Women’s Fiction

#BookReview #BlogTour #Giveaway To the Stars and Back by Camilla Isley @camillaisley @rararesources

#BookReview #BlogTour #Giveaway To the Stars and Back by Camilla Isley @camillaisley @rararesources

#BookReview #BlogTour #Giveaway To the Stars and Back by Camilla Isley @camillaisley @rararesources Title: To the Stars and Back

Author: Camilla Isley

Series: First Comes Love #4

Published by: Pink Bloom Press on Jun. 14, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 192

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Rachel's Random Resources

Book Rating: 7.5/10

When Hollywood’s sexiest bachelor meets the girl next door their relationship doesn’t follow the script…

On-screen, Christian Slade is America’s favorite heartthrob. Off-screen, letting romance into his life isn’t as easy. The women he dates all seem to want a piece of his glamorous life rather than his heart, and trust doesn’t come easy for him.

Then along comes Lana. A beautiful rocket scientist who’s also sweet, smart, sexy, and has absolutely no idea who he is. But what will happen when she finds out?

Will their worlds prove too far apart or could love really be like in the movies?


Review:

Cute, sweet, and fun!

To the Stars and Back is a quick, light, flirty tale featuring the sensible, clever Lana and the handsome, successful Christian as they navigate a relationship that includes a storage room meet-cute, careers that are worlds apart, instant attraction, romantic moments, and undeniable chemistry.

The writing is sharp and smooth. The characters are quirky, charismatic, and endearing. And the plot is a delightful blend of drama, emotion, snappy dialogue, fame, fortune, stardom, tender moments, friendship, and love. 

Overall, To the Stars and Back is a warm, witty, charming tale by Isley. And even though it is the fourth title in the First Comes Love series it can easily be enjoyed and appreciated as a standalone novel.

 

This book is available now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

 

Giveaway:

Win a To the Stars and Back Tote Bag (Uk Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

*Terms and Conditions – UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

 

Thank you to Camilla Isley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Camilla Isley

Camilla is an engineer turned writer after she quit her job to follow her husband on an adventure abroad.
She’s a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveler, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.

 

#BookReview Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand @elinhilderbrand @littlebrown

#BookReview Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand @elinhilderbrand @littlebrown Title: Summer of '69

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Published by: Little Brown and Company on Jun. 18, 2019

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction, Historical Fiction

Pages: 432

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Little Brown and Company, NetGalley

Book Rating: 9/10

Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century! It’s 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother’s historic home in downtown Nantucket: but this year Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, a nursing student, is caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests, a passion which takes her to Martha’s Vineyard with her best friend, Mary Jo Kopechne. Only son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother who is hiding some secrets of her own. As the summer heats up, Teddy Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, a man flies to the moon, and Jessie experiences some sinking and flying herself, as she grows into her own body and mind.

In her first “historical novel,” rich with the details of an era that shaped both a country and an island thirty miles out to sea, Elin Hilderbrand once again proves her title as queen of the summer novel.


Review:

Relevant, vivid, and absorbing!

Summer of ’69 is a nostalgic, domestic tale that takes us back to the idyllic island of Nantucket during a year when Vietnam was still raging, and Apollo 11 was finally going to put men on the moon, and into the lives of the blended Foley-Levin family as they navigate a summer of revelations, change, and new additions.

The writing is expressive and polished. The characters are genuine, troubled, and sympathetic. And the spirited plot is a delightful mix of summer fun, heartbreak, coming-of-age, secrets, wartime worries, adultery, racial segregation, women’s rights, and fresh starts.

Overall, Summer of ’69 is once again a beguiling, heartfelt, must-read summer tale by Hilderbrand that highlights the power of family and reminds us that even though we’ve come so far, in some respects we still have a long way to go.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                           

 

 

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand is a mother of three, an avid runner, reader, and traveler, and the author of twenty-three novels. She grew up outside Philadelphia, and has lived on Nantucket for more than twenty years.

#BlogTour & #BookReview One Last Greek Summer by Mandy Baggot @mandybaggot @Aria_Fiction

#BlogTour & #BookReview One Last Greek Summer by Mandy Baggot @mandybaggot @Aria_Fiction Title: One Last Greek Summer

Author: Mandy Baggot

Published by: Aria on Jun. 6, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 280

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Aria, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8/10

Beth Martin is 31, newly divorced and wondering just what life holds for her…

Best-friend, Heidi, is adamant that all the answers lie in Corfu – the island where the girls’ partied away their youth.

So cue a trip to a sun-drenched Greek island, ouzo cocktails, a trip down memory lane…and Alex Hallas, the man Beth has never quite forgotten.

