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Once Upon a Thyme by Jane Lovering #Review

  It is a pleasure to feature Jane Lovering's  Once Upon a Thyme which was published by Boldwood Books on June 24th.   All her life, Natalie Fisher has been taught not to ask questions. Why risk uncovering uncomfortable truths, when you can stay in the safety of blissful denial? Since taking over the family herb farm, Natalie has stuck with what she knows, rarely venturing much further than the nearby village where her invalid mother now lives. But then, one day, everything changes with the arrival of unexpected visitors. First comes Zeb, employed by Natalie’s mother to help with the business but soon hinting at other motives. Then comes Simon with the famous band he manages, wanting to film in Natalie’s beautiful garden. The band causes chaos and the attitude of one particular member throws Natalie’s ordered life into confusion. Over one magical summer of revelations and of uncovering secrets, Natalie starts to blossom and by the time autumn arrives she knows n...

The Matchmaker by Catriona Innes #Review #TheMatchmaker


I am delighted to bring Catriona Innes' debut novel, The Matchmaker to the blog, today. 

 
For Caitlin Carter, love means business.


She's taken matchmaking back to basics. There is no swiping left. No creepy location tracker. Definitely no unsolicited pics of areas of the anatomy no one wants to see. She's made dating great again: personal, patient... and profitable. Her start-up is going from strength to strength, with clients wanting to find the love she has with her own husband Harry, and she even has celebrities wanting to use her services...



Caitlin is living the perfect life. Except it's all a perfect lie. And Caitlin doesn't know how long she can keep it up.



In an era of social media and dating apps, when we have never been more connected yet more isolated, THE MATCHMAKER is a story about love, loss and loneliness, and learning to accept your reality.


Inspired by the hit TV show FIRST DATES, this emotionally charged rom-com with a heart-wrenching twist is perfect for fans of THE MAN WHO DIDN'T CALL by Rosie Walsh, SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL by Giovanna Fletcher and IT STARTED WITH A TWEET by Anna Bell.

My Thoughts

 This is a wonderful mix of witty dialogue, amusing episodes and poignant moments where grief and loss are exposed. Caitlin's secret gnaws away at her and erodes all her friendships and family relationships. She tries to bury her raw feelings and her true situation is only revealed to the reader as the story evolves.

   The writing is fluent and easy to read so it is one of those that when you start, you just have to keep going to the end. There are some lovely cameos from the cast of characters and Caitlin's attempts to smooth the way for the people she has matched leads to some laugh out loud moments. You see some attempt to come to terms with the past and learn to be honest, so that they can move on. There is a real seam of humanity running through the centre of the story and in the end, authenticity proves to be the winner. 

In short: light and dark- love and loss. 
 
About the Author

Hello, I'm Features Director at Cosmopolitan where, in the name of investigative journalism, I have joined an undercover police force, worked as a Playboy Bunny croupier and - for one night only - performed a stand-up set with just two hours practice. It was all terrifying! But hopefully will all make it into a book one day (so will be worth it!)

You can follow Catriona here:  Twitter  

Book links: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Catriona Innes and Tracey Fenton of Compulsive Readers for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Check out the rest of the tour!

  

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