Book News: Letting You Go by Anouska Knight

Anouska Knight is back this summer with her third novel, Letting You Go, and it sounds like a fantastic read. I've read both of Anouska's previous novels and can tell you they are a great read, so I am really looking forward to reading this one. The book is out on September 10th.

Available to pre-order now.

"What if a tragedy occurred and you only had yourself to blame? Howdo you move on from the past?

Alex Foster lives a quiet life, avoiding the home she hasn’t visited in eight years. Then her sister Jaime calls. Their mother is sick, and Alex must return. Suddenly she’s plunged back into the past she’s been trying to escape.Returning to her hometown, memories of the tragic accident that has haunted her and her family are impossible to ignore. Alex still blames herself for what happened to her brother and it’s soon clear that her father holds her responsible too. As Alex struggles to cope, can she ever escape the ghosts of the past?"

Book News: My Mother's Secret by Sheila O'Flanagan

Amazingly, this year sees the release of Sheila O'Flanagan's TWENTIETH novel - what an amazing feat! My Mother's Secret is out now, but I cannot wait to read it - the story sounds fantastic, and I adore Sheila's writing. I think the cover is very eye-catching too, I can't wait to read this.

Available to buy now.

"When Steffie helps her two siblings organize a surprise wedding anniversary party for their parents her only worry is whether they’ll be pleased. What she doesn’t know is this is the day that her whole world will be turned upside down.

Jenny wants to be able to celebrate her ruby anniversary with the man she loves, but for forty years she has kept a secret. A secret that she can’t bear to hide any longer. But is it ever the right time to hurt the people closest to you?

As the entire family gather to toast the happy couple, they’re expecting a day to remember. The trouble is, it’s not going to be for the reasons they imagined…"

Book Review: Summer By the Sea by Jenny Hale

"They say there’s always one summer that changes you.

For Faith the one summer she can’t forget is when she fell in love as a teenager – only for her sister, Casey, to steal her man. Now, at the request of her beloved ninety-year-old Grandmother, Faith has agreed to a family holiday – at their childhood beach house, where it all began. 

Faith hasn’t seen her sister in years but is finally ready to forgive and forget, enjoy the sunshine and relive happy memories. What she’s not ready for is meeting Jake Buchanan – the owner of the beach house – or the long-forgotten feelings he ignites in her. 

Can Faith overcome the hurt of the past, rekindle the close bond she had with Casey and make this summer THE ONE to remember?"

Rating: 4/5

You can buy Summer by the Sea as an eBook now.

I am a huge Jenny Hale fan, and really look forward to both her summer and Christmas reads each year - it's such a treat to get 2 books a year from an author you love! When the cover for this book was released, I knew it was going to be a stunning read, and couldn't wait to dive in and find out about the story. As someone who grew up in a seaside town, I love stories set by the beach, and this one sounded like it was just my cup of tea.

Faith and her entire family have returned to the scene of their childhood holidays in Outer Banks, North Carolina, to the beach house where they used to stay. They are all gathered to celebrate their grandmother's 90th birthday, but it isn't all happiness for Faith. She fell out with her sister Casey many years ago after Casey stole her then-boyfriend, and Faith can't quite bring herself to move past it. When at Outer Banks, Faith makes friends with a local carpenter, Jake, who instantly warms himself to her whole family. Faith is determined to make new friends, and try to let go of the past... is Jake the man to help her do that?

 There's something about Jenny Hale's writing that draws me in, and it was no different for this book. I did find the book to be a little bit slow in the beginning, taking it's time to warm and get going, allowing me to slowly learn about the characters rather than diving in as I have done with her previous stories. Faith was a bit of a strange character for me - I felt sorry for her because of the hurt she went through at the hands of her sister all those years ago, but wanted her to move past it - not just for her, but for their mother and grandmother too. Her reluctance was understandable, but I just sort of wanted her to get on it with the forgiveness I felt was sort of inevitable! However, what I did love about her was her passion for her family, in particular her relationship with her grandmother. She's very doting, and clearly wants to look after her grandmother, and I loved the touching scenes between the pair.

The family dynamics in this book are what made it incredibly readable for me. Although the relationship between Faith and Casey is strained and awkward, you can still sense the sisterly love there, and as the book progresses and more of their story is revealed, I was pleased with the direction of it, and how the characters grew. They are clearly very close, and are wonderful with Casey's young daughter too, who was a joy to read about. I love family stories, so this one was already a winner for me in that respect.

Jake was a great character too, a bit of an enigma as we don't really know much about him until quite a way into the story when I felt I'd already made my mind up about him! Thanks to the twists and the turns of the book, my opinion of him was quite changeable - one minute, I liked him and the next I was a little less happy with him! But I liked that Jenny Hale was able to keep me on my toes regarding him, and reading the blossoming friendship between he and Faith was a joy to read - also his interactions with Faith's grandmothers were incredibly sweet - he seemed such a kind-hearted man, the kind of person everyone wants to know!

This book was a really wonderful summer read, thanks in part to the wonderfully vivid descriptions of Outer Banks and the North Carolina coast. This isn't somewhere I have been lucky enough to visit myself, but Hale describes so beautifully. It sounds picturesque, and you can see why Faith was so passionate about leaving the landscape unchanged, and loving her beach walks. The heart of the novel lies with the importance of family, as well as forgiveness and love. These themes tied together perfectly throughout the book, and it really was a joy to read. I loved that the story wasn't smooth-sailing, I was left wondering how it would all end up for Faith and her family, but I was more than satisfied by its conclusion. A wonderful summer read, with a big heart - I loved it.

