Showing posts with label Kate Forster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kate Forster. Show all posts

Wednesday, 31 July 2024

Emma's Review: The Honeystone Village Diaries by Kate Forster

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

A mile outside the Cotswolds, everyone knows everyone in Honeystone, and for many years the villagers have lived quiet, steady lives. But a wind of change is here...

Anthea is the new owner of Spindle Hall. A renowned perfumer who lost her sense of smell, she's not interested in making new friends. Yet somehow that seems impossible in this idyllic village.

Years ago, Peony left Honeystone with a broken heart, and now she has returned with it freshly bruised. Her single father, Robert, is struggling with slow business at the Hare and Thistle pub. Perhaps this time they can help each other?

Izzy has never known what she wants to do in life other than be at Raspberry Hill Farm and care for her little niece, Clover. But when a new doctor shows up in town, she starts to wonder...

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Tuesday, 3 January 2023

Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2023 by Emma Crowley

2022 was another great year for books and I managed to reach the goal I had set for myself on the Goodreads Reading Challenge. Although there were still plenty of other books that I would have liked to have read that are waiting for me on my ever increasing TBR but life in general can get in the way. But one thing I feel it’s important to do is to always make time for reading. It helps me forget about what may be going on in the world and helps relieve the stress from my work at times when things get a bit too much. I’ve already participating in a number of blog tours this year and I’m sure that number will grow as I see lots of new books published that I wish to read and help publicise. 

But below is a list of some of the books that I am really looking forward to reading this year. Most are publishing within the first half of the year and one or two do not yet have a final cover. One I couldn’t even find a blurb for but I know I want to read them all as lots are trusted authors of mine and one is a new author and the cover just made me want to read it. What are you looking forward to reading in the coming months? Let me know in the comments below.

Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt will be published on May 23rd.

1928, Paris

A boy is found, moments from death, and taken in by a kindly family. Gentle, precocious, talented, he flourishes in his new home, and the family show him a life he hadn’t dreamed possible. But he refuses to speak a word about who he really is.

As he grows into a young man, falling in love and taking classes at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris, he can almost forget the terrors of his past, or the promise he has vowed to keep. But across Europe an evil is rising, and no-one’s safety is certain. In his heart, he knows the time will come where he must flee once more.

2008, the Aegean

The seven sisters are gathered together for the first time, on board the Titan to say a final goodbye to the enigmatic father they loved so dearly.To the surprise of everyone, it is the missing sister who Pa Salt has chosen to entrust with the clue to their pasts. But for every truth revealed, another question emerges. The sisters must confront the idea that their adored father was someone they barely knew. And even more shockingly: that these long-buried secrets may still have consequences for them today.

Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt I’m sure is on in numerable people’s lists of books they are looking forward to in 2023. It’s the final book in the Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley and following her passing, her son Harry Whittaker has written and completed the series. This has to be one of my all time favourite series and I can’t wait to see how everything ties together. In a video I watched recently Harry promised that readers will get all the answers to every single question and they won’t be disappointed. I hope that is the case although I know I will be disappointed as there will be nothing else left to read from the wonderful author that was Lucinda Riley. 

Strange Sally Diamond will be published on March 2nd.

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died. 

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she cannot remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends and big decisions, and learning that people don't always mean what they say. 

But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world? And why does her neighbour seem to be obsessed with her? Sally's trust issues are about to be severely challenged . . .

I have to confess that I have already read, Strange Sally Diamond, the long awaited new book from Liz Nugent. It was my last read of 2022 because I couldn’t leave it waiting for me on my Kindle and all I can say was it was phenomenal. A five star read all the way. It’s dark, gripping and full of twists and turns and Liz has outdone herself. It will be a huge success upon publication and I urge everyone to read it. 

Wednesday, 7 December 2022

Emma's Review: Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross by Kate Forster

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

No one loves Christmas more than editorial assistant Eve Pilkins.

But when her boss hits her with a huge deadline on Christmas Day, it looks like Eve's favourite time of the year might be cancelled. Armed with as much enthusiasm as she can muster, she travels to the coldest part of England, tasked with ensuring brooding author Edward Priest finishes his latest novel on time.

The festive spirit at Cranberry Cross is as dark as the house itself; without a fairy light in sight, it looks like only a Christmas miracle can save this one. Will Eve be up to the task?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Tuesday, 16 November 2021

Emma's Review: Christmas Wishes at Pudding Hall by Kate Forster

Received by Emma Crowley

Christa Playfoot is looking for a fresh start after her divorce. Having lost her Michelin-starred restaurant, she hadn't expected to be job hunting and single just before Christmas.

When her best friend says she's recommended Christa for a gig as a private chef over the Christmas period, Christa can't think of a reason to say no.

Christa has no idea what to expect but it's certainly not grumpy billionaire divorcee Marc Ferrier and his rambunctious twin sons, or the beautiful but cheerless country estate, Pudding Hall, that they inhabit.

With her knack for pouring love into her cooking, Christa is determined to make this Christmas sparkle for the Ferrier family and maybe get her life back on track in the process...

