en-US Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:04:33 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7496262111 Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:04:33 -0700 /review/show/7496262111 Rachel gave 4 stars to Escape to the Country Garden (The Feywood Sisters #2) by Hannah Langdon
It was lovely to be back at Feywood and with the Carlisle sisters in this second book in what I'm guessing will be a trilogy!

This time we have Frankie as the main character, and she is the one I probably knew the least after the previous book, but she is back at the house and nursing a heartbreak while also suffering low self confidence and feels like she needs to move her life in a new direction.

And it just so happens Rousseau has come up with a plan for her, and gets Nathan to start working there, to help get the gardens under control and he volunteers Frankie to assist.

Frankie like all the family seem to be excellent at whatever creative pursuit they turn their hands to, and it was great to see her start to have a real love of gardening and garden design.

And she has a good heart, as when she sees there is a pair of peacocks looking for a new home, she is first in line to offer to take them in at Feywood, much to the amusement of, but with the support of everyone else!

I found it hard to properly connect to Nathan, we had chapters from his point of view, and although things were alluded to in the past, I felt as though I would have perhaps like a bit more time spent on them, to really get a feel for how his childhood has shaped his career decisions.

With some of the story taking place in Tuscany too, this is a lovely summery read, and I am absolutely adoring this series and the family at the heart of it. And I'm very eager to see Martha's story in the next book and whether she will be given the romance that has been hinted at it the first two books!

Thank you to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. ]]> Review7488864076 Mon, 14 Apr 2025 15:08:18 -0700 /review/show/7488864076 Rachel gave 5 stars to Escape to the Country Kitchen (The Feywood Sisters #1) by Hannah Langdon
What a lovely start to the Feywood Sisters series this was, and I'm already totally invested and keen to read the next books which probably give you a good indicator of what I thought of this first one!

For I loved it - ok at times I was a bit frustrated with both Juliet and Leo for not communicating clearly, but they had their reasons and with their backgrounds, I could understand them, it was just a bit like I wanted to knock their heads together!

Juliet is a fabulous character, she had a fractious relationship with mother, she's escaped a controlling relationship and isn't completely happy at being asked to give up her London life in order to help out with trying to save the family home.

There are a lot of walls built around Juliet and as she softened and adapted to her new circumstances, including her interactions with Leo, I began to really love her.

And I'm certainly eager to get to know Frankie and Martha better in their books, as well as returning to Feywood, to catch up with Rosseau, Will and Aunt Sylvia. There is a cookery school that has been set up at the house that is what lends the book a foodie feel to it, and at times it certainly made me hungry.

I loved discovering the family dynamics, and all of the characters grew on me throughout, apart from Toby (but you are meant to hate him with good reason).

This is another very enjoyable book from Hannah Langdon, which is what I've come to expect from my previous experiences. Bring on book 2 of this series!

Thank you Storm Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. ]]> Review7488783345 Mon, 14 Apr 2025 14:32:08 -0700 /review/show/7488783345 Rachel gave 5 stars to For Better, For Worse (Kindle Edition) by Lauren North
I have no idea how Lauren North manages to blow my mind with pretty much every book she writes, but she has definitely done it again with this one.

I was never completely confident in any theory I had, and no way would I have ever seen the finale outcome coming. It's utterly brilliant!

After a lovely day out in France, Jake and Hannah return to the farmhouse and discover a dead body, with a knife that Hannah has definitely touched, and what appear to be footprints made from Jake's shoes. And the decisions they make in that moment, are what set up the rest of the book fabulously.

And both of them have been together the whole time. This comes on the back of their apartment in London having had a break in, from one of Jake's exes.

There seemed to be secrets galore between this couple that are getting married in two weeks time, and I was constantly kept on my toes.

I loved the quick pace of this story, and couldn't get enough of it, turning the pages like a madwoman!

Definitely had me gripped and I loved seeing how it would all resolve.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. ]]> Review7483233922 Sat, 12 Apr 2025 13:09:36 -0700 /review/show/7483233922 Rachel gave 5 stars to The Pop-Up Cake Shop (Little Duck Pond Café, #39) by Rosie Green
As you may have realised by now I'm a massive fan of this series, and thus seeing a new book featuring one of the long standing Duck Pond Cafe team is always a joy.

