The Second Chance Shoe Shop by Marcie Steele

The Second Chance Shoe Sop by Marcie Steele

Published: 8th March 2016

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages:232

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

All Riley Flynn wants is to meet someone who makes her happy. But attracting the right kind of man is not easy, and with her heart still hurting from her last break-up, Riley believes she’ll never find love again.

A year ago, Sadie Stewart’s whole world was shattered when her husband, Ross, died. She has struggled to keep herself together for the sake of their young daughter, but with the anniversary of his death approaching, Sadie finds herself overwhelmed by grief.

Sadie and Riley work at Chandlers shoe shop, in the charming town of Hedworth. But when Chandlers is threatened with closure, the friends are confronted with the loss of not only their jobs, but also their support network - the glue that holds them together when they are close to breaking.

As they put together a plan to save their beloved shop, Sadie realises that she might just be learning to live again. Could it be that new beginnings are just round the corner? The campaign also finds Riley unexpectedly crossing paths with charming photographer, Ethan. Maybe her second chance at love is right under her feet …

Review

The Second Chance Shoe Sop is the third book by Mel Sherratt writing as Marcie Steele and I think it’s her best yet. She’s developed a lovely writing style which is easy to immerse yourself in with characters which you genuinely begin to care about.

Riley has been the manager of Chandler’s shoe shop for the past eight years and she loves her job.  She loves working with friends Sadie and Dan and loves finding exactly the right shoe for people, more recently she has been longing to bring the shop more up to date and stock more fashionable and affordable shoes instead of the expensive sensible shoes Chandler’s is known for. Despite giving owner Suzanne many news ideas for stock and marketing Riley is unable to convince her boss to change and sales remain stagnant.

When Suzanne pits Riley against her two work colleagues in a competition to drum up sales Riley knows it’s time to take things into her own hands before the shop is gone forever.  So Riley sets out to use her social media knowledge to drum up some slightly unconventional publicity for the shop, but will it be enough to save Chandlers?

Riley is a character who I instantly adored. She’s so loyal to the shop and to her friends that she will do anything to help them, even if this sometimes lands her in trouble. She’s wary of starting a new relationship after she had her heartbroken by horrible Nigel, but can’t seem to resist the charms of news photographer Ethan. Is he the one to mend Riley’s broken heart?

Sadie and Dan were also great characters, each dealing with their own heartbreak. Together with Riley they make an excellent team and this stands out throughout the book as they are tested by Suzanne. The other characters Ash, Cooper and Ester all add to this group of friends and provide comfort and support for each other throughout the book.

I loved that Marcie has once again based her novel in the fictional town of Hedwoth where her previous novel That’s What Friends Are For was set, this time focusing on the high street rather than the indoor market.  A couple of characters from that book pop up here and it was good to check back in with them. I’m hoping we may see Hedworth again in another novel…please.

Despite this being a novel about shoes don’t fear you will love it, I’m a girl who lives in either slippers or wellies and this book has made me want to go out and buy a new pair of shoes, so read it and bring on the shoe love!

This is a novel about friendship, love, loss and loyalty, about knowing who to trust, and knowing that when things are bad they will always work out in the end. I really enjoyed The Second Chance Shoe Shop and am hoping Marcie writes another one soon as she’s becoming one of my favourite writers.

Thank you so much to Bookouture and Netgalley for the review copy, I’d like to rate The second Chance Shoe Shop five out of five, I loved It!

Thats What Friends Are For by Marcie Steele

That's What Friends Are For by Marcie Steele

Published: 11th December 2015

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 342

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

Best friends tell each other everything… right?
Sam and Louise have been best friends since they hung their coats side by side on the first day of primary school. Now in their thirties, they’re just as close, but life is a little bit more complicated…

On the outside, thirty-something Sam seems to have it all; the gorgeous husband, the beautiful home and the flourishing business. But things are not quite as rosy as they seem. So when handsome stranger, Dan, walks into her life, Sam finds his attentions hard to resist.

Louise might seem like life and soul of the party, but her outgoing exterior hides her sadness about the heartbreak in her past. She just wants someone to love – but all Louise gets left with is a quick fumble with an ex at the end of the night.

When a glamorous face from the past returns to shake things up, things get even more complicated for Sam and Louise. And just when they need each other the most, they’ve reason to wonder whether they ever really knew each other at all.

