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A New Life in Amsterdam by Helga Jensen #Review #PublicationDay

  Helga Jensen's latest novel,  A New Life in Amsterdam  is published today on October 9th by Hera Books.    Could down-sizing her life mean up-sizing her dreams? Since her daughter grew up and left home, Sandy has found herself filling her house with things - impulse purchases that she just has to have but that quickly lose their sheen. Why would she need an expensive set of copper pans when she has no one to cook for? Realising that her shopping habit is out of control, she asks herself: can she de-clutter, downsize and start a new life? She has always wanted to live on a barge, and she reasons that there is no way she would have room for random purchases on a boat. Taking the bravest decision of her life, Sandy buys and refurbishes a barge in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. Relishing her independence, she is not looking for love, but as the nights draw in and the leaves start to fall from the trees, she finds herself drawn to cafe owner and exper...

Surprises on the Scottish Isle by Lilac Mills #Review

 

We are off to the Isle of Skye for another romance from Lilac Mills. Surprises on the Scottish Isle was published by  Canelo on January 23rd.

 
Will they get a second chance at first love?

When newly divorced Tara McTaigh spots an advert for a studio to let in Coorie Castle’s craft centre, she packs up her Edinburgh life and moves to the Isle of Skye, eager for a fresh start.

Little does she know that the castle’s estate manager, single dad Calan Fraser, is the man who broke her heart back at university. Thoroughly done with romance, Tara decides to ignore Cal and focus on building her business – creating dollhouses to commission. But Duncoorie is a small community, and the two keep bumping into each other…

Just as she is starting to open her heart once more to Cal, a change in his life puts everything on the line. When a surprise storm threatens Tara's safety, will Cal realise in time that love is worth the risk?

An uplifting and feel-good crafty romance for fans of Holly Martin, Sue Moorcroft and Julie Shackman.


 My Thoughts

This escapist read is the perfect antidote to a cold January day. The Isle of Skye shimmers in the background and the environment is never far away. You can absolutely understand how Tara breathes a sigh of relief when she finds this idyllic spot. The surprise in store for her is that she meets up again with her first love, Calan.  They both have baggage from the past but strong memories of their time together.  You also get a sense that time has moved on from their first meeting and attitudes to mental health have moved on.

    There is a great community centred around the Castle with the crafty workshops and the cafe. There is much potential to set further stories here and plenty of lively characters to feature in them. Second chances, moving on are important to the story and you see several characters who have to come to terms with changes in their lives.

In short: a heart-warming romance in a glorious setting

About the Author

Lilac Mills lives on a Welsh hillside with her very patient husband and incredibly sweet dog, where she grows veggies (if the slugs don't get them), bakes (badly) and loves making things out of glitter and glue (a mess, usually).

 She's been an avid reader ever since she got her hands on a copy of Noddy Goes to Toytown when she was five, and she once tried to read everything in her local library starting with A and working her way through the alphabet.

She loves long hot summer days in the garden, and cold winter ones snuggled in front of the fire, but whatever the weather she's usually writing, or thinking about writing, with heartwarming romance and happy-ever-afters always on her mind.

You can follow Lilac here:  Instagram |  Twitter  |  Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram
 
 

Thanks to Lilac Mills, Canelo and Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

                                                              Follow the rest of the tour!
 

 


 


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