The promise of summer

 

After years of dating losers, cheats and one guy who did something unrepeatable to her kettle, Ruby has all but given up on romance. But then a stranger sits next to her on a train to London and explains his plan to propose to the woman of his dreams. Maybe true love does exist after all?


When the man accidentally leaves the engagement ring behind, Ruby is determined to save the day. But she hasn't counted on fellow passenger Curtis stepping in and insisting he should be the one to track the stranger down.   
 
As summer closes in, the unlikely pair make a promise to reunite the ring with its owner. But can they find their own happy ever after along the way?

About the author

 

Bella has been jotting down stories as far back as she can remember but decided that 2013 would be the year that she finished a full length novel.
In 2016, her debut novel, 'It Started At Sunset Cottage', was shortlisted for the Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year and RNA Joan Hessayon New Writers Award.
Bella's stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She likes to find the humour in the darker moments of life and weaves these into her stories. Her novels are often serialised in four parts ahead of the full book publication.
Bella believes that writing your own story really is the best fun ever, closely followed by talking, eating chocolate, drinking fizz and planning holidays.
She lives in The Midlands, UK with her lovely husband and wonderful daughter, who thankfully, both accept her as she is (with mad morning hair and a penchant for skipping).

For more about Bella, visit her website at www.bellaosborne.com or follow her on Social Media:
Twitter - @osborne_bella
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/bellaosborneauthor/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BellaOsborneAuthor/

My review

Thoroughly enjoyable, quirky, slightly bonkers summer read. Characters tat you will fall in love with and a slow-burn romance. Just the thing for a long, hot summer. Really enjoyed getting to know ruby but curtis is something else. rom-com with a heart.

The little island secret

 

Buy Links 

Amazon: https://geni.us/B096Y81K8Fcover

Apple: http://ow.ly/tabY50F78F3 

Kobo: http://ow.ly/K8lA50F78DT

Google: http://ow.ly/duDZ50FuNEu 

About the Book: 

At the bottom of the meadow is a tiny crescent of beach, and beyond it the wild grey sea. I’ve pictured this view in my head so many times, and now I’m here, I know it will change everything. The whitewashed cottage with a peeling green painted door to my right must be his house…

When Abby steps off the ferry and onto the tiny island of Kinlossay, she squeezes her daughter’s hand and prays this trip will be the escape they both so desperately need. For now, at least, Beth is safe from the bullies making her life a misery, and perhaps Abby might find out more about the mysterious man behind the letters she’s been receiving…

Cameron first got in touch to see if Abby’s shop stocked his favourite book. And has written every day since to tell her of his life on his rugged little island, where buttercups dance on rolling fields and the sky never stops moving. The weekend he once came to visit her - singing with Beth in the kitchen, kissing Abby’s lips so tenderly - is a memory she will treasure forever. But then, one day, the messages stopped. Abby received the heartbreaking news that Cameron had passed away.

As she watches her daughter run laughing along the windswept beaches he described so perfectly, Abby wonders if this goodbye trip could also be a new beginning. But then she sees a face across the street that she recognises instantly, and her heart shatters. If Cameron is dead, who is this man? What devastating secrets has this little island been keeping? The truth will change Abby and her daughter’s life forever – but only if they let it…

Lose yourself on the wild shores of a remote island in this absolutely gripping and heart-wrenching story about holding on to hope and the incredible things we do for love. Filled with secrets and surprises, fans of Debbie Macomber, Rosanna Ley and Sheila O’Flanagan will adore this stunning and totally uplifting page-turner.

Author Bio

After a varied career, Emma Davies once worked for a design studio where she was asked to provide a fun and humorous (and not necessarily true) anecdote for their website. She wrote the following: 'I am a bestselling novelist currently masquerading as a thirty something mother of three.' Well the job in the design studio didn't work out but she's now a forty something mother of three and is happy to report the rest of her dream came true.

