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A Shore Thing by Portia Macintosh #Review

  I am happy to feature another laugh outloud romcom by Portia Macintosh . A Shore Thing  was published on January 26th by Boldwood Books .   It's survival of the fittest! From the moment Cleo met Lockie, her infuriatingly charming co-casting producer on hit reality show Welcome to Singledom, he’s been getting under her skin. Their job? Casting singles for the ultimate island romance. Their problem? They can’t agree on anything. Now, the cameras are ready to roll, and the contestants—well, most of them—are en route. But when the threat of a tropical storm delays half the cast, launch night turns into a total disaster. With no Plan B, Cleo and Lockie are forced to step in as contestants. Just for 24 hours until the real stars arrive. Simple, right? Except tensions are sky-high and sparks are flying for all the wrong reasons! All they have to do is couple-up and get voted off - but there’s a storm coming, so leaving the island might not be so easy. Cleo’s used to pu...

Saving Starlight Hall by Debbie Viggiano #Review

 

The second in the Starlight Series by Debbie Viggiano, Saving Starlight Hall, was published by Unicorn Publishing on 3rd November 2025. You can read my review of Starting Over at Starlight Cottage here.

 
Nestled deep in the countryside lies Starlight Croft – population small, gossip levels high, and secrets harder to hide than a cow in a phone box.

Jen Armstrong thought she had life more or less under control – marriage ticking along, teenagers on the right side of the law – until hubby Peter unexpectedly demises leaving Jen suddenly single, hugging a secret, and trying very hard not to fall apart in front of the entire village.

Just when things couldn’t get messier a For Sale sign appears. The community centre – the only place big enough to host Pilates and the local psychic’s séance nights – goes up for sale.

Cue The Starlight Society: a mismatched crew of locals with hearts of gold, questionable strategies and Jen reluctantly roped in to assist. Their mission? Raise the cash to save the hall before a charming-but-infuriating property developer named Liam Lancaster possibly turns it into a boutique hotel with mood lighting and tufty towels.

Can they pull it off? Will the hall survive? Might a secret be unwittingly revealed? And can Jen resist throttling an enemy who has the most annoyingly twinkly eyes?

A feel-good romantic comedy where love, lies, and livestock collide.

My Thoughts

The  most enjoyable part of this story has to be the characters who live round about Starlight Croft. They form quite a community and add to the +depth of the story and the feeling of friendship and hope. Jen is living in a fairly huge house within the village and as the story evolves you get to find out quite a lot about her marriage and the life she has been living. Her husband has recently died and as you discover, her feelings about this are ambivalent. What she does appreciate is the community in the village and the new friends she begins to make.

    There are some surprises within the story, especially at the end which I was not expecting. The village struggle to save the local village hall from re-development consumes the villagers but also provides some amusing moments. Liam Lancaster arrives in the village keen to take over the building. Jen feels torn between their growing friendship and his building plans. There is plenty to entertain in this novel which will leave you with a warm, uplifting feeling.

In short: love, friendship and community 

About the Author


 

 

Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she cares to remember, a legal secretary. She lives with her Italian husband and a rescued pooch from Crete. Occasionally her adult children return home bringing her much joy... apart from when they want to raid the fridge or eat her secret stash of chocolate. Tweet @DebbieViggiano or follow her on Facebook!

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

Book links: Amazon UK  |  Amazon US

 

Thanks to Debbie Viggiano, Unicorn Publishing and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

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