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The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop by Jill Steeples #Review

I am delighted to feature another novel by Jill Steeples set in the Cotswolds. The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop, a   festive story , was published on August 31st by Boldwood Books. Isla Stewart has a glittering publishing career in London, but when she’s unexpectedly made redundant, she faces an uncertain future. Licking her wounds, Isla heads home to the Cotswolds. Keeping her devastating redundancy a secret from her proud parents, she seeks refuge at Finch’s, the enchanting bookshop she worked in as a teenager. With the owners struggling with their health, Isla steps in to manage the shop hoping to convince them that the business has a future. Isla likes nothing more than chatting to people about books, but her safe haven is soon disturbed when she comes face-to-face with her first love, Charlie Brace, made worse by the arrival of Guy Madley, the incredibly handsome property consultant who has advice for owners Jon and Miriam. As Christmas approaches, Isla has decisions...
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Last Time We Met by Emily Houghton #Review

 

Today, I am delighted to feature this friends to lovers romance, Last Time We Met. Emily Houghton's  romance will be published in print by Penguin on August 4th. Transworld released the book in digital form on 14th July.  

ONE PROMISE
Aged thirteen, best friends Eleanor and Fin are inseparable. Convinced it will always be this way they make a pact - to go to university together, always live near each other, and if they're both single at 35 they'll get married.

TWO DECADES
Eleanor and Fin haven't spoken in fifteen years. Life has run away from them and they're both far from where they'd dreamt of being all those years ago.

CAN THEY STILL KEEP THEIR WORD?
It takes tragic circumstances for Fin to come back into Eleanor's life, but everything has changed since the last time they met. Is it too late to mend their friendship? Or is there a chance they can keep some of the promises they made? 


 My Thoughts

You meet up with Fin and Eleanor at different points of their lives, spanning from their childhood when they were inseparable, to the present day, when they have lost touch. Told from both Fin and Eleanos' perspectives, you feel as though you are seeing both sides of their story. Fin was important to all of Eleanor's family and seemed like a brother and honorary son to them. The reason for Fin's return to the UK adds a poignancy to the story and you glimpse the lives of several of the residents in his mother's care  home. Grief and loss are set against the warmth and compassion which you see there and you can't help but feel for Fin as he comes to terms with his mother's illnesses.

    There is also a certain sadness attached to the fact that former best friends have lost touch and can't seem to communicate as they used to. You are willing Fin and Eleanor to talk more but as you come to realise, the dynamic between them is complicated and there are some serious issues at the root of their relationship. Eleanor's new best friend, Sal adds some humour to the story and I enjoyed Eleanor's relationship with her sister and mother. This is a story which carries you along and by the end, you do care about how it will end up. 

In short: Friends to lovers

About the Author


Emily Houghton is an ex–digital specialist and full-time creative writer. She originally comes from Essex but now lives in London. A trained yoga and spin teacher, Emily is completely obsessed with dogs and has dreamt of being an author ever since she could hold a pen.

You can follow Emily here:  Twitter

Book links: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Emily Houghton, Penguin Random House 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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