Blog Tour: Review - A Home in Sunset Bay by Rebecca Pugh

Enough is enough! The always perfect Laurie Chapman had jumped in her car and raced as fast as she could from London heading to Sunset Bay and (she hopes!) the open arms of her estranged sister…

Mia Chapman loves running Dolly’s Diner in the picture-perfect coastal Cornish town of Sunset Bay. Now that her and Grandma Dolly’s dream is finally a reality Mia has never been prouder! Until Laurie suddenly turns up on her doorstep… How can she forgive the sister who walked away?

Once upon a time Mia and Laurie were best friends. Back together after so long, the time has come for the sisters to figure out what went so wrong all those years ago – and whether they can ever put it right!

An uplifting romantic comedy about sisters, friendship and the love of good food.

If you read my review of Rebecca Pugh's debut novel, Return to Bluebell Hill, you'll know I'm a big fan of hers. Rebecca is a fellow blogger over at Becca's books and someone I regard as an internet friend. I was blown away by her debut and so when her second novel, A Home in Sunset Bay landed on my kindle I couldn't wait to read it, knowing I'd be in for a treat.... and boy was I! 

A Home in Sunset Bay has a lovely premise and I really enjoyed the plot of this story. It follows Mia and Laurie Chapmen, sisters who lead very different and far apart lives. Mia is living out her dream running the amazing-sounding Dolly's Diner in an idyllic and small village, Sunset Bay. Meanwhile Laurie is living in London, struggling with a demanding job she doesn't enjoy. When she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating, she leaves behind London to reunite with her sister.

I loved watching their relationship unfold - the story delves into their past, and shows how close they were, but then how they drifted apart. Their relationship is fairly strained and complicated when Laurie first turns up in Sunset Bay and I was rooting for them to make up, as it's clear from the offset how much they both mean to one another. 

As individual characters, they are both great but I definitely had a soft spot for Mia. She truly believes in herself and is doing what makes her happy. It's so inspiring to read and, actually, really resinated with me on a personal level. I know this is a fiction novel, but it really makes you think about your own life - I couldn't help but look at Mia living her life to the full and doing exactly what she wants to do and be inspired by it. 

Which leads me nicely onto the centre of the story - Dolly's Diner. Oh my GOD I loved this as a setting for a story. It is amazing! First of all, there's the delicious, drool-enticing food which sounds amazing... I'll have a cheeseburger, fries and chocolate milkshake please! Then there's the vintage-style layout... red leather booths and a jukebox. It sounds like the kind of place I want to visit and I can see why it captures Mia's - and Lauries' Hearts. 

Rebecca Pugh is a really talented author - her knack of producing fantastic descriptions without going overboard is second to none. She provides immense detail to really build up a picture in your mind, but without boring you to death. I loved her description of Dolly's Diner and Sunset Bay - it was like I'd been transported there. She really is one to watch and if you haven't read anything by her, I'd urge you to do so, quickly. She's absolutely brilliant and I'm so proud of her! 

A Home at Sunset Bay is a heart-warming, lovely story that has you racing through chapters to find out what happens. There's budding romance, a wonderful location as well as more complex and fractured relationships that you're eager to delve into. It's a realistic and engaging -  a story that will stay with me for a long time. 

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Book review: Wickham Hall by Cathy Bramley

"Holly Swift has just landed the job of her dreams: events co-ordinator at Wickham Hall, the beautiful manor home that sits proudly at the heart of the village where she grew up. Not only does she get to organise for a living and work in stunning surroundings, but it will also put a bit of distance between Holly and her problems at home.

As Holly falls in love with the busy world of Wickham Hall - from family weddings to summer festivals, firework displays and Christmas grottos - she also finds a place in her heart for her friendly (if unusual) colleagues.

But life isn’t as easily organised as an event at Wickham Hall (and even those have their complications…). Can Holly learn to let go and live in the moment? After all, that’s when the magic happens…"

For those of you that read my blog regularly, you’ll know I’m a HUGE fan of Cathy Bramley. I find it hard to believe that this time last year I hadn’t read anything by her, and yet now she’s up there as one of my favourite authors. Wickham Hall is her latest release, originally split into a four part serial like her other stories, and then released in a full paperback version earlier this month. When I heard the description for Wickham Hall, I was hooked. The story follows Holly as she lands her dream job - events organiser for the prestigious and beautiful Wickham Hall. 

First of all I need to talk about the setting for this fabulous story. Wickham Hall sounds bloody amazing! A proper stately manor home with gardens, a tea room and gift shop… it captured my heart as much as it did Holly’s. When I was younger I actually worked in a manor house in my local village and it certainly wasn’t as fun as working at Wickham Hall sounds - I’m jealous! I loved the community spirit the place has - everyone works well together and they become almost like a family which is lovely to see.