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Monday, 8 February 2021

Emma's Review: Finding Love at Mermaid Terrace by Kate Forster

 Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Love comes when you least expect it...

Tressa Buckland likes her quiet life in Port Lowdy, with its cobbled streets and colourful terraced houses overlooking the sea. Her job at the local paper allows her to pursue her art in her free time, with no one but her tabby cat Ginger Pickles to mind her in Mermaid Terrace. But then the owner of the paper is called away on an emergency, and it's up to Tressa to run the paper for six months. Her first task: find a new part-time journalist.

Dan Byrne is the angriest man in Ireland – or so the readers of his very successful column, 'Dan takes on the world', think. But after a story goes south and he loses his job in Dublin, Dan has no choice but to start afresh. When an opportunity comes up in sleepy Cornwall, Dan and his Golden Retriever Ritchie set off for a new adventure.

For Tressa, Dan's arrival to Port Lowdy changes everything. Tressa tries not to look too deeply at her own life, but Dan sees a story to uncover in absolutely everyone – even her. The two of them couldn't be more different... yet, if they can find a way to work together, they may just breathe new life and joy into this sleepy seaside village.

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Thursday, 19 March 2020

Emma's Review: Starting Over at Acorn Cottage by Kate Forster

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Buying a thatched cottage in the country may not be the usual cure for a broken heart. But after Clara Maxwell finds out her boyfriend and best friend have been sneaking around behind her back, packing her bags and leaving everything in London behind feels like it's the only way forward.

Clara knew Acorn Cottage would be a fixer-upper... Yet in person, the cottage is less charmingly ramshackle and more a real health and safety concern. When Henry Garnett, her (rather handsome) new contractor, turns up with his little daughter Pansy and a van shaped like a cottage in tow, she isn't sure whether to laugh or cry. What on earth has she gotten herself into?!

Still, there is something strangely lovable about the people in the little village of Merryknowe, from Rachel Brown, the quiet, lonely girl who bakes magical confections for the tearooms, to Tassie McIver, a little old lady with a lot of wisdom and a penchant for reading tea leaves. And Clara can't deny that Henry and Pansy are quickly worming their way into her heart...

With all the heartbreak of the year behind her, could Acorn Cottage be the fresh start Clara so desperately wants?

Amazon Affiliate Link: Kindle

Thursday, 8 September 2016

Emma's Review: The Last Will and Testament of Daphne Le Marche by Kate Forster

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Paris, 1956. Eighteen year old Daphné may be from a tiny French village, but she knows she’s destined for more. Stepping off a bus into bustling Paris with a suitcase full of her home-made beauty products, she’s ready to do whatever it takes to claim her stake in the world.

London, 2016. Scandalous love affairs and an iconic cosmetics brand have kept Daphné Le Marche in spotlight – but her darkest secrets have never come to light. Now, in her London penthouse, enveloped in her rich signature scent, the Grande Dame of glamour has died.

But not even those closest to her could have been prepared for what came next.

Amazon Links: Kindle or Paperback

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Books Read: Kate Forster - The Perfect Christmas

Hollywood movie star Maggie and friend and manager Zoe need an escape from their complicated star-studded lives in LA. With its history and Christmas charm, London feels like the perfect getaway.

But can they truly leave their realities behind?

In their luxurious quarters, the girls meet Holly who is ideal at showing Maggie and Zoe the sumptuous sights and sounds of London in their most glittering light. But behind her bright façade, Holly is hiding a secret: suffering from unrequited love, she’s looking for a Christmas miracle. Desperate to see an unattainable love story for Holly come together, will our LA starlets succeed in providing a Hollywood ending before the dawn of Christmas Day?

Amazon link: Kindle

Monday, 15 April 2013

Books Read: Kate Forster - The Perfect Retreat

Can you live on love alone?

Willow Carruthers – British Oscar winner, style icon and mother of three is facing a crisis: she’s broke, discovery of her partner’s infidelity has left her a single mother and, if the banks have their way, she’s about to be homeless.

Meanwhile nanny to Willow’s children Kitty, is desperate to keep her job and knows just the place they can retreat too – her crumbling ancestral home in the Bristol countryside, Middlemist House.

To both women in their hour of need, the idea of leaving LA seems brilliant in theory, until Kitty’s brother Merritt returns home unannounced.

Saturday, 2 June 2012

Exclusive e-book short stories - are they necessary?

One thing I've noticed this year is that there seems to have been an influx in the release of e-book exclusive short stories ahead of a new book from authors. 

That's not to say that I'm against this as I have purchased most of them but it does seem to disadvantage readers who haven't got an e-reader yet (I would have been included in this category if I hadn't received a Kindle for my 40th birthday). 

Fortunately these e-books either tend to be free or are cheap so it's not going to cost you the earth to buy them.  But is this practice necessary for book promotion or is it simply a means to cash in further?

A selection of these short stories that have been released in the last couple of months or are due out soon are:



I'd be interested to hear from other readers as to whether they buy/read the exclusive e-books before reading the novels?