And this was unputdownable, with the exception of when I needed to come in from the garden as it had got chilly, but I had read the first 75% or so in one sitting, totally and utterly absorbed as I caught up with Katja. And we get to see more of Ellie too which is always a bonus.

I absolutely loved the idea of a new cake van, travelling to five of the local villages around Sunnybrook, and for it to sell cut price cakes that Ellie would otherwise throw out, in a way to help combat food waste.

And getting to know some of the soon to be regular new customers was a joy, just seeing snapshots of their lives, plus some well intentioned advice / meddling from Ellie and Katja.

Add in a couple of interesting builders, heartbreak, lots of delicious cakes, and you have yet another wonderful addition to this series.

I can't stress enough how much I adore every single book in this long running series while continuing my admiration for the author that keeps coming up with fresh ideas. It's always a joy to keep up old friends and it really does feel like catching up with family whenever you read one of these books.

I'm definitely starting to think that this series would make an excellent drama / soap opera type TV series!

Thank you to the author for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. ]]> Review7483126577 Sat, 12 Apr 2025 12:19:31 -0700 /review/show/7483126577 Rachel gave 5 stars to The Saturday Place (Kindle Edition) by Alice Peterson
Well it has been many years since I last read an Alice Peterson novel, but this was definitely worth the wait.

This was fabulous, and it's a book that has three very different characters that all have a few things in common, and about their growing friendship, and about how you can make changes in your life.

It is also pro volunteering and its many benefits and not just the obvious of helping others. For Holly, Angus and Lauren are all volunteers at Soul Food which is only open on Saturdays and is a cafe designed to help the community, tackling food waste and offers meals to those in need too.

We get to see characters who are living on the streets and Lauren's backstory is particularly harrowing. Angus I just fell for, and Holly once she gets a bit of her groove back, is a really lovely character too.

They are all volunteering for different reasons but as these three in particular bond, it is heartwarming to follow their story and a real joy to read.

I was thinking about these characters well after I had finished the last page, and felt as though I was having to say goodbye to new friends when I ended the book. I wonder what they are all up now - that is how real these characters were to me!

Utterly fabulous as always from this author, just don't make us wait so long for your next book please!

Thank you to Bedford Square and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. ]]> Review7483058133 Sat, 12 Apr 2025 11:46:48 -0700 /review/show/7483058133 Rachel gave 5 stars to A Greek Island Gift: A gorgeous, escapist romance from Mandy Baggot (Kindle Edition) by Mandy Baggot
I'm always a big sucker for and big fan of Mandy Baggot's books especially any set in her beloved Corfu. And this was no exception.

There is an unexpected inheritance, family secrets, a fabulous Greek guy and there more we get to hear about the guy who left this inheritance, the more i loved him too.

It's unusual to learn that you have been left amongst other things a quarter of a cat (and seeing the beneficiaries try to decide who owns which leg is amusing), half an olive tree, half a truck that may not work, half a boat that may or may not work and half an apartment that needs a lot of work - but that is exactly the situation for Christos and Molly.

Molly has her own suspicions as to why she may have been left this, and her mother's responses are interesting. Christos and his family reminded me of the vibe and family from A Big Fat Greek Wedding, and I loved their dynamics.

There is a lot more to this than first meets the eye, and when you add in a recent family feud, what feels like a dare devil nature from Molly and you have an immensely enjoyable book.

I read this in a rare dose of sunshine in the garden and totally felt transported to Corfu. I loved the spattering for Greek words for flavour within the pages and generally just loved every word of this. Another winner from Mandy Baggot.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. ]]> Review7483009588 Sat, 12 Apr 2025 11:23:16 -0700 /review/show/7483009588 Rachel gave 5 stars to Something in the Air (The Skylarks #3) by Helen Rolfe
Helen Rolfe has knocked it out of the park with yet another unputdownable instalment of her fabulous Skylarks series.

I am just loving everything to do with this Whistlestop River air ambulance team and all those who support it. This time we are focusing on Nadia and Hudson.

