Sometimes you need to get lost to find your way…

Marnie is stuck.
Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that often feels like it’s passing her by.

Michael is coming undone.
Reeling from his wife’s departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells.

When a persistent mutual friend and some very English weather conspire to bring them together, Marnie and Michael suddenly find themselves alone on the most epic of walks and on the precipice of a new friendship.

But can they survive the journey?

My Thoughts:

I read this book whilst having a holiday in The Lake District so I found it quite fitting. Marnie and Michael are the main characters and I love the dynamic between them, it was a lovely story to connect with and also I liked the different parts of the walks that David described as I have been on some of them and they are breath taking beautiful. David has such a lovely way of connecting to his readers by adding warmth and comfort and also by writing so freely that the words flow so beautifully. It was a captivating story that I will treasure forever.

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When Brooke and Matt are cast as romantic leads in their drama group’s theatre performance of Romeo and Juliet, they don’t mean to actually fall in love. Secrets and lies seem a small price for Brooke to pay for an older boyfriend, until they take their relationship to the next level one night in an empty auditorium. After she learns of the illegality of Matt’s actions, Brooke’s anxiety reaches breaking point and she makes a decision that changes her life forever. Years later, Matt is reunited with Brooke, desperately seeking redemption. But what sense can they make now of a love that never did run smoothly?

Exploring mental health, co-dependency, and the blurred lines of sexual consent, this captivating debut recounts a young woman’s journey to independence as she strays beyond all she has ever known to confront her traumatic past.

My Thoughts:

This is about Brooke and Matt who are in their drama group and both get cast for the lead roles but little did they know how close they would get whilst practising. But things change and neither one is ready for the consequences. They both go and lead their separate lives and when years later they are reunited, there are so many questions left unanswered but they are back where they belong or are they? The story explores sensitive topics about mental health and sexual consent. It is quite a hard hitting story about two young people not really knowing what is right and wrong and then to see the impact it has on both of them. It is a YA novel but I think it has tackled the sensitive topics very well. I feel as though I need to read a light hearted book now.

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

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My life is perfectly fine.

Alex has pretended this for years―despite an emotionally absent father, a best friend drifting away, and a floundering dog-training business. At least Alex has her sister, Meredith, a driven polar opposite. But both their lives are upended when their estranged mother dies of a genetic condition that the sisters have a fifty-fifty chance of inheriting. For Alex, a world without her mother is uncomfortable. But a world without Meredith is unthinkable.

Alex suggests a pact to which Meredith tentatively agrees: In three months they’ll get tested. Until then they go after everything they’ve ever wanted. Alex is finally stepping out of her comfort zone and opening herself up to new relationships. Or maybe reconnecting with an old one. Nathan, a boy who once broke her heart, needs a trainer for his mixed-breed rescue. Alex can’t resist.

As sparks rekindle, and time passes much too quickly, Alex discovers more about herself, her sister, and her mother than she ever imagined. And that everything in life―especially happiness―comes with a risk worth taking.

My Thoughts:

This is a story about how life can change in an instant. Alex and her sister Meredith are complete opposites but when their mum dies, the sisters never realised how much of an impact it would have on their lives, especially when they find out that it was a genetic condition that took their mum away. The girls have a 50-50 change of inheriting it. So they decide they are going to do everything they have ever wanted to do and go with the flow and forget about it for three months and then get testes. But what does it mean for the sisters? and can they ever truly forget about it for three months? it was a whirlwind of a story, it is thought provoking and tense, but full of love and the great thing of having a sister beside you every step of the way. It was a good read.

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

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Two broken hearts. One magical Christmas by the sea.

When Jess calls off her wedding just weeks before the big day, she escapes to the coastal village of Sturcombe Bay for a fresh start.

Swapping wedding plans for Christmas preparation at the fading Carleton Hotel, she’s not looking for love — until she meets Paul Channing, a rugged local with secrets of his own.

Shelley doesn’t let people in — not even at Christmas. But when kind-hearted Canadian pilot Daniel Crocombe steps in to defend her at the Carleton Hotel, his quiet warmth begins to break through her walls. With Christmas approaching, can Shelley believe she’s worthy of the love she’s always longed for?

As fairy lights go up around the village and snow dusts the bay, Jess and Shelley must find the courage to let go of the past — and discover that love often arrives when you least expect it.

My Thoughts:

Jess has a need to escape from her old life, with everything going wrong she goes to Sturcombe Bay to hopefully start afresh. Will she find her happy ever after there? Also Shelley is quiet and shy until she meets Daniel can he help her to turn her life around? can the two women find love at Christmas when they least expect it. I like how the two women’s intertwine with each other. It is a slow burner of a story. I liked how the story flowed and to see the outcome at the end. It was a light hearted story that is full of friendship, romance and Christmas festivities.

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

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Laura was all set for a quiet solo Christmas – just her, a bottle of wine, and flat-sitting for a stranger. But when the stranger’s parents mistake her for his mystery girlfriend, she’s swept off to the snowy Scottish Highlands with Callum and his whole family.

Between the cosy sleeper train, charming pubs and breathtaking views, this could be the no-strings-attached Christmas of Laura’s dreams.

But stranger Callum is hot, hilarious and their ‘fake’ chemistry is off the charts.

So is this just a Christmas fling? Or the start of something more?

My Thoughts:

I have not read a book by Lindsey for a very long time and I don’t really know why. This was everything and more. It is about Laura who has decided for Christmas she is going to flat sit for a stranger, but nothing is as it seems and before she knows it she is being mistaken for this really hot guy’s girlfriend and being whisked away to his home in the Scottish Highlands. This is not what Laura had intended but at least it should makes for some interesting stories. It was funny, relatable and there was great character building. I did not want to put this book down. Now I need to go and read more of Lindsey’s books as I fear I have been missing out. I would highly recommend this book.