As they dance under the stars, the sand beneath their toes, old feelings begin to resurface and Beth might just have a chance to take back her life. If they can learn to love the people they’ve become…


Review:

Funny, colourful, and reflective!

One Last Greek Summer is an engaging, summery read that takes us to the lovely island of Corfu and into the life of Beth Martin as she meanders through the loss of her mother, a recent divorce, a potential change of career, a rekindled romance from the past, and a holiday with her best friend Heidi where nothing goes as planned.

The writing is effortless and lush. The characters are quirky, relatable, and lovable. And the plot is a charming mix of light drama, heartfelt emotion, funny mishaps, friendship, family, love, and second-chance romance.

Overall, One Last Greek Summer is a heartwarming, breezy, delightful tale by Baggot that once again highlights her incredible ability to bring a country to life through her exceptional knowledge and passion for its food, landmarks, and culture.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                       

 

 

Thank you to Aria for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Mandy Baggot

Mandy Baggot is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer. In 2017 she was signed by Ebury Publishing (Penguin Random House).

The winner of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance, her romantic comedy novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016.

Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, white wine, country music and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1's Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor.

Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters.

 

For more information on Aria Fiction visit them at:

Website | Twitter | FacebookInstagram | NetGalley | Newsletter

 


#BookReview #BlogTour #Giveaway The Baobab Beach Retreat by Kate Frost @actus77 @rararesources

#BookReview #BlogTour #Giveaway The Baobab Beach Retreat by Kate Frost @actus77 @rararesources

#BookReview #BlogTour #Giveaway The Baobab Beach Retreat by Kate Frost @actus77 @rararesources Title: The Baobab Beach Retreat

Author: Kate Frost

Series: The Hopeful Years #2

Published by: Lemon Tree Press on Nov. 14, 2017

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 248

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Rachel's Random Resources

Book Rating: 8.5/10

An ex-husband, two potential lovers, one reckless decision. Will Connie ever be happy in love?

When Connie Stone leaves behind a cheating husband and heartache in the UK for her aunt’s beach retreat, the last thing she wants is for her life to once again be complicated by men. 

Yet when her past follows her to Tanzania, her time to heal is short-lived and a selfish act shatters her hopes for a fresh start. An unexpected return to the UK reveals a long-hidden family secret that Connie has to deal with before she can decide the direction her life should take. 

Getting over a broken heart was never going to be easy. Can Connie put the past to rest and find peace and love in a country far from home?


Review:

Atmospheric, tender, and hopeful!

The Baobab Beach Retreat is a warm, sweet, emotive tale set in the beautiful country of Tanzania that takes us into the life of the heartbroken, embittered Connie as she flees to her Aunt’s resort to rejuvenate after a painful divorce, recuperate from years of infertility, embark on a new career, and perhaps even fall in love once again.

The writing is heartfelt and evocative. The characters are complex, supportive, and genuine. And the plot is an engaging, uplifting tale full of family, friendship, tender moments, dramatic events, self-discovery, and a little adventure.

Overall, The Baobab Beach Retreat is a charming, engaging, escapist read by Frost that reminds us that life is for living to the fullest, and there’s no better place for taking chances and finding happiness than where the animals roam freely, the water is warm, the sand is hot, and the sun is shining brightly.

 

This book is available now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

 

Giveaway:

Win a paperback copy of The Baobab Beach Retreat by Kate Frost (Open Internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

 

Thank you to Kate Frost and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kate Frost

Kate Frost writes character-driven women’s fiction and romances, alongside Time Shifters, an award-winning time travel adventure trilogy for 9-12 year olds. She has a MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University where she’s also taught lifewriting to creative writing undergraduates. She has eight books published, including her Greek and north Norfolk set series, The Butterfly Storm. The Baobab Beach Retreat is the first in what will be a series of foreign-set romances. Kate lives in Bristol with her husband, their five-year-old son (who still loves waking up before 5am), and their cute and chilled out Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

 

#BookReview The Favorite Daughter by Patti Callahan Henry @pcalhenry @BerkleyPub

#BookReview The Favorite Daughter by Patti Callahan Henry @pcalhenry @BerkleyPub Title: The Favorite Daughter

Author: Patti Callahan Henry

Published by: Berkley Publishing on Jun. 4, 2019

Genres: Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Berkley Publishing, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Ten years ago, Lena Donohue experienced a wedding-day betrayal so painful that she fled the small town of Watersend, South Carolina, and reinvented herself in New York City. Though now a freelance travel writer, the one place she rarely goes is home–until she learns of her dad’s failing health.