Nadia has been lying to everyone and no one really knows anything about her past, whereas Hudson has been keeping his recent divorce to himself, while trying to single parent a teen and a 3 year old.

I loved the scenes with Hudson and his family, he comes across as a wonderful father and one that I could certainly see why Nadia might be attracted too.

The book starts with a rather surprising opening and one that really engrossed me and had a bit of a mystery to it, while also having me saying aww a fair bit!

I loved getting to know our leads even more, as well as catching up with the latest from other team members.

I couldn't get enough of this book and devoured it in under a day. I can't wait for the next book in this glorious series.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. ]]> Review7471063975 Mon, 07 Apr 2025 16:51:39 -0700 /review/show/7471063975 Rachel gave 4 stars to His Truth Her Truth (Kindle Edition) by Noelle Holten
The first part of this book was really slow but its needed to set up what was a fairly unputdownable second half of the book which is where everything hotted up.

I picked this book to read purely based on the author, as I've enjoyed her books in the past, and thus didn't really register the title, nor look at the blurb, which led to me reading a book featuring multiple unreliable narrators.

And frustratingly I'm just not keen on this level of unreliability, I was never really sure what I was meant to be believe, or what I should believe but what I did know is that I wasn't overly keen on Joe or Beth for different reasons.

Although I wasn't keen on them as people, they were very real and I could understand a lot of their feelings. Both had a fair bit of depth to them, and Beth in particular is on medication for many things, and the descriptions of her mental state were certainly interesting.

The more I got to know Beth, i did start to at least feel sorry for her, whereas I struggled to find redeeming features for Joe - he's not evil or anything, I just didn't take to him.

I was definitely intrigued from the prologue and it motivated me to keep reading to discover just how the situation in it came to fruition, and then I had to know who did it. As I say the second part of the book, after the attack was brilliant, and I ended up reading most of the last section of the book in one sitting.

Was a book of two halves for me, I'm very glad I kept reading, and anything I was less keen on was purely a me thing, the book itself was good And if you love unreliable narration, this is definitely one to look out for!

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily ]]> Review7464477236 Sat, 05 Apr 2025 09:31:19 -0700 /review/show/7464477236 Rachel gave 4 stars to The (Anti) Wedding Party by Lucy Knott
Well this was rather amusing and I absolutely loved the Amalfi coast setting in Italy which was described so well.

And with two main characters that are clearly big food lovers, there are loads of descriptions of food that will make your mouth water, and I could almost smell some of it from here!

That isn't the only thing Andi and Owen have in common, as neither of them are keen on weddings, yet they are about to be Maid of Honour and Best Man for their best friends wedding, and all they have to do is try to not destroy it, or anyone in it! And well that has some interesting effects.

I absolutely adored Owen, he was everything I could want in a man and more. However I struggled at times to connect with Andi, don't get me wrong she is lovely, and I think it was a me issue!

This was just a really enjoyable story, that was great escapism.

Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily, ]]> Review7464393969 Sat, 05 Apr 2025 08:53:04 -0700 /review/show/7464393969 Rachel gave 4 stars to Summer at the Santorini Bookshop (Paperback) by Rebecca Raisin
What an immensely enjoyable book.

Easily one of my favourite characters for ages is Evie's gran. She has ha such a varied life, is a real live wire and now in her 80s, she has opened a bookshop in Santorini that sounds totally divine, and and has married her 9th husband!

Evie is after being made redundant, encouraged to go to Santorini to keep an eye on her gran, by the "fun police" - her sister and mother! They don't trust that Gran knows what she is doing, and want a spy on the ground!

Evie is not a natural spy but she is a keen book lover, and also catches the eye of a gorgeous Greek guy that her gran encourages her to fake date in an elaborate scheme!

I do love a scheme, and this book has them galore! It also have places that sound like absolute paradise for booklovers, and also allows Evie to really come into her own, and grow in confidence.

Set against a sun drenched back drop, with some lovely trips around the island, I really felt transported to Greece, and this bookshop, and loved every second of the book.

It was a joy to read.

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. ]]>