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The Widow's Vow by Rachel Brimble #Review #PublicationDay

  Today's historical fiction takes us to Victorian England and Bath. Published by Boldwood  today on December 16th, A Widow's Vow is the first in the Ladies of Carson Street saga series by Rachel Brimble.   From grieving widow... 1851. After her merchant husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then a constable arrives at her door. Her husband has been found hanged in a Bath hotel room, a note and a key to a property in Bath the only things she has left of him. And now the debt collectors will come calling. To a new life as a madam. Forced to leave everything she knows behind, Louisa finds more painful betrayals waiting for her in the house in Bath. Left with no means of income, Louisa knows she has nothing to turn to but her old way of life. But this time, she'll do it on her own terms – by turning her home into a brothel for upper class gentleman. And she's determined to spare the girls she sa...

Cornish Dreams at Cockleshell Cottage by Liz Hurley #Review

Today we are returning to Cornwall for a feelgold romcom and the second in Liz Hurley's novels featuring the Byrne sisters.
 
Sitting alongside the beach and just up from the gently lapping waves, sat a perfect cottage. She had found where she was going to live. Her own little cockleshell cove.


Ever since the Byrne sisters – Ariana, Aster, Clem, Paddy and Nic – discovered they were heiresses to the vast Hiverton fortune, their lives have never been the same. No longer living in poverty in London, they now own an estate in Norfolk, a castle in Scotland and a picturesque village in Cornwall.



When sensitive Paddy, the baby of the family despite her successful career as a model, swaps the catwalks of Paris Fashion Week for the cobbled lanes of Tregisky on the beautiful Cornish coast, it’s time for her to stand on her own two feet.



Soon, she’s settled in her new home of Cockleshell Cottage overlooking the wild surf, the seals her closest companions.



And when she meets ex-soldier Hal, she’s instantly smitten. Funny, considerate, and not to mention drop dead gorgeous, he’s perfect in every way apart from one – he’s engaged. But after a misunderstanding brings the two together in ways they couldn’t have imagined, it seems like they might just change each other’s lives.



Will Paddy fall in love with more than just the glorious blue skies of Cornwall? Or are there storm clouds gathering ahead?



Escape to the Cornish coast this summer with this completely uplifting romcom – perfect for fans of Holly Martin, Phillipa Ashley and Milly Johnson.






My Thoughts


I didn't realise until part way through this story that this is the second novel featuring the Byrne sisters. I found it completely satisfying as a standalone but I am sure that if you have read the first one, you would be able to pick out the different characters of the sisters more easily. They are certainly a varied family and I liked how different they were and yet how closely knit they are as a family. One of the delights of the book was the false first impressions and presumptions that people showed when they first met Paddy. They knew nothing of her background and completely underestimated her in consequence.

    Paddy is an interesting character in that her family have treated her with kid gloves and yet she has shown backbone and courage in her career and in supporting them all. She can be impulsive but is obviously likeable. Henry seems a little lost at the beginning and has a lot of growing up to do. The dynamics within both his and Paddy's families, both of whom have suffered loss, seem to have had an effect on them both. This is a fun, escapist read on many levels. By the end, you can see future stories being set up featuring some of the characters who we have met- at least I do hope so.

In short: Escapist and endearing. 

     





About the Author



Heroines with grit, gumption and good old-fashioned gorgeousness!



Liz Hurley writes exciting and heart warming stories that will make you cheer and laugh.





You can follow Liz here: Website   |  Facebook   |  Twitter



Book link: Amazon UK   |  Kobo    |  Apple

Thanks to Liz Hurley, and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.



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