We are returning to France for another great summer read by Gillian Harvey . The Village Cafe in the Loire was published by Boldwood on July 12th. High-flyer Becky Thorne cannot believe what she’s being told. She doesn’t need to be signed off for burnout! Life has been a bit chaotic lately, that’s all. As if dealing with her enviable job and permanent meddling from her mother aren’t enough, she’s also inherited a café in the Loire from an estranged great-aunt, complete with sitting tenant who refuses to budge. But nobody stands in Becky’s way! Ignoring her best friend Amber’s advice, she decides to storm over to France and sort the tenant out. Then she can finally get the café sold and jump back on the career ladder. What she doesn’t count on is the tenant being Pascale, who is six feet of tall, dark, handsome and extremely grumpy about her plans for change. Not to mention the village and the secrets it holds about her past. Becky’s path to succes...
Can You Keep A Secret? by Jo Lovett #Review #PublicationDay
Happy Publication Day to Jo Lovett for her latest romcom, Can You Keep a Secret?
One New Year’s Eve, Georgie James and her friends come up with a genius plan to help them stick to their resolutions… They all write down secrets, seal them in envelopes and then post them to each other. The secrets will be revealed at the end of the year if they haven’t kept their resolutions.
It’s perfect. Except…
Georgie's secret is BIG... and revealing it could destroy their friendships. She has no idea why she chose that one to write down. There are plenty of innocent things she could have said – even admitting she finds newcomer Raf incredibly annoying would have been better.
What she does know is that there’s no way she can let her secret be revealed. Which means she needs to keep her (nightmare) resolutions and, most importantly, get her envelope back before anyone can open it. Which, given she sent her secret to Raf, means spending a lot more time with him than she’d choose to...
A heartwarming romantic comedy for fans of Beth O’Leary and Mhairi McFarlane
My Thoughts
This is a cheerful romcom with a fun central plot and some equally amusing characters. Georgie is an interesting central character and whilst it is clear that her childhood has not been the best and her family have kept a distance, it is also clear that she has found her own sort of family in her friendship group. That is why she is so desperate to stop her ill- judged secret from being revealed. There is quite a lot of humour to be enjoyed as she pursues Raf in her quest to capture her secret before the year is up.
As you get to know the friendship group, you can see that some have their own preoccupations and that not everyone's life is a bunch of roses. Georgie proves to be a true friend, prepared to step away and try to help from a distance if need be. This is an entertaining read. There are some warm, uplifting moments as you wonder whether all the friendships and partnerships will survive the year. There are some who are looking for a second chance and others who need to make a new beginning.
In short: An uplifting read, full of heart
About the Author
Jo Lovett writes heart-warming, feel-good romcoms. Her latest book, Another Time, Another Place, published by Boldwood, was released in August 2023. Jo was runner-up in the Good Housekeeping/ Orion First Novel Competition 2018 and shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Award 2019.
You can follow Jo here: Facebook | X ( Twitter)
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Thanks to Jo Lovett, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
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