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The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander #Review

  The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander was published by Avon Books on September 25th.  A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals. The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years… The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember. Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, ...
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Happily Ever After by Jane Lovering #Review

 

I am delighted to feature Jane Lovering's Happily Ever After  which was published by Boldwood Books on February 17th.

 

Andi Glover loves nothing more than a good book.

Any book in fact because when you’re raised by unconventional parents who think school’s for squares, alongside a deeply conventional sister who escapes home as soon as she can, fiction is eminently preferable to reality.

The only problem is that fiction isn’t the best way to learn about the real world. When Andi starts her new live-in job at Templewood Hall for the eccentric Lady Dawe and her enigmatic son Hugo, it’s tempting to think she’s fallen into the pages of one of her favourite gothic novels.

But the plot twists at Templewood Hall are stranger than fiction and it’s not long before Andi questions if she’s living in a romance novel or a whodunnit. Bumps in the night, a missing heir, ghostly apparitions and secrets that have been kept for generations - the mysteries mount up. Then there's the inscrutable gardener who seems to appear when needed - is Andi right to hope for a happily-ever-after end to her story?


 My Thoughts

This is a story for lovers of romance fiction, particularly those with a gothic twist. Andi arrives at the Hall desperate for somewhere to stay. You find out that her upbringing has had a profound impact om her and her relationship with her sibling sister is complicated with a degree of resentment and envy for the life she has lived. I enjoyed the headings for each chapter which referenced different novels and which hinted at what was to come.

     Templewood Hall stands at the centre of the story and hides a few secrets within its decrepit walls. The characters who Andi meets there are all eccentric in their own ways but Andi, used to people who are out of the ordinary, takes them all in her stride. There are one or two mysteries at the centre of the story. The descriptions of the Hall and grounds are detailed and evoke the atmosphere which mirrors all the complicated people who live there. Book lovers will love how Andi retreats into her books and sees the events from a literary view.

In short: bumps in the night and mysteries to solve.

About the Author

Jane Lovering is a bestselling and multi-award winning romantic comedy writer. Most recently Jane won the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel Award in 2023 with A Cottage Full of Secrets. She lives in Yorkshire and has a cat and a bonkers terrier, as well as five children who have now left home.

You can follow Jane here:  Twitter  | Facebook |  Website   |  Bookbub  |  Newsletter Sign up

 Purchase Links 


Thanks to Jane Lovering, 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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