Returning to Watersend means seeing the sister she has avoided for a decade and the brother who runs the family’s Irish pub and has borne the burden of his sisters’ rift. While Alzheimer’s slowly steals their father’s memories, the siblings rush to preserve his life in stories and in photographs. As his secret past brings Lena’s own childhood into focus, it sends her on a journey to discover the true meaning of home.


Review:

Absorbing, heartfelt, and tender!

The Favorite Daughter is a touching, hopeful novel that delves into the complicated relationship between members of a family and highlights that there really is no place like home.

The prose is evocative and warm. The characters are troubled, supportive, and genuine. And the plot is an affecting tale about life, love, family, friendship, deception, betrayal, heartbreak, community, romance, and the difficulties and struggles Alzheimer’s presents.

Overall, The Favorite Daughter is a compelling, satisfying, lovely tale by Callahan Henry that ultimately reminds us that sharing, capturing, and remembering all those special moments in time, good or bad, is truly what life is all about.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                            

 

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Berkley Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Patti Callahan

Patti Callahan, who also writes as Patti Callahan Henry, is a New York Times bestselling author of thirteen novels, including this latest novel BECOMING MRS. LEWIS – The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. A finalist in the Townsend Prize for Fiction, an Indie Next Pick, an OKRA pick, and a multiple nominee for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) Novel of the Year, Patti is a frequent speaker at luncheons, book clubs and women’s groups. The mother of three children, she now lives in both Mountain Brook, Alabama and Bluffton, South Carolina with her husband.

#BookReview #BlogTour Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea by Jane Linfoot @janelinfoot @HarperImpulse @rararesources

#BookReview #BlogTour Edie Browne's Cottage by the Sea by Jane Linfoot @janelinfoot @HarperImpulse @rararesources

#BookReview #BlogTour Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea by Jane Linfoot @janelinfoot @HarperImpulse @rararesources Title: Edie Browne's Cottage by the Sea

Author: Jane Linfoot

Published by: HarperImpulse on Jul. 25, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: HarperImpulse, NetGalley

Book Rating: 9/10

Those who don’t jump will never fly…

Hurtling through the sky was supposed to be Edie Browne’s flight of independence. But when she falls head over champagne bucket while celebrating her successful landing, her life is changed in an instant. 
 
But starting over has its benefits, and as Edie relearns the basics under the watchful eye of her Aunty Josie and an entire Cornish village of new friends and neighbours, she finds love and joy she never could have imagined in the unlikeliest of places… 

Come home to St Aidan and Periwinkle Cottage for a romance full of love, laughter and friends for life!


Review:

Sweet, cosy, and adorably romantic!

Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea is a charming, uplifting read that takes us to St. Aiden and into the life of the determined, optimistic Edie Browne as she struggles to recover, relearn, and reclaim the high-flying life she had before the stroke with the help of her Aunty Jo, a whole gaggle of supportive, meddling villagers, and a ruggedly handsome neighbour.

The writing is effortless and vivid. The characters are fun-loving, authentic, and amusing. And the plot is a delightfully witty tale about life, love, family, friendship, self-discovery, community, happiness, and taking chances.

I have to admit that there’s just something about Linfoot’s novels that keeps me coming back for more and Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea is no exception. It’s humorous, inspiring, and exceptionally absorbing, and with just the right amount of laughs, heartfelt storyline, and endearing characters, it is the perfect pick for rom-com fans everywhere.

This book is available now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

 

Thank you to Jane Linfoot, HarperImpulse and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jane Linfoot

Jane Linfoot is a best selling author, who lives in a muddy cottage, up a steep hill in Derbyshire, with her family, their pets, and an astonishing number of spiders. Although she loves seeing cow noses over the garden wall, she’s happy she can walk to a supermarket.
Jane grew up in North Yorkshire where she spent a lot of her childhood avoiding horizontal gales blowing off the sea, and wrote her first book by accident, while working as an architect, and renovating country houses. While she loves to write feelgood books that let readers escape, she’s always surprised to hear her stories make people laugh, admits to (occasionally) crying as she writes, and credits her characters for creating their own story lines.
Jane’s garden would be less brambly if she wasn’t on Facebook and Twitter so often. On days when she wants to be really scared, she rides a tandem.
Her latest books include a series of stand alone novels, based around a seaside wedding shop in Cornwall. Cupcakes and Confetti – The Little Wedding Shop by the Sea, Sequins and Snowflakes – Christmas at the Little Wedding Shop, and Bunting and Bouquets – Summer at the Little Wedding Shop, and most recently, The Little Cornish Kitchen. These are all published by Harper Impulse, an imprint of Harper Collins.

