The Holiday Escape - Heidi Swain

About the book… 

Her dream holiday is his everyday life. His dream holiday is her normal life. What happens when they collide?

Ally and her dad, Geoff, run the family business, a creative retreat, from their home Hollyhock Cottage in picturesque Kittiwake Cove. They give their guests their dream break, but Ally hankers after glamourous city living, fancy restaurants and art galleries.

Ally’s survival strategy is to escape out of season, take a break abroad and pretend to be the person she always imagined she would be. She meets Logan while she’s away and he turns out to be exactly the kind of distraction she’s looking for.

With her spirits restored, Ally returns home, picks up the reins again and sets her sights on another successful season, but when Logan unexpectedly arrives on the scene, she soon realises she’s in for a summer that’s going to be far from straightforward…

A story about bringing a holiday home – and what happens when what goes on on holiday comes back to bite you…

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holiday-Escape-Heidi-Swain-ebook/dp/B0CCWVJMXQ

About the author… 

Heidi Swain is a Sunday Times Top Ten best-selling author who writes feel good fiction for Simon and Schuster. She releases two books a year (early summer and winter) and the stories all have a strong sense of community, family and friendship. She is currently writing books set in three locations - the Fenland town of Wynbridge, Nightingale Square in Norwich and Wynmouth on the Norfolk coast, as well as summer standalone titles.

Heidi lives in beautiful west Norfolk. She is passionate about gardening, the countryside, collecting vintage paraphernalia and reading. Her tbr pile is always out of control!

Contact Links: 

 Heidi loves to chat with her readers and you can get in touch via 

her website heidiswain.co.uk/ or 

Twitter @Heidi_Swain

My thoughts…

My goodness, what an absolute delight The Holiday Escape was - I loved everything about it.  

From the moment I clapped eyes on the most vibrant of covers to the characters, storyline and settings, I knew I was going to love this book.  This was just what the doctor ordered, the tonic I needed to lift me up and escape the drab, grey autumn and winter that had carried on into spring.

Our lead character Ally has two personas, the one where she and her dad run a creative retreat in Kittiwake Cove, Dorset. Both of them working hard, hosting all manner of people who enrol in the many creative craft classes held by the artists in residence for that season.  Ally bends herself out of shape, going above and beyond to ensure they have the very best of times, her attention to detail ensures that they all leave, missing the place before they get to the end of the drive - all desperate to return.  When the season closes for winter Ally works hard to put in place the many improvements that have come to mind during the year to ensure the following season is even better before switching guises and heading off on holiday where she presents herself entirely differently, reinventing herself and her life that, taking on a persona that is as far from her reality as possible.

I loved that Heidi took us all on a journey with Ally as she had to face reality when coming face to face with her Spanish fling Logan.  What goes on tour, is supposed to stay on tour, I can only imagine the anguish Ally felt when her two worlds collide.  The turmoil and anguish was palpable and probably inevitable - lies and half truths tend to come back to haunt.

I loved Ally’s relationship with her dad and the retreat she ran with him, but we find out early on that Ally is putting on a facade - truly believing her heart and life is meant to be elsewhere - guilt and a sense of duty keeping her in Dorset instead of Spain where her heart and passion is truly ignited.  Not wanting to tell her dad, she puts her heart and soul into making it the best place, thinking that will make it easier for her to leave and live out her dreams abroad.

However, life has a way of working itself out.  The Holiday Escape does what it says on the tin, it was an escape and haven for its many visitors and resident artists to Hollyhock Cottage, each reluctant to leave when their break was over.  There was a multitude of secrets, gentle slow burning love, friendship and a real sense of community.  It was difficult for me to see why Ally wanted to escape from it and was delighted to be a fly on the wall as both she, her dad, best friend Flora, and foul mouthed Kasuku the resident parrot navigate a season like no other - somehow life has a way of working itself out and it was a joyful ride to be on as a reader.

