Ten years after fleeing Sandy Harbor Island, Josie’s hometown is the last place she wants to be. But she’s maid of honor for her sister Madeline and determined to give her the beachside wedding of her dreams.

Josie hadn’t reckoned on the best man: Ian. One look in his sky-blue eyes and she’s back to the summer she turned eighteen, waitressing at the sailing club. She never expected the son of the island’s wealthiest property developer to notice her. But sun-kissed days out on the water showed Josie that Ian had the kindest heart and biggest dreams.

Their future had only just begun when Josie’s life was torn apart. She can never tell Ian why she ran away. She’ll just avoid him all week and leave as soon as the wedding is over.

But Ian’s oceanside cottage is the only place to stay, and wedding events throw them together in all kinds of ways. It’s clear from every lingering glance and accidental brush of hands that neither of them ever forgot that fleeting, magical summer…

But the harder Josie falls, the more danger she’s in of revealing her secret. Ian is the one person who can never, ever know what she did on that life-shattering day a decade ago. But if Josie runs away—forever this time—will she break her own heart all over again?

My Thoughts:

Josie has come back to her hometown for her sister’s wedding, many years ago Josie and her family fled this place and for very good reasons she never wanted to return until now. But when you are maid of honour and the best man is someone you ran away from, things are going to get a little awkward. Ian and Josie know there is still a connection between the two of them even after all this time, he wants to know why she fled. When it all comes tumbling out, Josie is in for a shock she never saw coming. Plenty of twists and turns in this story, I liked how each chapter was Josie or Ian recalling what happened back then and also the present day. I guessed early on what had happened back then but not what the twist would be. It was a great story that held my attention till the end. I need to read more of this authors books now.

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

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As the weather warms up, everyone in Starr’s Fall has one thing on their minds… ice cream. And Zoe Wilkinson is the person to help them out. Running the town’s only ice cream shop—The Latest Scoop—she should be the most popular person in town, at least every day that the sun’s shining.

But, in spite of growing up in Starr’s Fall, Zoe has reached the age of twenty-eight without letting anyone deeply into her life. Her wild teenage years seem to be all anyone remembers, perhaps not helped by her spiky pink hair, and sometimes even spikier attitude.

That is, until fourteen-year-old Sophie comes into her store, and tries to steal something. Zoe calls her out, only to attract the ire of Sophie’s furious father, Dan Bryant –a surprisingly sexy middle-aged dad who Zoe would probably develop a huge crush on, if he wasn’t busy defending his daughter.

When she gets home to realise Sophie and Dan are in fact also her new neighbors, she knows she has to make nice. Besides, she can’t help but see a bit of her own teenage tearaway self in sulky Sophie.

But, as the summer sun blazes overhead, will letting a lost teenage girl and a man who gives her butterflies into her life be enough to warm up Zoe’s frozen, frightened heart?

My Thoughts:

This is book three in the Starr’s Fall Series and it can be read as a standalone as I have done. Zoe is the owner of the local ice cream shop and she is happy in life but knows there is something missing. When a dad and daughter move in to town Zoe gets more than she bargained for when his daughter steals something from her shop and when she finds out they are neighbours it blows her mind, how can she concentrate when there is a hot guy living next door. But Zoe has home life stuff going on and does not know if she should commit. It was a lovely story to escape with. I liked the characters and even though I have not read the previous two books I don’t feel as though I am missing out on anything. It was a really good well rounded read.

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

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In every lifetime, it’s always you…

When Lissa meets Ash, she can’t deny their instant connection. It’s like they’ve met before, many times.

Then, the flashbacks start and somehow she just knows: these are memories of past lives. And in those lives, there’s always one person. Always, she falls in love with him. Always, it ends in tragedy.

This time, Lissa knows she must do something different. Can the star-crossed lovers learn from their past mistakes and finally find their happy ending?

My Thoughts:

After reading Becky’s previous books I knew this was a must read so I was excited to start reading it straight away. I found this a very interesting and unique spin on a book, if you read the first page Becky actually tells you about her thought process and I can clearly see how this way worked so much better for her. The story is about Lissa and Ash who are two people who have mutual feelings for each other but when things start to develop, this is when the flashbacks start to happen, nothing good ever comes from these flashbacks but Lissa really wants it to work with Ash so she tries to find a way for the flashbacks to change and for her to be happy once again. But can she? It was a great read, very unique but packs a punch. There are a rollercoaster of emotions and I was really rooting for the both of them to live a happy life.

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

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She’s found her dream home but can she make her dreams a reality?

Hattie finds other people their dream homes for a living.

Surely she, of all people, has the connections and the knowledge to find her own forever home? Instead, she baffles those closest to her by choosing to pack up and move every few months from one housesitting job to the next.

Of course, that’s because she knows where she wants to live. It’s a beautiful house owned by a lovely old woman who’d simply love for Hattie to have it.

But nothing is ever that simple.

