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Cupcakes and Kisses in Middlewick Bay by Eliza J Scott #Review #MiddlewickBayBook5

  I am thrilled to introduce the fifth in Eliza J Scott's Micklewick Bay series, Cupcakes and Kisses in Middlewick Bay  which was published by Storm Publishing on June 5th. You can read my review others in the series here: The Little Bookshop by the Sea . |   Summer Days at Clifftop Cottage   |   Finding Love in Middlewick Bay  |      Every night, Jasmine Ingilby dreams of delicate sugar flowers and perfectly swirled buttercream. By day, she steals moments between her cleaning shifts to craft stunning cakes from her tiny kitchen, hoping to transform her passion into something more. But as a fiercely independent single mother of two, finding time to grow her fledgling business feels like reaching for the impossible. Just when her hard work seems about to pay off, Jasmine’s carefully balanced world begins to crumble. Her landlord puts a ‘For Sale’ sign outside her rented home. Then a figure from her past returns to town, reopening o...

This Fragile Life by Kate Hewitt ** Blog Tour Review & Giveaway**

Welcome to the first of my two stops on the blog tour for Kate Hewitt's This Fragile Life. There is also the chance to win a paperback copy of Kate's latest novel, A Mother's Choice which is due out in June. Details on how to enter this International Giveaway are at the foot of this post.


You love your best friend. You trust her with your life. But could you give her the most precious gift of all?



Alex's life is a mess. She's barely holding down a job, only just affording her apartment, and can't remember when she was last in a relationship. An unexpected pregnancy is the last thing she needs.



Martha's life is on track. She's got the highflying career, the gorgeous home and the loving husband. But one big thing is missing. Five rounds of IVF and still no baby.



The solution seems simple. Alex knows that Martha can give her child everything that she can't provide. But Martha's world may not be as perfect as it seems, and letting go isn't as easy as Alex expected it to be. Now they face a decision that could shatter their friendship forever.


My Thoughts

I have rarely read such an emotional and deeply touching book as This Fragile Life. I should preface this with a caution that it deals with issues of childlessness, childbirth, IVF and miscarriage. It rings with authenticity and draws you into the anguish of the main characters effortlessly. You go through all their hopes and fears with them and cannot help but feel total empathy for both Alex and Martha. As you learn more about their own childhoods, you begin to understand the front they present to the world.

    One of the novel's strengths is that you see the characters develop as the story unfolds. You also get to see the reactions of their friends and families and glimpse beneath the surface of their stories too. Motherhood is shown through different generations. Moreover, it has an interesting structure in that you follow the story through both Alex and Martha's eyes as they alternate through the action. You get to see their thoughts and reactions as the events unfold. 

    This Fragile Life deals with some heart wrenching issues. Halfway through, everything changes and from then on, you begin to dread the outcome of the story, but you have to keep reading. It is powerful writing which touches the reader deeply and stays with you after the final page.

In short: profoundly emotional but beautifully constructed writing.

About the Author



Kate Hewitt is the USA Today-bestselling author of over 60 books of women's fiction and romance. She is the author of the Hartley-by-the-Sea series, set in England's Lake District and published by Penguin. She is also, under the name Katharine Swartz, the author of the Tales from Goswell books, a series of time-slip novels set in the village of Goswell.



She likes to read romance, mystery, the occasional straight historical and angsty women's fiction; she particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.


Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and an overly affectionate Golden Retriever.

You can follow Kate here: Twitter   |  Website

Book links: Goodreads   |  Amazon UK  

Thanks to Kate Hewitt and Jenny of Neverland Blog Tours for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

                                                                Giveaway (International)

To win a paperback copy of Kate's latest novel, A Mother's Choice, due out in June,  follow the link below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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