Throughout I quietly cheer leaded in the corner, for Ally to see what was in front of her and to take off the emotional blinkers, sometimes we don’t realise we have everything we want and need, the grass is not always greener on the other side. I would love to move to Kittiwake Cove, I even contemplated finding some sort of crafty retreat then I remembered I’m the least crafty person I know - I’ll just come for the friendship, wine and good food - straight from Geoff’s cottage garden

As ever this was the perfect tonic, I loved every single page and was gutted when I turned the last page - Heidi Swain, once again you have brought sunshine and smiles to what is at the moment a very monochrome world - roll on blue skies and summer.

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Making Memories at the Cornish Cove - Kim Nash

About the book… 

Making Memories at the Cornish Cove

It’s never too late…

After five husbands and five broken hearts, Lydia feels like she’s always been chasing something. But now she’s found her purpose, and having moved to Driftwood Bay to spend more time with her daughter Meredith, she’s happier than ever.

But there’s still life in these old bones yet! With her newfound sense of identity, she’s keen to re-explore the things that made her happy as a younger person. Lydia’s passion was dancing – she used to compete in her younger years, and there’s no place she’s more at home than on the dancefloor.

So when widower and antiques restorer Martin tells her about a big dance competition, she’s ready and raring to bring more joy into her life. But while making memories with Martin, the more she realises that both of their hearts need restoring too...

Buy Links: 

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/memoriescornishsocial

About the author… 

Kim Nash is an author of uplifting, funny, heartwarming, romantic, feel-good fiction and has wanted to write books since she was a little girl. The Cornish Cove series is set in the fictional seaside village of Driftwood Bay in Cornwall and is published by Boldwood Books. She lives in Staffordshire with her son Ollie and English Setter rescue dog Roni, is Digital Publicity Director for publisher Bookouture (a division of Hachette UK) and is a book blogger.

Contact Links: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kim.nash.10

Twitter https://twitter.com/KimTheBookworm

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kim_the_bookworm/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/KimNashNews

Bookbub profile: Kim Nash Books - BookBub

My thoughts…

This is Kim Nash’s third book in the idyllic Cornish cove series. This is a community so lush you hanker after upping sticks and moving there. How lovely was it to be back in this beautiful community with all the fabulous characters from books 1 and 2 - I so want to move here!

Lydia and her daughter Meredith are the key characters in Making Memories at the Cornish Cove. Lydia having moved to Driftwood Bay to be closer to her daughter Meredith, who we met in book 1 when she arrived with a bang as the new owner of a run down lighthouse.

I was instantly dragged into their relationship, which was tentative and built on uneven footings to say the least. Lydia having left the upbringing of Meredith to her mother, Merediths grandmother, whilst she moved away, living her life from a distance, and getting through husbands at a rate of knots - five in total- that was some going!

Surprisingly, considering the character that Lydia was in the life before we meet her in Driftwood Bay, I really liked her from the off.  Having reached her 70’s and determined to right past wrongs and make it up to Meredith, we the reader walk the tentative path with her as she gets to know the absolutely gorgeous character that Meredith is. They respectfully danced around each other as they got to know the things about each other, the things that others take for granted having learnt them over a lifetime.

As with books 1 and 2, book 3 is all about friendship, kindness and a community that comes together to hold each other up when needed. The supporting cast of characters in this story are just as delightful. In this story Kim Nash touched a few raw nerves for me, I could have been reading about myself when reading about the things Meredith was feeling and suffering with on her own, I’m sure there other women of a certain age out there who will have felt the same. Both Clem and her mum proving to be the rock she needed, supporting her and being there at just the right time, whilst keeping a respectful distance too.

The pages of this delightful story are filled with sadness and heartache but as ever peppered with humour and kindness, as well as what you always find in a Kim Nash book, a hearty helping of truth and reality. I absolutely loved it. I particularly loved the friendship that grew between Martin, Clems widowed dad and Lydia as they become tentative dance partners after entering a competition. It really was an uplifting read.

