When Janice starts cleaning for Mrs B – a shrewd and tricksy woman in her nineties – she meets someone who wants to hear her story. But Janice is clear: she is the keeper of stories, she doesn’t have a story to tell. At least, not one she can share.

Mrs B is no fool and knows there is more to Janice than meets the eye. What is she hiding? After all, doesn’t everyone have a story to tell?

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book about Janice, she is a cleaner and hears many people’s stories. She never tells anyone these stories she keeps them to herself as she is the keeper of stories. When she meets Mrs B, things are different Mrs B is near the end of her life and is quite sharp. But maybe Mrs B can find things out about Janice that no one knows. It was a clever and interesting story that captivated me, I was not sure if it would be for me but it really was and I loved it. Such a warm and funny read in parts.

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Laila and her husband arrive for a week’s holiday in Greece in desperate need of a reset.

As Laila sits by the pool she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the other family staying in their resort.

Em has no idea who Laila is, or that she has been watching her and her teenage sons and husband so intently.

Five days later Em’s world will be blown apart by a horrifying event.

Laila thinks she knows the truth of what happened. But in telling Em what she’s seen, she stands to lose everything she holds dear.

And what if she’s got it wrong?

My Thoughts:

What an intriguing story about a wife and husband who go away on holiday to get away from every day life and talk about their future. I think Laila’s back story will be relatable to some women and I did feel sorry for her. But whilst on holiday she meets Em and she becomes obsessed with her life but when something awful happens will Laila own up to what she knows. The story keeps the reader feeling tense with the twists that happen throughout the story. It felt quite a long story and would be a great beach read.

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

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This is the story of Gayle and Martin, who fall in love over the course of ten years- over a yearly visit to a tiny, isolated island off the Welsh coast.

Gayle is a teacher and each year she brings her class to the island to see the local flora and fauna, from sea birds to playful seals. Martin, the island’s caretaker and only human resident, lives in and maintains the lighthouse, which opens to the public for just this one day a year.

Gayle is effervescent but feels trapped, while Martin is lonely and isolated. As their love slowly builds over time, they both yearn for the annual field trip where they can finally see each other… Until one year Gayle doesn’t come back, and Martin has to leave his island hideaway to find her.

My Thoughts:

What a beautiful story, you are bound to fall in love with not just the story but with all the lovely characters too. The setting sounds idyllic and perfect. It is a tender love story about two lonely souls that are brought together by chance and it showed me if you want something that much, grab the bull by its horns and go for it. If you don’t you will regret it. I loved the pace of this read and read it throughout a day, you will go through all the emotions, I laughed, I cried and I felt all warm and fuzzy. It is a beautiful story and I loved it.

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

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THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME. YOU’D DIE TO BE THERE.

Ten lucky people have won a place at the most exclusive launch event of the century: the grand opening of the Hotel Artemis, the first hotel on the moon. It’s an invitation to die for. As their transport departs for its return to Earth and the doors seal shut behind them, the guests take the next leap for mankind.

However, they soon discover that all is not as it seems. The champagne may be flowing, but there is no one to pour it. Room service is available, but there is no one to deliver it. Besides the ten of them, they are completely alone.

When one of the guests is found murdered, fear spreads through the group. But that death is only the beginning. Being three days’ journey from home and with no way to contact the outside, can any of the guests survive their stay?

My Thoughts:

The book is set in the Hotel which is the first hotel on the moon, ten people have been picked to go there and they cannot wait. But it is not all as it seems and things start to go wrong very quickly. Some one is found murdered but who was it and why? and will the remaining guests all get out alive? it is such a quirky and unique story line of a locked room mystery. However it was not right for me, I don’t enjoy locked room mysteries, and non fiction sci-fi books. It just didn’t grab my attention.

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

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When Warren has the opportunity to live with a female roommate, he instantly agrees. It could be an exciting change.

Or maybe not.

Especially when that roommate is the cold and seemingly calculating Bridgette. Tensions run high and tempers flare as the two can hardly stand to be in the same room together. But Warren has a theory about Bridgette: anyone who can hate with that much passion should also have the capability to love with that much passion. And he wants to be the one to test this theory.

Will Bridgette find it in herself to warm her heart to Warren and finally learn to love?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

My Thoughts:

This book is in the Maybe Series and follows on from Maybe Someday. This is Warren’s story and it is a nice short quick read. I read it in a couple of hours. Warren gets the opportunity to have a female room mate he jumps at the chance but he doesn’t expect someone like Bridgette to be that person. He fancies her but she is cold and doesn’t seem interested in him until he tests her. It was quite a sweet and romantic story line. When Bridgette opens up to Warren he sees her for her and helps her show what real love is like. It is a tender and beautiful romance and a great story to curl up with.

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There’s no place like home. There’s no place like Cornwall…

Maisie Winters has everything she could ever want. She lives in the idyllic Cornish town of Port Karadow, has a jammy job in her dad’s shop, adores her rescue mutt, and has time to take the landscape photos she loves.

While her best friend and sister left the town to chase big dreams in London and New York, Maisie stayed – she wouldn’t leave her favourite place for anything … or anyone.

When her long-time crush, Colm Caffrey, returns from a decade abroad, old feelings start to resurface. Maisie begins to ask herself if there might be one big thing missing after all?

