A Million Dreams - by Dani Atkins

The blurb: 

 

Beth Brandon always dreamed of owning a florist, but today the bouquets of peonies and bright spring flowers are failing to calm her nerves. Because today, Beth has a life-changing decision to share with her husband.

Izzy Vaughan thought she and her husband would stay together forever, but sometime last year, their love began to fade. They both find such joy in their young son Noah – but is he enough to keep them together?

Eight years ago, something happened to these two women. Something that is about to bring them together in a way no-one thought possible...

Thought-provoking, emotional and uplifting, this is a gripping love story for fans of Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse.

My Opinion:

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

Beth Brandon’s and Izzy Vaughan’s lives are suddenly connected in very special circumstances, both are willing to fight for what they want, so be prepared for an emotional roller-coaster. 

Well, let’s start at the beginning. When Beth loses her husband, everything changes, there is a possibility to still have part of him in her life, she goes for it. On the way she meets Liam, who has lost his wife and they start spending a lot of time together. 

Izzy’s marriage is falling apart, luckily there is Noah, their son, but is he enough for them to stay together?!

Noah is suddenly the centre of the story, without knowing it. A lot of emotions and feelings are involved; it was interesting to read about both sides. I didn’t always understand their way of thinking though and sometimes got frustrated with how it developed. I also felt like the story dragged a little bit at times and it took a long time to get to the point. 

I think the author did a great job with the characters, as well as the idea of the story. It really grabbed me from the start and even though I didn’t always understand the characters, I really enjoyed the story. It’s very touching and moving!!

Rating:

About the author

Dani Atkins is an award-winning novelist. Her 2013 debut FRACTURED (published as THEN AND ALWAYS in North America) has been translated into sixteen languages and has sold more than half a million copies since first publication in the UK. Dani is the author of four other bestselling novels, one of which, This Love, won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2018. Dani lives in a small village in Hertfordshire with her husband, one Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.

Follow Dani: 

Twitter: @AtkinsDani

Facebook: @DaniAtkinsAuthor

Buy links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/30LKHyv

Kobo:  https://bit.ly/2JOaAXW

iBooks: https://apple.co/2OjhXdD

Google Play: https://bit.ly/30M6pSE

Follow Head of Zeus

Website: www.headofzeus.com

Twitter: @HoZ_Books

Facebook: @headofzeus

Instagram: @headofzeus

Book of the Month - June

The books I read this month:

-      Theo –by Amanda Prowse 4.5/5

-      The Little Cornish Kitchen –by Jane Linfoot 3/5

-      Daisy’s Vintage Cornish Camper Van –by Ali McNamara 5/5

-      Best Practice –by Penny Parkes 4.5/5

-      While I Was Sleeping –by Dani Atkins 5/5

-      The Cottage on Sunshine Beach –by Holly Martin 5/5

-      The Happiness List –by Annie Lyons 5/5

-      The Summer Getaway –by Tilly Tennant 4.5/5

Two of these books really stood out to me: 

Daisy’s Vintage Camper Van – Ali McNamara

The bit on the back:

Welcome to the gorgeous Cornish town of St Felix, where there's magic in the air...

When Ana inherits a broken-down camper van from her best friend, she takes the chance for a quick trip to Cornwall - some sea air and fish and chips on the beach is just the tonic she needs. 

But St Felix has bigger plans for Ana. She discovers a series of unsent postcards, dating back to the 1950s, hidden in the upholstery of the van. Ana knows that it's a sign: she'll make sure that the messages reach the person that they were meant for. And as the broken-down van is restored to gleaming health, so Ana begins to find her way back to happiness.

My opinion:

I went through all the emotions reading this book; I laughed, I cried, I felt happy, sad etc. Ali McNamara’s writing is full of passion and heart. I felt so close to the characters and I was really routing for Ana. The book includes mystery, romance, friendship, love, beautiful settings and amazing moments. 

Full review: http://simonascornerofdreams.blogspot.com/2018/06/daisys-vintage-cornish-camper-van-by.html

Ali McNamara on Twitter: @AliMcNamara

Website: http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

While I Was Sleeping – Dani Atkins

The bit on the back:

A brand new and brilliant emotional family drama for fans of Jojo Moyes and Dorothy Koomson, from the bestselling author of Fractured.

I don't remember what happened or what has changed.

I can still hear your voices but you can't seem to hear me.

I was about to be married and had everything to look forward to.

Now I have to find a way back - to you, to our family, to us.

My opinion:

This book absolutely touched my heart. I don’t think I ever cried so much, reading a book. It’s heart-breaking, poignant, moving and tear-jerking. 

The ending of the book made me speechless!!!

it was absolutely BRILLIANT!!! On so many levels…

Review: http://simonascornerofdreams.blogspot.com/2018/06/while-i-was-sleeping-by-dani-atkins.html

Dani Atkins on Twitter: @AtkinsDani

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

While I Was Sleeping - by Dani Atkins

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb: 

A brand new and brilliant emotional family drama for fans of Jojo Moyes and Dorothy Koomson, from the bestselling author of Fractured.

I don't remember what happened or what has changed.

I can still hear your voices but you can't seem to hear me.

I was about to be married and had everything to look forward to.

Now I have to find a way back - to you, to our family, to us.

My Opinion:

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

This is going to be one of my BOOKS OF THE YEAR!!!

I know this now already, because it was absolutely BRILLIANT!!! On so many levels…

Imagine waking up from a coma six years later… Maddie was happily engaged to Ryan and four days before her wedding she is involved in a terrible accident. For the people around her everything changed, they kind of had to move on, when she wakes up again everything seems the same for her, but it’s obviously not. 