After many years as a finance manager she now writes full time, and is far happier playing with words than numbers. She lives with her husband, three children, and two guinea pigs in rural Shropshire where she writes in all the gaps in between real life. It's a county she adores, her love of its beautiful people and landscapes providing endless inspiration for her books, and in fact the only thing that would make Shropshire more idyllic is if it were by the sea.

Pop over to her website www.emmadaviesauthor.com where, amongst other things, you can read about her passion for Pringles and singing loudly in the car. You can also wave to her on twitter @EmDaviesAuthor or find her on Facebook (a little too often than is good for her).

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emmadaviesauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmDaviesAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoremmadavies/

Website: www.emmadaviesauthor.com

My Review

This is a clever book that had me enthralled. I was so invested in Cam and Abby and then the author pulls the rug from under the reader's feet and I remember wailing 'Noooo'. I don't want to spoil it for anyone else but, by the end,I was emotionally wrung out. The ending was fitting. Not the one we might expect but the one we were all quietly hoping for. The location is stunning and Emma Davies has a new fan.

Under a Greek moon

 

Hollywood actress Shauna Jackson left the Greek island of Ithos twenty years ago and thought she would never return. Reeling from a scandal that has tarnished her success, she is drawn back to the beautiful olive groves and endless azure skies – and to the secrets she has tried hard to forget.

 

Looking down from his hilltop villa, enigmatic tycoon Demetrios Theodosis knows he can’t change the past, and looks to the future through his tempestuous daughter Ariana, but in trying to tame her free spirit, is he driving her further away?

 

Set against bleached white houses bounded by a sapphire sea, a yearning for the truth will compel them both to confront their shared past, and take them back to a distant summer that seemed to hold so much promise …

 Praise for Under A Greek Moon: 

‘A real treat, wonderfully escapist with heart and drama – marvellous!’ Anton du Beke

‘Utterly engaging, deliciously escapist, with a heart as warm as its author's’ Cathy Kelly, bestselling author of The Family Gift

 

 

Carol Kirkwood is one of the BBC’s most loved TV presenters, best known for presenting the weather. She lights up viewers’ homes every day, appearing on programmes such as BBC Breakfast, Strictly Come Dancing, Wimbledon Tennis Fortnight, and Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

 

She is hugely popular with fans and Carol frequently trends on Twitter. Beyond the television screen, she can often be found ensconced in a book, singing, dancing, and driving fast cars.

My Review

I am a huge Hellenophile and this book is an amazing debut from Carol Kirkwood. She manages to get under the skin of Greece and the story is beautifully told. How could you not like a book set under the Greek moonlight and fengari just happens to be one of my favourite Greek words.

The story is emotional and carries the reader along. One of those special books that you can't wait to finish but don't want to end. Brilliant.

 

 

 

Clueless in Croatia

 

Clueless in Croatia

D.I. Fierce always gets his man, but can he get his woman?

Actor Leonard Lupine is sick of his life, both on and off-screen, so when his agent suggests a luxury villa holiday in Croatia he leaps at the opportunity to escape. What he doesn’t realise is that his greatest mystery of all is waiting to be solved on the tiny island of Brač.

Does he have what it takes to follow the clues to love? ♥

 

Purchase Links 

Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/Clueless-Croatia-feel-good-romantic-Retreats-ebook/dp/B08X1QC7B7

Amazon.co.uk - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clueless-Croatia-Joy-Skye/dp/B08X6DRPLC

Apple - https://books.apple.com/us/book/clueless-in-croatia/id1554657700

Nook - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clueless-in-croatia-joy-skye/1138863706

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/gr/en/ebook/clueless-in-croatia

Universal Link - https://books2read.com/Clueless-in-Croatia

Author Bio – 

Joy lives on the seductive island of Corfu with her four dogs and an embarrassing number of cats. 

