Have you read The Somerley Series by Marcie Steele yet? If not, why not!?? You are seriously missing out! I have been lucky enough to read all three of these lovely books and you can now buy books 1-3 in this lovely collection for only £4.99!!

£4.99 for 3 books!!

ICYMI, here are my individual reviews….

Stirred with Love: (The Somerley Series Book 1)

Such a lovely story!

Lily is mourning the loss of her husband and decides to re-open the café they used to run together, but she won’t be able to do it without some help now she is getting on in years herself. So, she puts out an advert for a manager and an assistant in the hope of finding just the right ones for the job.

Kate is in her 30’s and is struggling with her marriage to Nick. When the prospect of a new job in a new area, with accommodation included, is brought to her attention, she applies and is successful. She’s not sure it will be long term commitment, but it will give her time to clear her head and attempt to move on.

18 year old Chloe is avoiding applying to University. She doesn’t really know what she wants to do with her life yet. When she spots an advert looking for an assistant to help with the restoration and running of a new café she decides it would make the perfect summer job. With accommodation included it would be perfect. She would stay for the summer, wait for her A Level results then decide what she would do with the rest of her life.

When the three of them come together, much more than a working relationship is formed. I really enjoyed how Lily, Kate and Chloe’s relationships developed as they worked hard together to re-open the café as a coffee shop. Their problems, worries and emotions, although very different, are all very relatable. It isn’t long before they are much more to each other than just work colleagues and the coffee shop is no longer just a short term option.

This is definitely a feel good read. Sad in places, but mostly happy and uplifting. I would happily recommend it to anyone.

Secrets, Lies & Love (The Somerley Series Book 2)

Well, what a fabulous book! If you like a love story which is not too mushy, you will love this. It’s full of likeable characters and some you will no doubt be able to relate to.

I make no secret of the fact that I am a massive Mel Sherratt fan. Her Allie Shenton series, The Estate Series and her stand alone novel, Watching Over You, are all excellent, so imagine my excitement when Mel told me she also writes chick lit under a pen-name! Stirred With Love was a fabulous story and this is equally fabulous.

I love how close this bunch of family and friends are. They work together on the market, although not always happily, and always look out for each other even though some have secrets they are reluctant to share.

Louise is a single Mum. Having had her daughter, Charley, at 18 she has never told a soul who the father is. Not even her best friend, Sam. She was married for a short time, but that wasn’t to be. Now she longs to be loved and cherished by someone, even if she won’t admit that to herself. Luckily she can rely on Matt to look after her and Charley. Matt sometimes feels like a glorified babysitter, only seemingly needed at the weekends when Louise wants to go out and get drunk, but he’s always there for her and he loves Charley as if she were his own. Everyone can see that Matt and Louise are crazy about each other, but neither of them seem willing to admit it. Will they ever get it together?

Charley is 15 and is struggling at school due to bullies who are aware of her mother’s active social life. She feels they are tarring her with the same brush and starts to resent her mother for going out and getting drunk all the time. She falls out with her best friend and feels like the only person she can rely on is Alex, a boy she has been chatting to online, but has yet to meet. At least he understands her.

I can totally relate to Louise and Charley’s relationship. I have two teenagers myself, a son and a daughter, and my relationship with my daughter can be challenging, shall we say, at times. As a mother you feel like you can’t do right for doing wrong sometimes, but we do forget what it was like to be 15. This was a good reminder to just be there and listen.

Sam is married to Reece, but is worried her marriage isn’t going to survive for much longer. Will they manage to rekindle what they once shared?

Nicci is all loved up with Jay, but struggles with the fact that he doesn’t seem keen on marrying her when she is so desperate to marry him. She dreams of their big day, but fears it may never happen.

Ryan is married to Sarah, with two beautiful children, but he has cheated before and it doesn’t take him long to fall for Jess’s charms when she returns from London and sets her sights on him. Jess is pregnant, by a married man who now wants nothing to do with her. Maybe if she can get her claws into Ryan, she could pass off the baby as his. Why should everyone else be happy when she’s miserable?

Unfortunately not everyone has a fairytale happy ending.

This book has everything. Love, family, friendship, secrets and lies, happiness and heartbreak. You’ll love it!

Second Chances at Love (The Somerley Series Book 3)

I make no secret of the fact that I am a massive fan of Mel’s / Marcie’s. I have genuinely loved everything she has written and I’m always very excited to read her new releases. I feel blessed to be able to read them prior to publication. I’ve been lucky enough to meet Mel a few times now and we chat fairly regularly via email, Facebook, Twitter etc. I like to think we are friends 🙂

If you still haven’t read any of Mel’s or Marcie’s books, you really should. You will love them!

