Lucinda Green knows something is missing from her life. But what? Her catering business is enjoying modest success and she loves her cosy house, even if she does have to share it with her irritating ex-fiancé.

Whatever’s making her unsettled and edgy, Lucinda’s certain that a lack of romance isn’t the problem. How could it be when she doesn’t believe in true love?

But Lucinda’s beliefs are shaken by a series of electric encounters with Alex Fraser, a newly notorious actor who gradually proves himself to be infuriatingly funny and smart, as well as handsome.

Not that any of that matters. Because Lucinda doesn’t believe in all that ‘The One’ nonsense. That’s the rule.

But doesn’t every rule have an exception?

This uplifting grumpy-meets-sunshine romance is perfect for fans of Phillipa Ashley, Katie Fforde and Trisha Ashley.

Book Two in the Love in the Comptons series. These are standalone stories and can be read in any order.
1. Art and Soul (Becky and Charlie)
2. The Only Exception (Lucinda and Alex)

The Only Exception (Love in the Comptons 2)

by Claire Huston 

My review

Having read and loved Claire Huston’s first two books (Art and Soul & Elle’s A to Z of Love) I was very excited to read The Only Exception and I have not been disappointed!

Lucinda is a bit of a prickly character to begin with but as we get to know her, we start to realise why she is how she is. I really warmed to her as the story progressed. Her first meeting with Alex Fraser is under rather stressful circumstances but it’s obvious they left an impression on each other. Lucinda doesn’t believe in true love though or that there is any such thing as ‘the one’. Her mother has always told her so.

Alex is such a lovely character. He is in a stale relationship with his younger actress girlfriend, and I couldn’t help but feel for him. I always find it quite sad when people feel they must settle for what they have when they could be destined for real happiness. The same goes for Lucinda’s situation.

I loved the time Lucinda and Alex spend together when invited to the grand home of the lady they saved. She’s a fabulous character! Not altogether likeable, but definitely interesting. The dog stole the show though!

There are some lovely characters throughout this story who add such depth and warmth.

There is so much to love about this book. It is sweet, and funny, and romantic, and uplifting. The ultimate feel-good story! So beautifully written. I LOVED it!

All the stars for me!

**Many thanks to Claire Huston for my ARC**

Treat yourself

happy reading!

Hi, and welcome to my Flashback Friday feature 🙂

On the first Friday of each month I like to have a 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!

Here are my reviews from June 2021 (+ a link to previous June FBFs)….

Have you read any of the above?

One of them lied. One of them died. One of them is next.

Could you stay quiet about a murder? Killed on his way home from a night out, Kit Harper had lots of secrets. At the opposite end of the city, another man is found smothered in his bed. Jack Fletcher had secrets too.

A photo of a young woman reveals a clue and with dual cases to run, Detective Allie Shenton and her team are pushed to their limits. As attacks on a close group of friends continue, a link to a cold case twenty years ago is unveiled.

Can Allie figure out who is telling the truth about what happened on that fateful night? And who is lying through their teeth, to get away with murder?

Set within the gritty streets of Stoke-on-Trent, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery with an emotional pull.

Hidden Secrets (Detective Allie Shenton Series Book 5)

by Mel Sherratt 

My review

What can I say? This series just gets better and better if that’s at all possible. Allie Shenton is one of my favourite detectives. I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole series so far and I can’t wait for book 6!

In Hidden Secrets Allie and the team find themselves frantically trying to piece together evidence for two murders, an attempted murder, and a cold case. The build-up of suspense throughout this book is almost palpable. There is so much going on I honestly didn’t know what to think. So many secrets and lies. How some people sleep at night I’ll never know. However, we’re not dealing with cold blooded murderers here. This story goes much deeper than that and you can’t help but have some level of compassion for those involved.

Short chapters compliment this fast-paced police procedural beautifully. The tension increases with each one, making it extremely difficult to put down.

As always with Mel Sherratt this book is full of colourful characters with intriguing backgrounds. People who could easily be living in your street. Real, relatable people, just possibly with more to hide than most.

The truth behind these crimes is as sad as it is shocking.

Another easy five stars for me. I loved it!

**Many thanks to Mel Sherratt for my review copy**

happy reading!

Congratulations to John Pye for winning this year’s Arnold Bennett Book Prize for Where The Silent Screams Are Loudest, previously featured on Bowen’s Book Publicity. http://bowensbookpublicity.com/2020/10/10/where-the-silent-screams-are-loudest-a-missing-girl-a-serial-killer-eleven-long-years-by-john-pye-cathedraloflies/

Winner of the Arnold Bennett Book Prize 2022, John Pye @CathedralOfLies — Bowen’s Book Publicity

Hi, and welcome to my Flashback Friday feature 🙂

On the first Friday of each month I like to 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. I wonder if we have any books in common!?

Here are my reviews from May 2021 (+ a link to previous May FBFs) –

Have you read any of the above?

