Jessie Dunhour has a checklist for her life and a plan for everything. At almost twenty-eight, she’s mostly on track: her dream promotion within reach, a house under contract and the chance to finally prove that hard work and staying the course pays off. Sure, her relationship timeline hasn’t unfolded the way she expected, but that’s something she’ll figure out once her career is firmly in place.

There’s just one complication. The path to promotion comes with a mandatory year-long relocation to Dublin, Ireland. Jessie doesn’t even have a passport, let alone a desire to upend her carefully curated life.

Thrown into a world of brightly colored Georgian doors, relentless rain and coworkers who actually take lunch breaks, Jessie struggles to find her footing—until she meets Aidan. Charming, spontaneous and well-travelled, he is everything she isn’t. As her assignment ticks away, he pulls her further from her comfort zone and into a life she never imagined: one filled with adventure and a future that doesn’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet.

But when her time abroad runs out, Jessie faces the most important choice of her life—return to the path she always planned, or take a chance on the one she never saw coming?

My Thoughts:

Jessica has a life long plan but when her company decide to relocate her to Ireland, she is not over the moon to begin with. She had a dream and this dream could be potentially ruined. But when she meets the handsome Aidan she thinks everything is starting to look up but is it really. It was an ok read, easy to follow along with. A bit boring in parts and predictable. I am not sure if I would read this author again.

Some secrets are better left buried…

Rebecca finally lives the peaceful life in Nevada that she’s always dreamed of with her perfect husband Tom and two adorable boys. Most importantly, Rebecca’s past is safely behind her – where she left it.

Until one morning an old friend shows up out of the blue. Tom’s making pancakes and the boys are playing nicely . . . This should be a happy reunion. But Rebecca’s heart stops when she sees who’s standing on her doorstep.

Danny disappeared the night of their high school prom. Now she’s back. Where has she been all these years? And how did she find me?

Danny is nothing but a reminder of everything Rebecca escaped – and all the secrets she’s kept hidden from Tom…

Danny claims she’s just stopping by. Rebecca can’t tell the truth from the lies. The only thing she can be sure of: Danny’s arrival is going to ruin everything she’s worked for – and she won’t let that happen.

My Thoughts:

Rebecca is happily married with her two gorgeous boys but no one knows about her past and what happened back then until one fateful day when a blast from the past turns up on her doorstep. But can Rebecca hide her secret from her family or is this stranger going to watch everything come tumbling down? it was an on the edge of your seat kind of read, I was hooked from the first chapter in this tense thriller. I flew through this book as I needed to find out what Rebecca did in the past and how this person turning up was going to shake things up for Rebecca and her family. It was totally immersive and thrilling read. I loved it.

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

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This perfect house on a quiet street was supposed to be my sanctuary, a place to recover. But everything changed the moment I saw that woman in the charity shop. She triggered something dark, buried deep within my memory…

Now I’ve started forgetting small things, like locking the front door.

And bigger things, like remembering to pick my little girl up from nursery.

I feel terrified every time I pass through a particular spot in our living room.

And sometimes, when I’m alone, I’m sure I can hear a baby crying…

I think the woman knows what happened to me. But if I can’t trust myself to believe she’s real, who else will believe me?

My Thoughts:

This is my first book by Valerie and I found it good. It is a twisty thriller that pulls you in and you wonder what is really going on in her head. Everything changes when she first spots the woman and it brings back memories that she tried to hide many years ago. Bad things happened then and she does not want to relive them a minute longer. But then other things start to happen and she can feel herself spiralling out of control. I liked the story but I did feel as though it was a little repetitive and the characters did not really hold my attention, however I did want to know the outcome as I had many ideas but was unsure if they would be the right one. I did feel the ending let the story down though.

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

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Five passengers. Five minutes until the next train … five minutes until someone dies.

Someone will die here this morning, at this suburban train station. It will happen in the next five minutes when the 7:06 to London Victoria arrives.

