Alone in the Northwoods, Norry Last settles in for another springtime lull at the remote resort she inherited from her father. She’s content with the solitude, maybe resigned. But when a blizzard hits, those little cabins by the lake start to fill up fast.

First to arrive is Lizzie, an eight-year-old with resilience and wisdom beyond her years, neglected by a mother struggling with addiction. Next comes Wendell, a cantankerous old fellow whose house collapses in the storm, the same way hope collapsed inside him long before. And then there’s Bud, the helpful handyman who’s always buzzing around, his kindness thawing something Norry thought she’d buried deep in the Minnesota snow.

As white melts to green, The Last Resort’s unlikely companions learn to share space, stories, and quiet comforts―an unexpected family that makes perfect sense. After all, Lizzie needs to be cared for. Wendell needs to care. Norry needs to open up. And Bud? Bud just might fix everything.

My Thoughts:

Norry is getting ready to spend springtime at the remote resort in the lonely Northwoods, but when a particularly nasty blizzard sets in she is accompanied by other stragglers that need shelter. There is a bunch of different people from all walks of life. They all have their reasons for being there but there is so much more to their stories. As they all start to share, will Norry be left alone once again when the snow is melted or will these people change her life for the better? It was a bit of an eerie story, it gave me the chills and even I find the cover eerie too. It is one of those reads that you cannot predict and neither assume so you go into it completely blind but it does work for this kind of story. It made me think and it also made me question each character. A good read.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Mack and Hailey Evans are on the cusp of living the American Dream. Established careers, two beautiful children, and a new house on a coveted lakefront estate.

But modern life is expensive, so the anonymous cheques they start to receive are spent before they know it. Could this money be from Mack’s estranged father? Or one of Hailey’s clients? Does it really matter?

Then they discover that this mysterious benefactor expects a return on their investment. How far will the couple have to go to pay them back?

Debt is like fire, and someone wants to burn Mack and Hailey’s lives down to the ground.

My Thoughts:

The story is about a husband and wife who are living their best lives, great careers, two kids and a lovely home, but then something unsettling happens when cheques start turning up but from who? and they are a decent amount of money which makes you think why? it made me think what would I do in this circumstance, can it be too good to be true? when they finally find out who the person is sending these cheques they are in for a shock, and nothing is as it seems as that person wants payback. I liked the first half of the story, getting to know the characters, though I have to admit I did get confused to start with about who was who as I felt it was not that clear, the second half was ok but was long and drawn out and did not interest me as much as I had hoped. When I found out who was sending money it was underwhelming. I am glad I read it though.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Fen can’t believe her luck. A luxury holiday with her beloved grandmother Disa – what could be more delightful? It doesn’t cross her mind that she might fall in love. Or that love can bring complications . . .

Jamie can’t help it that women always fall for him, rather than for his kind-hearted friend Leon. Nor that only one of them got the looks (that would be Jamie). But how will he feel if the girl he’s drawn to only has eyes for Leon?

Disa has a secret. A few weeks ago, an old letter in a file revealed a shocking truth about her late husband. She’s come to Venice to find out more.

There’s news on the way that will reverberate through all their lives, as Jill Mansell’s joyful, heartbreaking new novel takes readers on a roller coaster ride of emotion – and makes us believe in love again.

My Thoughts:

When Fen is on a luxury holiday with her grandmother, she never expects to meet the love of her life, but as things start to get more serious she is struck with tragedy, as a reader this was very emotional especially if you have been through something like this. Her grandmother has a reason to come away after finding a letter she needs to work out what to do and how to tell Fen. Jamie is a ladies man and his best mate has fallen for Fen but what happens when something shocking happens and you have no one to fall back on anymore? It was one of those stories that really tugs on your heartstrings and such a beautiful story. I love how all the characters intertwined and how involved Jill makes you feel reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Twelve stories. Twelve months. Once chance to heal her heart…

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her fiancé waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly because Joe died five months ago…
The gift is simple – twelve carefully-chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
Tilly sets out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, the bookshop owner, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?