Welcome to the café on Marigold Marina, where the smell of freshly baked cakes fills the air and the boats bob merrily in the mellow evening sun. But will an unexpected meeting mean the chance to love again or a broken heart?

When Rosie inherits the café on Marigold Marina after her husband’s tragic death, she is determined to pour her heart into his dream. Nine months later, as she serves coffee and cakes to customers, she is all smiles and laughter. But when the sunshine-yellow doors of the café are closed, she allows her heart to break all over again.

Rosie doesn’t have much room in her life for anything but the café. But when Kit, the mysterious owner of a bookshop barge, starts to come by regularly for lunch, she finds it difficult to ignore his dark eyes, dishevelled curls and the fact that he has his own sorrows. Rosie finds it easy to talk to Kit and as they swim together in the sparkling marina waters she hopes she can help Kit the way he has helped her.

But just as she is letting herself open her heart, she learns the shocking secret that the husband she loved for so many years kept hidden from her. And when she discovers that Kit is hiding things too, she fears she has been foolish to trust again. Should she close her café and move away from the marina? Or take a risk and give love another chance?

An absolutely gorgeous and heartwarming read about what can happen when you leave your comfort zone and listen to your heart. Fans of Shari Low, Heidi Swain and Nicola May will fall in love with The Café at Marigold Marina.

The Café at Marigold Marina

by Tilly Tennant 

My review

The Café at Marigold Marina is such a gorgeous read! I LOVED it! Not that I’m surprised, of course, because all Tilly Tennant’s books are beautifully written stories, set in beautiful places, and are full of characters you fall in love with.

Rosie is such a lovely character. I really felt for her. I can’t even imagine being widowed at such a young age. Any age must be devastating. It doesn’t bare thinking about. To face running a business all alone after such a tragedy would be far too much for me to handle, I think. I take my hat off to her. Especially as we learn more about her husband as the story progresses. He made me really cross. I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a deceased character so much before. However, they say everything happens for a reason and Rosie was obviously destined to find herself running her café alone. It was never going to be easy, but are there brighter days ahead?

Kit is the most adorable character. I think I fell for him myself! He adds such charm to this story. He has had, and still has, his own struggles. You can’t help but like him and want him to find happiness. He’s obviously quite easy on the eye too, which never hurts 😉

I loved the new friendships Rosie develops amongst her fellow business owners and her assistant. I loved the setting of this book too. It sounds like an amazing place to live and work.

I love the close relationship Rosie shares with her parents also.

I was happily swept away with Rosie’s story. It’s an emotional one, but heart-warming and ultimately uplifting. I can’t imagine anyone not loving it!

What other reviewers are saying about The Café at Marigold Marina:

‘I was completelyhooked by the end of the first pageand had it finished in a few hours! It is such a fabulous read that will pull on your heart strings and lighten your heart all in one go! Love, loved, LOVED it! Would definitely recommend!!’ Stardust Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This has to be one of my favourite books by Tilly Tennant. It really got under my skin and into my heart… A fabulous story of friendship, family and secrets with a great cast of characters… A real heartwarmer this one, it got me so emotional too… I LOVED it!!’ StefLoz Book Blog, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A brilliant rollercoaster of a ride… I read this book in one sitting in less than a day and loved every minute of it. A can’t-put-down book!… I read late into to the night because I just had to know what the ending was going to be.’ Netgalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘What a beautifully written story… This is a “can’t go to sleep because I want to know what happens next” book and even after the last page I’m still thinking about Rosie.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘What an enchanting read! I felt like I’d moved to Marigold Marina myself… A perfect book that kept me entertained all the way through.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘What a charming, feel-good sort of book! This was a lovely weekend read and certainly makes me want to read more by this author in the future. Recommended!’ The Princess and the Pen

Treat yourself

happy reading!

A new start can come from the most unexpected places…

It’s been years since Lizzie Lockhart spoke to her parents. But she was safe in the knowledge she knew everything about them. Once upon a time, they were as close as could be. Until they weren’t.

After receiving the earth-shattering news of their passing, Lizzie decides it’s time to unearth some family secrets and find out just who her parents really were… starting with Streamside Cottage. A cottage Lizzie never knew existed, in a place she’s never heard of: the beautiful English village of Leafton.

Leaving behind London, and the tattoo parlour she called home, Lizzie finds herself moving to the countryside. Faced with a tight-lipped community, who have secrets of their own, Lizzie is at a loss for what to do, until her rather handsome neighbour, Ben, steps in to help.

As Lizzie finally begins to piece together the puzzle of her family history she realises she has to confront the truth of the past in order to face her future.

Summer Secrets at Streamside Cottage

by Samantha Tonge 

My review

Summer Secrets at Streamside Cottage is a brilliant read. I absolutely LOVED it!

Lizzie is an instantly likeable character who recently lost both of her parents in a tragic accident. They were estranged which makes things even more difficult to deal with. When she discovers her parents owned a property in the countryside, she leaves her home in London to see if she can find any real reason her once close relationship with them had broken down without any room for discussion. It can’t just be because she had decided to train as a tattooist or because they didn’t like her boyfriend at the time, surely. How come they never told her about this cottage in Leafton? What else did she not know about her parents?