Anyway, it took me all of my time not to start reading this immediately, but I was determined to save it for my weekend away in Northumberland and what a wonderful weekend it has been. Not only have I enjoyed the quality time with my husband and babies, but I have had the pleasure of getting to know Riley, Sadie, Esther, Dan, Cooper, Ash and the rest of the gang. What a lovely friendship they share. Riley, Sadie and Dan also work together at Chandler’s shoe shop. Having a job you love is a blessing and getting on well with those you work with is priceless. The shop isn’t doing so well though so, with Riley’s lead they embark on a social media campaign (even involving a flash mob dance) in an attempt to bring the customers in. Local journalist, Kim Nash 🙂 and photographer, Ethan, are on hand to help. All goes well initially, but nothing is ever that straight forward.

Riley hasn’t had much luck in love. After a long term relationship ended she thinks she might have finally met ‘the one’ in Nicholas, but he leaves her heart-broken too. When she meets Ethan and acknowledges there is a spark between them, she is reluctant to trust. Would he be worth the risk?

Sadie is grieving for her husband, Ross. He died a few months previously, of cancer. Her 6 year old daughter, Esther, helps to keep her going along with her job and her friends. She doesn’t know where she would be without them, but being a widow at 35 is not easy and worrying about the possibility of the shop closing doesn’t help. She’s happy to help with whatever it takes to keep it open. She can’t imagine working anywhere else.

Dan feels the same way. They are all so close and having to find another job would be hard. His love life isn’t great either and his friends mean the world to him. They need to keep the shop open!

I loved the banter between the group of friends. Their stories are very real and as with all friendships they have their ups and downs. All of the main characters are very likeable which helped to make this book a joy to read. I think I would get on with them in real life 🙂

Cooper’s friendship with Sadie is heart-warming. He is a lovely character.

It was funny, for me, reading about Paul and Christine (Sadie’s in-laws) as we have close friends (married) called Paul and Christine.

Dan made me laugh!

I even warmed to Suzanne in the end.

I was willing them all to succeed in keeping the shop open and for them to find the happiness they are craving.

All in all, this is a lovely story. I was hooked from the start and didn’t want to put it down, but as much as I wanted to keep reading, I didn’t want it to end either. Having said that, the ending is beautiful! It did make me cry.

I’m sure a lot of people will relate to these characters and their stories.

I recommend to everyone who loves a bit of romance, true friendship, a bit of a giggle and shoes!

#shoelove

Get clicking….

Welcome to Somerley, a market town full of warm people, loving relationships, and charming friends – well, most of the time.

Stirred with Love (book 1)

After the end of her marriage, thirty-something Kate is trying hard to mend her broken heart.

Chloe, a young woman with the world at her feet, is struggling to know what to do with her life.

Still grieving after the loss of her beloved husband, Lily is determined to do something with the time she has left.

As Lily embarks on a new venture in the picturesque town of Somerley, the three women come together to open The Coffee Stop, the most charming café for miles around. But opening a coffee shop is never as simple as it seems, especially when you add local neighbouring competition, secrets and heartbreak to the mix.

When tragedy strikes, can the three women pull together to make the new business fly, or will Lily’s last chance disappear down the drain along with yesterday’s coffee grinds?

Secrets, Lies & Love (book 2)

Step right into the second instalment of The Somerley Series. Secrets, Lies and Love is an emotional and uplifting tale of love, secrets and the importance of having a best friend.

Sophie loves running her market stall with her friend Beth by her side. They’re right at the heart of the Somerley community – and always one step ahead on local gossip. But Sophie’s marriage is in a bit of a rut, and handsome stranger Damien has her wondering if the grass might be greener…

Beth is the life and soul of every party, but she’s hiding a broken heart, and worries about her beautiful but secretive daughter Charley. All she wants is someone to love – but could Mr Right be nearer than she thinks?

Just when Sophie and Beth need each other most, they suddenly have reason to wonder whether they ever really knew each other at all. Can the two best friends put the past behind them, and help each other find love and happiness again?

Please note – this book was previously published as The Little Market Stall of Hope and Heartbreak, so do check to see if you have already downloaded it.

Second Chances at Love (book 3)

Step right into the third instalment of The Somerley Series. Second Chances at love is a delightfully romantic tale of love, friendship and putting your best foot forward.

All Riley wants is to meet someone who makes her happy. But attracting the right kind of man is not easy, and with her heart still hurting from her last break-up, she believes she’ll never find love again.

Nearly a year ago Sadie’s whole world was shattered when her husband died. She has struggled to keep herself together for the sake of their young daughter, but with the anniversary of his death approaching, Sadie finds herself overwhelmed by grief.

Sadie and Riley work at Chandler’s Shoes in the market town of Somerley. But when the shop is threatened with closure, the friends are confronted with the loss of not only their jobs, but also their support network – the glue that binds them when they are close to breaking.

As they put together a plan to save their beloved shop, Sadie realises that she might be learning to live again. Could it be that new beginnings are just around the corner? The campaign also finds Riley unexpectedly crossing paths with charming photographer, Ethan. Maybe her second chance at love is right under her feet…

Please note – this book was first published as The Second Chance Shoe Shop, so do check to see if you have already downloaded it.