My Thoughts:

If you are going to buy a book this year please buy this one. I can’t even describe how good this book was and how completely immersed in Tilly’s story I got into. I basically felt as though I was there hovering above the bookshop looking in with Joe. Tilly’s fiancé died a few months ago, utterly heartbroken Tilly gets a phone call from her local bookshop telling her her fiancé Joe has set her up with twelve books chosen by him each month. Tilly does not know how to cope so when she starts getting these books and letters that Joe wrote to her, it is like a piece of him is still with her. The books are all thoughtfully chosen and it is just like Joe knew what she would need. Along the way Tilly makes some lifelong friends who help guide her through such a painful time. I thought this book said to me It is not about giving up it is about cherishing every moment you have. It was a heartfelt story and I loved the idea of the twelve books a month. It was a sad but uplifting read that I was sad when it ended and now have to recommend to everyone. So good. It is worth more than five stars.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Hollywood starlet Nina Keller is searching for an escape. Arriving at Hunt Ranch after a terrifying assault, she only wants one thing: to rediscover who she is.

Maverick Hunt was never a part of that plan. But with his kind heart and unwavering patience, Nina can’t help but feel safe around the strong – and undeniably handsome – cowboy. And that is worth more than he could ever know.

Enchanted by ranch life with Maverick and his young daughter, Poppy, Nina begins to imagine a future for herself in the country – in seeking an escape, she may have instead found a home.

But that dream is threatened when Nina’s past catches up with her. And when an unlikely predator strikes, she and Maverick must make a choice: to let each other go or face the world together.

My Thoughts:

Hunt Ranch is somewhere Nina has decided to escape to, after her terrifying ordeal she needs somewhere to go that is quiet and private. Unfortunately for her being famous has it’s downsides but everyone at the ranch wants the best for her. Especially Maverick. He is drawn to Nina straight away, he does not care for who she is in the outside world, he knows she needs time and compassion and he is the one that wants to give it to her and a whole lot else. But as Nina settles into her rest and recovery someone is threating to take it away from her again. I liked how the story flowed, it was awful what Nina went through and it does expose it in more detail what she went through which was sad to read. It is also a bit spicy but who can blame them when Maverick is such a hottie. I did make me feel hot under the collar in certain parts. This is the first book in the Hunt Ranch Series so I would be intrigued to see what the next book entails.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Bella’s living her dream life, running a beautiful, rural French B&B and has finally put her past behind her. But when her husband suddenly asks for a divorce, everything changes.

Forced to abandon everything she’d built before, she finds herself moving to the beautiful town of Versailles, where she takes a job working in a hotel, and moves into a chaotic house share.

At first, it doesn’t feel like a problem that she can’t seem to convince her young housemates she’s older than them – it’s quite nice to pretend she’s in her 20s again. But when it becomes clear her new boss has also hired her under false pretences, she starts to wonder if she’s gone from living the dream to living a lie.

Despite the chaos though, she starts to feel that spark return. Even more so when handsome American landlord Brad arrives on the scene. But with so many secrets – now and in her past – how will Bella’s new start end?

My Thoughts:

Bella is living happily in France with her husband but then her world comes tumbling down when he throws a bombshell her way. Forced to give up her life and the time she had spent making her dreams come true, she stumbles upon hotel work, and a house share. The only downside is that she has not told the other house mates how old she really is and they are all young and single and complete opposites to her. But Bella feels as though half her life has been a lie and wasted so why not embrace her new life. But for how long? I liked the fact that the book was set in France as this is a place I have been too so can totally see the setting that Gillian has described. The first half was easy to get into but I feel the second half was not as good. It just felt a bit too much and a bit too long. But I did enjoy the first half.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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The human “oddities” in the Museum of the Strange are less wondrous than the gawking rubes had been promised. But Alida is something else. The real thing. Traveling Depression-era America from carnival midways to speakeasies, Alida is resigned to an exploited and lonely life on the road as the museum’s golden ticket. Until she’s rescued by two compassionate strangers.

Franklin and Loretta Fairchild see in Alida a gifted and uncannily well-read girl in need of a loving touch and a family. With the openhearted couple and their three precociously imaginative children, Alida finds it. Yet despite everyone’s overwhelming generosity and acceptance, Alida knows she is still a very different kind of girl. Her dreams bear that out. They’re vivid, unsettling, and threatening. Alida fears that they’re also warnings. And that it’s the Fairchilds who may need rescue from a bad, bad world.

Alida will do anything to help those she now holds nearest and dearest. Empowered with a purpose to vanquish evil, she will not fail her family.

