The Minute I Saw You – by Paige Toon

The blurb: 

Some people believe that it’s possible to fall in love simply by gazing into another person’s eyes . . .

When Hannah and Sonny meet, a spark ignites that is hard to ignore and impossible to forget. Weeks later, their paths cross again, but Sonny appears distant and reluctant to meet Hannah’s eye. It soon transpires that Sonny is at a crossroads. He’s committed to making serious life changes – ones that can’t and won’t include romance.

Hannah has her own reasons for wanting to keep their budding friendship platonic. Plus, she’s only in town temporarily, housesitting for her uncle. But as the summer hots up and the chemistry between them intensifies, Hannah and Sonny discover that there’s more to each other than meets the eye...

My Opinion:

Finally another Toon book, my first on kindle, but I will definitely get the paperback when it comes out in August. 

We follow Hannah in this story. She works as an optician and is housesitting for her uncle. She went through a lot in her life and doesn’t do relationships. Then Sonny walk into the shop, she works at and they have instant chemistry. Paige Toon captured that beautifully. When he comes back to pick up his glasses two weeks later he is very different though. 

Sonny is a photographer, but he is not enjoying fashion photography. His past has been full of difficult situations and now he has sworn of sex for a while. 

They meet again through Hannah’s new friend Matilda. A friendship starts to build up between them, but their connection is still obvious. I really enjoyed how their relationship developed, because it was different. They start spending more and more time together, sometimes with their friends or canoeing on the river or just hanging out at the pub. 

This book covers a lot of very important topics like mental health, the homeless and many more. I don’t want to give too much away here. 

It’s full of emotions and that makes the book really intense in a good way. There are a lot of unexpected moments and ups and downs. 

Hannah and Sonny are great main characters with a lot of depth and warmth. I also really liked the other characters in this book and it was fab to read about some familiar faces again. 

Paige Toon’s voice is electric, passionate and fresh. I was hooked immediately and really liked how the storyline developed. The book is also very sexy and exciting. 

It’s another stunning and amazing book by Paige Toon. It’s a roller coaster of emotions and I also enjoyed being back in Cambridge. I absolutely adored the setting. 

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! Perfect for summer!

Rating:

Paige Toon on Twitter: @PaigeToonAuthor

Website: https://www.paigetoon.com

Goodreads - Amazon UK

The House on Firefly Beach – by Jenny Hale

The blurb: 

Nothing beats falling in love under the sun, with the sand beneath your feet. This gorgeous, feel-good, and heartwarming summer escape from the bestselling author of The Summer House is perfect for fans of Mary Alice Monroe, Susan Mallery and Nancy Thayer.

For Sydney Flynn, her treasured family home, Starlight Cottage, is her sanctuary. The house on the beach, surrounded by glittering turquoise waters, is the perfect place for her fresh start, piecing her life back together after it fell apart. That’s until her knees almost buckle at the sight of Nate Henderson.

As teenagers, Sydney and Nate spent their summers whispering sweet nothings and promising “forever” to each other. Sydney never imagined that her childhood sweetheart was going to break her heart, driving away from her and Firefly Beach, never looking back.

Now, when Sydney spots him at her sister’s wedding, their eyes meeting across the rows of guests, she barely recognizes him. The down-to-earth son of a fisherman, forever in beach t-shirts and flip flops, is replaced with a successful songwriter in a designer suit, a superstar in the country music scene. Yet despite everything, his dazzling blue eyes and easy smile stir up all the feelings she thought she’d left behind.

Nate is back to make it up to Sydney, but can she forgive him for all the heartbreak he caused? And it’s not only about her – Sydney is a single mother to Robby, her whole world, and she won’t let just anyone into their lives. Can she trust that Nate has really changed?

As if worrying about Nate wasn’t enough, a new development threatens Starlight Cottage, the safe haven that saved her when she had nothing else. Can Nate and Sydney overcome their past to save Firefly Beach and the house that holds so many memories for them? Or will the town they adore, and the love they have for one another, be lost forever?

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

The House on Firefly Beachis book two of Jenny Hale’s Firefly beach series. I really recommend reading book one, because it’s wonderful ;). 

I was really happy to see that Sydney is the main character in this book. I fell in love with her son Robby in book 1 already. Sydney Starlight Cottage on Firefly Beach is home. Her family is there, she’s at the beach and it the perfect place for a fresh start.

The story starts with Hallie’s and Ben’s wedding. This is where Sydney meets the love of her life Nate again. A lot has happened since they last saw each other. He left her and start a career as a famous musician. They were inseparable, inspired each other to write (she a writer) and shared many wonderful moments together. 

