Kathleen is eighty years old. After a run-in with an intruder, her daughter wants her to move into a residential home. She’s not having any of it. What she craves – needs – is adventure.

Liza is drowning under the daily stress of family life. The last thing she needs is her mother jetting off on a wild holiday, making Liza dream of a solo break of her own.

Martha is having a quarter-life crisis. Unemployed, unloved and uninspired, she just can’t get her life together. But she knows something has to change.

When Martha sees Kathleen’s advert for a driver and companion to take an epic road trip across America, she decides this job might be the answer to her prayers. Travelling with a stranger? No problem. She’s not the world’s best driver, but it couldn’t be worse than living with her parents again. And anyway, how much trouble can one eighty-year-old woman be?

As these women embark on the journey of a lifetime, they all discover it’s never too late for adventure…

My Thoughts:

I have not read about a really good road trip for a long time and Sarah’s story really hit the spot. It made me crave getting out on the open road with the sun high in the sky and to escape the everyday world. There are three stories that interweave and come together, Kathleen is eighty and is fed up with her life, she wants a big adventure before it is too late. Liza is her Kathleen’s daughter and is tired of being stressed all the time, and Martha is just what Kathleen needs, Martha has her own problems in life and when she see’s Kathleen is looking for a driver she goes for the job and gets it. They go on a trip of a life time together and find themselves. It was wonderful to see how they bonded but also it was lovely to see Kathleen doing something she has always wanted to do. It shows if you really want to do something, just go for it, don’t be scared. If an eighty year old lady can do it, then anyone can. A warm and uplifting story, that I truly loved.

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

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They can’t see her, but she can see them…

Simone has a secret. She likes to stand at her bathroom window and spy on the couple downstairs through their kitchen skylight. She knows what they eat for breakfast and who they’ve got over for dinner. She knows what mood they’re in before they even step out the door. There’s nothing wrong with looking, is there?

Until one day Simone sees something through the skylight she is not expecting. Something that upsets her so much she begins to plot a terrible crime…

My Thoughts:

This is one of the quick reads books, it is a short story that is less than 100 pages. I loved it, I am a big fan of Louise’s books anyways so once I got my copy I had to read it straight away and it took me less than an hour but it certainly packed a punch. I didn’t realise short stories could be so good. Simone can see into her neighbours downstairs but she is the only one who knows this, they can’t see her but she can see them. When one day she sees something that shocks her, she starts to plan something that will change everyone’s lives all together. There are a couple of twists and turns that I was not expecting and the ending was brilliant. I will definitely be buying the rest of the books.

There are six quick reads books to choose from and every book sold, they will donate a book to someone who finds reading difficult. The books only cost £1. If you want to find out more, click on the link below:

https://readingagency.org.uk/adults/quick-guides/quick-reads/

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

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Love is in the Cornish summer air…

Wedding planner Ellie Moon is dreaming up the most beautiful bespoke wedding for Charlie and Daniel, owners of Cornwall’s favourite cream tea bus. Even though her own life has been turned upside down and she’s had to rent out her charming Cornish cottage with its climbing roses and lavender beds, Ellie is determined to give them a day to remember.

Her new tenant, handsome mechanic Jago, keeps popping up around the picture-postcard seaside village of Porthgolow. When they’re thrown together in the effort to help his elderly father get a spring back in his step, she discovers that he is full of surprises. Can romance bloom and give Ellie the fresh start she’s been wishing for?

My Thoughts:

This is book four in the Cream Tea series and it was lovely to catch up with the people that live in Porthgolow. I loved revisiting Cornwall in this lovely summer read, the cover is such a joy to look at. So we are back in Porthgolow and this time the story is about Ellie who is a wedding planner and has to organise the wedding of Charlie and Daniel who we have met in the previous books. Ellie’s life has not been plain sailing and when she rents out her lovely little cottage to Jago, she is unsure of what to make of him but knows she can’t resist him as he is very handsome, when they get thrown together will sparks fly? It is a book about love, trust and a whole big wedding. I loved it.

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

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IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START YOUR LIFE’S BIG ADVENTURE . . .

Albert Entwistle was a postman. It was one of the few things everyone knew about him. And it was one of the few things he was comfortable with people knowing.

64-year-old Albert Entwistle has been a postie in a quiet town in Northern England for all his life, living alone since the death of his mam 18 years ago. He keeps himself to himself. He always has. But he’s just learned he’ll be forced to retire at his next birthday. With no friends and nothing to look forward to, the lonely future he faces terrifies him. He realises it’s finally time to be honest about who he is. He must learn to ask for what he wants. And he must find the courage to look for George, the man that, many years ago, he lost – but has never forgotten . . .

My Thoughts:

This is such a sweet and tender story about Albert who is on the hunt to find his one true love that he lost many years back. At the age of 64 years old Albert realises he is not getting younger decides to change his life for the better, he strikes up a friendship with a young mum and does a few nice things for those that he knows would appreciate it. It was heartwarming to see how people reacted to his news, and how he faced each challenge that he put himself up to. He goes on the search for his long lost love but will he find him? will he get his happily ever after? Albert is such a kind man who I was rooting for all the way through his journey. This is a love story like no other but one that will stay with me. I just loved it.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. Thank you to Rosie Margesson at Headline for sending me a copy.

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Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over-especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud-because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own-including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

My Thoughts:

The cover of this book is so pretty, it makes me want to dive in straight away. I have never Taylor’s books before but I may have found my new favourite author. Secrets, lies, betrayal all make this book one hell of a ride that you just don’t want to get off. We flit back to the past and discover things that have consequently changed since then. A whole family that have been devastated by events that have occurred, a party that gets out of control but one where dramatic events happen. They each have their own story to tell but who is the one telling the truth. All wrapped into one book, it makes for a superb read.

