt in her life which makes her blunt and a little closed off. She isn’t easily swayed by looks or meaningless gestures as Salvatore finds out, unlike the rest of the women on the island Mia doesn’t instantly fall at his feet, she stands her ground and is true to herself. I loved seeing her passion for history shine throughout the novel, especially on her trip to Naples with her endless questions to the tour guides. I’m glad she was brave enough after her fathers passing to embrace her dreams fully.

This is a wonderful book with some surprising twists throughout which added more depth to this gentle romance. It’s a book full characters which you can’t help but adore, some being very stereotypically Italian, but I loved them all. Enzo however was my favourite, I loved reading about all his over the top romantic gestures and had my fingers crossed he’d finally get his girl. It’s a book about family, passion and heartbreak. If you can read this and not be on the verge of tears at least once I’ll be impressed.  I feel the heart-breaking moments are perfectly balanced though with romance and laughter making this a perfect read.

I’m off to read Cocktails and Dreams now and learn more about Savvy, Mia’s best friend and keeping my fingers crossed that my guess for the next character to have their story told is correct. Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with this copy to review and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour, I loved everything about Prosecco and Promises.

Goodbye Ruby Tuesday by A.L. Michael

Goodbye Ruby Tuesday by A. L. Michael

Published: 29th April 2016

Publisher: Carina UK

Pages: 243

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Four friends have become three.

But that’s only the beginning. Ruby, Evie, Mollie and Chelsea were the bad girls at school. But Ruby was the baddest. Evie fought her anger, Mollie fought her mother and Chelsea…well, Chelsea just fought. But Ruby set her sights on a bigger stage. And together, they dreamed of a future where Ruby could sing, Evie could make art, Mollie could bake, Chelsea could dance – and all of them could finally feel at home.

A decade later, the girls are reunited for the funeral of Ruby, who took the world – and the charts – by storm, before fading too soon. And Evie doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry when she learns that Ruby has left them a house on Camden Square – the perfect place for them to fulfil their dreams. But does she dare take the plunge, and risk it all for one last shot at the stars?

Review

Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday is the first book in A. L. Michael’s new series The House on Camden Square. The story starts as friends Evie, Mollie and Chelsea meet up at their old friend Ruby’s funeral. The funeral has brought them all back together in  their home town of Badgeley where they all grew up on the estates at the wrong side of town and were never expected to amount to much. While reminiscing about their teenage dreams of escaping the small town and making it big in the arts they are given a letter from Ruby’s one-time foster mum who said Ruby had left it for them.

On opening the letter the girls discover that Ruby has left them the last few months lease on her rented building in Camden and in the letter she urges them to take a chance and go after their creative dreams by opening a gallery and workshop for the creative arts which can be accessible to anyone.

Each of the girls have different reactions to this. Evie is very excited as she longs to get away from her mother and conman father who keeps drifting in and out of their lives whenever he wants money. She’s the most creative of the group and has a way of making things happen so sees this as an amazing opportunity. Mollie is more reluctant as she has ten-year old daughter Esme to think of, but a chance to get away from alcoholic mother is one she has to take. Chelsea doesn’t seem to like the idea at all, but then she’s managed to get away and make a new life in London and doesn’t seem to want her old friends to be part of it.

When Evie finally convinces her friends to make a new start they’re in for a few months filled with hard-work, fun and laughter and even a little romance. Can they finally make their dreams come true?

I loved everything about this book, it’s the perfect easy going read and had me feeling nostalgic for my own old school friends and our teenage dreams. Evie, Mollie and Chelsea are all wonderful characters who seem to work well together and make each other stronger. My favourite character though had to be Esme, Mollie’s young daughter. She was the perfect cheeky ten-year old, wanting to have fun but also having moments of being incredibly sensible and grown-up, which made for some brilliant conversations with her mother and Evie.

I love the way flashbacks to their teenage years have been included as this explains what happened to Ruby and how she influenced their teenage lives and how each of the girls ended up where they did before Ruby’s funeral.

I also loved the romance that developed in the story. I thought it was very well written as it had all the makings of a real relationship, including romance, sex, arguments, misunderstandings and those clumsy moments you have in a new relationship.