On a train platform, five strangers unknowingly face a chilling countdown: one of them will die in five minutes.

In this gripping tale narrated with a sharp tongue, the five main characters – a child, a mother, a businessman, an old woman, and a gambler – will draw you in with their stories of fate, sacrifice, and the relationships we build and those we break.

As the clock ticks down, we look away from the demonic child Gideon. We judge his mother Emma who must surely be to blame. We are curiously compelled by the successful yet damaged businessman Liam. We pity the furious old Mrs Worth who grew up in a macabre household and failed at being a mother. And we fall in love with the beautiful Sonny who is on the verge of gambling his life away.

My Thoughts:

This story is set at at a train station and includes five different people. No one knows what will happen when the next train arrives but someone’s life will get caught short. As we follow the story along we get to know each of the five people, and see which one the reader thinks could be the one. But not everything is as it seems as the train starts to arrive who will be the victim? you will go through every emotion reading this book, it is a tense, edge of the seat stuff and you won’t be disappointed. I found it a thought provoking read.

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

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Looking out at the crystal clear waters of Sorrento, my heart aches at the loss of the future I’d allowed myself to dream. But Tom’s lie is bigger than I could have imagined. How can we survive it? My decision will shatter more than just my own heart. Am I really ready to say the words that will change everything?

It was supposed to be a week of bliss leading to our dream wedding on the Italian coast. But it’s obvious our families are against it. My mother questions why Tom has controlled so much of the planning, twisting his generous surprise into something sinister. Tom’s daughter, Lily, makes it known she’ll never see me as her mother.

Trying to focus on our dream day, I can’t help but notice a woman who spends every day at the pool, alone. She seems fascinated by Lily in a way that worries me. When Tom finally locks eyes with her, he immediately pales.

This week should have been the best time of our lives but before our future can begin, Tom will confess a secret that could destroy everything. But he’s not the only one who kept a past lie hidden for the sake of happily-ever-after. By the end of the week with both our secrets laid bare, will we really say, ‘I do’?

My Thoughts:

When two people are about to tie the knot for their wedding they had planned for a long time, Italy would be the perfect place for them. But not everyone in the wedding party is happy about it all, will it all work out in the end? There is a strange woman who keeps on taking an interest in the groom’s daughter and things don’t feel right. When the groom lets a shocker of a secret out of the bag what must the bride do and how will she be after the aftermath, it was a good story which kept me intrigued. I would say a little slow in places but it did get better. It was one of those stories where you go did that really happen? shockers, betrayals and will they won’t they all wrapped up in a tense and twisty thriller.

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

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For a decade, Tam has quietly held YorkMart together whilst others took the credit, making herself smaller in the process. When she’s briefly promoted to acting Managing Director, she finally has a chance to shine—until her promotion is snatched away and handed to Jack Cesaroni—the man brought in to do the job that should have been hers.

Tam expects nothing but disappointment from Jack. But when they’re trapped in a lift between floors thirteen and fourteen, he sees what no one else has: Tam is exceptional. That single word of recognition sparks something Tam thought she’d lost—and an unexpected connection she never saw coming.

Now Tam faces an impossible choice: stay being the smaller version of herself she’s become used to, or take a leap and reclaim the vibrant, authentic woman she once was—and discover how wonderful it could be if she lets someone see the real her…

My Thoughts:

If you are after a brilliant short story this is the one for you. It is all about Tam who puts everyone before herself even in her job, whilst holding the business together she is happy when she gets promoted, little does she realise it won’t last long and then the unexpected happens when she gets locked in a lift with her rival. It really is an eye opener for Tam and she has to decide whether she wants to fight for what she wants or to run away with her tail between her legs. It was such a heartening, uplifting and powerful story, I instantly liked Tam and I feel people will be able to relate to her. I loved the concept of the book and found it worked really well as a short story. I love Milly’s writing there is always a hidden message when you read in between the lines and it may be a predictable story line but it is one that packs a punch. Absolutely brilliant.