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

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One snowy village. Two guarded hearts. A Christmas they’ll never forget.

After a year of burying her heartbreak in endless work, Jessica Stewart returns to her childhood home in the Scottish village of Rowan Bay. She hopes the Christmas lights and familiar faces will help her rediscover the woman she used to be.

She doesn’t expect Reuben Campbell.

Once her brother’s infuriating best friend — the boy who teased her endlessly — Reuben is now a ruggedly handsome architect with an easy charm. And he’s suddenly everywhere Jessica turns.

As the village prepares for Christmas, Jessica and Reuben find themselves sharing frost-bitten walks, fairy-lit evenings and gingerbread house disasters. The spark between them is impossible to ignore and Reuben’s steady presence begins to melt the walls Jessica has spent so long building.

But Jessica came home to escape complications — and Reuben, for all his warmth, is hiding heartbreak and secrets of his own.

As Christmas approaches can two people with every reason to resist each other finally give in to a second chance neither saw coming?

My Thoughts:

Jessica has been through a lot so when she returns home, she hopes this will help her to revaluate her life and work out where to go from here. But when she sees a familiar face from the past in the form of her brothers best friend, she cant help but notice him in different eyes. As the pair start spending time together, Jessica wonders if this is her happy ever after. It is a light hearted and easy read. I felt sorry for Jessica at the start and then was hoping she would find her happiness. It is a predictable story but one I really fell in love with. A great Christmas read to snuggle up with.

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

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When Anna Graham finds diamond earrings in her husband’s drawer the day before Valentine’s Day, she knows they’re not for her – her ears aren’t even pierced. Gray is having an affair – but before she can confront him about his betrayal, he receives a terminal cancer diagnosis that shatters their family.

As Gray lies dying in their Damask Square home, Anna meets Laurel – the nurse who stole her husband’s heart. Despite her rage, Anna finds herself sharing Gray’s final days with this other woman, both desperate to ease his suffering while drowning in their own grief.

But hidden in their loft, Anna discovers traces of a stranger – a boy who was a gifted pianist, who had a different life before he became her husband. As she struggles to hold herself together for her teenage children, Anna realises everything she believed about Gray was built on carefully constructed lies.

Can two women who loved the same man find a way to heal – and help each other discover who Gray really was?

My Thoughts:

Anna’s husband Gray has been cheating on her, she does not know for how long but when she finds a gift in his drawer that is her confirmation. When the whole family find out that Gray is terminally ill, Anna does her best to be there for the family but what she does not realise that Gary wants his mistress to visit him at home as he can no longer leave the house. It is a lot for Anna to come to terms with and I don’t think I would be brave enough to let it happen, but it was an eye opener of a story and one I felt mentally drained after reading. I have to admit I did get a little bored towards the end but overall it was a good read. I thought it would leave me in tears but it did not as it was a different kind of sad.

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

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Maddie Whittle is done with heartbreak — or so she tells herself. Six years after losing her beloved brother, she’s transforming her family’s estate into a wellness retreat.

The work is hard, the stakes are high and Maddie has no time for distractions.

Until a runaway piglet from the local farm brings her face to face with James Byron — an infuriating blast from her past.

Maddie needs help. James needs a job. What neither of them want is the slow-burning tension that could turn their bickering partnership into something far more dangerous: hope.

As winter sets in and renovations bring them closer, Maddie must confront the one thing she’s avoided for years. The possibility of a future defined by love.

My Thoughts:

This is book two in the Unforgettable love stories and I would say you can read it as a standalone as I have done. Maddie lost her brother a few years ago and since then has pulled herself into work, building a wellness retreat at her family’s estate. She wants to get on and distract herself from the time when her brother was so poorly, but a blast from the past throws everything up in the air especially when said someone starts helping her with her wellness retreat. What happened back then and can they ever rekindle what they once used to have? It was a predictable but easy enough read, relatable characters and the author Sarah has done a great job of keeping things light but also dealing with sensitive issues. I would say it was well written and look forward to exploring more of Sarah’s books.

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

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Welcome to Port Berry, where love, second chances and Christmas miracles are just around the corner.

Alice Dipple is determined to make her first Christmas running Port Berry’s Seaview B&B a success.

But when her childhood best friend, Jamie Stark, unexpectedly returns after years away, the Christmas season suddenly feels a little brighter — and a lot more complicated. 

Jamie was once the love of Alice’s life, until a dreadful mistake tore them apart. He’s returned to Port Berry for a fresh start, but didn’t expect to bump into the woman he once lost. The only woman he has ever loved.

Alice is determined to focus on her business, but Jamie is intent on proving he’s changed and deserves a second chance.

With the streets of Port Berry covered in snow, and the town preparing for a festive wedding, both Alice and Jamie are forced to confront their past mistakes and the possibility that the love they once had might still be there.

My Thoughts:

This will be Alice’s first Christmas running her b&b and she is determined to make a real go of it. When Jamie comes back in her life there is a lot of things that they need to discuss about how things were left a few years ago. Its Christmas time and Alice just wants to concentrate on her business and enjoying the specialness of Christmas magic but Jamie wants to reconcile what they both used to have. It was an easy read to get swept away with, perfect book to snuggle up with and enjoy the magic it brings. I liked the characters and how simple but predictable the story was. It is all about friendship, romance and Christmas spirit. A great read.

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

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