My Thoughts:

I needed a book to take my mind of everyday things and this was the perfect remedy, I felt as though I could lose myself between the pages, it was just so good to wind down with this story. Maisie lives in the beautiful and very scenic Port Karadow in Cornwall and has a ideal life for herself, but when her crush from years ago turns up he decidedly shakes things up for Maisie and she doesn’t know if she is coming or going with him. Can they rekindle what they had before? This is book 8 in the Cornish Cream Tea Series and if you haven’t read any of those books, I would definitely recommend reading them as they are just as good as this one. As a follow on we catch up with old friends and also new ones, it was nice to see what other people were up to from the previous books. It is a perfect pick me up read that was making me dream about booking a weekend away to Cornwall, I love Cressida’s descriptions of Cornwall I felt as though I could taste the sea air on my lips reading this story. This book is just what I needed and I absolutely loved it.

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

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Jamie Matson had once enjoyed a wonderful life working alongside her best friend, organising adventures for single-parent families, and her son Bo’s artistic flair a source of pride rather than concern.

She hadn’t been prepared to lose her business, her home and her friend. Not all in one dreadful year.

Jamie certainly hadn’t expected to find such hope and camaraderie in the queue at her local food bank. Thrown together with an unlikely and colourful group of people, their friendships flourish and, finding it easier to be objective about each other than about themselves, they decide that – when you’re all out of options – it’s okay to bend the rules a little and create your own.

What a difference a year could make . . .

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this story about Jamie. She had the perfect life until one day changed everything. Now she is left with nothing. But when she hears about the local food bank and what little food she has left for her and her son, she decides to bite the bullet and go. What she didn’t realise is the food bank has helped her not only for food but the community too. The friends she makes are an interesting bunch but Jamie wouldn’t have it any other way. The story tackles relatable issues but also shows if you are struggling you are not alone and their is help put there for everyone. I really enjoyed this heart warming story full of love and hope. It has made me want to look into volunteering at my local food bank.

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

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The Shipping Forecast has been described as the UK’s national lullaby: a source of dependability and calm in our often chaotic world, it has charmed millions of listeners and aided generations of seafarers across the decades. No stranger to weathering a storm after living with a rare life-limiting condition and facing the death of his brother, avid kayaker Toby Carr set out to explore the areas of the Forecast.

On a journey that took him to the harshest and most tranquil stretches of our sea, Toby found the real people, places and stories behind the familiar names and imagined environments of the well-loved BBC broadcast. From the wildness and peace of the sea, looking back at the land, Toby hoped to gain the strength and balance he knew nature could provide and to discover what anchors us to each other.

My Thoughts:

This is not my usual read but something about the plot drew me to it and I am so glad I did. It is all about one man who goes sea kayaking, I never imagined how I would be so captured with this story but it is so engaging and I didn’t want to stop reading. I actually felt I learnt a great deal from this book about things I had no clue about. I enjoyed looking at the maps at the start of the book and they helped me make sense of things throughout the story. There was something so fascinating about this read and Toby. I found reading about Toby very moving and emotional, he is an inspiration. It is sad he never got to see the book but I think he would be very proud of his sister showing the world what an amazing man he was.

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

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We are taught to hate mess, whether it’s an untidy bedroom or a chaotic divorce. But mess is important, because, like it or not, it is a big part of our lives and who we are. Things go wrong all the time and life rarely goes to plan. How do we stop that from being a recurring negative point in our lives, though?

Life is messy, the process of cleansing and healing is hard, and the only way is through. But what if the process of ‘sorting through’ didn’t have to feel as draining as it often does? What if there were a way of resolving life’s mess that could set you upon a path of discovering deeper and truer versions of yourself? What if the mess that comes up along the way liberated you into living an integrated, wholesome, blossoming life?

In The Power of Mess Samantha Lourie offers a way of working through the messy aspects of life that develops a sense of resilience and a quiet assurance that we will be okay. She encourages us to own the mess and see our lives as an epic journey where we pick up the pieces along the way and make something authentic out of them. The loss, hurt and mess are still there, but our perception of their place in our lives has changed.

My Thoughts:

This is the book everyone needs. It is a book about Life, and how to deal with certain situations, it covers quite a few different things, to help everyone that might be struggling with life. As you read through the book it gives you the tools to help in these situations. It makes you confront it head on and that is something I have never done before but it has really helped me. Even if some chapters don’t appeal you I still read it and found it useful. It is a useful and handy book that will help everyone and anyone in any situation. I will definitely be consulting this book whenever I need them.

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

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What if you could never tell anyone how a relationship really ended?

Then

Ruby is starting to realise her boyfriend, Jonathan, is manipulating her every move. He’s the life and soul of a party, everyone loves him, but she’s starting to see him differently. She wants to make a change, but does she have the strength to let go of the life they have built?

Now

Ruby’s life in England has hit an all-time low, so she agrees to spend the summer working for her aunt in Corfu. While there, she’s mortified to feel an attraction to her step cousin, Yianni, who runs the family restaurant.

However much she tries to avoid her feelings, she can’t avoid Yianni or the romantic setting of Corfu. But is there any point trying to get close to him when she harbours an all-consuming secret. Is Ruby able to tell him the truth about how her relationship with Jonathan really ended? A truth she has never told a soul? And if she can trust him enough to tell him, what will he think of Ruby’s shocking past?

My Thoughts:

This book is part of The Little Blue Door Series but can be read as a standalone. I couldn’t wait to read this one after reading one of Francesca’s previous books. It is pure escapism and I now want to book a holiday to Corfu, Francesca’s writing will transport you to the warmth of the sun and the idyllic setting of Corfu. The story is about Ruby and we see the story flit back to the past to find out why she is in Corfu now. After agreeing to work for her aunt for the summer in Corfu, she feels an attraction towards someone but it is not as plain sailing as it could be. Will she ever be happy again? it was a nice story, the descriptions of Corfu really drew me into the book. It is a great holiday read and a lovely love story.

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

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