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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...

Spin the Bottle by Isabella May #Review

 

I am delighted to be featuring Isabella May on the blog today with her latest novel, Spin the Bottle.  I thoroughly enjoyed Isabella's Costa del Churros , Oh! What a Pavlova, The Cocktail Bar,  The Ice Cream Parlour Bubblegum and Blazers, The Custard Tart Cafe by the Sea.The Wedding Cake; The Cake Fairies

 
CELESTE thought she had long forgotten the sweet, citrusy kiss she shared with TRAVIS during a game of spin the bottle. Splitting her time between her accounts office in super Instagrammable Notting Hill, and her tiny apartment in quirky Exmouth Market, modern-day life is simply too busy for men. Besides, whenever she tries to find The One, it always ends in disaster. From Tinder tragedies to trampolining tribulations, Celeste is starting to think that she's cursed.

But then Travis begins to pop up wherever she goes, and Celeste knows with stomach-sinking clarity that fate has finally caught up with them. Inspired by the idea of fake dating, Celeste is convinced the only way out of this mess is to call the curse's bluff. But will Travis agree to it? And how can she manage not to fall in love?

Pour yourself a lemonade and escape with this gorgeous will-they-won't-they rom-com set between London and Gibraltar!


 My Thoughts

This is a fun read which really got into its stride after the fake dates began. In a bid to break the spell which links them from childhood, Celeste and Travis agree to meet every week for 6 weeks. The meetings rarely go to plan and there is a great seam of humour within them. You also glimpse a bit more about their characters with each one. I think my favourite was their visit to the cat cafe where Travis seemed to be irresistible to the moggies. 

    Set in both London and Gibraltar, I enjoyed both settings. Anyone who has read The Cake Fairies will recognise some familiar characters and the foodie aspects add to the enjoyment. You can read this as a standalone, but should be aware that Bubblegum and Blazers is referred to quite a lot and is part of Celeste’s past. For an entertaining Summer read. Isabella May has done it again. 

In short: Will they, won’t they?


About the Author

Isabella May lives in (mostly) sunny Andalusia, Spain with her husband, daughter and son, creatively inspired by the mountains and the sea. She grew up in Somerset on Glastonbury's ley lines and loves to feature her quirky English hometown in her stories.

After a degree in Modern Languages and European Studies at UWE, Bristol (and a year working abroad in Bordeaux and Stuttgart), Isabella bagged an extremely jammy and fascinating job in children's publishing... selling foreign rights for novelty, board, pop-up and non-fiction books all over the world; in every language from Icelandic to Korean, Bahasa Indonesian to Papiamento!

All of which has fuelled her curiosity and love of international food and travel - both feature extensively in her romcoms.

Isabella is also a Level 4 Pranic Healer and a stillbirth mum.

 

You can follow Isabella here: Website| Twitter| Facebook 
                                             | Instagram
Book link: Amazon UK
 
Thanks to Isabella May 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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