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Coming Home to Maple Lodge by Alison Sherlock #Review

  I am delighted to feature the first in Alison Sherlock's new series set in the Corswolds. Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge was published by Boldwood Books on June 20th. A family and hotel in desperate need of help… Maple Tree Lodge has been the home of the Jackson family for over a century. But the hotel has never been a success and, following the sudden loss of his father, architect Ben Jackson soon discovers the hotel is close to financial ruin. Ben has to make some tough decisions if the hotel is to survive and his family are to keep a roof over their heads. With the hotel in urgent need of a renovation, Ben’s sister calls on the talents of her best friend, interior designer Lily Watson. Cash strapped Lily needs a successful project to prove to herself and her high-achieving parents that she can carve a successful career and Maple Tree Lodge sounds like just the place for Lily to showcase her talents. However, Lily’s vision for a cosy, country Cotswolds hotel is the com...

The Little Village of Happiness by Holly Martin #Review


I am delighted to be on the blog tour to celebrate Holly Martin's The Little Village of Happiness.
 


Fall head-over-heels in love with the beautiful new novel from bestselling author Holly Martin and let The Little Village of Happiness warm your heart and make your spirits soar.

Willow McKay needs a fresh start. Her recent break-up may not have left her heartbroken but it’s certainly wounded her pride. Desperate to escape the whispers and stares of her town’s gossips, an advert offering homes in a picturesque village in the grounds of a majestic castle on the Cornish coast sounds like just what she needs. Without thinking twice Willow applies for a cottage and packs up her life for the village of Happiness.

But when Willow arrives she finds a crumbling ruin and ramshackle cottages, nothing like the pretty picture the advert had boasted. It seems Happiness was too good to be true. That is until she meets the incredibly handsome estate manager Andrew Harrington…

His passion for restoring the village to its former glory is contagious and soon they are working together to bring happiness back to Happiness. And as sparks fly between them Willow can feel herself falling. But Andrew is holding something back.

Can Willow risk her heart again? And will they succeed in transforming the old village to its original beauty before it’s too late?

Get swept away to the sun-kissed Cornish coast with this gorgeous love story, perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Miranda Dickinson and Lucy Diamond.


My Thoughts

From the start, I was captivated by the setting for The Little Village of Happiness. Not that this village starts off by being picture postcard perfect- far from it. Willow is a likeable and relatable character who is looking to escape for a while and to make a fresh start. There are some great little humorous scenes as she settles into village life and meets the locals.

    As a foil for Willow, Andrew is a great character with some surprising secrets. Without going into details, his condition is dealt with sensitively and it is clear that Holly has carried out quite a lot of research to get it right.  You get to see differing reactions from different people which leads to some interesting thoughts on acceptance and communication. 

Seeing how the villagers react to newcomers arriving and how a community is encouraged to develop gives you an insight into the potential this book has for further stories. I am delighted that it will be more than a standalone novel, with Book 2 planned already. 

In short: The sea sparkles and the sun shines in this feelgood romance. 


About the Author

 

Holly lives in a little white cottage by the sea. She studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist followed by a even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of her colleagues received the much coveted carriage clock for fifteen years’ service was the moment when she knew she had to escape. She quit her job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, she emerged wide eyed and terrified that she now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. She taught for four years and then escaped the classroom to teach history workshops, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next. But the long journeys around the UK and many hours sat on the M25 gave her a lot of time to plan out her stories and she now writes full time, doing what she loves.


Holly has been writing for 8 years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014. She is the bestselling author of 18 books.


You can follow Holly here: Twitter   |  Amazon Author Page 
   |  Goodreads    |  Facebook

Book links: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Holly Martin for a copy of the book and a place on the tour,

                                                         Check out the rest of the tour!





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