Book of the Month - July

The books I read this month:

-      The Forgotten Guide to Happiness –by Sophie Jenkins 3/5

-      A Summer Scandal– by Kat French  5/5

-      One in a Million – by Lindsey Kelk 5/5

-      Somewhere Beyond the Sea –by Miranda Dickinson 5/5

-      The Book Ninja –Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus 3/5

-      Happily Never After –by Emma Robinson 4.5/5

-      My Very Italian Holiday –by Sue Roberts 3/5

Two of these books really stood out to me: 

One in A Million – Lindsey Kelk

The bit on the back:

Everyone wants that special someone….

Annie Higgins has given up on love: she’s too busy trying to get her tiny business off the ground. Infuriated by the advertising agency across the hall making fun of her job, Annie accepts their crazy challenge – to make a random stranger Instagram-famous in just thirty days.

And even when they choose Dr Samuel Page PhD, historian and hater of social media, as her target, Annie’s determined to win the bet – whether Sam likes it or not.

But getting to know Sam means getting to know more about herself. And before the thirty days are out, Annie has to make a decision about what’s really important…

Funny, real and heart-meltingly romantic, Annie and Sam’s story is My Fair Lady for the social media age – and the perfect feel-good read.

My opinion:

Lindsey Kelk's writing is absosultey hilarious, romantic, passionte and just fantastic. She really understands how to engage a reader. 11 out of 10 points for this book for sure!!!!!BRILLIANT!!!

Full review: http://simonascornerofdreams.blogspot.com/2018/07/one-in-million-by-lindsey-kelk.html

Lindsey Kelk on Twitter: @LindseyKelk

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Somewhere Beyond the Sea – Miranda Dickinson

The bit on the back:

Can you fall in love with someone before you’ve even met?

Seren MacArthur is living a life she never intended. Trying to save the Cornish seaside business her late father built – while grieving for his loss – she has put her own dreams on hold and is struggling. Until she discovers a half-finished seaglass star on her favourite beach during an early morning walk. When she completes the star, she sets into motion a chain of events that will steal her heart and challenge everything she believes.

Jack Dixon is trying to secure a better life for daughter Nessie and himself. Left a widower and homeless when his wife died, he’s just about keeping their heads above water. Finding seaglass stars completed on Gwithian beach is a bright spark that slowly rekindles his hope.

Seren and Jack are searching for their missing pieces. But when they meet in real life, it’s on the opposing sides of a battle. Jack is managing the redevelopment of a local landmark, and Seren is leading the community campaign to save it.

Both have reason to fight – Seren for the cause her father believed in, Jack for his livelihood. But only one can win. With so much at stake, will they ever find what they are really looking for?

Miranda Dickinson's Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a sparkling tale of love, life and finding magic where you least expect it.

My opinion:

The setting is magnificent, Miranda Dickinson’s descriptions are on point, I felt like being there with the characters. The book is about love, hope, loss, grief, friendship and much more. Miranda Dickinson put a lot of passion and love into it and I really hope we will see these characters again. 

Review: http://simonascornerofdreams.blogspot.com/2018/07/somewhere-beyond-sea-by-miranda.html

Miranda Dickinson on Twitter: @wurdsmyth

Website: https://miranda-dickinson.com

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Book of the Month - July

The books I read this month:

-       Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage – by Heidi Swain 5/5

-       Big Sexy Love – by Kirsty Greenwood 5/5

-       Wilde Like Me – by Louise Pentland 3.5/5

-       Summer’s Lease – by Carrie Elks 5/5

-       Tremarnock Summer – by Emma Burstall 3.5/5

-       Cocktails and Dreams – by A.L. Michael 5/5

-       Chasing the Sun – by Katy Colins 5/5

-       The Lost Wife – by Anna Mansell 5/5

-       It’s Always You – by Georgie Capron 3/5

-       Love at the Italian Lake – by Darcie Boleyn 4/5

-       If You Could See Me Now – by Keris Stainton 4/5

I have read some great books this months, three of them stood out:   

Big Sexy Love – Kirsty Greenwood

The bit on the back:

Olive Brewster is a scaredy cat. She doesn't do new or risky. She’s happy enough with her job at the local market, it’s cool that she has no boyfriend to fret over, she even likes that she still lives in her childhood home. No drama, no fuss, no problems. Everything is fine. Super duper fine.

Except … Olive's best friend in the world​, Birdie, is dying.

Birdie has one final wish. She wants to track down her first love, Chuck, and because she's stuck in the hospital she needs Olive's help to do it. But there’s a teeny problem: Chuck is somewhere in New York and Olive has never even left her home town, let alone roamed the crazy streets of Manhattan.

As if the big city isn't scary enough, Olive has to contend with Seth, a cocky comedy TV writer who thinks she’s a joke; Anders, a bored socialite who’s taken a shine to her; and the fact that no matter how hard she tries to track down Chuck, he doesn't seem to want to be found.

Can Olive learn to overcome her fears, abandon her old safe routine and fulfil her best friend’s last wish? It's going to take extra bravery, one badass attitude and a whole lot of big sexy love to make this happen …

My opinion:

This story really touched my heart and I think it’s amazing that Kirsty Greenwood managed to make this book very emotional and yet very funny, it’s the perfect mixture! On top of that: it’s also romantic, so it definitely has everything you need in a perfect book! It really is perfect, read it now! Full review: Big Sexy Love - Review

Kirsty Greenwood on Twitter: @KirstyBooks

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Summer’s Lease – Carrie Elks

The bit on the back:

Meet the Shakespeare family: four sisters, four stories . . . four ways to find true love

Cesca Shakespeare has hit rock bottom. Six years after the play she wrote bombed at the box office, she's unable to hold down a job, keep an apartment, and worst of all her family have no idea how far she's fallen. So when her fairy Godfather offers her the use of his friend's Italian villa for the summer, she grudgingly agrees to try writing a new play. That's before she finds out the house belongs to her arch-nemesis, Sam Carlton.