I thoroughly enjoyed Lizzie’s story. I was drawn in from the very beginning and found myself as desperate as she was to find out the truth behind her parent’s overprotective behaviour and their odd reaction to her choice of profession.

I love how Lizzie instantly felt at home in the cottage. It does sound idyllic. I know I’d prefer to live somewhere like that rather than in the middle of London.

I love how she has an instant connection with Ben, her neighbour and postie.

I love Taz!

I love how the community welcomes her but at the same time seem to be harbouring secrets of their own. Why will no one tell her what they know about this cottage and its history?

It’s such an intriguing mystery. One that certainly kept me turning those pages. My heart truly went out to Lizzie when she finally finds out the truth.

Such a heart-wrenching tale with a heart-warming conclusion.

I very much recommend!

happy reading!

FROM THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF HOLY ISLAND AND IMPOSTOR

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY…

When a cantankerous old woman dies at her home in the sleepy, picturesque village of Bamburgh, DCI Ryan doesn’t think much of it—except, that is, for the small matter of it having been his wife who happened to find her body. Then another body turns up amongst the sand dunes at the base of the mighty castle fortress, and he decides it can’t be a coincidence…

Meanwhile, after a recent revelation about her sister, DC Melanie Yates’ quest to avenge her death is becoming an obsession—much to the concern of those around her. With a new DCS to contend with and hundreds of cold case files to sift through, the chances of uncovering a dormant killer seem unlikely. But as Melanie delves deeper into the secrets of the past to uncover the truth, she soon realises it lies much closer to home…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

“LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers” – The Times

“A literary phenomenon” – Evening Chronicle

Bamburgh: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 19) 

by LJ Ross 

My review

Bamburgh is another excellent read in the DCI Ryan series. Honestly, these books just get better and better. I love catching up with Ryan, Frank, and the team. They are such a lovable bunch. I know I’ve said it many times before, but I do talk about them like they are real people. I have recently got my Mum-in-law addicted to these books also and she feels the same. We chat about them together now. My husband thinks we’re a bit nuts. Lol!

It is my mission to convert everyone (who isn’t already) into Ryan fans!

This book ticks all the boxes for me.

I love the police procedural aspect.

I love the mystery, the tension, the suspense.

I love how invested I am in these characters. My heart truly went out to DC Melanie Yates, and I was terrified for her.

A certain other character made my skin crawl.

I love the setting of this book, and the series as a whole.

I love how Dr Gregory features in this book.

I love the romance and the humour. Frank always makes me giggle. I love the banter between him and Ryan.

If you haven’t read this yet you are in for a real treat and if you haven’t read any of the series yet, then you really should. Treat yourself!

Another easy five stars for me. I highly recommend!

Available now….

happy reading!

Come and meet Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Café.

Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that – Issy can create stunning, mouth-wateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe’s bakery, she has undoubtedly inherited his talent.

When she’s made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment. Armed with recipes from Grampa, and with her best friends and local bank manager fighting her corner, The Cupcake Café opens its doors. But Issy has absolutely no idea what she’s let herself in for. It will take all her courage – and confectionery – to avert disaster . . .

Meet Me at The Cupcake Café

by Jenny Colgan 

My review

Meet Me at The Cupcake Café is a gorgeous read!

It is the first book I’ve read by Jenny Colgan, but it certainly won’t be the last!

Issy is a lovely character. I liked her from the very start. What she sees in Graeme I will never know! He’s infuriating. Issy deserves so much better than him.

When Issy finds she is to be made redundant from her administrative job she wonders whatever she will do. How will she pay her mortgage etc. What Issy can do though, and do incredibly well, is bake. She had the best teacher in her grandfather who is sadly now in declining health and being cared for in a nursing home. After much soul searching Issy decides to completely change her life by opening a little Cupcake Café in a quiet little courtyard complex of old buildings. It does sound delightful, but not everyone is convinced it will work out, least of all Graeme. She has the support of her closest friend though (and the bank) and she is determined to give it her best shot. I was rooting for her the whole time, and I loved seeing how she turned this neglected little property into a warm, welcoming café. I’d love something like that in our village.

I love how Issy turns her passion into a successful business. I so admire her bravery.

I love how she fights when her livelihood is threatened by greed, and how all those around her fight with her.

I love the friendships she develops with her staff.

I love her friendship with Helena.

I love the close relationship Issy shares with her Grandad and my heart broke for her as she comes to terms with him not getting any better. I know how devastating that is.

I love the romance, which again is far from straight forward.

This is such an uplifting story, which warmed my heart and left me with a huge smile on my face.

I loved every page!

I also love that there are delicious cake recipes throughout this book. Such a sweet tale, in every sense.

I highly recommend and I will be adding Jenny Colgan’s other books to my TBR list.

Treat yourself….

happy reading 🙂