Book News: The Things We Do For Love by Alice Peterson

Another new release which caught my eye when I was browsing on Amazon the other day is the new book from author Alice Peterson. Alice's books have got better and better, and her last book One Step Closer to You was simply brilliant. Her latest book, The Things We Do For Love, is due out on September 10th, and I am very much looking forward to getting stuck in, it sounds fabulous!

Available to pre-order now.

"Love may hurt, but not loving hurts even more . . .

January Wild loves her daughter, her dog Spud and her childhood home by the sea.

Single parenting is tough, but January has no regrets. She has a job she loves, a happy home and the support of her beloved grandfather. The arrival of a new boss, however, threatens to shake up January's safe world.

Ward Metcalfe loves great sales results and a well-run office.

Everyone at her office agrees: Ward is a soulless, corporate slave driver. Even Spud, the company mascot, dislikes him.

A secret stands between them. 

Yet over time January sees there is more to Ward than meets the eye. Rumours circulate. What exactly is he hiding? and is January prepared to risk everything to find out?"

eBook News: What Happens in Cornwall by T. A. Williams

Another eBook I am excited to read this summer is the new one from Carina author T. A. Williams. What Happens in Cornwall is out now as an eBook, and I think the story sounds really enjoyable. I really liked T. A.'s last book What Happens in Tuscany so am looking forward to giving this a whirl!

Available to buy now.

"For a very British summer holiday…

When archaeologist Sam realises her relationship is as dead as the skeletons she’s exhuming, she knows it’s time to make a change. But with bills to pay her options are limited…until a discovery on Rock Island in Cornwall gives her a reason to escape…

Head to the Cornish coast!

In Cornwall, questions are thrown up at every turn: who is the glamorous owner of Rock Island that the paparazzi are so interested in? How has the irresistible, but impossibly arrogant, history professor James Courtney managed to get so far under Sam’s skin? And will it ever stop raining so Sam can lose the cagoule and sip a cool drink in the sun? One thing’s for sure: there’s never been a holiday quite like this one!"

Blog Tour: What Happens in Cornwall by T. A. Williams

Today I am pleased to be part of the blog tour for T. A. Williams new eBook, What Happens in Cornwall. I'm really looking forward to the book, it sounds like a great read - I really enjoyed T. A.'s last book What Happens in Tuscany! Please enjoy the excerpt from the new book below.

Available to buy now.

"Excerpt #1

At nine-thirty on the Sunday evening, fortified by a large glass of Chardonnay each and bearing a bottle of Rioja as an offering, they turned up at the party. It wasn’t in a scruffy terraced house in the heart of student town, but in a fine Georgian villa, high on the hill above the university, with a terrific view across the historic city. Even more surprising was the fact that the music was provided, not by a tattooed DJ with an earring and a couple of battered loudspeakers, but by a string quartet set up under a pergola of exquisite white roses. As they rounded the side of the house and took in the scene, both of them stopped dead in astonishment. They glanced at each other, the same thought on both their minds.

‘Bugger! We should have dressed up.’ Sam looked down at her shorts and regretted her decision not to go with a dress. Beside her, Becky was doing her best to tug her very short skirt down to her knees without baring her bottom. 

‘There’s something about Bach, isn’t there?’

They turned towards the voice. It emanated from a tall man, probably in his early forties, with a patrician accent and immaculately styled long brown hair. He was wearing jeans and a plain white shirt. Samantha began to feel a bit less conspicuous about her choice of clothes. He smiled down at them. ‘Miles Vernon, Professor Miles Vernon. And you are?’ He held out his hand.

He was very good-looking and he knew it. Sam read the interest in his eyes, but she took a surreptitious step backwards, definitely not attracted to him and keen to avoid his getting the wrong idea. At the same time, she didn’t want to appear rude to a professor, even if his was a new name to her. But she needn’t have worried. Before she had time to extend her own hand, Becky had grasped his with both hands and was pumping it up and down. She beamed up at him. ‘Hello, Professor Vernon. I’m Becky and this is Samantha. We’re PhD students in the Archaeology department.’ She paused, then added for clarification, ‘At the university.’

Sam had a hard job restraining herself from giggling. Miles Vernon probably didn’t realise just how close he was to having his clothes ripped off him, Viking-style. You didn’t need a PhD to see the ‘target acquired’ look in Becky’s eyes. Sam waited until Becky had reluctantly released him and then shook hands with him in her turn. ‘Good evening. Is this your lovely house? Is this your party?’

He smiled at her, exposing a set of immaculate white teeth as he did so. ‘Good evening, Samantha.’ He pronounced it ‘Sementha’ and she repressed a shudder. ‘The answers are yes and yes. The house is indeed mine, and I thought I should do something for all my new friends at the university.’"

Book News: My Sister's Secret by Tracy Buchanan

One book which caught my eye recently was the new book from Tracy Buchanan. I read her debut novel The Atlas of Us and enjoyed it, but something about this one made me want to pick it up straight away. I read it within 2 days of receiving my review copy, and can tell you already it's a must-read! I will be reviewing it near publication date. Released in paperback on August 13th 2015, it is available as an eBook now.

Available to pre-order now.

"Everything you’ve built your life on is a lie.

Willow’s memories of her parents are sun-drenched and full of smiles, love and laughter. But a mysterious invitation to a photographic exhibition exposes a secret that’s been buried since a tragic accident years ago.

Willow is forced to question everything she knew about Charity, her late mother, and Hope, the aunt she’s lived with since she was a child.

How was the enigmatic photographer connected to Willow’s parents? Why will Hope not break her silence?

Willow cannot move forward in her life without answers. But who can she really trust? Because no one has been telling the truth for a very long time."