As usual, Cathy has created a heroine that you instantly warm to and hope everything works out for her. Holly is down-to-earth and relatable, a great trait for stories like this. When she gets the job at Wickham Hall - a place that has meant a lot to her and her mum for many years - I was thrilled for her, and that was after only reading for a few pages. Imagine what it’s like when you’ve got to know her through the whole story!

Although I really liked Holly, she does seem quite lonely at first. She lives at home with her Mum and has one best friend and no love interest. Now, I’m not in any way saying she has to have a love interest to not be lonely, but it’s clear her world is fairly small and closed - off. That’s what I loved about her working at Wickham Hall - seeing her make new friends, becoming part of a team and even finding a potential love interest.

That’s where Ben (or Benedict) comes into play. Oh, Ben. Straight away he peaked my interest and I warmed to him. He’s the son of Lord and Lady Fortescue, who own Wickham Hall,  and, with some reluctance from him, is next in line to inherit this amazing Hall. Sounds dreamy, right? Right. But the problem is he wants freedom - he’s a talented artist and wants to follow his passion, not be cooped up and taking orders from his Dad. For a ‘trial run’ he starts working alongside Holly in the events team. I loved watching the two of them interact and the chemistry is fizzing from the offset. Holly also tries to get him to see the opportunity he has ahead of him and how, actually, returning to Wickham Hall could be an amazing thing.

I loved getting an insight into her job as she settles into her role at Wickham Hall. The events organisation sounded so much fun and I loved her ideas. Fireworks night sounded beautiful and putting together a special calendar to sell in the gift shop really built up a picture of the place in my head and captured my imagination. Wickham Hall itself is the driving force of this story and one that thrilled me from the very beginning -I LOVED it.

Cathy also explores some different issues in this story, in a perfectly crafted way. From early on there are hints that all isn't well with Holly's mum, and as the story progresses its clear she's a hoarder. She can't let anything go and the small cottage is brimming with unecessary items. The way Cathy introduces this is seamless - it isn't spelt out to you as a reader, but hinted at... building up a picture. I thought this really showcased Cathy's amazing writing skills and also kept me interested as a reader. Her mum's issues also explain the organised and the need to be obsessively tidy from Holly - it's a way to counteract her mum's problem and almost done as a coping mechanism. A clever addition to the story and one that really showed the different layers of Holly's personality. 

Overall, this is another absolute corker from Cathy Bramley. She just gets better and better - creating beautiful locations, gripping and lovely storylines and fantastic characters that stick with you a long time after reading. Like in Ivy Lane and Appleby Farm, community spirit is a dominating feature of this story and I loved watching such a range of characters with different and vivid personalities work together. If you want a read that captures your imagination, warms your heart and leaves you with a smile on your face then look no further - Wickham Hall is what you need. 

2015 book awards: favourite locations

To me, one of the main strengths of a story is a great location. Whether it be the full setting of a book or one or two places within the story, if it stands-out and is memorable, it means a lot to me. I love vivid descriptions and when a location is so well described by an author that you have no trouble imagining it. When you're fully absorbed and transported to a great location in a story, I think you're onto a winner. For me, these are some of the best locations in stories for 2015 - a very varied and perhaps surprising list! 

The Little Village Series by Gervase Phinn

This is a series that I really enjoy, mainly because of the fantastic location it's set in. I'm all for books that are set in small villages - I love the community feel and the way everyone knows everyone as it creates great drama, as well as feeling comfortable and warming. Barton-in-the-Dale, the village this series is based around, is one of my favourites. There is a great mix of personalities living there and it has a real country-vibe to it, which I absolutely love. 

Pleasure Island by Anna-Lou Weatherley

I was completely surprised and taken aback by this story. I'll admit, I'd pre-judged somewhat and thought it was going to be a story that centred around sex, but it is SO much more than that. It is a clever and twisty psychological thriller that I raced through as it is so, so good. The story follows a select group of individuals who are invited by a billionaire to a luxury island. They think they are just there for an indulgent, relaxing time but what they don't know is a different, select group have paid the billionaire to watch them... think Big Brother but with less viewers and them not knowing they are being watched. Not only was it a great plot and well written, but the island itself sounded amazing... (short of the secret cameras, of course) which is why I chose it as best location. The island sounded beautiful and a real luxurious place that I could easily picture and would love to visit - once the cameras were gone! Read my full review here 

Mile High by Rebecca Chance 

This story is set in a slightly unusual location, in that it is entirely set onboard a new luxury airliner. Only the most prestigious celebrities have been invited on board for it's first flight and so, as you'd expect, major drama ensues. This was a really enjoyable story and I loved that it was set on a plane, which was the driving force of the brilliant plot. The setting really heightened the drama and was also really well described - it sounds like a blumming amazing plane! Read my full review here