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Just the Beginning by Sarah Bennett #Ewview #HalfmoonQuay#PublicationDay

  I have been eagerly awaiting this new series by Sarah Bennett . Just the Beginning is published today by Boldwood Books !   Everyone in Halfmoon Quay, the picture-perfect village clinging to the edge of the Cornish coast, knows Rick Penrose is the person to turn to for help. Friendly and reliable, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous, heā€™ll do anything for anyone. When his teenage crush Anya moves back to the quay for a fresh start, he has the perfect solution. She needs a job and his great uncle needs help to run his hotel. Itā€™s a win-win. Following the death of her husband, Anya Stokes discovered everything about her life was a lie. Without her beautiful home and the luxuries she took for granted, Anya and her daughter, Freya, have no choice but to move in with her aunt and uncle in Halfmoon Quay. As she begins to turn her life around, Anya realises the perfect man might have been right under her nose all the time. But thereā€™s a fine line between helping and taking ov...

Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village by Michelle Vernal #Review

 



 We are returning to the litle Irish village in Emerald Bay, for a festive romance by Michelle Vernal. Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village was published by Bookouture on October 2nd.

 

Christmas trees decked with fairy lights twinkle in every window, carollers fill the streets, and charity worker Hannah is gearing up for the season of giving in the little Irish village. But itā€™s not just the cold winter winds that are chilling her spirits this yearā€¦

When twenty-three-year-old
Hannah Kelly finds out that the beautiful rolling hills around her hometown could be destroyed by a new building development, she rushes back to Emerald Bay to rally the community. But arriving home at The Shamrock Inn, thereā€™s another shock in storeā€¦ the handsome and sparkling-eyed lead developer, Tom Flynn, has checked in as a guest. Is this Hannahā€™s chance to save the village?

Hannah tries to convince Tom the beautiful area needs to be protected: even though heā€™s as stubborn as the donkey in the local nativity play. But when sharing that this is also where her late grandfather first met and proposed to her grandmother, his gentle hug as she sobs makes her wonder if maybe they arenā€™t so differentā€¦

As sparks start to fly, Hannah decides to invite Tom to experience the joys of a Kelly Christmas Day. When Tomā€™s hand catches hers as they peel brussels sprouts together, Hannahā€™s cheeks start to blush. But it turns to a flush of anger as he ducks out to take a call ā€“ about work starting in the spot sheā€™s fought so hard to save. And the voice on the phone is strangely familiarā€¦

Can Hannah figure out who is behind Tomā€™s project and stop the plans? Or will following her heart be the key to saving the little Irish village and Christmas for everyone?

Grab a mulled wine, curl up by the fire and enjoy this beautiful winter romance, perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Maeve Binchy and Debbie Macomber.

My Thoughts

Life in Emerald Bay is always entertaining with the Kelly family. There are plenty of siblings to carry the stories and a general feeling of joyousness and warmth in the Shamrock Inn. This festive novel centres on Hannah, who has a social conscious and is heart and soul living for projects which will make the world a better place. The environment is her passion. The fear that a conglomerate will take over part of the village and build a huge garden centre spurs her to come home early, to scupper the plans. It seems she is a chip off the old block where her gran is concerned and she is not the only one ready for a protest.

    When Tom appears as part of the planning process, Hannah leaps to all kinds of conclusions about him and spends most of the book discovering that he has hidden depths. There is so much warmth and family love in the story, as Christmas approaches. The sisters are all fiercely loyal to each other and I do enjoy their banter. in the background is a family mystery to solve. The villagers add all sorts of humour and in all, this is a joyful and heartwarming festive tale.

In short: enemies to lovers with a Christmas twist

About the Author


Michelle Vernal is a New Zealand author who writes stories that will take you onto the page with her characters and make you feel part of their lives. She writes with humour and warmth, and her readers describe her books as unputdownable, feel good and funny. Her writing has been likened to Maeve Binchy but with a modern-day vernacular. In 2015 she was shortlisted for the Love Stories Award. In 2020 she won the Reader's Favorite Gold Medal Award for Chick lit, and in 2021 was shortlisted for the Page Turner Book Awards.

You can follow Michelle here: Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Facebook 

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Book link: Amazon UK

 

Thanks to Michelle Vernon, and Jess Readett of Bookoutre for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

 

 

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