Well, that was a long time ago. He has a new life now, he’s famous and she is divorced and has a son. She still hasn’t forgiven him. He desperately wants to explain himself, but it’s easier said than done, especially since he took his “girlfriend”Juliana with him as well. 

Nate and Robby start to bond immediately though and the chemistry between Sydney and Nate is undeniable. I love how Jenny Hale captured their unique connection. And then there is a new development that threatens Starlight Cottage. Nate might even be involved with it. 

I was happy to see that Sydney started writing again and there is a great little gem in the storyline connected to it. 

I was hooked to the story from the start. I fell in love with the main characters and the setting. Firefly beach is amazing and I love how Jenny Hale created such a beautiful setting with lots of details. I felt like being there with all of them. She also managed to include plenty of emotions and feelings, which made me feel really close to Sydney. 

It’s a book full of love, passion, trust, family and so much more. Every characters got part of his/her story shared as well and the ending is absolutely amazing. 

Jenny Hale’s writing is full of depth, very detailed, fresh and full of wonderful moments. 

This calls for more in the series! Hopefully Malory (Nate's sister) gets her own story as well.

WOW!

Rating:

Jenny Hale on Twitter: @jhaleauthor Website: https://www.itsjennyhale.com Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

Where We Belong - by Anstey Harris

Where We Belong – by Anstey Harris

The blurb: 

One summer.
One house.
One family learning to love again.

Cate Morris and her son, Leo, are homeless, adrift. They’ve packed up the boxes from their London home, said goodbye to friends and colleagues, and now they are on their way to ‘Hatters Museum of the Wide Wide World – to stay just for the summer. Cate doesn’t want to be there, in Richard’s family home without Richard to guide her any more. And she knows for sure that Araminta, the retainer of the collection of dusty objects and stuffed animals, has taken against them. But they have nowhere else to go. They have to make the best of it.

But Richard hasn’t told Cate the truth about his family’s history. And something about the house starts to work its way under her skin.
Can she really walk away, once she knows the truth?

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Where We Belong is the second novel by Anstey Harris. 

Cate and her son Leo have had to leave their London home, she has been made redundant in her job as a teacher and the grief of losing her husband Richard followst hem everywhere. 

They temporarily move to Richard’s family home, which is also a museum. I loved the way the author made the place feel special and unique. She doesn’t want tob e there and struggles, but with time she discovers secrets and gets to know certain people.

One oft hem being Araminta, the retainer oft he collection in the museum. Araminta is a very special lady and that doesn’t make lofe easier. They evidently have to spend time together and somehow get closer. 

The star of this story is clearly Leo though. I loved him as a character and he ist he best thing that happened to cate. 

The story is full of ups and downs. It has a lot of depth and touches some important topics. I really liked the storyline and enjoyed how it developed. 

A wonderful read, with lots of beautiful and touching moments, with some great messages. 

Rating:

Ansteht Harris in Twitter: @Anstey_Harris

Website: https://www.ansteyharris.com

Goodreads - Amazon UK

Never Saw You Coming – by Hayley Doyle

The blurb: 

Zara Khoury believes in love – so much so that she flies from Dubai to Liverpool to be with a man she barely knows. It’s a risk, but she’s certain that uprooting her life for Nick is the new start she needs.

Jim Glover is stuck. Since his Dad died, he’s put his dreams aside and stayed at home in Liverpool to care for his mum. Trapped in a dead-end job, he’s going nowhere – that is, until he gets a phone call that just might change his life..

Zara and Jim aren’t supposed to meet. But then fate steps in, and when their worlds – and cars! – collide, the real journey begins…

A gorgeous tale about taking risks and living life to the full – perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Josie Silver.

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I don’t really know how to start this review, because I’m really torn with this book. I love the idea behind it and the storyline had some great moments, but I also struggled with certain things. 

Let’s start at the beginning. Zara lives in Dubai and flies to Liverpool fort he love of her love, only for her to have her heart broken. Jim is not in a great part of his life, he is stuck. 

They litarally bump in to each other with their cars and their story begins. The go on a journey together, some of which didn’t make any sense too me. I also didn’t feel any chemistry between them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t warm to any oft he characters, so it was hard to find a connection tot he story or them. For me the depth was definitely missing. 

As I already mentioned, I liked certain moments and some scenes were adorable and cute. I also liked reading from both perspectives and enjoyed the story. 

Rating:

Hayley Doyle on Twitter: @HayleyDWrites

Goodreads - Amazon UK