July is winter in the Southern hemisphere, cold mornings and evenings with some sunshiny days in between the rainy days. TV has lost its appeal ,instead I’m curling up with a good book. My work has gone to beta readers and I’m still caring anxiously for my sick cat. He’s ok but not well. So, a little escapism is in order.
My first book this month certainly is different.
The Time Hop Coffee Shop by Phaedra Patrick.
Welcome to the Time Hop Coffee Shop, where wishes can come true…
Greta Perks was once the shining star of the iconic Maple Gold coffee commercials, the quintessential TV wife and mom. Now fame has faded, her marriage is on the rocks, her teenage daughter has become distant, and Greta’s once-glittering career feels like a distant memory.
When Greta stumbles upon a mysterious coffee shop serving a magical brew, she wishes for the perfect life in those past Maple Gold commercials. Next thing she knows, Greta wakes in the idyllic make-believe town of Mapleville, where the sun always shines and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and second chances fill the air. Given the opportunity to live the life she dreamed, Greta is determined to rewrite her own script. But can life ever be like a coffee commercial? And what will happen when Greta has to choose between perfection and real life, with no turning back?
Fantasy Fiction.Magic Realism Time Travel.Audiobook.Cosy Contemporary.
320 page paperback.E- book=. Audiobook
My Review.
The title appealed to me; promising escapism and escapism is very attractive if you are stuck in place. Losing fame and stepping back into everyday life has proved difficult for Greta Perks ( apt name of a coffee commercial queen!) Suspend disbelief and follow Greta on her journey. The ending was predictable but rounded out the story.
Queen Bee by Ciara Geraghty
Fifty-year-old Agatha Doyle loves her empty nest – until hot flushes, a pair of killer heels and an overbearing man who won’t stop talking conspire to change her life. In one moment of madness, she unwittingly becomes a heroine to women everywhere.
But can she become the heroine of her own life?
Sometimes you just have to wing it.
Fiction Audiobook.Contemporary,Humour.Irish Literature.Feminism.Family
432 pages, Paperback
My Review.
While it began promisingly enough, the continuous angry tirade put me off. Maybe if I’d been reading it at a different time, when I wasn’t personally stressed I might have seen more humour in. I finished reading and there were moments I enjoyed, but overall, just not my book
Welcome to Pennycress Inn by Sarah Hope.
Escape to the beautiful Cotswolds with this gorgeous new romance, perfect for fans of Jessica Redland, Rachael Lucas and Phillipa Ashley ☀️💕 Laura wants to shake things up. She’s thirty-eight and has been living in her parents’ house since her divorce last year. Her siblings seem to have got their lives successful careers, happy marriages, beautiful children.
Laura’s determined to prove herself. And buying the beautiful Pennycress Inn in the idyllic Cotswolds village of Meadowfield could be just the way to do it.
But getting the inn ready for its first guests proves easier said than done! With crumbling walls, dangerous woodwork and loose roof tiles, not to mention unfriendly locals and even errant sheep, Laura soon fears she’s made the wrong choice.
Luckily a friendly face is on hand in the form of gorgeous chef, Jackson. But is he too good to be true? And just why are the villagers so against her?
Can Laura turn her life around and get the fresh start she longs for at Pennycress Inn?
Romance Fiction .Contemporary Adult .British literature
My Review.
I started out with a good feeling about this book. After a stressful few weeks ( editing and a sick cat ) I wanted easy undemanding feel good reads. This had that in parts BUT I got a little impatient with Laura’s ” poor me “attitude and self-doubt. Genuinely some good moments, but not quite what I expected.,
The Cottage of Curiosities by Celia Anderson
Return to 59 Memory Lane with a new novel from the Kindle Top Ten bestselling author Celia Anderson!
’A brilliantly original and enchanting tale’ Sun ‘Wonderful characters make this a great read’ Good Housekeeping ‘Truly unique…unforgettable’ Woman’s Weekly
Grace Clarke is shocked to learn at the age of fifty-six that she’s adopted – it feels as though her whole life has been a lie. But it also explains a lot of things for Grace too. Including the gift that has plagued Grace since childhood – the ability to feel other people’s memories.
Could this gift be something she shared with the woman who abandoned her – the mysterious May Rosevere? And as Grace travels to the small coastal village of Pengelly to find the answers she craves, she feels her gift growing stronger. As though May is somehow calling her long-lost daughter home…
Fiction. Chick lit.Women’s Fiction.C ontemporary456 pages, Kindle Edition.
My Review.
I chose this because the title and cover appealed to me. I hadn’t read or known about 59 Memory Lane. Imagine that your life turned upside down at almost sixty, realising that all you knew about yourself was wrong. Then, there is your secret talent. Is it a wonderful talent or a dreadful curse, being able to read people’s memories? The story explores this and other topics in an intriguing way. Thoroughly enjoyed this and will read more of this author.
The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallory
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery—a story of friends who become family, giving each other courage to start over…
When fate brings three strangers to a charming space for lease on the California coast, the Boardwalk Bookshop is born. Part bookstore, part gift shop, part bakery, it’s a dream come true for Bree, Mikki and Ashley. But while their business is thriving, their personal lives are…not.
Bree, wounded by brilliant but cold parents and her late husband’s ultimate betrayal, has sworn to protect her heart at all costs. Even from Ashley’s brother, a writer and adventurer who has inspired millions. He’s the first man to see past Bree’s barricades to her true self, which terrifies her. Mikki has this divorce thing all figured out—somehow, she’s stayed friends with her ex and her in-laws…until a new man changes how everyone looks at her, and how she sees herself. Meanwhile, Ashley discovers that the love of her life never intends to marry. Can she live without being a wife if it means she can have everything else she’s ever wanted?
At sunset every Friday on the beach in front of the Boardwalk Bookshop, the three friends share a champagne toast. As their bond grows closer, they challenge one another to become the best versions of themselves in this heartachingly beautiful story of friendship, sisterhood and the transformative power of love.
Romance Fiction.Contemporary.Chck Lit.Audio Book .Summer Reads
My Review.
A book celebrating female friendships. I enjoyed it, the women felt authentic and were there to support each other
Like many book lovers, I suspect I’m not the only one who would love to own a bookstore. Dis-regarding the hard work and worrying part of the equation. Bree’s story felt familiar to me-having a parent I could never please.
Meanwhile Mikki has a ‘good divorce’ but is that that what is keeping her stuck?
For Ashley perfect suddenly fails. Unlike in Love Story love does mean you have to say you are sorry, and sometimes that the hardest lesson of all.
I raise my champagne glass to these believable characters and their story.
Escapism was very much in order for me this month. I’ve sent the memoir off the be advance read and critiqued. I’m enjoying having this time to relax.
Life would be good BUT my cat is sick and waking me four to five times a night, asking for food and he’s losing weight. We’ve had blood tests, we’ve seen a specialist and now more expensive blood tests, are needed.
I used to joke he was my little luxury, now I’ve spent a not an insignificant sum and so far no results. Books still allow me to escape and so does writing.New authors to find, new books or old favorites to read.
Sonia Bellhouse- Author. 