Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to participate in celebrating the publication day of The Ticklemore Tavern, the latest addition to Liz Davies's charming Tiklemore series.

The Ticklemore Tavern
Violet makes her own gin.
Logan Cassidy sells it in his pub, The Ticklemore Tavern.
It should have been a match made in heaven, especially since the pair of them fancy the socks off each other, and they are both young, free and single.
Except...
Logan’s mum, Marie, doesn’t think Violet is good enough for her son. No woman is, or ever will be. And when she becomes ill, Logan is torn between looking after his mum or following his heart.
However, neither Logan, nor Marie, has taken the sheer force of nature that is Violet into account. What Violet wants, Violet gets.
Usually...
But maybe not this time, eh?

Purchase Links
UK / US

My thoughts:

It wasovely tocomeback to one ofmy favourite fictional villages, see the familiar faces and catch up with what's been going on in their lives, and, of course, see a new couple find their happily-ever-after.

This time it's the turn of everyone's favourite publican Logan who's been focusing on running his business and taking care of his rather controlling mum Marie for too long. Logan's father walked out from their lives when Logan was just five and Marie did a great job ofraising Logan on her own. But now he is 33 and enjoys having his own space and making his own decisions, so why isMariefinding it so hard to let him find a girlafter his own heart?

Meet Violet Archer- a successful gin distiller with lovely, vivacious personality. She is trying to expand her customer base by offering her product samples to local pub managers. When she meets Logan there is a definite spark and both of them are single and unattached. Seems like fates are smiling at her...If only his mother didn'tdislike her quite as much from the word go...If I were Violet, I would have run for the hills, but to Violet's credit she isn't easily intimidated and happens to think that Logan is worth fighting for.

I love Liz Davies's easy, engaging writing style and her lovely sense of humour. Once again,she has created interesting protagonists with great personalities, as well as introducing newsecondary characters in addition to the recurring contingent. You've got to admire everyone's favourite octogenarian couple- Hattie and Alfred. Hattie doesn't mince her words and sees through Marie's tricks straightaway.

Ticklemore is a fabulous community and it's always a pleasure to see how much its inhabitant care for each other's well-being and happiness. Can't wait to read the next story in this lovely series!
 

Author Bio –
Liz Davies writes feel-good, light-hearted stories with a hefty dose of romance, a smattering of humour, and a great deal of love.
She’s married to her best friend, has one grown-up daughter, and when she isn’t scribbling away in the notepad she carries with her everywhere (just in case inspiration strikes), you’ll find her searching for that perfect pair of shoes. She loves to cook but isn’t very good at it, and loves to eat - she’s much better at that! Liz also enjoys walking (preferably on the flat), cycling (also on the flat), and lots of sitting around in the garden on warm, sunny days.
She currently lives with her family in Wales, but would ideally love to buy a camper van and travel the world in it.
Website: https://lizdaviesauthor.wixsite.com/home
Social Media Links –
Twitter https://twitter.com/lizdaviesauthor
Facebook: fb.me/LizDaviesAuthor1
​

A sharp and hilariously relatable novel about the business of weddings, the toll they can take, and the lengths one exasperated bridesmaid will go to for the love of friends.

Lily Weiss is her mother’s worst nightmare: thirty-two and single—the horror! She’s also a talented writer but hides behind a boring job at a science foundation. To her friends, she’s reliable and selfless, which is how she winds up a bridesmaid in five weddings in six weeks. Anything for her three best friends and two (younger) siblings, right? Even if her own love life is…well, she’d rather not talk about it. To keep her sanity, Lily needs a safe place to vent.
And so her anonymous blog, Bridesmania, is born. The posts start pouring out of her: all the feels about mom-zillas, her vanishing bank balance, the wicked bridesmaids of the west, high-strung brides-to-be, body-shaming dress clerks, bachelorette parties, and Spanx for days, not to mention being deemed guardian of eighty-eight-year-old Granny (who enjoys morning mimosas in the nude) for her brother’s destination wedding.
So far the blog has stayed anonymous. But as everyone knows, few things online remain secret forever…
When all is said and done, can Lily help all five couples make it to happily ever after? And will her own happy ending be close behind?

My thoughts:

For Love of Friends is a typical summer read- everybody knows that summer the best season for weddings and everybody knows it's impossible to survive being a bridesmaid in five weddings over two months without some major damage to one's sanity. Here is a story that will make you think even more fondly of your friends who never (occasionally/ sometimes/ quite a lot ) lost their good old common sense and good nature and started asking impossible things from you.

