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The Year of What If by Phaedra Patrick #Review

  I am delighted to join in the celebrations for the latest novel by Phaedra Patrick , The Year of What If. You can read my review of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper   here and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy  here Can the future be rewritten? On the verge of her second marriage, Carla Carter knows she’s finally found the one. She and her fiancĂ©, Tom, met through Logical Love, a dating agency she founded for the pragmatically minded, and she’s confident that, together, they will dispel an old family curse claiming Carter women are unlucky in love. But Carla’s highly superstitious family insists she visit a fortune teller before her big day, and the tarot cards reveal that a different man holds the key to Carla’s happiness – someone she met while travelling during a gap year, twenty-one years ago. This startling information spurs Carla to trace and revisit the ex-boyfriends she met during that time before she walks down the aisle. From Barcelona to Am...

It's My Birthday by Hannah Pearl #Review



Welcome to today's blog and Hannah Pearl's It's my Birthday. This contemporary romance was published by Ruby Fiction on March 19th.


It's My Birthday

... I'll cry if I want to.

Oh boy, another birthday …

Karen could be excused for crying on her birthday, especially as it’s the first one since her husband got on a plane to the States and never came back. Then there’s the fact that her workmates were practically bribed to attend her birthday meal. But when a restaurant double booking leads to her sharing a table with single dad Elliot and his daughter, things start looking up.

As Karen gets to know Elliot she experiences feelings she thought she’d never have again. But is it enough? Or will the thing that destroyed Karen’s previous relationship also ruin things with Elliot?


My Thoughts

This is a diverting romance which I read in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed. It is always refreshing to read stories which centre around slightly more mature characters and as both Karen and Elliot share a fortieth birthday, this means that they both have previous lives which impact on any future relationship. 
    There are some serious issues bubbling in the background of the story. Childlessness, adoption, child neglect, abandonment all are there to be found as well as the difficulties which one parent families face as the sole parent. So it certainly is not a pink, fluffy kind of story although its tone is light and there is plenty of love and romance to be found. Elliot has plenty of his own issues as he faces an empty nest without his teenage daughter and I found the references to the effect his challenging job has had on his life and family added credibility and depth. 

In short: A romance full of emotion and thought.

About the Author


Hannah Pearl was born in East London. She is married with two children and now lives in Cambridge.

She has previously worked as a Criminology researcher, as a Development Worker with various charities and even pulled a few pints in her time.

In 2015 she was struck down by Labrynthitis, which left her feeling dizzy and virtually housebound. She has since been diagnosed with ME. Reading has allowed Hannah to escape from the reality of feeling ill. She read upwards of three hundred books during the first year of her illness. When her burgeoning eReader addiction grew to be too expensive, she decided to have a go at writing. In 2017 she won Simon and Schuster's Books and the City #heatseeker short story competition, in partnership with Heat magazine, for her short story The Last Good Day.

Hannah is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association.

You can follow Hannah here:  Website  |  Twitter

Book links: Amazon UK   |  Amazon US

Thanks to Hannah Pearl, Ruby Fiction and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.  

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