Goodbye Ruby, Tuesday was a great read and has me very eager to continue with the story in the next book as I’m longing to find out what happens next for Evie, Chelsea and Mollie. It’s book full of fun with some emotional parts which are just deep enough not to make the story too heavy. It’s a book I think anyone who remembers their teenage dreams should go and read.

Release Day Round-Up #9

This week's picks are a mixture of Christmas and the everyday, I've only got four picks this weeks as next weeks list is super long, may actually bankrupt me! So here are my favourites for this week:
 

 

Driving Home For Christmas by A L Michael

Released: 28th October 2014

Publisher: Carina UK

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

 

Megan McAllister is home for Christmas…whether she likes it or not!

Christmas is about family…and for Megan family means two people: herself, and her daughter Skye. It doesn’t mean her parents who, ten years ago, saw her pregnancy as anything but a miracle. And it definitely doesn’t include her irresistible ex-boyfriend Lucas Bright.

So ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ has never been top of Megan’s festive playlist. But for Skye, she knows she needs to spend the holiday season with the people she’s left behind. She can do this. Even if the thought of meeting Lucas under the mistletoe still has her feeling like she’s drunk one-too-many Snowballs!

But somewhere between the hanging of stockings and the crackle of wrapping paper, Christmas starts to sparkle. And Megan begins to wonder if family could be bigger than her and Skye after all…

 

I have already read and reviewed this book and its definitely a great Christmassy read, for all my thoughts, check out my review here. 

 

 

Difficult Husbands by Mary de Laszlo

Released: 31st October 2014

Publisher: Bookouture

Available on Kindle and in Paperback

Order now from Amazon

 

Difficult Husbands - In sickness and in health, for better but definitely not for worse…

Newly divorced Lorna is struggling to adjust to life on her own. When she discovers that her beloved godfather has left her the grand (and crumbling) Ravenscourt House in the heart of Sussex, she soon has a project on her hands.

Nathan sells delicious goodies at Mulberry Farm. When he meets Lorna at a Christmas market, neither of them can ignore the chemistry. But as they get to know one another, Lorna wants to know one thing – is he after her or the house?

Together with Gloria – whose marriage to alcoholic Adrian has hit rock bottom, and Rosalind – struggling to deal with her womanising husband Ivan, the three friends hatch a plan. They’ll ditch their difficult husbands at Ravenscourt House and enjoy stress-free Christmases with their families. But nothing is ever that simple…

Mary de Laszlo has had four novels published by Headline and has since had many others published by Hale. She lives in London and is an active member of the RNA. She was a fashion journalist with Vogue and now works as an occasional film extra when not writing.

 

The premise for this sounds really good, anything with grand country houses ticks a box for me. Hoping to read this today and hopefully have a review up tomorrow or Saturday, so pop back if you'd like to know what I thought.

 

 

 

The Chateau by Karen Aldous

Released: 30th October 2014

Publisher: Carina UK

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

 

Can young hearts ease a restless spirit?
On the shores of stunning Lake Geneva, Gina Remy is celebrating her brother’s wedding – when the figure of a woman appears hovering above the water, beckoning to her. Ghostly visitations do not happen to Gina - a self-confessed control freak with her own successful property business, she prides herself on being level-headed. But as she is tormented by dreams and visions, her perfect life begins to unravel, and she knows she needs to help this ghost find peace if she’s to get any of her own!

Enter Ollie Martin, an Anglo-Swiss property developer who’s sexy as hell and knows it. His arrogance annoys Gina, but he’s the only one who will take her seriously… and the closer they come to understanding the quest the ghost has set for them, the closer they get to one another…

 

This sounds amazing, I love a good mystery story and this sounds like a brilliant one. Also that cover is just stunning, makes me feel like I need a holiday somewhere warm and sunny.