Lily Weiss, our  protagonist, is a friend/sibling and bridesmaid to 5 manic brides. She adores her dad and  has quite a complicated relationship with her mother (nothing Lily does is going to be good enough, starting from being thirty two years old and single) and her younger sister. Lily is bored with what she has to do at work. Still, she is lacking courage to leave her secure job and become a writer. Compromise? a wedding blog where she can put down on paper (sorry, screen) her observations and tell her jokes without hurting anyone's feelings. Yes, some of the stories are incredibly entertaining (¡Hola abuela!)  and even shocking esp. her involvement with not one, but two of the best men from her best friend's wedding party.

To be perfectly honest, my feelings towards Lily were all over the place. First, I liked the way she refused to beat herself up about her one night stand and feel obliged to start another dead-end/ short-term relationship... unfortunately, things weren't that straightforward and she came very close to sabotaging herself. Perhaps, I was a bit too harsh on Lily- I expected a thirty two year old to be more mature and more self-aware, but some things you see only when you are ready to see them.
I liked the fact that she grows as a person, a friend and a family member and clears a lot of issues in the end.

Lily's blogging journey sounded interesting- a lot of people relish in the anonymity of the Internet and give vent to their feelings (perhaps, even slightly exaggerating things to make the content more striking). We know it will all blow in her face and there will be consequences...Perhaps, Lily needed a push, a disaster of a kind to force her into changing. I liked the fact that she grows as a person, a friend and a family member and clears al ot of issues in the end.

The writing was almost addictive. Some time in the middle, I wondered if five weddings was really too many (I know, that's the whole point!) and the book could have been as good or even better with   fewer plotlines. Then again, not all our relationships in life are equally deep or equally important at all points of our lives, but all benefit from attention, kindness, and communication, and this book really drives it home.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC provide in exchange for an honest opinion.

About the author:

Sara Goodman Confino teaches high school English and journalism in Montgomery County, Maryland, where she lives with her husband, two sons, and two miniature schnauzers, Rosie and Sandy. When she’s not writing or working out, she can be found on the beach or at a Bruce Springsteen show, sometimes even dancing onstage. For more information visit www.saraconfino.com.

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: August 1st, 2021

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to participate in this blog tour.

Just A Girl

What happens when the right girl and the right guy meet at the wrong time?

One thing that can be said about Quinn Pearson is that she has a knack for doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. Like, the worst time ever. Take her job for instance. One little slip of the tongue using the mother of all swear words while reporting the news, and suddenly she finds herself with over 18 million views on YouTube and her employment in jeopardy. If that wasn’t bad enough, when she meets the man of her dreams, she nearly chokes to death on a powdered sugar donut.

Thankfully for Quinn, the dashing Brit, Henry, finds her near death experience quite charming. But just when Quinn thinks her luck is going to change, she finds out her timing is all wrong again. Henry is off limits. Or is he? Maybe it’s time for Quinn to quit settling for what life hands her. Perhaps it's time for her to become more than just a girl.

Purchase Links

UK  /  US

My thoughts:

If you are looking for a new chicklit /romcom or just a quick entertaining read, Just a Girl will definitely fit the bill. Even if you are not a big fan of workplace romances (yes, they do tend to backfire in real life) or shy and sexy Brits, there are other classic elements of well-written chick-lit- loyal besties, an evil workmate, an embarrassing mistake that in the spirit of times goes viral, an overbearing mother, a supportive father, and, best of all, a lovely, bubbly, relatable heroine.

Quinn has been working as a newsreader for a TV channel in Central Florida. She also happens to restore antique furniture in her free time (how cool is that?). When she meets lovely Henry, and goes on a date with him, she is a bit reluctant to talk about her real job and I do understand her reasons. She is afraid he'd google her and see the viral video of her biggest ever TV blooper. Henry isn't exactly forthcoming about the work position he is interviewing for. One of the executive producers Quinn worked with leaves the channel and his replacement is...our dashing Brit. The situation is further complicated by Quinn's nemesis Stacey and her intrigues.

Workplace romance is a great trope to read about, and here we get two examples- one with catastrophic consequences (a cautionary tale) and one that blooms into a lovely supportive realtionship. There is also the theme of settling or rather not settling, but working towards and reaching for what we all deserve- love and respect. It was impossible not to root for Quinn and Henry on their journey of working out how they want to live their life.

Thank you to Rachel and the author for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest review. All opinion were my own and were not influenced in any way.

Author Bio –

By day, Becky Monson is a mother to three young children, and a wife. By night, she escapes with reading books and writing. An award-winning author, Becky uses humor and true-life experiences to bring her characters to life. She loves all things chick-lit (movies, books, etc.), and wishes she had a British accent. She has recently given up Diet Coke for the fiftieth time and is hopeful this time will last... but it probably won't.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.beckymonson.com
Facebook: AuthorBeckyMonson
Twitter: @bmonsonauthor
Instagram: @bmonsonauthor
Media Kit: www.beckymonson.com/media-kit
 

Thank you for reading the post! Have a great Sunday!

