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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...

Just Friends at Thistle Lodge by Margaret Amatt #Review #GlenbriarSeriesBook2

 

It is time to head back up to beautiful Scotland,  for Margaret Amatt's second in her Glenbriars Series, Just Friends at Thistle Lodge. You can read my review of the first, Stolen Kisses at the Loch View Hotel here. This second novel is published on May 4th by Leannan Press

One romantic getaway. Two friends. Seven days just pretending…

When Nina Copeland’s mates try to match her with the guy next door, she needs a plan. Because Matthew’s just a friend, and Nina has a secret she doesn’t want him to discover – not until she’s tidied her messy life.

After his divorce, physics teacher Matthew Gilchrist has kept his heart locked safely away. So why do people keep pushing him to date his chirpy neighbour? He and Nina are fine just as friends. Aren’t they?

Nina hatches a solution to get everyone off their backs: fake a relationship at a family reunion, then stage a break-up so life can go back to normal. What could go wrong?

Stuck together at a romantic highland lodge, new feelings lure them out of the friend zone. But if love is to find a way in, Nina must confront her past, and Matthew put his heart on the line.


 My Thoughts

This was such a relaxing read. Using the fake boyfriend trope, there are plenty of opportunities for humour and I enjoyed the dialogue between Nina and Matthew’s family . I wasn’t surprised that they took to her as she has an engaging personality. Under the surface, you find out that she has some parts of her life that she is keeping from everyone. How to untangle this gives her quite a problem.

    Matthew emerges as a thoroughly likeable sort and the chemistry between them is obvious to everyone else. Having read the first in the series, it was nice to check back into a certain hotel and see how life is going there. Taking a risk and recognising where you feel at home are central to the story which is full of honest emotion and close family relationships which are never sentimental.

In short: learning to trust and take a risk 


About the Author

 

Margaret has told and written stories for as long as she can remember. During her formative years, she spent time on long walks inventing characters and stories to pass the time.

Writing books is Margaret's passion and when she's not doing that, she's often found eating chocolate, walking and taking photographs in the hills around Highland Perthshire. Those long walks still frequently bring inspiration!

It’s Margaret's pleasure to bring you the Scottish Island Escapes series and The Glenbriar Series. These books are linked (even the two series have crossovers!) for those who enjoy inhabiting Margaret's world of stories but each can be read as a standalone if you'd rather dip in and out with individual books.

 

You can follow Margaret here:  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter 

                                                  Website

Book links: Amazon UK  |  Amazon US

 Thanks to Margaret Amatt, Leannan Publishers and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

Check out the rest of the tour!

 



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