Category: Romance

Recent Reads: All About Us by Tom Ellen

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

All About Us by Tom Ellen is the story of Ben.  He’s finding life very hard, and is wondering if he made the right choices.  He’s with Daphne, but should he have ended up with Alice?

It’s Christmas Eve, and when he gets given a watch by a mysterious man at the pub, he puts it on, but he doesn’t realise what’s about to happen to him.  When he wakes up the next morning, it’s not Christmas Day, instead it’s 5th December, 15 years before, when he made his choice between Daphne and Alice.

This is a heartwarming, sad, sweet and funny story of Ben’s past, his decisions, and the consequences.  

I really enjoyed the book overall, even if I did find some sections sad and hard to read.  It really is a very good book, and one that has a lot of Christmas in it, if you’re looking for something festive!

All About Us is being published on 15th October 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Tom Ellen on Twitter.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HQ.

Recent Reads: The Little Theatre on the Seafront by Katie Ginger

Posted on by Pam

My review:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The Little Theatre on the Seafront by Katie Ginger is a sweet story about Lottie, whose Gran died recently, and has asked her to take on the leadership of the board for the local theatre, with the aim to make it useable to the town again.

Lottie is feeling lost without her Gran, but she has her best friend Sid, so things can’t be that bad.  And then she meets a developer who has a weekend home in the town, and Sid meets someone, and things are suddenly a lot harder.

This is a lovely, heartwarming read, and is the debut novel for Katie Ginger, who I worked with once upon a time, and she has quite a few books out now!

If you enjoy books such as Caroline Roberts (Rachel’s Pudding Pantry), or Sarah Morgan (One Summer in Paris), then you’ll love this!

The Little Theatre on the Seafront was published on 1st September 2018, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Katie Ginger on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and on her website.

Recent Reads: The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley (The Seven Sisters 6)

Posted on by Pam

My review::????

The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley is number 6 in the Seven Sisters books.  It’s just over 1,000 pages long, but don’t let that put you off as it’s a book that will drag you in, and take you to different places!  In this book we visit New York, Switzerland and Kenya.

The first book in the series is The Seven Sisters, and you can read my review of it here!  I don’t read many family sagas but I’ve been enjoying this series, and I’m looking forward to book 7 coming out, which is apparently 2021.

My suggestion for this series is to read them in order, as they interweave with one another as you go on, and they are all set in 2007-2008.

Electra is the youngest sister, and is the one that’s termed the most difficult.  She screamed as a baby, and has always been headstrong and known what she doesn’t want to do.  Unfortunately, she has a drug and alcohol problem, which she tries to hide from her family.  This is her book of finding out more about where she has come from, which has an impact on where she is now.

Spoilers for the series below!

Yes, the books have a formula – sister struggles in present day, maybe she goes on search of her past, maybe it plops in front of her, then learning about her great grandmother will help her know more about her present day and see the way out of her issue.  But, it isn’t a formula that hurts the series!  Instead, it means you anticipate where the sister is going to go, how they’re going to find out what they need to know.

The mystery of Pa Salt… he’s been an elusive figure in all of the books, but one that all of the great grandmothers have met!  There’s a good Reddit on all of the encounters.  There’s been hints all along that maybe he isn’t really dead.  No one knows how he makes his money or where he goes off to when he leaves home.  It’s all very strange, and I’m looking forward (hoping!) for a wrap up in book 7!

The Sun Sister was published on 13th October 2019, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones, and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Lucinda Riley on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

I read this book through my library, on the BorrowBox app.  

Recent Reads: Beach Read by Emily Henry

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a book that has had me laughing, and also had me crying.  

It’s the story of two writers.   January, who has found that everything that she thought she knew has been wrong, barring her best friend.  She’s flat broke, her father died the year before, her boyfriend dumped her, and she learnt a horrible truth about her father.  And now can’t write.

Augustus is the other, and he lives next door to the house January is staying in.  Whilst January writes romance, Augustus writes literary fiction, which January thinks means he looks down on her.  They could both do with finishing a book and selling it.

This is a romance, but it’s not light and fluffy throughout, there are hard issues, and real life that gets in the way. It was a very enjoyable read, and one that made me want to keep turning the pages, to see what would happen.

Beach Read is being published on 20th August, and you can buy it from Amazon, Waterstones or your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Emily Henry on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin.

Recent Reads: The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle by Neil Blackmore

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle by Neil Blackmore starts with brothers Edgar and Benjamin being declared ready by their mother to go on The Grand Tour, where the young and rich would visit Europe, meet people, see historic sites, and make mistakes.  Above all, their mother makes them swear that they will look after each other, and she is sure that this tour will be the making of them in society.

Benjamin is our protagonist, and so it’s his experiences on the journey that we see, along with his meeting Mr Lavelle, which changes so many things for Benjamin, and for Edgar.

It is a story of love, of changes, and of consequences.  I thought it was good, and uncomfortable in places, but didn’t want to put it down.  

The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle was published on 13th August 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Neil Blackmore on his website and on Twitter.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House, Cornerstone (the publishers).

Recent Reads: Love Overrules the Lawyer by Kerry Evelyn

Posted on by Pam

My review:  ???

