Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay

Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay

Grab your strawberries and cream and get ready to return to the beautiful Swallowtail Bay!

Summer is in full swing and the locals are getting excited for the launch of the Swallowtail Bay strawberry food festival. But will all run smoothly when festival organiser Hetty’s heart is torn between lord of the manor John Thornhill and successful bakery owner Ben?

Purchase Links 

UK Amazon ebook: https://amzn.to/3bGn0yi

US Amazon ebook: https://amzn.to/2KuIdPf

Author Bio – 

KATIE GINGER lives in the South East of England, by the sea, and she really wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay is her fifth novel. The first, Spring Tides at Swallowtail Bay is available now. Her debut novel The Little Theatre on the Seafront was shortlisted for the Katie Fforde Debut Novel of the Year award, and her stand- alone Christmas novel Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage was a US Amazon bestseller. 

When she's not writing, Katie spends her time drinking gin, or with her husband, trying to keep alive their two children, Ellie and Sam. And there's also their adorable King Charles Spaniel, Wotsit (yes, he is named after the crisps!). 

For more about Katie you can visit her website: www.keginger.com, find her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KatieGAuthor, or follow her on Twitter: @KatieGAuthor

Instagram: @katie_ginger_author

My Review

A lovely summery read as Hetty organises a strawberry festival in Swallowtail Bay amid much opposition from certain members of the committee and lord of the manor John Thornhill. This is perfect for reading in the garden, with a dish of strawberries, of course, to put you in the mood.

Will Hetty discover that John has a gentler side to the brush facade he offers to the world or will she fall back into the arms of ex, Ben? With many twists and turns, this book will keep you engrossed as you see whether Hetty can pull off the biggest event of her career.

From Venice With Love

             

   

When Joanna discovers a bundle of love letters in the attic, written by a watercolourist named Emmy, she is intrigued and sets out to discover Emmy's true story. Emmy's letters take Joanna to the picturesque alleyways and bridges of Lisbon, Prague, and the most romantic place of all: Venice - where a whole new magical world seems to unfold in front of her.

Meanwhile, back at Mulberry Farm Cottage, a mysterious prowler adds to Harriet's problems and interrupts her search for a perfect partner. Will she ever find true love? Where will Emmy's mesmerising pathway lead? And more importantly, will Joanna and Harriet be able to rescue the cottage and finally be able to rediscover their sisterly bond?

About the author

 

Rosanna Ley has worked as a creative writing tutor for over 15 years. Affiliated to several colleges and universities in England, she also runs her own writing courses in the UK and abroad. She has worked with community groups in therapeutic settings and completed an MA in creative writing for personal development in order to support this. Her writing holidays and retreats take place in stunning locations in Italy and Spain and whilst not teaching or writing she mentors and appraises the work of new writers. Rosanna has had numerous articles and short stories published in UK magazines, and 12 novels of contemporary fiction published in the U.K, Germany, Greece and the U.S.A under a pseudonym. Her books are inspired by the culture and landscapes of Italy, Sicily and the Canary Islands and feature strong female voices from the past and present, along with an intense undercurrent of mystery and romance. Rosanna spends some time every year travelling around Europe looking for writing inspiration and more tranquil settings for writing holidays. She loves cliff walking and her favourite writing place is somewhere with a sea view. When she is not travelling, Rosanna lives with her artist husband in a Victorian cottage in West Dorset by the sea. 

Website

http://www.rosannaley.com/

Twitter

RosannaLey

My Review

I was expecting from the title that the book would centre around Venice. Venice is, of course, featured and brings back many memories, but you get three for the price of one in this story as the reader is taken to Lisbon and Prague. I love Rosanna Ley's ability to take the reader on a journey and in this book, the focus is at first on the relationship between two sisters when Joanna returns to the family farm following the breakup of her marriage.
I loved the journey both spiritually and physically that Joanna goes on to discovers Emmy's story and the impact her guide has on a fellow traveller. The ending is brilliantly done and I must confess to a tear in my eye. Fabulous read.