I have loved all of Kim’s books but this one is definitely her best yet. I said that last time when I read book 2 but this one really is the best yet!!!! This was a truly, touching story that spanned the ages and was a joy to read. Through Meredith and Lydia, Kim shows that it’s never too late to build bridges and mend fractured relationships with love, kindness and an open heart. This was a positive feel good book that I’m glad I had the opportunity to read, in a busy world this was a perfect little bit of escapism with more than a touch of reality.

Thank you too Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for letting me join the blog tour.

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The Happiest Ever After - Milly Johnson

About the book… 

Polly Potter is surviving, not thriving. She used to love her job – until her mentor died and her new boss decided to make her life hell. She used to love her partner Chris – until he cheated on her, and now she can’t forget. The only place where her life is working is on the pages of the novel she is writing – there she can create a feistier, bolder, more successful version of herself – as the ­fictional Sabrina Anderson.

But what if it was possible to start over again? To leave everything behind, forget all that went before, and live the life you’d always dreamed of?

After a set of unforeseen circumstances, Polly ends up believing she really IS Sabrina, living at the heart of a noisy Italian family restaurant by the sea. Run by Teddy, the son of her new landlady Marielle, it’s a much-loved place, facing threat of closure as a rival restaurant moves in next door. Sabrina can’t remember her life as Polly, but she knows she is living a different life from the one she used to have.

But what if this new life could belong to her after all?

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/9rmuiqY

About the author… 

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and has sold millions of copies of her books sold across the world. The Happiest Ever After is her twenty-first novel. Milly's writing highlights the importance of community spirit and the magic of kindness. Her books inspire and uplift but she packs a punch and never shies away from the hard realities of life and the complexities of relationships in her stories. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience, and celebrate love, friendship and the possibility and joy of second chances and renaissances.

Contact Links: 

Milly's website: www.millyjohnson.co.uk. 

Twitter: @millyjohnson

Instagram: @themillyjohnson

TikTok: @millyjohnsonauthor 

Facebook: @MillyJohnsonAuthor

My thoughts…

Where do I begin, another Milly Johnson hug on a page! Milly Johnson has crafted her story telling to perfection. She tempers real life scenarios and characters with her dry northern wit - this time through a series of Daily ~Trumpet newspaper articles that are toe curlingly funny, the very perfect antidote to this story as we meet and get to know the character and life of Polly. Polly is without a doubt an absolute diamond of a woman that has become invisible - everyone walks all over her, her friends, her partner Chris, his family and new boss Jeremy. People talk at her, and she does their bidding, she really doesn’t have a voice.

From the very first pages I was cheering for the under-dog, Polly’s only escape from her life was her writing class, something she kept to herself, for herself and it’s this that is her saviour, an escape from the reality of her life. A personality test at work and the subsequent meeting with her boss sees us watch Polly finally explode, fighting back and spewing the truth. As a reader you could feel the steam rising within her, once released it was unable to stop boiling over until she eventually deflated like a balloon.

She decides she’s has to escape, to get away from her life and everyone in it. Packing her bags she heads for the seaside only for a series of unfortunate events to occur that see her sink even lower, not knowing who or where she is. I loved how she found herself hiding in plain sight behind a character that was just like Polly but with far more sass and confidence. I loved watching her blossom and grow through the guise of Sabrina. Reality and fiction merging on the page.

I particularly loved how Milly set the tone and pace of the Happiest Ever After, it ebbed and flowed as we interacted with the plethora of supporting characters and particularly as Polly grew in confidence and stature. The pacing and tone depicting the emotions and feelings that Polly felt as she reclaimed her self confidence and voice. Though, I found myself gritting my teeth and wanting to spit as I read her partner Chris’s take on how and why she’d disappeared and how she would return with her tail between her legs. I’ve lost tooth enamel from gritting my teeth!! Thank goodness Milly Johnson likes to see the good and down trodden triumph and those that need bringing down a peg or two knocked cleanly off their pedestal.