 

 

If I Knew You Were Going To Be This Beautiful I Never Would Have Let You Go

by Judy Chicurel

Released: 30th October 2014

Publisher: Tinder Press

Pages: 336

Available in Hardback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

 

 It is the summer of 1972, and Katie has just turned eighteen. Katie and her town, Elephant Beach, are both on the verge: Katie of adulthood, and Elephant Beach of gentrification. But not yet: Elephant Beach is still gritty, working-class, close-knit. And Katie spends her time smoking and drinking with her friends, dreaming about a boy just back from Vietnam who’s still fighting a battle Katie can’t understand.  In this poignant, evocative debut collection, Judy Chicurel creates a haunting, vivid world, where conflicts between mothers and daughters, men and women, soldiers and civilians and haves and have-nots reverberate to our own time. She captures not only a time and place, but the universal experience of being poised between the past and the future.

 

I don't think I have ever read anything that was set in the 1970s, especially not in America so I think this would be an interesting read. I may pick this up when I'm looking for something a little bit different.

 

So that's my pick for this week, which new release have you got your eye on this week?

 

 

 

Book Review - Driving Home For Christmas by A L Michael

 

Driving Home For Christmas by A L Michael

Published: 28th October 2014

Publisher: Carina UK

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

 

 

Blurb

Megan McAllister is home for Christmas…whether she likes it or not!

Christmas is about family…and for Megan family means two people: herself, and her daughter Skye. It doesn’t mean her parents who, ten years ago, saw her pregnancy as anything but a miracle. And it definitely doesn’t include her irresistible ex-boyfriend Lucas Bright.

So ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ has never been top of Megan’s festive playlist. But for Skye, she knows she needs to spend the holiday season with the people she’s left behind. She can do this. Even if the thought of meeting Lucas under the mistletoe still has her feeling like she’s drunk one-too-many Snowballs!

But somewhere between the hanging of stockings and the crackle of wrapping paper, Christmas starts to sparkle. And Megan begins to wonder if family could be bigger than her and Skye after all…

 

Review

Megan McAllister has been living with her estranged Aunt Anna and her lodger Jeremy ever since she ran away from her family when they found out she was pregnant.  Now ten years on she’s been persuaded to head home for Christmas and make amends with her family.  Arriving back home with daughter Skye evokes all kinds of memories for Megan and as Christmas day comes closer family secrets and old feelings which have been hidden for years start to surface, but will they bring this family close again.

After reading the blurb for this book I knew I had to read it, any book in which the characters have some kind of mystery in their past draws me in and A L Michael has done this brilliantly. It’s the type of story that slowly unravels and gives the reader questions:  Why did Megan leave? Why hasn’t she been back? How did she end up living with Anna? And probably the question we all want to know the answer to who is Skye’s father?

Luckily for us as we keep reading we find out the answers to these questions and also a couple of little surprises, some which I totally wasn’t expecting and some which you could guess.  This is done really well through the use of flashbacks in the narrative which help us build up a picture of Megan as a teenager and show the strained relationship she had back then with her mother.  These were slightly confusing to me at first as the flashbacks do chop and change years between 2001 and 2004 but once I had read a few chapters and had more knowledge of Megan I found they really helped build up a picture of Megan and what led her to run away.

A L Michael has created some really great characters in this book, Skye has to be my favourite, what a brilliant little girl she is, so intuitive and clever but not in that annoying know it all way that some kids can be.  She is hoping to be detective when she is older and I could just imagine her hiding under tables and writing down notes in a little book.  I loved the way she seemed to weigh people up and instantly get their measure and then just carried on with whatever she was doing. I think is she was my daughter I would be very proud of her.

I wasn’t sure about Megan; I did feel that she brought a lot of the problems with her mother on herself by not opening up to her at the time. I did like the way that she didn’t let having a baby so young stand in the way of her dreams and she was able to find a fulfilling career. The thing that stood out the most about Megan was that she was so focused on Skye’s happiness and making sure she was loved that I felt Megan herself might be a little lonely, so when she finally let her family into her daughter’s life I was hoping Megan would put herself first just once.  I loved Lucas, just the image of him with a Where’s Wally scarf round his neck was enough to melt my heart, he just seemed such a lovely guy and although I understand why Megan let him go when she was younger I don’t think I would have been able to.

Driving Home for Christmas is a wonderful story full of Christmas spirit which helps to bring a family closer once again. I laughed, I cried and I was left with that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you read something wonderful.  Add this to your Christmas reading shelf and you won’t regret it.

Rating 5/5