There’s Clive who refuses to listen to his great-aunt’s wishes about her house. There’s Luke, Hattie’s oldest friend, who just wants to see her happy. And there’s Hattie herself. It might take a difficult client, an awkward teenager and a couple of dogs to help her see what really makes a house a home.

My Thoughts:

Hattie is a property finder and loves finding the perfect homes for her clients. But Hattie has no fixed abode, there is a dream house she would love but it is occupied by a sweet old lady who Hattie likes deeply. Some of her clients can be very demanding about what kind of house they want and their expectations but Hattie is there to try and aim for the best. But she seems to get more involved in the clients lives than she would of expected to. I liked reading about being a property finder, I have never come across a book that the main character is one. I liked Hattie’s relationship with Luke and how she always helps out other people, she is a people pleaser and I liked that about her. It was such a feel good romance story that brought joy to my face. I really enjoyed it.

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

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Once a grand country house, Hope Hall is now beautiful luxury apartments and when Cassie and Nina become new neighbours, they soon become firm friends. But as perfect as life in the Cambridgeshire countryside seems, both have heartaches of their own.

Cassie is blissfully in love with Ben, but shadows from her first marriage loom large, threatening her happiness.

Nina, a widow, must confront a painful decision that will shatter her mother-in-law’s dreams.

Into their lives comes Venetia, a lively seventy-nine-year-old with a penchant for secrets – one of which is close to her heart, concealed in her handbag… As Venetia recalls her own bittersweet history with Hope Hall, the bonds between the three women are forged, revealing the strength found in friendship and the courage to confront the past.

My Thoughts:

The story is set around the stunning Hope Hall which are luxurious apartments and the residents that are living there some old and some new. There are three women that are the centre of the book and I loved to see how their stories intertwine. Cassie has things that have happened in the past to her and she is scared to move on and let go of what happened to her. Nina’s world was shattered and now she is trying to get a grips with moving on but someone in the family won’t let her. And Venetia who I grew to love, she does not feel her age of seventy nine but she has many secrets hidden up her sleeve, ones she has never told anyone before but can an unlikely friendship get her to open up. It was such a lovely story that was brimming with hope and love, I loved all the residents and I thought it was a thought provoking read as it made you think what you would do in the women’s situations. I really enjoyed it.

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

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Would you know a serial killer if you met one?

Grace Murphy doesn’t seem like the type of woman who’d have a man cable-tied to a chair, slowly dying in her house. She keeps to herself and goes through life relatively unnoticed, working as a barista and caring for her sister, providing her with wholesome meals and a clean home – things they never had as children . . .

Detective Inspector Jerry Hughes knows about Grace’s brutal and troubled childhood; his own life was profoundly affected by it after all… so when men start going missing in the city – men who seem to have nothing in common aside from a physical resemblance to someone from Grace Murphy’s past – Inspector Hughes must dive back into the past to face a terrible truth playing out before him…

My Thoughts:

This one was really good, I have not read many thrillers recently and this one was a good one to come back with. A unlikely serial killer but Detective Inspector Jerry Hughes knows all about Grace, he has seen what her childhood did to her and how it would of affected her as it really affected him knowing what he knew. So when start going missing, he realises that it is similar to before and wants to get to the bottom of it but nothing is going to get in the way for Grace as she tries to face her own demons. It was a powerful, edge of the seat stuff. I read it in one sitting as I just had to know the ending. I liked the style of Michelle’s writing and the way the first page drew me in, I have not read any of Michelle’s books before but I will be now as this one was brilliant. It had everything I wanted for a twisty tense thriller.

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

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Ed is in trouble with the yakuza. He’s gambled away all his money and his family is at risk.
But just as he’s about to lose everything, he receives an offer he can’t refuse.

A reclusive billionaire is looking for a private chef. The only catch: she has some. . . unusual tastes.

As he prepares delicious dishes – fresh crab salad with a panko crumb, lamb shank dripping in red wine juice, sweet, fluffy soufflé pancakes – he realizes that each meal is a test, a challenge to satisfy an insatiable appetite.

Caught up in a world more sinister than he could ever have imagined, Ed finds himself entangled in another debt.

As the stakes grow, he must make a choice.
Will he stay hungry? Or will he be greedy?

Dinner is served.
Eat Up.

My Thoughts:

For Ed life is tough he is struggling to make ends meet, trying to look after his wife and child but he has a secret one he is too ashamed to admit. He gambles and has been for a while but little does his wife know how much debt he really is in and he owes money to some nasty people. So when he gets offered a job as a private chef he knows he needs this more than anything but his new employer is not as she seems and when things start to happen that do not seem quite right Ed starts questioning if this is right for him. It was a truly bonkers idea for a story but one that worked really well. It had me gripped from the first page. It is one of those books where you are like really? no that could not happen and then it does. It was so good and disturbing at the same time. Brilliant writing.

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

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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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