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The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander #Review

  The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander was published by Avon Books on September 25th.  A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals. The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years… The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember. Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, ...

Spring Tides at the Starfish Cafe by Jessica Redland #Review


 Jessica Redland's
Spring Tides at the Starfish Cafe is the latest of her novels to be set in Whitsborough Bay. It was published by Boldwood Books on  April 5th. 

Welcome back to the Starfish Café - where you will find stunning views, delicious food and lifelong friendships.

A new season...


As winter turns to spring, Hollie - owner of The Starfish Café - is feeling content as she settles into her new life with her loving boyfriend, Jake, and their adorable dog Pickle.

But when an unwelcome visitor threatens the future of her café, Hollie must stay strong to protect her family's legacy...


A leap of faith...

Emerging from an unhappy relationship, Tori finds herself with nowhere to stay and nobody to talk to. The long-hidden secrets of her past weigh heavily on her until a chance encounter with Finley, struggling to come to terms with his own secrets, provides an opportunity to open up.

Can she find the strength to stop hiding from her past and face up to her family? Especially when that would mean letting her guard down and learning to trust again...

A fresh start...?

Little do Hollie and Tori know that their lives are about to collide at The Starfish Café and they may be able to help each other with a fresh start. After all, with good friends in your life, nothing is impossible...

 

My Thoughts

 I love the setting of this Starfish Cafe series with all the sights and sounds of the Whitsborough Bay coast. By this book, I knew Hollie's back story and ! did think that although you can read this as a standalone, you get more out of it if you have read its predecessor. I also enjoyed meeting up with some familiar characters from other Whitsborough Bay stories and seeing what they had been getting up to!

Tori and Finley are certainly an interesting couple with some surprising secrets from their pasts. There are several story strands to follow as lives overlap but family and friendship, with a community feel are strongly there. You are definitely invested in the fate of the Starship Cafe and the decisions which Hollie has to make. Although this is an uplifting story, it does have a few darker moments as certain characters come to terms with unhappiness and childhood bullying.  Roll on Book 3!

 

In short: New starts for some, old ties for others. 

About the Author


Jessica Redland is the top 10 bestselling author of over thirteen novels, including The Secret to Happiness. Inspired by her hometown of Scarborough she writes uplifting women’s fiction which has garnered many devoted fans.

 

You can follow Jessica here: Twitter   |  Facebook   |   Website 
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Book links: Amazon UK 
  
Thanks to Jessica Redland, Boldwood Books and Rachel of  Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.  
 
            Don't forget to take a look at these great bloggers!
 

 

Comments

  1. Thank you for taking part in the blog tour for Spring Tides at The Starfish Café and for sharing your thoughts on the book. Really delighted you enjoyed it so much :-)

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