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

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On the Home Front, one girl is determined to make a difference.

But Edie’s hopes of serving overseas are dashed when she’s sent to be a Land Girl in a sleepy Cumbrian village.

Prue has shut the world out since her son went away to fight. Yet when she’s asked to take in a Land Girl and two little evacuees from London, she has no choice.

Edie’s heart breaks, seeing the children’s cold welcome. But when the evacuees take in a stray puppy, even Prue can’t say no.

Edie realises Applefield Manor could become a sanctuary. But can she persuade Prue to open her heart, and her home?

My Thoughts:

I loved this book so much, I found it like being wrapped in a warm hug. Edie is being sent to Cumbria to become a Land Girl, that word excited me as I love reading about the Land Girls, they might not of thought that they were doing much for the War, but they really were vital.Edie is going to live at Applefield Manor that just sounds lovely, She gets herself stuck into all sorts of Farm work which she enjoys but makes her tired as she is not use to the kind of work she is doing. I think Edie is a strong woman who wants the best for everyone and has a very kind heart. There are some lovely characters that are bought to life within this story, animals and two young evacuees make this a truly special story. I read it in a day and it did not disappoint. It would be interesting to see if there is a follow on.

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

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Titus Llewellyn\-Gwlynne, actor\manager of the Red Lion Theatre, has lost a backer who was going to fund a theatrical tour – when unexpected salvation appears.

Their home theatre in the East End of London having been bombed during the war, The Red Lion Touring Company embarks on a tour of Britain to take a play written by their new benefactress into the provinces.

As they make their vagabond, singing way, they remain unaware that they leave behind in London a man consumed with thoughts of revenge. Revenge which follows them obsessively from town to town, ending in its final act before the last curtain.

This charming series transports the reader to a lost post\-war world of touring rep theatre and once\-grand people who have fallen on harder times, smoggy streets, and shared bonhomie over a steaming kettle.

My Thoughts:

This is something a little different to my usual reads, but I was intrigued to try it and see what it was all about. I love reading books about London, the theatre part was really interesting too as I haven’t read many books about the theatre. Titus is the manager of a theatre and when disaster strikes he finds out what he wont be able to fund a theatrical tour. They find a very unexpected way to do the tour. It is full of joy and laughter as they wend their way around the country but is life all sweetness and roses as someone is out for revenge but will disaster strike again or will it be a happy ever after? I enjoyed this unique and original read that is refreshing and enjoyable.

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

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France, 1943.

Forced to flee war ravaged Poland, Sara and her parents are offered refuge in a beautiful but dilapidated house in the French Alps. It seems the perfect hideaway, despite haunting traces of the previous occupants who left in haste.

But shadows soon fall over Sara’s blissful summer, and her blossoming romance with local villager Alain. As the Nazis close in, the family is forced to make a harrowing choice that could drive them apart forever, while Sara’s own bid for freedom risks several lives . . .

Will her family make it through the summer together?
And can she hold onto the love she has found with Alain?

My Thoughts:

I like reading Carol’s books, they are always intriguing and her writing is very descriptive, this story is about Sara and her parents who have had to run away from Poland to France. It is set in 1943 and there is a war going on in Poland that forces them to run. In France they stay in a run down house tucked away in the Alps. In the Summer Sara even have a little romance going on with a local, but things don’t always fall in to place and the Nazis are closing in, will the family be able to stay together or will they have to make an unbearable choice? I found this story a little slow but I liked how the story was told and the ending was good.

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

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I am part of the blog tour for this book, if you want to check out what other bloggers think of this book, check out the blog tour poster below:

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of the plot for this book, it sounded right up my street. In a retirement village four friends meet up to investigate unsolved murders. There are quite a few funny moments as you can imagine, they each have their own stories and they are the ones that I soon came to care about. Even though they are old they don’t let that stop them from working out the unsolved murders. But is time on their hands? can they solve the murders before it is too late? I am intrigued to see what the second book brings.

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

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In 2016, Mary Jane Baxter did what many people dream of: she quit her job at the BBC, rented out her flat and headed for the hills. Her home for the next few months was an upcycled 1986 Bedford Bambi campervan with a top speed of 60mph. She raided skips for vintage wallpaper and scoured second-hand emporiums to source stylish vintage accessories, creating her own travelling craft studio, packed with everything necessary for crafting on the road.

She then set off around Europe searching for inspiration, travelling from Belgium right down to the Cinque Terre in Italy then around France and up to Scotland. Armed with her trusty hand-cranked Singer, she spent a summer sewing on the go, foraging in flea markets, meeting artists and hosting pop-up events to help fund her trip. Like creatives the world over she decided to see where her travels would lead her and returned with a head full of new projects.

Fortunately, there s no need for you to give up your job, wave goodbye to your family and rent out your house in order to re-ignite your own creativity; Mary Jane has done all the hard work for you. Sew on the Go is her guide to carving out more creative space in your life. From decorating your own budget-conscious bolthole to achievable projects including clothes and fashion accessories, beautiful gift ideas and child-friendly makes, this book is the ideal companion for those who dream of devoting more time to their craft.

My Thoughts:

I love how this book is set out as a travel memoir that shares everything, when travelling alone you are going to have good and bad days and here we see Mary’s experience in all this. I haven’t really read any book like this book and I certainly will in the future, Mary gives a lot of information and advice if you were to take off on an adventure of your own. Mary goes off on her travels in her little van and shows us how to make do and mend with pretty much anything she can get her hands on. Also I liked the step by step crafts she demonstrates I even feel as though I could make some of the things she has made. There is all different types to choose from too, I just love how the book is laid out, it will really inspire people to get crafting. If you need inspiration or you want to learn to do crafts, I would highly recommend reading this book.

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

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