The Cosy Canal Boat Dream

Publication date 22nd August 2017

Amazon UK

About the book

Welcome to the Little Rock marina – where hearts are healed and dreams are made…

For the last two years Nell Andrews has been struggling to stay afloat. As her life tumbled down around her, the only safety net has been her cosy canal boat, The Nollie. Tucked away inside, Nell has found a place to heal her broken heart. And now she’s ready to move on and follow her dream…

Gorgeous Guy Cornish, with his easy Irish charm, makes him an instant hit with everyone at the marina, and the perfect person to help Nell with her project. But Guy has his own reasons for being at the marina, and a past that threatens to sink Nell’s dream…

My review

The Cosy Canal Boat Dream in my opinion has to be the most perfect book ever! I loved every single page of it.

As soon as I seen the cover for this book I knew it was definitely a book I would love, it is just so magical.

I was in absolute tears reading the prologue, it was packed with emotion.   Literally a page in and I could not put it down, I found myself really attached to Nell and her story.

Nell has had a tough time recently after a tragic accident and the only thing keeping her going is Nollie her canal boat.  She has it really beautifully decorated inside and it is her pride and joy.  

After she receives a letter in the post informing her she has received a lump sum of money Nell's dream project comes onto the market and gives her the opportunity of a lifetime and something she can really focus on.  Everyone is delighted that Nell has something to be happy about and has finally put the smile back on her face, however Gilly, Nell's mother puts a downer on it and seems really against the idea, we don't find out what her secret is till near the end of the book.

Another thing that catches Nell's eye is Mr Guy Cornish, a dreamy Irish Hunk.  They both click from the minute they meet and its certain that something is bound to happen between them, and as a reader it makes you feel really happy knowing Nell is being able to move on and enjoy her life again after the heartbreak she has suffered previously.  Guy seems like her knight in shining armor, but its clear he is hiding something.  

I really enjoyed the pace of the book and the story is just so heart warming, you definitely need to have the tissues on stand by.  

The Cosy Canal Boat Dream is definitely Christie Barlow's best yet! 

The Holiday Cruise

Publication date 15th September 2017

Amazon UK

About the book

The high seas are calling!

As if it weren’t enough to be cheated on by her husband of ten years, Yorkshire lass Hannah Davis is losing her beauty salon business too. Luckily, her big sister is there to pick up the pieces, but Hannah is desperate to find some independence.

Impulsively, Hannah applies for a spa job…on a cruise ship! Christmas in the Caribbean, springtime in the Mediterranean, what’s not to like? But, despite being in her thirties, Hannah has never done anything on her own before, and she’s terrified.

As the ship sets sail, Hannah has never been further from home…or closer to discovering who she is and who she wants to be.

My review

The beautiful bright summery cover attracted me to reading this book and boy was I glad I read it.

Poor poor Hannah! From the minute we meet her, her whole life seems to be falling down and crumbling beneath her.  She is at the lowest point in her life with her husband cheating on her and when she finally feels like shes able to get back to normal and start working again she is devastated to learn her staff and customers have left and went to rival business with her arch enemy Cherry.

Hannah spots an opportunity to work in a spa on board a cruise ship, completely out of her comfort zone but after all what has she got back home to stop her? So she plucks up the courage and applies for it and before she knows it she is starting her very first day on board the massive cruise liner.

She immediately builds a close friendship with her roommate and work mate Kristy, Kristy helps Hannah settled in on board the ship and overcome her sea sickness.

Its not long before Hannah meets Ben a passenger who comes to the salon for a His and Hers honeymoon package, but all's not as it seems and we see Hannah put her job in jeopardy and start sneaking around determined not to be caught but she can't help her feelings for Ben, and she just wants to spend every minute exploring each destination with him.

The holiday cruise reminds me of Titanic and Hannah and Ben's relationship like Rose and Jack.  Two people perfectly matched but are not allowed to be together.

This is a truly fantastic read I couldn't put it down, I was on the edge of my chair nervous for Hannah when she was sneaking about with Ben.  I just didn't know if she was going to get caught out or not. 

The descriptions of each of the destinations the ship docked at and the ship itself made it so easy for me to imagine.  

I just want to go and book myself on to a cruise now! 

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Publication date 7th September 2017

Amazon UK

About the book

When Leila finds herself on the painful end of yet another disastrous break-up, no amount of Ben & Jerry’s and trashy rom-coms can cheer her up. And so – to the amusement of her friends and family – Leila takes a more drastic approach to dealing with heartbreak: she swears off sex for an entire year.

Luckily, she has plenty to keep her mind off men. Between starting a business with ice queen Lucy, straightening out her sister Tasha’s tangled love life, and running a blog read by thousands of single ladies, Leila is soon snowed under. But she can’t help finding a little time for irresistible architect Nick – Lucy’s funny and infuriatingly sexy brother.

After an unplanned encounter under the mistletoe, the Man Ban looks like it might be skidding to a halt. Has Leila found love when she least expected it?

My Review

The thing that caught my eye and made me want to read this book was the bright bold cover, its so pretty.

There is one huge thing I loved about this book and that is the Characters.  They are basically all from two family's and they are all very close and have regular meet ups, and have busy lives with lots going on.

I liked how the characters where all coupled off and we got to read bits from each of the couples lives, it wasn't all from one characters side of things.  

There was a lot of drama for each character and it all just kept me reading even though it was late at night and my eyes were closing I just had to keep reading to find out what happened next as there was quite a few bombshells and things that you don't see coming.  

Crazy little thing called love is a light romantic comedy that so easy to read and there are lots of absolutely hilarious moments that will have you laughing till you cry.

This is my first Charlotte Butterfield book and I absolutely adored it and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future! 

The Art of Hiding

Publication date 18th July 2017

Amazon UK

About the book

Nina McCarrick lives the perfect life, until her husband, Finn, is killed in a car accident and everything Nina thought she could rely on unravels.

Alone, bereft and faced with a mountain of debt, Nina quickly loses her life of luxury and she begins to question whether she ever really knew the man she married. Forced to move out of her family home, Nina returns to the rundown Southampton council estate—and the sister—she thought she had left far behind.

But Nina can’t let herself be overwhelmed—her boys need her. To save them, and herself, she will have to do what her husband discouraged for so long: pursue a career of her own. Torn between the life she thought she knew and the reality she now faces, Nina finally must learn what it means to take control of her life.

My review

This is another powerful book from Amanda Prowse! 

The main characters in the book are great lovable people. Nina the main character is a mother of two young boys, and her whole world comes crashing down on her in a flash and you just want to hold your arms out to her and hug her tight.

After dealing with one of the worst things to happen, Nina is given the shock of her life when she finds out what secrets her husband left behind and she learns he wasn't all the man she thought he was.  We see her going from a rich kept housewife to being a working mother with barely anything or money to her name.

We really see Nina grow as a character throughout the book and we see her at the end of the book coming out a stronger more appreciative person.

The Art of Hiding is packed out with a lot of emotions.  Firstly we see sadness and pain through to anger, fear, then finally happiness.

I think the moral of the story is 'No matter how much you think someone you really don't.'

I really love Amanda Prowse book's they really make you appreciate the little things in life and everytime you finish one of her books you feel so much better about life. Amanda has a fantastic style of writing that grips us and makes us excited to see what her next book will be about.