My Thoughts:

When Franklin and Loretta meet Alida they know they need to do something for her. Alida gets to know the two well and grows up with their children but knows she is completely different from them becuase of her background. See Alida is different and was the star attraction for a museum of oddities that travelled the world. There is a lot going on for Alida and she does not understand everything and when something bad happens has she put this loving families lives at risk. I found it an odd and thought provoking read, it deals with sacrifices and being a family unit. There is spiritual love in the book too, it was a story that I wasn’t sure if I would like or not and I still not sure how I feel about it.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Alison has spent years putting everyone else first. But now widowed, fed up with being taken for granted by her daughter and facing unexpected health worries, she realises she’s lost sight of the woman she used to be.

Then her cousin Rosie proposes a daring plan: move back to the coastal village where she grew up, for twelve weeks of ‘Project Alison’ – prioritising herself, for a change. Alison isn’t sure whether to laugh or cry! But the idea of going home to Kelsea Sands, back to the sea and the beautiful, wide Holderness skies, convinces her to take the plunge.

Soon she’s on a journey of rediscovery, hastened by the unexpected return of Mac – the boy she once knew, now a handsome man with a complicated past. But then come some shocking revelations. Does Alison have the courage to stand up for herself and finally seize the happiness she deserves?

My Thoughts:

Alison is a people pleaser, always doing things for others and forgetting about herself, she is down in the dumps and wants to revitalise herself. When her cousin persuades Alison to move back to her home town, Alison knows she needs to do this for herself, but when someone from the past shows up, she knows she needs to take the plunge and go for it. Can Alison find the way to happiness. This was a great read, I don’t think I have read any of Sharon’s books before, it was a story about self discovery and shows people reading it, if they feel the same to be more Alison. It showed the struggles Alison goes through but also the good parts too. It was a great read, that will touch anybody’s heart.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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When sisters Addie and Susanna receive invitations to a memorial for their Aunt Gayle, they’re heartbroken to learn the woman who raised them has passed away. But arriving on Anchor Island, they’re met with the shock of their lives: Gayle is alive and well, busily preparing her own ‘Celebration of Life’ at her beloved pudding bar, The Sweet Life Café.

Agreeing to stay for the event, the sisters begin sorting through their late father’s belongings, reopening wounds they thought long buried, and forcing them to reflect on their lives since leaving the island. Addie is struggling as a single mother, torn between love for her son and doubts about the life she can give him. Susanna’s marriage is crumbling, and being back on the island only reminds her why she couldn’t wait to escape.

But as Gayle prepares gooey brownies, steaming lattes and delicious cakes for her customers, and for her big event, she is hiding secrets of her own – including one that could change everything the sisters thought they knew about their family…

My Thoughts:

Aunt Gayle has a big secret and her nieces are invited to her memorial but one of the secrets is she is not dead. But the girls don’t know this and get a huge shock, but there is a reason Aunt Gayle wants them to all be together and it is a secret Aunt Gayle has kept. The sisters both have their own issues in their own lives and Aunt Gayle knows it’s best to share and share alike, but how will the sisters react when she tells them the truth. I found the story a long one and quite slow, I predicted what the secret was fairly early on and felt as though I was plodding through the book. The characters were ok but there was nothing special about this read especially set around a café.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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She married her high school sweetheart, stayed in her hometown and lives right next door to her mum Lisa and younger sister Sorrel. But with a new job on the horizon and her family no longer living a stone’s throw away, she’s going to have to get used to her comfortable life shifting into something new.

Jess finds the idea of being a part of the White House – the village’s new and stylish restaurant – incredibly daunting, but she knows she is more than capable. And with her role at the care home uncertain, this would give her the chance to finally pursue her passion for cooking.

But as her professional life soars, her romantic life is thrown into turmoil. Having welcomed back into her life her no-good ex, she’s quickly questioning her decision – especially as new faces in Beddingfield begin to catch her eye.

As the familiar rhythms of life shift and long-held routines are upended, she starts to see that sometimes change is no bad thing at all. And someone who encourages her to take a risk – even if it’s the last person she ever expected – might be just the thing she needed.

My Thoughts:

This story is about Jess and when she moves away from family and friends to go out in the big wide world alone will she be able to cope? a new job but a new and good challenge for her and it is something that she has wanted for a long time. Just as she is settling in to her life a blast from the past turns up and tries to shake things up for Jess, can she remain strong for herself or will she revert back to her old ways. It is all about taking that leap of faith and going with it. It was an easy story to read, this is book three but I read it as a standalone but I would suggest reading the other books first as with the other characters I felt I was missing out as I did not know them very well. It was a well written story but it was to me predictable.

I received an ARC copy of the book for an honest review.

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