Love Overrules the Lawyer by Kerry Evelyn is a romantic fantasy, set in Cat’s Paw Cove, which you might remember from my review of Meows and Mistletoe.

This book takes place on an island off the coast of Cat’s Paw Cove, where magical beings exist, which you can only see if you were either born there, or if you drink a special potion.

Rachel and Javier were childhood friends, until Rachel confessed her feelings for him, and he bolted.  They are given a second chance when Rachel returns to town, and works for the same company as Javier.  This is his chance to win her back, and the magical properties of the area are sure to lend a hand.

If you enjoy fantasy romance books, then you’ll probably enjoy this.  It’s a fun romp, which means it’s easy to read but a good pacing.

You can follow Kerry Evelyn on her website. 

You can visit Cats Paw Cove on Facebook, and they have their own website.

Love Overrules the Lawyer came out on 11th February 2020 , and you can buy it from Amazon.

I was given this book in return of an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley and to the authors collective.

I’ve reviewed quite a lot of fantasy books on here, so please have a look, and you can see cosy mysteries as well!

Recent Reads: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Posted on by Pam

My review: ?????

A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first in a series set in a world where humans and faerie exist, but not together.  There is a wall separating them, which was built after the humans fought off their faerie enslavers 500 years before.

Feyre  had taught herself to hunt in order to be able to provide for her two older sisters and her father.  She kills a wolf whilst out hunting one day, just as it was looking to kill a deer that Feyre had been hunting.  

Feyre has to deal with the consequences of her actions, which lands her on a faerie’s estate.

Thrilling and sexy is a description I’ve read for this book, and I’d have to agree.

I enjoyed this book enough that the version I had from NetGalley hadwordsthatjoinedtogether which made it hard to get into the story. And so I bought this book, and the next two on Kindle.  

My friend Barry won’t read this, but Barry, this is the kind of book you tease me about.  And I’m unrepentant.

This edition of A Court of Thorns and Roses was published on 3rd June 2020.  It’s available on Amazon and Waterstones.   I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Sarah J Maas on her website or on Instagram.

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Bloomsbury Books (the publishers) for this book.

Recent Reads: Christmas at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????


I adore Christmas, and so back in November, I had the idea that I could just write reviews of Christmas books in December!  So, welcome to the first Christmas book review!

Christmas at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts is a lovely, cosy book, with lots of recipes throughout, which set the atmosphere even more for me!

The book starts in October, after Jill and Rachel opened their Pudding Pantry over the summer, and Rachel and Tom got together.  The Pudding Pantry is starting to get quieter, and so Rachel and Jill start thinking about what could bring in more customers.

Rachel is busy with the farm, the Pudding Pantry, Maisy and so Tom feels a bit ignored.  Then his ex-wife starts being spotted around.

Jill has been a widow for two years, and now might be the time that she starts to think about more than just looking after Maisy and Rachel.

There were lots of ups and downs in this, but overall the feeling of a cosy winter wasn’t far away, and the book was very festive!

Christmas at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry was published on 31st October 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Caroline Roberts on Twitter, or through her blog.

Here’s my review of the first book in this series, Rachel’s Pudding Pantry.

If you’re interested in romance books, then here’s some others I’ve reviewed:
Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams ?????
One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan ????


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins UK (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: Rachel’s Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Rachel’s Pudding Pantry is about Rachel, her five year old daughter Maisy and Rachel’s mother, Jill, who all live together on a farm which is struggling to pay for itself!

Jill makes delicious bakes, and so they get the idea to sell her puddings and cakes in a local shop.

Tom is their nearest neighbour, and the person who has helped them the most since Jill’s husband and Rachel’s father died two years ago.  

This was a lovely book, with lots of delicious puddings and cakes mentioned throughout, and gives you a feeling of what it would be like to be a farmer.  

It was an enjoyable, sweet read, and Christmas at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry came out in October, so I’m off to read that!

Rachel’s Pudding Pantry was published on 18th April 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Caroline Roberts on Twitter, or through her blog.

If you’re interested in romance books, then here’s some others I’ve reviewed:
Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams ?????
One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan ????


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins UK (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: The Perfect Dress by Louisa Leaman

Posted on by Pam

My review: ???

The Perfect Dress is about Fran, who has a wedding dress shop unlike any other.  It’s full of previously worn wedding dresses, and Fran  the experiences and wonderful lives of the previous owners will enhance the newly weds lives.

Fran does a lot of research on her dresses, and doesn’t like a dress from a bad relationship to go on to a new bride.  She wants to match the right dress with the right bride, and wants the dress to bring something out of them that they didn’t know they had.

Fran finds a wedding dress in a house clearance, and feels there is so much about it that she has to have it, even though she’s not convinced it’s a dress with a good history.  She clashes with Rafe, the son of the former bride, but she has to know more about the dress.

This was a romance with a touch of fantasy in that Fran sees visions of what the bride was feeling and going through.  I enjoyed it as a fast paced romp, with flawed characters that brought out the worst in each other.

The Perfect Dress was published on 17th October 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Louisa Leaman on Twitter, or through her website.

If you’re interested in romance and family drama, then here’s some others I’ve reviewed:
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley ????
The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley ????
One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan ????
Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams ?????


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Random House, Transworld (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!