If you would like to know what other bloggers thought of Just a Girl, here is the full blog tour schedule:

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to participate in this tour. This is my first book by Portia MacIntosh, but now that I've discovered this wonderful author, it won't be the last.

Sadie Stuck On You 
Synopsis:
Could a post-it note really lead to love...?
Sadie doesn't have time for finding love. She's too busy as PA for famous artist Damian Banks. When she's not arranging exhibitions, she's organising his dry cleaning or dumping his never ending stream of girlfriends.

But when she strikes up an unusual friendship with her desk share buddy, she finds a confidante and a new potential love interest. Problem is, they've never actually met...

With Christmas just around the corner, can Sadie put herself first for a change and find what she's been looking for all along?
The brand new romantic comedy from top 10 bestseller Portia MacIntosh. Perfect for fans of Sophie Ranald, Mhairi McFarlane and Zara Stoneley.

Purchase Link



My thoughts:

Wow! This was such an enjoyable read! Sweet, funny, family-oriented, romantic, it has everything a great Christmas book should have and I definitely see myself re-reading it again in the future!

Thirtytthree year old Sadie Kirke came to London hoping to find work in the art world. After a series of dead-end jobs, she became a PA to Damian Banks, a famous photographer. What she didn't know is that the job would literally involve organising Damian's life, including picking up his laundry, buying Christmas presents for his family, flathunting, arranging photoshoots with an alleged serial killer, and even breaking up gently with his girlfriend of the month (It's him, it isn't you!). Sadie is indispensible to Damian who isn't particularly liked by his employees (neither is Sadie, too close to the boss, better stay away from this one). The only moment of joy in her life is post-it notes from Adam, the guy she shares her office. Adam and Sadie are there on different days, so she's never actually met him. All she knows is that he is witty and thoughtful, and understands what a nightmare working for Damian is. To be fair, Damian is one of those super creative, cool artists who is definitely suffering from a creative slump, which can make even the most angelic of bosses insufferable.

When Sadie applies for and gets her dream job of an art curator in a museum, she knows the person she is going to miss the most is going to be Adam. Should she take her chances and invite him out to see if their connection is real? and then there is a little problem of giving her notice to a man who has grown totally dependent on her to the extent of inviting himself to stay with her family over Christmas. Have you ever heard of anybody bringing her boss to meet her family during the holidays? Little does Damian know how seriously the Kirke family takes Christmas traditions....

I absolutely adored Sadie. She never takes herself too seriously, but actually she is one of those super-dependable people you would be lucky to be friends with. Kind-hearted, sweet, and funny, Sadie is the girl next door who always tries to understand and help other people. There is a moment back in her home town when she meets her childhood friend who is about to get married, open her business and start family, while Sadie is stuck in her single life with no time for herself. and yet, she doesn't complain when Damian tags along, she just tries to make him feel welcome or at least not too shocked by her family traditions. I won't give away any of them. Suffice it to say, for me, they are the best part of the book, elves' ears, Dickens Day or what not. Having said that, I really can't imagine Christmas Day without watching 'It's a Wonderful Life', so seriously, Damian, how come you've never seen it?!? Although it is hard to imagine, but Damian does grow on you in the course of the book, while Adam...well he's a kind of a miracle...

 Great secondary characters, lovely settings, witty banter, and absolutely no negativity. There is a lie (or two) by omission, but boy, do they feel guilty about not having come clean sooner rather than later. Sadie is not a hapless heroine who manages to get herself into cringeworthy situations. She is capable and confident, has a great sense of humour and strong family values, and, most importantly, her heart is in the right place, and it will tall her what to do when the right moment comes...

I had such a great time reading it, that I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a feel-good, can't-stop-smiling Christmas rom-com that will definitely put you in a festive mood.

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources, NetGalley and Boldwood books for the review copy. All  opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

About the author:

Portia MacIntosh is a bestselling romantic comedy author of 12 novels, including It's Not You, It's Them and Honeymoon For One. Previously a music journalist, Portia writes hilarious stories, drawing on her real life experiences.

Social Media Links
newsletter / website  /  facebook / twitter /  instagram  / bookbub

Thank you for stopping by and reading this review. If you would like to know what other bloggers thought of the book, here is the full blog tour schedule:

Synopsis:

Welcome to Little Bridge, one of the smallest, most beautiful islands in the Florida Keys, home to sandy white beaches, salt-rimmed margaritas, and stunning sunsets—a place where nothing goes under the radar and love has a way of sneaking up when least expected... 

