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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...
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Out of Love by Hazel Hayes #Review

Hazel Hayes' Out of Love was published on June 11th by Unbound Publishers. I am happy to be featuring it today.

As a young woman boxes up her ex-boyfriend's belongings and prepares to see him one last time, she wonders where it all went wrong, and whether it was ever right to begin with. Burdened with a broken heart, she asks herself the age-old question . . . is love really worth it? 

Out of Love is a bittersweet romance told in reverse. Beginning at the end of a relationship, each chapter takes us further back in time, weaving together an already unravelled tapestry, from tragic break-up to magical first kiss. In this dazzling debut Hazel Hayes performs a post-mortem on love, tenderly but unapologetically exploring every angle, from the heights of joy to the depths of grief, and all the madness and mundanity in between. This is a modern story with the heart of a classic: truthful, tragic and ultimately full of hope.

My Thoughts
The most intriguing aspect of Out of Love has to be the structure. In effect it starts with the end and you work your way back in time to the beginning. It takes a little getting used to as you deconstruct a relationship and strip back the layers of the onion. The author takes you right under the skin of its central character and even back to her childhood. As you work your way back, I found my attitude towards Theo changing. At the beginning I found him insufferable but eventually, you can see what made him appealing. 

    The central character is never named.  A fact I did not notice until I was near the end. It may be a raw and emotional read at times, especially when she leaves home, but there are also some sparky moments of humour. It is an accomplished debut novel which feels original and truthful.

In short: Contemporary writing which deconstructs a relationship. 
 
About the Author

 Hazel Hayes is an Irish-born London-based writerand director who has until now been writing primarilyfor the screen. Her eight-part thriller, PrankMe won series of the year at Summer in the City, aswell as the award for Excellence in Storytelling at Buffer Festival in Toronto. Hazel has 250K subscribers on YouTube, 230K followers on Twitter and 172K followers on Instagram. She is currently developing a horror series for Working Title Productions. Hazel lives in London.  Out of Love is her first novel.

You can follow Hazel here: Twitter   |  Instagram   |  YouTube 

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Hazel Hayes, Unbound and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 


Check out the rest of the tour!

  
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  1. Anne16 June 2020 at 10:36

    Thanks so much for supporting the blog tour xx

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