Emma's Review: Healing Hearts on Thistledown Lane by Holly Hepburn

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Maura has everything she ever wanted from life – a quirky cottage in Edinburgh’s picturesque Dean Village, a thriving career as a potter and a contented relationship with her childhood sweetheart, Jamie. Never mind that the cottage is damp, her pots aren’t selling and Jamie prefers a night down the pub with his rugby mates to an evening in with her.

But everyone wishes things were just a tiny bit better, right?

When Maura reunites with Fraser Bell at a Hogmanay party, she’s instantly transported back to her school days. And when he proposes she makes ceramic ghosts to complement his city ghost tour business, she’s tempted. At first, everything goes smoothly but it’s not long before their new partnership causes problems that ripple through every aspect of Maura’s life. The ghosts go viral, so she has more orders than she can fulfil and Jamie is not thrilled that she’s spending all her time in her studio. But when Edinburgh Castle shows an interest in Maura’s work, things begin to spiral out of control.

Can Maura really have it all or will she regret wishing for more?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Books Read: Return to Half Moon Farm by Holly Hepburn

When Daisy’s mother falls ill she is forced to return home. With her twin sons in tow, she moves back to Half Moon Farm, her family’s ancient hop farm.  

But a new life in the Kent countryside isn’t necessarily as idyllic as it might seem. Daisy’s relationship with her mother is complicated and the tumbledown farm isn’t the only thing that needs rebuilding. Daisy and her sons must adjust to life with estranged family, a leaking roof, and no WiFi.

Luckily for Daisy, she might yet find some distraction in silver fox farmer, Drew, or in the haughty heir to the nearby estate, Kit, who she can’t seem to avoid.

Daisy must learn to juggle her new life, the boys, and the daunting task of updating the farm. But there are secrets lurking in her family’s past that might throw everything into further disarray…

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Books Read: Escape to Darling Cove by Holly Hepburn

Eve has always lived on Ennisfarne, an idyllic island just off the coast of Northumberland and only accessible when tides are low. There she runs a bar overlooking Darling Cove, a heavenly horseshoe-shaped beach named after her seafaring ancestors, whose links to the Farne Islands stretch back centuries.

Logan is a famous photographer desperate to evade the limelight after a difficult break-up. Renting a cottage from Eve, he chooses Ennisfarne in the hope of anonymity but is immediately spellbound by its natural beauty.

The pair don’t get off to the best start, butting heads over Eve’s adorable but boisterous Chocolate Labrador. But when Logan's true identity is revealed, Eve realises her new tenant isn’t quite the man she thought he was. Is it too late to start again or will Logan’s island escape be over almost before it’s begun?

Books Read: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures by Holly Hepburn

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When Hope loses her husband, she fears her happiest days are behind her. With her only connection to London broken, she moves home to York to be near her family and to begin to build a new life.   

Taking a job at the antique shop she has always admired, she finds herself crossing paths with two very different men. Will, who has recently become the guardian to his niece after the tragic death of her parents. And Ciaran, who she enlists to help solve the mystery of an Egyptian antique. Two men who represent two different happy endings. 

But can she trust herself to choose the right man? And will that bring her everything she really needs?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Books Read: Coming Home to Brightwater Bay by Holly Hepburn

On paper, Merina Wilde has it all: a successful career writing the kind of romantic novels that make even the hardest hearts swoon, a perfect carousel of book launches and parties to keep her social life buzzing, and a childhood sweetheart who thinks she’s a goddess. But Merry has a secret: the magic has stopped flowing from her fingers. Try as she might, she can’t summon up the sparkle that makes her stories shine. And as her deadline whooshes by, her personal life falls apart too. Alex tells her he wants something other than the future she’d always imagined for them and Merry finds herself single for the first time since – well, ever.