Wild Abandon

There's something about abandoned places which moves me and captures the imagination.' So says seasoned travel writer Jennifer Barclay as she walks with her dog and her backpack through the deserted spaces of the Dodecanese, islands that were once bustling but are now half forgotten and reclaimed by the wild due to a mix of misfortune and the lure of opportunity elsewhere. Join her on a journey through abandoned villages and farms, cave-houses and captains' mansions, the homes of displaced Muslim fishermen and poets, as she discovers beauty in the ruins, emptiness and silence, and inspiration in the stories of people's lives.A long-term resident of Greece, Jennifer Barclay spent more than four years researching Wild Abandon, visiting islands multiple times and hearing the stories of local people. She travels from the very west to the very east of the Dodecanese, from the very south almost to the very north, taking in some of the smallest and the biggest islands, and highlighting different stories along the way to show the complex history behind these havens of tranquillity. She discovers a villa intended for Benito Mussolini's retirement, an island that links a gramophone from St Petersburg and a portrait in the American National Gallery via a pack of cigarettes, and reflects on the days when an economy based on sponges and burnt rock supported thousands.She also learns of connections with America: the painter from Kalymnos whose self-portrait hangs in the American National Gallery and the man in Kasos who was supposed to be painting the World Trade Center on 9/11. Inside a trunk in an abandoned house she finds a note with a hand-written address in New York. And she hears of the diaspora who made America their home: those from Nisyros who moved to New York, from Karpathos who settled in Baltimore, and from Halki and other islands who make Tarpon Springs, Florida the city with the highest percentage of Greek Americans in the United States.Wild Abandon is an elegy in praise of abandoned places and a search for lost knowledge through the wildest and most deserted locations. 

About the author

 

Author of Falling in Honey, An Octopus in my Ouzo and Meeting Mr Kim. Live mostly on a tiny island in Greece. www.octopus-in-my-ouzo.blogspot.com

My Review

This is not a novel but a delightful account of visits to deserted and abandoned places in the Dodecanese. With not twelve islands in the group as you might imagine from the name but some twenty inhabited and 160 in total, Jennifer takes the reader on a visit to some of the wildest places that cover a wide expanse. On her many journeys the author inevitably discovers a little gem, giving us information about the lifestyle and culture of the inhabitants that we would never have got otherwise. it is these glimpses into another life that are so personal and make the places come alive. This is very much a journey of love for the author and it feels like travelling with your own personal tour guide. Full of anecdotes, snippets of information and some real characters, I loved this armchair travel.

The Little Teashop in Tokyo

The Little Teashop in Tokyo

Grab your passport and escape to a land of dazzling skycrapers, steaming bowls of comforting noodles, and a page-turning love story that will make you swoon!

For travel blogger Fiona, Japan has always been top of her bucket list so when she wins an all-expenses paid trip, it looks like her dreams are coming true.

Until she arrives in vibrant, bustling Tokyo and comes face-to-face with the man who broke her heart ten years ago, gorgeous photographer Gabe.

Fiona can’t help but remember the heartache of their last meeting but amidst the temples and clouds of soft pink cherry blossoms, can Fiona and Gabe start to see life – and each other – differently?

Purchase Links 

UK - https://amzn.to/39JCFL9    

US - http://amzn.to/39QbGhh

Author Bio

Jules Wake announced at the age of ten that she planned to be a writer. Along the way she was diverted by the glamorous world of PR and worked on many luxury brands, taking journalists on press trips to awful places like Turin, Milan, Geneva, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam and occasionally losing the odd member of the press in an airport. This proved fabulous training for writing novels as it provided her with the opportunity to eat amazing food, drink free alcohol, hone her writing skills on press releases and to research European cities for her books.

She writes best-selling warm-hearted contemporary fiction for HarperImpulse.

Under her pen name, Julie Caplin, her thirteenth novel, The Little Teashop in Tokyo will be published in ebook and paperback this June.

Social Media Links – 

Twitter @JulieCaplin

@Juleswake

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JulieCaplinAuthor

My Review

I've long been fascinated by Japan but sadly, I've never had the opportunity to visit. Julie Caplin's book proved the next best thing. I loved the little details that went into the story, giving the reader a glimpse into Japanese culture. By the end of the book, I felt as if I'd actually been there and was rather surprised to look round and find myself at home!
The dynamics between Fiona and Gabe are spot on and I loved the feuding that went on. If you want a book that offers a lot more than an enemies-to-friend- romance then this book delivers.