 

#CoverReveal Singles, Set and Match by Elaine Spires @ElaineSWriter @rararesources

 

Today I am thrilled to bring you the cover for:

 

Singles, Set and Match

 

 

Synopsis:

The fifth and final book in the Singles’ Series takes us to the Mediterranean island of Ibiza then back to the Caribbean island of Antigua, where it all began. 

After making a hard decision two years earlier Eve Mitchell has moved on with the hand that life has dealt her and she finds herself on the White Island working a tennis holiday. While it isn’t a job she would have chosen, in her typical pragmatic way Eve gets on with it, working hard to ensure that her diverse group of singles, with their hopes, expectations character flaws and baggage, have the best time possible.  And as she binds together tennis sessions, social gatherings, meals and trips Eve hears some tragic personal news that brings her to another crossroads in her life.  Will she and the love of her life Melv finally make a life together and live happily ever after?

 

Preorder Now! Available July 1 2019!

 

 

 

About the Author:

Elaine Spires is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and actress. Extensive travelling and a background in education and tourism perfected Elaine’s keen eye for the quirky characteristics of people, captivating the humorous observations she now affectionately shares with the readers of her novels. Elaine has written two books of short stories, two novellas and seven novels, four of which form the Singles Series – Singles’ Holiday, Singles and Spice, Single All The Way and Singles At Sea.  Her latest book, Singles, Set and Match is the fifth and final book in the series. Her play Stanley Grimshaw Has Left The Building is being staged at the Bridewell Theatre, London in May 2019. Her short film Only the Lonely, co-written with Veronique Christie and featuring Anna Calder Marshall is currently being in shown in film festivals worldwide and she is currently working on a full length feature film script. Only the Lonely won the Groucho Club Short Film Festival 2019! Elaine recently returned to UK after living in Antigua W.I. She lives in East London.

#BookReview The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas @jodithomas @HarlequinBooks

#BookReview The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas @jodithomas @HarlequinBooks Title: The Little Teashop on Main

Author: Jodi Thomas

Published by: Harlequin Books on May 7, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Harlequin Books

Book Rating: 10/10

A rainy-day ritual—a tea party between three little girls—becomes the framework of not only their friendship, but their lives.

Blonde, curly-haired Zoe is openhearted, kind and free-spirited, and dreams of becoming a famous actor in New York City. Shy Emily struggles with mental health but has the heart and soul of a writer. And Shannon—tall, athletic, strong—has a deep sense of loyalty that will serve her well when she heads off to military college.

As Zoe, Emily and Shannon grow into women—forging careers, following dreams and finding love—they’ll learn that life doesn’t always unfold the way they want it to, but through it all, the one constant is each other, and their regular tea parties. And when the unthinkable happens, the girls must come together to face the greatest test of all.


Review:

Sweet, affecting, and exceptionally absorbing!

The Little Teashop on Main is an enchanting, heartwarming story set in the quaint town of Laurel Springs that takes us into the lives of Zoe, Emily, and Shannon as together they tackle all the highs and lows of life through shared moments, a few tears, lots of laughs, and an abundance of tea.

The prose is effortless and smooth. The characters are genuine, supportive, reliable, and compassionate. And the plot, written in a back and forth, past/present style captivates and enchants as it sweeps you along a tale of love, loss, family, courage, coming-of-age, community, happiness, and unconditional friendship.

With The Little Teashop on Main Thomas has written a tender, heartfelt, beautiful story about female friendships that is incredibly moving and has taken what started as a good series with Mornings on Main and turned it into a spectacular one.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                             

 

 

Thank you to Harlequin Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jodi Thomas

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas is a fifth-generation Texan who sets many of her stories in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. She is a certified marriage and family counselor, a Texas Tech graduate and writer-in-residence at West Texas A&M University. She lives with her husband in Amarillo, Texas.

 

#BookReview Drawing Home by Jamie Brenner @JamieLBrenner @littlebrown

#BookReview Drawing Home by Jamie Brenner @JamieLBrenner @littlebrown Title: Drawing Home

Author: Jamie Brenner

Published by: Little Brown and Company on May 7, 2019

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Little Brown and Company, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8.5/10

An unexpected inheritance, a promise broken, and four lives changed forever: the newest page-turner from USA Today bestselling author Jamie Brenner.