 

Her many years working in the tourist industry on this sunny isle and her love of all things literary inspired her first novel Corfu Capers which recently hit the #1 spot in Parenting and Family humour much to her delight.

 

She loves to cook, dance and drink wine, usually at the same time, and is currently working on book number three, due to be released later this year. 

 

She also loves to travel, absolutely anywhere, and is looking forward to jumping on a plane!

 

Social Media Links – 

Website - https://joyskye.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/JoySkye4

FB - https://www.facebook.com/JoySkyeAuthor

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joys.kye/

My Review

This book will make you want to escape to Croatia. I loved the descriptions and the sense of place really pulled me in so this is another destination to add to my bucket list.

The characters are well developed and the dynamics between the two protagonists, Leonard and Isabella, is very well done. There are a limited number of tropes and this romantic tale pretty much ends as you would imagine but the enjoyment is in the getting there.

Leonard's two sons and Luca, Isabella's sons are the unsung heroes when it comes to minor characters, brilliantly observed and really add to the story.

A heady romance on far flung shores is just the escape I needed.

Under a Sicilian Sky

 

Under a Sicilian Sky

Global box office sensation, Ruby Locke, is a long way from her Yorkshire roots. Together with her fiancé, movie heartthrob Tyler Harrison, they are Hollywood’s new glitterati.

Overnight, however, Ruby’s life implodes when her social media accounts are hacked with a multitude of vile posts, turning her into an international pariah. Even Tyler breaks off their engagement.

Confused and heartbroken, Ruby escapes to the beautiful island of Sicily to avoid the media scrutiny and clear her name. With only a Yorkshire Terrier to comfort her, Ruby is befriended by a handsome neighbour and slowly begins to heal.

But who is this mysterious man and what are his intentions?

When her Sicilian hideaway is compromised, Ruby is once again forced to relocate, this time to the stunning Isle of Skye.

In the tranquil cove of Glentorrin, Ruby is left questioning not only who wants to destroy her career, and why but also if celebrity lifestyle is really for her...

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3xGy2OG 

Author Bio –  

Lisa Hobman has written many brilliantly reviewed women’s fiction titles – the first of which was shortlisted by the RNA for their debut novel award. In 2012 Lisa relocated her family from Yorkshire to a village in Scotland and this beautiful backdrop now inspires her uplifting and romantic stories.  

Social Media Links 

Facebook LisaJHobmanAuthor

Twitter @LisaJHobmanAuth

Instagram @lisahobmanauthor

Newsletter Sign Up Link https://bit.ly/LisaHobmanNewsletter

Bookbub profile @LisaJHobman

My Review

I read this book because I'm a sucker for exotic locations and Sicily sounded the perfect escape. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the description of Skye just as much, which has to be testament to the author's skill.

I felt a part of Ruby's journey as she is forced to hide away, having become a social pariah thanks to internet trolls. This also provides a bit of mystery as she tries to find out who is behind the campaign to discredit her.

I loved the juxtaposition of pertinent social commentary and the light humour when Ruby leaves a note for the owner of the villa, with hilarious consequences.

A romance book with a dollop of mystery and fun yet with a serious message for today. 

Secrets on the Italian Island

 

Secrets on the Italian Island

Her work has got in the way of relationships before – but never like this

Anna’s job as a geologist takes her all over the world, including to the beautiful island of Elba, where she’s sent to look for precious metals. And the island isn’t the only thing that’s gorgeous – she can’t believe her luck when she meets windsurfer Marco and sparks fly.

But Anna must keep her role on Elba a secret to avoid upsetting the locals, which means lying to Marco even as they grow closer. When her old friend Toby visits, Anna suddenly finds herself torn between the attentions of the two men. However, Anna’s not the only one keeping secrets.

Is Marco being entirely honest with her? And why did Toby really come to visit?

A fun and escapist romance, perfect for fans of Lucy Coleman and Alex Brown.