An emotional and uplifting tale of love, secrets and the importance of having a best friend.

Review

That’s What Friends Are For is the second novel for Mel Sherratt writing as Marcie Steele. While I found her first novel good I really enjoyed this one. The story is focused on the relationship between best friends Sam and Louise but I enjoyed the addition of all the other characters which added more depth to the story and for me made it more realistic.

Sam and Louise have been best friends since their childhood. Working together on Sam’s market stall their lives might not have turned out exactly as they planned but they seem happy and share everything, well almost everything. Louise has a fifteen year old daughter Charley and has never told anyone who her father is, something which bugs Sam. Sam appears to be happy in her marriage to Reece but while he works away Sam begins to question how happy she really is and the appearance of handsome stranger Dan leads her to wonder exactly what her future holds.

The characters for me are what makes this novel so enjoyable, there’s such a mix but somehow they all fit together with their connections to the market. The community spirit among them is lovely, especially when they come together to give someone a special surprise.

My favourite had to Charley. I just loved her sassy attitude towards Louise as she tries to get her mother to notice her more. She comes across as such a sensible teenager despite having very little guidance from Louise and struggling at school because of Louise’s behaviour. I found Louise one of the characters I didn’t get on with at first, she comes across as very selfish and acts very childish going out and getting drunk every weekend instead of caring properly for Charley. I wished she’d take a proper look at lovely Matt who was always there for her and Charley and for some strange reason was clearly besotted with her. The other characters of Nicci, Jay and Jess all add extra drama to the story, some of which is comical and some of which is a little heart-breaking.

That’s What Friends Are For is packed full of drama and secrets and I loved it. It’s about family, friendships and trying to find your own happy ending.

Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for sending me a copy to review, I’d like to give That’s What Friends Are For five stars as I found myself immersed in life at the market. I’m looking forward to Marcie’s next novel The Second Chance Shoe Shop which is out later this week.

Book Review - Stirred With Love by Marcie Steele

 

Stirred With Love by Marcie Steele

Published: 3rd September 2015

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages:300

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

Sometimes the best friends can be found where you least expect them …

Still grieving after the loss of her beloved husband, Lily Mortimer is determined to do something with the time she has left.

After the end of her fairytale marriage, thirty-something Kate is trying hard to mend her broken heart.

Chloe, a young woman with the world at her feet, is struggling to know what to do with her life.

When Lily embarks on a new venture in the picturesque town of Somerley, the three women come together to open The Coffee Stop, the most charming café for miles around.

But opening a coffee shop is never as simple as it seems, especially when you add neighbouring competition, local heart throbs and heartbreak to the mix.

When tragedy strikes, can the three women pull together to make the new business fly, or will Lily’s last chance disappear down the drain along with yesterday’s coffee grinds?

 

Review

 

Stirred With Love by Marcie Steele (aka Mel Sherratt of crime fiction fame) is the story of three very different women coming together at crucial points in their lives, and reopening a coffee shop.

 Lily the shop owner has just lost her husband and is looking to revamp her coffee shop for a newer market so advertises for staff to help her run the place, with the promise of good prospects for the right candidate. First comes Kate, a thirty-two year old who’s just split up with her husband and looking for a fresh start in a new town. Then there is Chloe an eighteen year old diva looking for some fun before her A-level results come out and she finally has to decide what to do about her future. This unlikely trio soon find they have formed a strong bond both with each other but also with The Coffee Stop itself, which soon becomes home for them all.

I really enjoyed reading about each of the women’s journeys as they each experienced some highs and lows. I did feel that some of the relationships with Jake and Will particularly were a little rushed and I would have liked a little bit more time to digest what was happening. My favourite character was Lily as she seemed the consistent with her views. Kate was initially wanting to leave her husband and then became upset when he left her which I didn’t understand. Chloe wanted to be treated like a grown up but I felt she showed her immaturity on many occasions.

I did feel that although Stirred With Love has some moments which made me laugh and cry, which I enjoyed, it was just another coffee shop story which I have read many times before and nothing stood out to make this different.

Stirred With Love is an easy read and one which I read over a couple of evenings, it’s a story of friendships, new beginnings and having the confidence to believe you can do what you want.

I would like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for my review copy and I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.