Desperate to get her life back on track, Merry leaves London and escapes to the windswept Orkney Islands, locking herself away in a secluded clifftop cottage to try to heal her heart and rediscover her passion for writing. But can the beauty of the islands and the kindness of strangers help Merry to fool herself into believing in love again, if only long enough to finish her book? Or is it time for her to give up the career she’s always adored and find something new to set her soul alight?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

It's my 50th Birthday so let's celebrate with books

They say age is just a number and it's certainly a mantra I believe in the older I have become. But for me birthdays are also bittersweet as they are a reminder that my mum is no longer around as she died suddenly 3 days before my 29th birthday. And now that I've reached the big 5-0 milestone, it's also a reminder as to how young my mum was as I've now only got 2 more birthdays to go until I'll be the age she was when she died.

Sadly with the way life has been for us all in the last 10 months, birthdays, weddings and any other form of celebrations have been rather pared back and mainly celebrated with those in our households or social bubbles so we've certainly got a lot of catching up to do when it is safe to meet up again. Personally I wouldn't have liked a big party or anything but would have liked to have been able to arrange to go out with friends for afternoon tea, instead I'll be celebrating my birthday home alone although will be catching up with friends online. 

But not only is it a special day for me, but it's also a big new books day in the publishing world as there are a LOT of new books out today. Below are just a small selection of some of the books that have caught my eye and made it onto my wishlist. Which ones will you be buying?

Emma's Review: Summer at the Star and Sixpence by Holly Hepburn

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When sisters Sam and Nessie left the city lights to take over The Star and Sixpence pub in Little Monkham, little did they realise they'd be taking on the villagers too... 

Thrown in at the deep end with a wedding to organise at the same time as launching their new hotel rooms, the last thing they need is Sam's past catching up with them.

As the scandal strikes, the only question is will the villagers stick their necks out for two relative newcomers? Or will Franny, the terrifying postmistress, see them gone for good... 

Amazon link: Kindle 

Spring Blogger Evening at Books and the City

Last night I had the privilege to have been invited to the Spring Blogger Evening at the Books and the City HQ in London where we were once again welcomed with open arms by Sara-Jade (SJ) Virtue, Dawn Burnett, Clare Hey and the rest of the Books and the City team for what was another fabulous evening.  SJ sure does know how to throw a party...

I met up with Laura from Lozza's Book Corner earlier in the afternoon as both of us were travelling via Waterloo so we enjoyed a coffee and then moved onto the pub across from the venue until it was time to head over at the alloted time.  The evening began with us all mingling and getting the chance to catch up with blogger friends who we normally only speak to online before we headed next door to listen to the authors, and what a line up we had, talk about their books.

SJ did a very brief welcome speech before passing the baton over to Editorial Director Clare Hey who was the compere for the evening. Clare then introduced us to the authors alongside her, Juliet Ashton, Holly Hepburn, Paige Toon and Penny Parkes.

Each of the authors in turn read an extract from their books, and were asked questions about their stories by Clare, to whet our appetites... not that it was needed as all four books sound fantastic (only one I've read and reviewed so far is Juliet Ashton's These Days of Ours which can be read here),

Some of the topics covered were that Juliet Ashton wanted to explore the bonds of female friendship, as well as romance, in These Days of Ours, hot blacksmiths and barmen, and the formidable postlady, in Holly Hepburn's Star and Sixpence series (I've not read any yet as am waiting for the whole series to be complete so that I can read as a whole but Em has read and reviewed part one, and I know she's dying to read the rest but sorry Em you can't have my proof copy of Summer at the Star and Sixpence as Holly has signed it to me).

Emma's Guest Review: Holly Hepburn - Snowdrops at the Star and Sixpence

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When sisters Nessie and Sam inherit a little pub in a beautiful country village they jump at the chance to escape their messy lives and start afresh. But when they arrive at the Star and Sixpence, it's not quite what they imagined - it's pretty much derelict, ruined by debts, and it's going to be a huge job to get it up and running again. 

It's just before Christmas but they are determined to relaunch on New Year's Eve, to bring the new year in with a bang. But with nosy neighbours, miserable locals and no money to contend with, it's not going to be easy. 

And when the sisters' past comes back to haunt them, they start to think that the fresh start they needed is very far away indeed… 

Amazon links: Kindle