Ryan is now married and has a daughter. There is actually much more behind it. Maddie slowly gets into her life again, but things are weird, especially with Ryan and his new wife. 

Dani Atkins has hooked me from the start. She described the day of Maddie’s accident and I felt like standing next to her. The tension was high and I felt something bad was going to happen. Then we move six years to the future, Maddie wakes up. We read it all from Maddie’s perspective. Dani Atkins captured her feelings beautifully. It’s so emotional and touching and I just wanted to help Maddie and be there for her. After a while we also get to read Chloe’s perspective. She is Ryan’s wife and it opened a totally different side to the story. I was angry at her first, but things got clear about how she and Ryan got together. I think this is a brilliant way to tell the story and the idea behind this book is fabulous!!!

I loved reading how Maddie, Chloe and Ryan found a way to all life together. I don’t want to give away too much here, but I really adored how the storyline developed. It had a wonderful flow. 

This book absolutely touched my heart. I don’t think I ever cried so much, reading a book. It’s heart-breaking, poignant, moving and tear-jerking. 

The ending of the book made me speechless!!!

Rating:

Dani Atkins on Twitter: @AtkinsDani

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

Book of the Month - April

The books I read this month:

-       The Choir on Hope Street – by Annie Lyons 5/5

-       Spring at Blueberry Bay – by Holly Martin 5/5

-       A Wedding in Italy – by Tilly Tennant 5/5

-       The Woman at Number 24 – Juliet Ashton 4/5

-       The Cornsih Escape – by Lily Graham 4/5

-       This Love – by Dani Atkins 5/5

-       Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay – by Jill Mansell 5/5

-       The Little Clock House on the Green – by Eve Devon 4.5/5

Some new authors, some of my faves, a great mixtures and so many outstanding books:   

Spring at Blueberry Bay  – Holly Martin

The bit on the back:

Welcome to beautiful Hope Island where the sea sparkles, the daffodils are blooming and a blossoming romance is just around the corner… 

Bella has always had a sunny outlook and caring nature, despite recently falling on hard times. When she finds a handsome homeless man on her doorstep, her kind heart tells her she must help him. So, she invites Isaac into her cottage and into her life in ways she could never have imagined… 

But Isaac is not what he seems. He’s keeping a huge secret from Bella, yet he never expected to fall for this open, generous and charming woman. 

Bella can’t ignore the chemistry between her and Isaac, but she’s had her trust badly broken in her past. Will she run when she learns the truth about Isaac, or will he be the one man who can help Bella believe in love again? 

A gorgeously romantic and heartwarming story to completely lose yourself in. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Jane Costello and Miranda Dickinson. 

My opinion:

Engaging, quirky, heart-warming, funny, wonderful - this is Holly Martin, a real queen when it comes to writing!!! I was surprised by certain cetain, which happened in the storyline, but that made it engaging, gripping and intriguing.

Holly Martin on Twitter: @HollyMAuthor 

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

This Love – Dani Atkins

The bit on the back:

Sophie Winter lives in a self-imposed cocoon - she's a single, thirty-one year old translator who works from home in her one bedroom flat. This isn’t really the life she dreamed of, but then Sophie stopped believing in happy endings a very long time ago, when she was fifteen years old and tragedy struck her family. Her grief has left her scared of commitment and completely risk averse, so she plays it safe and keeps everyone at arm’s length. Sophie understands she has a problem, but recognising it and knowing how to fix it are two entirely different things.

            One night a serious fire breaks out in the flat below hers. Sophie is trapped in the burning building until a random passer-by, Ben, luckily happens to spot and rescue her. Suddenly her cocoon is shattered - what will be the consequences of this second life-changing event?

My opinion:

This story is a roller-coaster ride of emotions, feelings play a very important role in this book and Dani Atkins captured them beautifully.

Dani Atkins created some wonderful characters here, full of heart and love. They are very well drawn out and seem very authentic. Def one oft he best books I have read this year!

Dani Atkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AtkinsDani 

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay – Jill Mansell

The bit on the back:

The romantic, funny and unputdownable new novel from Jill Mansell, No. 1 bestselling author of THE ONE YOU REALLY WANT, THREE AMAZING THINGS ABOUT YOU and YOU AND ME, ALWAYS - 'A glorious, heartwarming romantic read' Woman & Home. Perfect for anyone who loves Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes and Katie Fforde.

Clemency isn't looking for love when she meets Sam, and he doesn't make a brilliant first impression when she sits next to him on a plane. Yet by the end of the flight a real connection has been made. Clemency senses this could be something special... until she discovers that Sam has deliberately thrown her contact details in a bin. Oh well, his loss. (But also... why???)

So Clemency returns to St Carys in Cornwall and gets on with her busy life and career alongside best friend, boss and local heartbreaker Ronan. When Clemency's glamorous stepsister Belle appears, smugger than ever now she's found the perfect man, Clemency's happy for her, really she is... until she discovers Belle's perfect man is Sam.

Heart-stopping romantic entanglements, crossed wires and sisterly dilemmas - all the ingredients for an unputdownable read!

My opinion:

This book is a real diamond! I totally fell in love with Jill Mansell’s writing. The characters are wonderful in this book, they are such a great bunch, so different and full of passion. Sam and Clem had an immediate connection and I just adored their moments and scenes. Jill Mansell’s writing is on point. It feels like real life, like being there with the characters as part of the story. The book is full of twists and turns and ups and downs, that’s what makes a story exciting and you just get hooked as a reader.

Jill Mansell on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JillMansell

Website: http://jillmansell.co.uk

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US