The Hotel at Honeymoon Station

by Tilly Tennant  

I adore Tilly Tennant and The Hotel at Honeymoon Station is another gorgeous read! Not that I am at all surprised as I knew I’d love it!

When we meet Emma, she is preparing to say a temporary goodbye to her baby sister as she embarks on the career opportunity of her dreams. Emma wishes she loved her job as much. She’s not overly happy in her relationship either. Is it time for a fresh start?

When an old school friend, Tia, offers her the opportunity of a partnership refurbishing an old railway station, in Dorset, into a hotel she is in two minds. It is a massive risk and an extremely expensive one. They decide to go for it though and I thoroughly enjoyed following their brave adventure. I LOVE Dorset! I so wish I lived closer so we could visit more often. I could totally understand the lure of moving to a lovely little village there. I’m not sure I’d be as brave as they are though.

The refurbishment isn’t without it’s ups and downs, and that goes for Emma’s and Tia’s friendship too. I loved the dynamic between the two of them, especially when handsome local builders are thrown into the mix. I was totally rooting for them both to have their happy ending. I could understand Emma’s apprehension, but I did want to give her a good shake at times! 😉

Tilly Tennant knows exactly how to draw you in to a story from the very first page and keep you transfixed throughout the whole book. There are so many amazing characters in this story. Even the unlikeable ones are likeable in their own way, especially one. I LOVED how this story ends. Feel good fiction at it’s very best. I highly recommend to all!

**Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via NetGalley**

Out on the 18th June! Pre-order now….

happy reading! 🙂

The Vanished Landscape: A 1930s Childhood in the Potteries

by Paul Johnson  

The Vanished Landscape was passed on to me from a friend quite some time ago now. It has been on my bookshelf for far too long, but I’m so glad I finally got the chance to read it. It is such a wonderful read about the old Potteries in a time I can only imagine. This is Paul’s story of growing up in the 1930’s when The Potteries truly lived up to its name. I was born in Stoke-on-Trent and raised in Newcastle-under-Lyme (where I live again now), so every place Paul talks about I know exactly where he means, although I can’t quite imagine how it must have looked back then. The Potteries are quite different these days.

I loved that Paul is the youngest sibling, born when his parents were that bit older. They talked to him all the time, about everything. They seemed to have unwavering patience with all their children and come across as a lovely family. The way Paul interprets some of the things they tell him as a 4/5-year-old is quite endearing and I smiled a lot throughout this book. His mother was a fascinating character!

I had to smile also when those from Newcastle-under-Lyme are referred to as “snobby” and not from the “proper potteries”. I’m sure people did think like that then as some still do now! I know many people from Newcastle-under-Lyme who are quite offended if someone suggests they live in Stoke. Lol! They are right though. Newcastle-under-Lyme is not Stoke-on-Trent. We have our own council. It’s just easier to say you’re from Stoke to people who often don’t realise Newcastle-under-Lyme exists.

Anyway, as well as being a heartfelt account of a happy childhood this book is steeped in local history. I learned a lot along the way and thoroughly enjoyed every page.

If you live in, or are local to, the Potteries I think you will love this memoir. If you don’t live anywhere near here but you’re interested in history at all then I think you will love it just the same.

I highly recommend.

Many thanks to my friend, Clare Baker, for passing it on to me.

happy reading 🙂

Hi, and welcome to my Flashback Friday feature 🙂

On the first Friday of each month I like to have a little look back at the books I was reading during the same month in previous years, since starting my blog.

Please do join in if you have the time. I’d love to see your posts! Leave us a link in the comments.

Here are my reviews from June 2020 plus a link to previous June FBFs….

#FlashbackFriday June 2020 with @kcmaher3 @writermels @RachelAmphlett @Iona_Grey Andrew Crofts @LJRossAuthor @CaraAchterberg Tom Winter @FreddieJoJo1 & @RSinclairAuthor #BookReviews – Chat About Books

happy reading 🙂

A quirkily dark comedic novel about loss, search for spiritual meaning and about how decisions taken in a split-second often come back to slap us in the face. It’s a tale about the absurdity of the human condition, specifically our heroine, Fran’s, absurd human condition. Bless her, she tries her best. OUT NOW! A Stormful […]

A Stormful of Pickles: When Nature and Desire Collide by Elliott Fassbinder @ElliottFassbin1 — Bowen’s Book Publicity