Summer has started in idyllic Sag Harbor, and for Emma Mapson that means greeting guests at the front desk of The American Hotel. But when one of the town’s most famous residents, artist Henry Wyatt, dies suddenly, Emma learns he has mysteriously left his waterfront home – a self-designed masterpiece filled with his work – to her teenage daughter, Penny.

Back in Manhattan, legendary art patron Bea Winstead’s grief at her lifelong friend and former business partner Henry’s passing turns to outrage at the news of his shocking bequest. How did these unknown locals get their hands on the estate? Bea, with her devoted assistant Kyle in tow, descends on Sag Harbor determined to reclaim the house and preserve Henry’s legacy.

While Emma fights to defend her daughter’s inheritance, Bea discovers that Henry left a treasure trove of sketches scattered around town. With Penny’s reluctant help, Bea pieces them together to find a story hidden in plain sight: an illustration of their shared history with an unexpected twist that will change all of their lives.

Drawn together in their battle for the house, Emma and Bea are forced to confront the past while facing a future that challenges everything they believe about love, fate, and family.


Review:

Heart-tugging, tender, and sincere!

Drawing Home is an uplifting, engaging tale that takes us to Sag Harbor and into the life of Emma Mapson as she juggles all sorts of highs and lows, including single motherhood, an unexpected inheritance left to her teenage daughter, an ex who suddenly reappears out of nowhere, and an elderly woman determined to contest the final wishes of her oldest friend.

The prose is immersive and expressive. The characters are well-drawn, troubled, likeable, and genuine. And the plot is a wonderful mix of life, loss, forgiveness, grief, love, familial drama, friendship, community, contentment, coming-of-age, and art.

Overall, Drawing Home is another lighthearted, beautiful, beach read by Brenner that mixes a side of mystery with her innate ability to delve into all the psychological and emotional entanglements found in nuclear families.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                             

 

 

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jamie Brenner

Jamie Brenner was born and raised in suburban Philadelphia but has called New York City her home for the past twenty years. She graduated from George Washington University with a degree in literature and spent her career in publishing before becoming an author herself. Her books include The Gin Lovers, The Wedding Sisters. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two daughters.

#BookReview The Spanish Promise by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan

#BookReview The Spanish Promise by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan Title: The Spanish Promise

Author: Karen Swan

Published by: Pan Macmillan on May 1, 2019

Genres: Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Charlotte, a wealth counsellor who knows from personal experience the complications that a sudden inheritance can bring, helps her clients navigate the emotional side effects of sudden wealth syndrome. When she is asked by Mateo Mendoza, heir to a huge Spanish estate, to fly to Madrid to help resolve an issue in his father’s will, she’s confident it will be straightforward. The timing isn’t great as Charlotte’s due to get married the following week, but once her client signs on the dotted line, Charlotte can return to her life in London and her wedding, and live happily ever after. Marrying Stephen might not fill her with excitement, but she doesn’t want to live in the fast lane anymore – safe and predictable is good.

But Carlos Mendoza’s final bequest opens up a generation of secrets, and Charlotte finds herself compelled to unravel the mystery. As Charlotte digs deeper, she uncovers the story of a family divided by Spain’s Civil War, and of a love affair across the battle lines that ended in tragedy.

And while she is consumed in the drama of the Mendozas, Charlotte’s own tragic past catches up with her, threatening to overturn everything in her life she’s worked so hard to build.


Review:

Evocative, mysterious, and incredibly enchanting!

The Spanish Promise is an alluring, mesmerizing tale predominantly set in Spain during the late 1930s, as well as present day, that takes you into the lives of both the prosperous, successful, multi-generational Fairfax and Mendoza families. But like most families with money, power, and privilege everything is not always as it seems, and behind the designer clothes and beautiful houses hides an abundance of secrets, betrayals, scandals, rivalry, conflict, and heartbreak.

The prose is seamless and eloquent. The characters are perceptive, intriguing, and scarred. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel effortlessly into a vividly satisfying tale of life, loss, family, friendship, self-discovery, regret, deception, love, duty, honour, and the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War.

The Spanish Promise is another magical, heartwarming tale by Swan that does a beautiful job of highlighting her exceptional ability to portray memorable characters, idyllic places, and historically troubling times that stay with you long after you finish the final page.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                   

 

 

Thank you to Karen Swan and PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Karen Swan

Karen Swan began her career in fashion journalism before giving it all up to raise her three children and a puppy, and to pursue her ambition of becoming a writer. She lives in the forest outside Sussex, England, writing her books in a treehouse overlooking the Downs.

An internationally bestselling author, her numerous books include The Rome Affair, The Paris Secret, Christmas Under the Stars, and The Christmas Secret. 

Photograph by Alexander James