This was a truly heartfelt, emotive read that was both sad and hopeful and uplifting at the same time.  With light shining on the dark moments, as Polly found her voice and grew in stature. I loved how the Happiest Ever After was tastefully scattered with a liberal amount of very tongue in cheek humour told through the Daily Trumpet articles, which served its purpose of softening the edges perfectly.  Thank you Milly Johnson for yet another beautiful story about relationships, family dynamics, love, friendship and self confidence and self growth delivered in your usual open, honest, straight -forward northern style - it was just perfect.

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Return to Half Moon Farm - Holly Hepburn

About the book… 

When Daisy’s mother falls ill she is forced to return home. With her twin sons in tow, she moves back to Half Moon Farm, her family’s ancient hop farm.

But a new life in the Kent countryside isn’t necessarily as idyllic as it might seem. Daisy’s relationship with her mother is complicated and the tumbledown farm isn’t the only thing that needs rebuilding. Daisy and her sons must adjust to life with estranged family, a leaking roof, and no WiFi.

Luckily for Daisy, she might yet find some distraction in silver fox farmer, Drew, or in the haughty heir to the nearby estate, Kit, who she can’t seem to avoid.

Daisy must learn to juggle her new life, the boys, and the daunting task of updating the farm. But there are secrets lurking in her family’s past that might throw everything into further disarray…

Buy Links: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Return-Half-Moon-Holly-Hepburn-ebook/dp/B0C1LKQY3N/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=Uajz0&content-id=amzn1.sym.3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_p=3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_r=259-2564306-9566519&pd_rd_wg=Ntf22&pd_rd_r=6309f831-2865-476d-8249-cbb0fa3026f3&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

About the author… 

I’ve wanted to write books for adults for as long as I can remember but I was too scared to try. One day I decided to be brave and dipped a toe into the bubble bath of romantic comedy with my first novella, Cupidity, and I’ve never looked back. I often try to be funny to be funny, except for when faced with traffic wardens and border control staff. My favourite thing is making people smile.
I’ve tried many jobs over the years, from barmaid to market researcher and I even had a brief flirtation with modelling. These days I am mostly found writing.

I live near London with my grey tabby cat, Portia. We both have an unhealthy obsession with Marmite.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: @HollyH_Author

Website: http://hollyhepburn.com

My thoughts…

Memories flash across Daisy’s eyes as she finds herself going back in time to a place she loved but hasn’t been back to for a very long time. Everything’s changed, but nothings changed. We join Daisy as she is temporarily moving back to Mistlethorpe and Half Moon Farm with her two sons Finn and Campbell to care for her estranged mum.

The emotions Daisy felt arriving back at the farm that she had loved visiting as a child, but hadn’t been back to since losing her beloved grand-parents was palpable. As a reader I could feel her trepidation and that heart sinking dullness as she saw pictures in her mind of a time gone by that didn’t resemble the reality of the farm house now - add to it, that she was there out of a sense of duty, not love - to say she had a difficult relationship with her mother would be an understatement.

Return to Half Moon Farm had it all for me relationships and conflict both old and new, of both the two and four legged kind - dodging and side stepping to change Initial impressions. A bump in her car and an encounter with the rudest man ever goes a long way to setting the tone for the first section of the book but as the story progresses we witness the growth of both Daisy and her boys as they settled into their current new life.

Daisy finds herself peeling back the life of her grandmother and a mystery suitor in the war through a series of letters Daisy unearthed was tantalising and annoying at the same time - I was impatient to know what each one said and piece together a story previously unknown but Daisy was careful to read and absorb each one individually - pondering and absorbing the contents. Daisy finds herself unwittingly walking into a long standing family feud.

This has got to be one of the best feel good books I've read in a long time. A perfect first read for 2024. It was colourful, with vibrant characters that played off each other. Each and every chapter is filled with humour, fun and laughter alongside mystery with a difference, a hefty dose of reality and more than a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure. Daisy might just have two suitors - two very different characters, one obvious and smooth, one more of a slow burn. Sparring in each corner my vote swayed throughout but the best man wins the day I think!! 

An absolutely wonderful read, that is uplifting, heart warming and hopeful. The past hurt, intrigue and romance is heartfelt, the friendships strong and watching Daisy and her boys settle and grow was just lovely.

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