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

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Dolly Lymford is having one of those days…The kind that starts with dreams of opening a café… and ends with discovering your boyfriend kissing your best friend!

Heartbroken and with nowhere else to go, Dolly accidentally-on-purpose borrows her now-ex-boyfriend’s campervan and drives until the road runs out. This leads her to Thimblenouth, a picture-perfect Yorkshire Dales village where life moves more slowly and the kettle is always on.

After literally bumping into gorgeous local builder Reece Sterling, Dolly begins to feel something she hasn’t in a long time: safe. She also rediscovers her love of baking, filling the campervan with the scent of warm scones and freshly brewed tea. And Reece is always around to share a lemon pie or two…

When Dolly has an idea to open her own pop-up café, Reece is all too happy to help. And as the summer sun begins to warm everything it touches, Dolly wonders if she’s finally found a place to call home… maybe even with Reece.

But can she really build a future on borrowed wheels?

My Thoughts:

Dolly thought her day was going well, until she finds her best friend and boyfriend in a very compromising situation. Dolly flees in his campervan, and does not really know where she is headed just far far away from them both. She ends up in Thimblenouth, where no one will be able to find her so she thinks. For a time everything seems to be going well, she has turned the campervan into a little café with the help from a handsome local and money is starting to come in, just when things are looking up, Dolly’s ex shows up. Is Dolly’s dreams going to be scuppered again? It was a nice light easy read. I liked the characters and was hoping for a happy ending for Dolly. It was a predictable read but sometimes that is not a bad thing. A perfect escapism read.

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

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Having a bad day? Visit the Tenderness convenience store in Mojiko, Kitakyushu.

A sweet treat to lift your spirits.

A quiet place to talk over a warm meal.

A kind word when you need it most.

The sound of the sea in the distance.

You’ll always find more than you imagined possible here…

My Thoughts:

This is the first book I have read by Sonoko and they are an author I would definitely read more of. I found it such a calming and pleasant read. It is set in Japan in a little convenience store where everything is full of kindness and hope. We meet customers and also the employees that make this store completely different to anywhere else. It made me want to visit this place and feel the warmth and comfort that people feel when they go there. A heart warming and soothing escape from the world we live in today. I liked reading about each person and their reasons to visit the store. I look forward to reading the other books from Sonoko. A comfort read with a hug.

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

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Single and in a dead-end job, Kate feels hope spring when an anonymous invitation falls from the pages of a book. Now, she’s standing in a charming Scottish village and trying to ignore the six-four silver fox by her side. He’s got an invitation too, a husky Chicago accent, and dangerously gorgeous sea-blue eyes…

Widowed ex-police officer Brody never expected to be stranded in Scotland with a cute British lady. Her smile might be bewitching… but her attitude? Way too cheerful. And eccentric bookshop owner Moira says they can stay for free, as long as they don’t mind sharing one very cozy little cottage.

That’s the least of their problems. Turns out Moira’s bookshop needs them just as much as Kate and Brody need a fresh start. And with a twinkle in Moira’s mischievous matchmaking eye, things are soon hotting up in surprising ways!

But as they string fairy lights over snug reading nooks and rally the whole community to buy their favourite reads, can Kate and Brody save the bookshop and heal their hearts? Or will their fresh start come crashing down?

My Thoughts:

When a book is set in a bookshop, you know as a reader it is going to be good. This story is about two people, Kate is lonely and feels as though nothing is going for her right now until a invitation falls out of a book, she knows this could be her chance of happiness so when she takes up the other and finds herself next to a very attractive man could he be the answer to her prayers? Brody is feeling the same as Kate and neither of them realise how important each other will become to the other. It was such a lovely read to melt away with. I liked the characters and I also liked seeing how Kate and Brody blossomed. They also need to help a struggling bookshop but with passion on their side this must surely work? I just loved how cozy and relaxing this story was.

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

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