When Hollywood heart-throb Sam Carlton sees his name splashed across a gossip rag, all he wants to do is hide. That's how he finds himself traveling to Italy, deciding to spend the summer in his family's empty villa on Lake Como. Except when he arrives it isn't as empty as he'd hoped.

Over the course of the hot Italian summer, Cesca and Sam have to come to terms with their pasts. What begins as a tentative friendship quickly grows into an intense attraction - and then a scorching fling. But they can't hide from reality forever . . . as their different worlds collide, Sam and Cesca face a choice: is this just a summer romance, or could their love weather even the coldest winds?

My opinion:

The setting is absolutely stunning, I felt at home immediately and that’s also thanks to Carrie Elks’s descriptive, sweet and passionate writing. I was hooked from the start and never wanted to leave the story. I adore how this story touches different topics. Love obviously, but also family, self discovery, dealing with your job and dealing with failure. Both Cesca and Sam had to learn and grow in this story, which was always part of the smooth storyline. My review: Summer's Lease - Review

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarrieElks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarrieElksAuthor/

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2tMAMK6

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/zDDcTW

The Lost Wife – Anna Mansell

The bit on the back:

How do you live without the one you love?

Since Rachel lost her mother she has drifted through life, never settling down. Then she meets Ed, recently widowed and with a new baby, and is compelled to help him and his son.

Ed is struggling to cope, and his friends and family all tiptoe around his grief. Rachel is the only one who sees him as more than just a widower, and the pair soon grow close.

Then Rachel discovers something Ed’s wife was hiding from him – something that changes everything. But she knows that memories of lost loved ones are precious, and should be protected at all costs…

Can Rachel help Ed learn to live in a world where his wife is no longer around to tell her side of the story? And can Ed help Rachel to finally open her heart to a happy future?

My opinion:

This book has everything! It’s very emotional, touching and moving! It’s about loss, grief, love, family, strength, friendship, life and much more. Anna Mansell has captured it all beautifully and created a magnificent story. I couldn’t put it down! My full review: The Lost Wife - Review

Anna Mansell on Twitter: @AnnaMansell

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Book of the Month - July

The books I read this month:

-       The Little Antique Shop under the Eiffel Tower – by Rebecca Raisin 3/5

-       Wildflower Bay – by Rachael Lucas 4.5/5

-       Sunset in Central Park – by Sarah Morgan 5/5

-       The Perfect Gift – by Emma Hannigan 4.5/5

-       My Husband’s Wife – by Amanda Prowe 5/5

-       Learning to Speak American – by Colette Dartford 4.5/5

-       The Trouble with Henry and Zoe – by Andy Jones 4/5

-       The Little Flower Shop by the Sea – by Ali McNamara 5/5

-       Love in an Elevator: A Romantic Comedy Anthology - by Aven Ellis, Beth Labonte, Whitney Dineen, Becky Monson, Rich Amooi, Geralyn Corcillo, Lindy Dale and Dee Ernst 4/5

-       Everything Love Is - by Claire King 2/5

-       The Santiago Sisters - by Victoria Fox 3/5

Finally, had some more time for reading this month, two clear favourites: 

Sunset in Central Park – Sarah Morgan

The bit on the back:

In the chaos of New York, true love can be hard to find, even when it's been right under your nose all along…

Love has never been a priority for garden designer Frankie Cole. After witnessing the fallout of her parents' divorce, she's seen the devastation an overload of emotion can cause. The only man she feels comfortable with is her friend Matt—but that's strictly platonic. If only she found it easier to ignore the way he makes her heart race…

Matt Walker has loved Frankie for years but, sensing how fragile she is beneath her feisty exterior, has always played it cool. But then he uncovers new depths to the girl he's known forever and doesn't want to wait a moment longer. He knows Frankie has secrets and has buried them deep, but can Matt persuade her to trust him with her heart and kiss him under the Manhattan sunset?

My opinion:

Sarah Morgan manages to amaze me every single time! Sunset in Central Park is an amazingly written story by a very talented author, who hooks you with her words!!! This book has it all: A gripping storyline, amazing characters, a wonderful location and a lot of excitment!!!!

Sarah on Twitter: @SarahMorgan_

Website: http://sarahmorgan.com

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

My Husband’s Wife – Amanda Prowse

The bit on the back:

Once a week, Rosie Tipcott counts her blessings.

She goes to sit on her favourite bench on the north Devon cliffs, and thanks her lucky stars for her wonderful husband, her mischievous young daughters, and her neat little house by the sea. She vows to dedicate every waking hour to making her family happy.

But then her husband unexpectedly leaves her for another woman and takes the children. Now she must ask the question: what is left in her life? Can Rosie find the strength to rebuild herself? More importantly, does she even want to?

My opinion:

UNPUTDOWNABLE!!! Amanda has a real gift of creating an emotional, heratbreaking, addictive and touching story. I read it in one go and fell in love with Amanda writing once more. She creates these atmospheres full of emotions and manages to make it unique for the characters.

Amanda on Twitter: @MrsAmandaProwse

Website: http://amandaprowse.org

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US