 

Purchase Link - mybook.to/SecretsIsland

Author Bio 

 I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I did languages at university a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to Italy for seven years as a teacher of English. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little village in Devonshire. I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only seven years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.

The fact that I am now writing romantic comedy is something I still find hard to explain. My early books were thrillers and historical novels. Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations, even if travel to them is currently difficult.

Social Media Links – 

Website: www.tawilliamsbooks.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tawilliamsbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrevorWilliamsBooks/

My Review

I'm not sure where Trevor gets all his ideas from? Each time I think the next book can't possibly be as good, and each time it somehow seems to be even better.

I loved this story, partly because the location of Elba made it stand out from the ordinary, but also because of the wonderful characters. Anna's background is also different from the usual female jobs so again a win-win.

The conflict as Anna is torn between old neighbour Toby, and exciting Marco didn't feel at all contrived. we all know which one she should go for, but will she?

The ending also got me; very poignant with a kind of Indiano Jones twist. I'm saying no more - just read the book.

The gilded cage on the Bosphorus

 

The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus

Brothers bound by blood but fated to be enemies. Can their Empire survive or will it crumble into myth?

Istanbul, 1903.

Since his younger brother usurped the Imperial throne, Sultan Murad V has been imprisoned with his family for nearly thirty years.

The new century heralds immense change. Anarchy and revolution threaten the established order. Powerful enemies plot the fall of the once mighty Ottoman Empire. Only death will bring freedom to the enlightened former sultan. But the waters of the Bosphorus run deep: assassins lurk in shadows, intrigue abounds, and scandal in the family threatens to bring destruction of all that he holds dear…

For over six hundred years the history of the Turks and their vast and powerful Empire has been inextricably linked to the Ottoman dynasty. Can this extraordinary family, and the Empire they built, survive into the new century?

Set against the magnificent backdrop of Imperial Istanbul,The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus is a spellbinding tale of love, duty and sacrifice.

Evocative and utterly beguiling,The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus is perfect for fans of Colin Falconer, Kate Morton and Philippa Gregory.

 

Purchase Links 

getbook.at/gildedcagebosphorus

https://payhip.com/b/56IX

https://www.kobo.com/ebook/the-gilded-cage-on-the-bosphorus

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gilded-cage-on-the-bosphorus-ayse-osmanoglu/1137405897?ean=2940163045105

https://books.apple.com/gb/book/the-gilded-cage-on-the-bosphorus/id1566367619?mt=11&id=1566367619&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ayşe_Osmanoğlu_The_Gilded_Cage_on_the_Bosphorus?id=EeMsEAAAQBAJ

Author Bio –  

Ayşe Osmanoğlu is a member of the Imperial Ottoman family, being descended from Sultan Murad V through her grandfather and from Sultan Mehmed V (Mehmed Reşad) through her grandmother. After reading History and Politics at the University of Exeter, she then obtained an M.A. in Turkish Studies at SOAS, University of London, specialising in Ottoman History. She lives in the UK with her husband and five children.

 

Social Media Links – 

https://www.facebook.com/ayseosmanogluauthor

https://www.instagram.com/aysegulnevsultan/

https://twitter.com/AyseGulnev

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/aysegulnev/the-gilded-cage-on-the-bosphorus/

My Review

Set at the beginning of the twentieth century, it seems hard to believe that what happened to the family of Sultan Murad V is relatively recent history. It is a fascinating account of Ottoman history with insights that only a member of the Ottoman royal family could have access to. As such it gives the story from the author's family's point of view, so it is hard to know if this is really a history book, a historical novel or fictionalised history. 

I enjoyed learning about Ottoman culture and the desire to open up Turkey to a more democratic constitutional rule. At times the tone is quite polemic, which if writing a history of your family, in view of how they were imprisioned is understandable. However, whilst the subjectivity makes the narrative emotional, there were times when a little more objectivity would have been preferred.

I can see this making a wonderful film, as the book is both absorbing and educational at the same time.