A broken engagement only gave Molly Montgomery additional incentive to follow her dream job from the Colorado Rockies to the Florida Keys. Now, as Little Bridge Island Public Library’s head of children’s services, Molly hopes the messiest thing in her life will be her sticky-note covered desk. But fate—in the form of a newborn left in the restroom—has other ideas. So does the sheriff who comes to investigate the “abandonment”.  When John Hartwell folds all six-feet-three of himself into a tiny chair and insists that whoever left the baby is a criminal, Molly begs to differ and asks what he’s doing about the Island’s real crime wave (if thefts of items from homes that have been left unlocked could be called that). Not the best of starts, but the man’s arrogance is almost as distracting as his blue eyes. Almost… 

John would be pretty irritated if one of his deputies had a desk as disorderly as Molly’s. Good thing she doesn’t work for him, considering how attracted he is to her. Molly’s lilting librarian voice makes even the saltiest remarks go down sweeter, which is bad as long as she’s a witness but might be good once the case is solved—provided he hasn’t gotten on her last nerve by then. Recently divorced, John has been having trouble adjusting to single life as well as single parenthood. But something in Molly’s beautiful smile gives John hope that his old life on Little Bridge might suddenly hold new promise—if only they can get over their differences.

My thoughts:

The second book in the Little Bridge Island series by Meg Cabot is as light and enjoyable as the first one, No Judgments. This time we follow the story of a new children's section librarian Molly Montgomery who finds a new born baby girl in the library bathroom. Sheriff John Hartwell promises to do everything possible to find the baby's parents...and (no spoilers) he does. In the meantime sparks of attraction fly between the attractive librarian and  the sherif, who also happens to be a newly divorced father of a teenage daughter. Molly and John do not always see eye to eye on how to proceed with the case. Understandably, the sheriff thinks Molly should let him do his job investigating the crimes, while Molly, a keen lover of amateur sleuths and true-crime podcasts, sometimes thinks John lacks empathy towards the victims.

Both John and Molly are extremely serious about what they do, especially Molly, who is passionate about libraries and reading. I really liked the way she was so non-judgemental about whatever people read, no snobbery at all. John is slightly older. Readers who grew up on Meg Cabot's YA novels may find it a bit more difficult to relate to the protagonists of this book. I must say a few times I felt annoyed by John's remarks and behaviour. He keeps refering to his four hour workshop on sexual harrassment that discussed objectifying women (and men), and then makes his moves on Molly a bit too quickly. Luckily, molly is as much interested in him physically as he is in her, so things work out in spite of their disagreements. It helps that the sides choose to apologise and admit the other side might have been right and do it with the help of various pies.

Overall, the story was sweet and it was great to revisit the setting  of a little island where people do not lock their doors and try to help out those in need. Meg Cabot has a great writing style- it is light, enjoyable and very easy to follow. You can always rely on her for an entertaining story with a bit of humour and lovely characters.

Thank you to Edelweiss and William Morrow Paperbacks for the ARC provided in exchange for ah nonest opinion.

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for my place on the tour for this entertaining and light-hearted book that proves that life is full of surprises!

Synopsis:

Midlife crisis? What midlife crisis?
At forty-four, Cynthia Smart is exactly where she wants to be. Almost.
In a couple of years, she’ll be the CEO of the company she’s spent her most of her adult life working in. For now, though, she’s still busy shimmying up the greasy pole of corporate business. She’s single, carefree, and independent, and nothing can stop her getting what she wants and deserves.

Until she discovers she’s pregnant.

Determined to have her cake and eat it, she’s convinced that having a baby will make little difference to her life, and that she will be one of those women who can hold down an incredibly demanding job and also be a perfect mother.
But as her pregnancy progresses and her life slowly falls apart, she has the sneaking suspicion that Max Oakland, the new guy on the block, is out to steal her dream job. That she’s terribly attracted to him doesn’t help, nor does the fact that he’s devilishly handsome, appears to be a really nice fella, and is good in a crisis.
When she gradually comes to realise that something has got to give, what she doesn’t want it to be is her heart.
 
Perfect for fans of Mandy Baggott, Heidi Swain, and Holly Martin.

Purchase Link

About the author:

Liz Davies writes feel-good, light-hearted stories with a hefty dose of romance, a smattering of humour, and a great deal of love.
She’s married to her best friend, has one grown-up daughter, and when she isn’t scribbling away in the notepad she carries with her everywhere (just in case inspiration strikes), you’ll find her searching for that perfect pair of shoes. She loves to cook but isn’t very good at it, and loves to eat - she’s much better at that! Liz also enjoys walking (preferably on the flat), cycling (also on the flat), and lots of sitting around in the garden on warm, sunny days.
She currently lives with her family in Wales, but would ideally love to buy a camper van and travel the world in it.
Website: https://lizdaviesauthor.wixsite.com/home
 
Social Media Links:
Twitter https://twitter.com/lizdaviesauthor
Facebook: fb.me/LizDaviesAuthor1

Thank you for stopping by! If you would like to read what other bloggers thought of the book, you can see the full tour schedule here: