Blog Tour: Review of The Happiest Ever After by Milly Johnson

 

It is my stop on the blog tour for the Amazing new book from Milly Johnson today! Here's what it's all about: 

Polly Potter is surviving, not thriving. She used to love her job as a business consultant, turning around businesses that were on their uppers – until her mentor died and her new boss decided to make her life hell. She used to love her partner Chris – until he cheated on her, and now she can’t forget. The only place where her life is working is on the pages of the novel she is writing – there she can recreate herself as a feistier, bolder, more successful version of herself – as the fictional Sabrina Anderson.

But what if it was possible to start over again? To leave everything behind, forget all that went before, and live the life you’d always dreamed of?

That’s how Polly finds herself as Sabrina, living at the heart of a noisy Italian family restaurant by the sea. Run by Teddy, the charming son of her new landlady Marielle, it has potential, if only a rival restaurant is stopped from moving in next door. Sabrina can’t remember her life as Polly, but she knows she is living a different life from the one she used to live.

But what if her new life could give her her happiest ever after…?

Review: I warmed to the main character Polly Potter straight away when I picked this book up. Like many Milly Johnson characters, she is hard done by (especially by men) but very very easy to relate to. However I did not expect the twists and turns of this story. It started out as a classic Milly novel with Polly trying her best to overcome the shit men who surround her and make her life as happy as it can possibly be. This involves a little deception and a lot of self-control, as well as a couple of awesome females in her office, then the books veers suddenly off in another direction and oh boy are you in for a treat?! This became part comeback tale and part mystery and I could not put it down. 

Polly really was delightful to spend the course of the novel with. As well as the fact that you find yourself rooting for her, she just feels like a classic Milly Johnson character that we all know and love and so there’s such a sense of familiarity with her. I really wanted her to live the life that she created for Sabrina and she genuinely does not have a bad bone in her body so you just can’t help but get behind her. Thankfully she does have a couple of other women looking out for her. Her new landlady is wonderful and we get to see a glimpse of her story as the book progresses as well and then Polly’s deskmate and head of HR also really do have her back and as a reader you are glad that they are there. 

Milly Johnson always does such a great job of writing a villain you love to hate so that when they get their comeuppance you can rejoice and cheer on those moments along the reading journey. The villains in this book are truly, truly horrible. They are so well-written you almost want to jump into the pages and warn Polly about them before she even comes face to face with them. There are quite a few baddies to boo along the way but they don’t take away from the happiness you feel as you unravel Polly’s tale. I know I’ve mentioned quite a few times that this feels like a classic Milly Johnson novel and that’s one of the things I liked best about it but that’s just the genius of it. If you love a Milly book then you know you’re in for a treat right from the word go, but if you’re reading this review trying to decide whether to read it or not then you can be reassured that this is indicative of this author’s work and you know you’re going to have a good time and you’ve made the right choice!

To order your copy now just click here!

Review: The Woman in the Middle by Milly Johnson

Shay Bastable is the woman in the middle. She is part of the sandwich generation – caring for her parents and her children, supporting her husband Bruce, holding them all together and caring for them as best she can.

Then the arrival of a large orange skip on her mother’s estate sets in motion a cataclysmic series of events which leads to the collapse of Shay’s world. She is forced to put herself first for a change.

 

But in order to move forward with her present, Shay needs to make sense of her past. And so she returns to the little village she grew up in, to uncover the truth about what happened to her when she was younger. And in doing so, she discovers that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to find the only way is up.

Review: This was quite different from what I was expecting. When you read the premise of this book you get the main idea of what is going to happen to our 'Woman in the Middle' but you have no idea how we're going to get from the beginning to the end and what depths we're going to go to in between. This book is a wild ride. I was left quite exhausted from everything poor Shay had to go through. It was a journey and it is testament to Milly Johnson's writing that she got me through in one piece!

Yes Shay is the woman in the middle but she is so much more than that. As well as being someone who cares for her parents, her children and her husband she is also lacking in anyone who actually hears her or supports her. She has skeletons in her closet that burden her on a daily basis and I'm surprised she had not already snapped and thrown in the towel. At points the book was pretty stressful because of all that Shay and her family go through and it was sometimes a tough read. 

The structure of this book is very interesting. Whilst it does take place in chronological order, as I have already mentioned, it's so much more than just Shay and her sandwich of parents and children. So many of the things that affect her are explored fully in this book. Each tangent we go down gets it own time and attention and I did sometimes wonder if we would ever get back to Shay's previous issues but everything just weaves round and round and back together and so you have to ensure you're concentrating. It must have been a nightmare to keep track of whilst plotting and writing. 

I did enjoy the fact that we have a previous character from a Milly Johnson novel pop up in this book and we return to a setting we had been to before so as you're reading make sure that you keep an eye out for those easter eggs! I listened to this book on audio and whilst the narration was good, I like that the narrator of a Milly Johnson novel always has a norther accent, there were some issues with chapters being cut off part way through. Thankfully I had my beautiful hardback to fall back on and I have heard that the problem has been fixed so if you were thinking of downloading the audio you should be fine now!

Whilst I didn't laugh as much with this book as with previous novels from this author, she really does tackle some real world issues within the pages of the novel and it gave me pause for thought. She has still included her usual strong women, people getting their comeuppance and of course a good dollop of Yorkshire spirit. Despite the audiobook issues I do recommend the audio but the hardback is also really stunning!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day by Milly Johnson

 It’s nearly Christmas and it’s snowing, hard. Deep in the Yorkshire Moors nestles a tiny hamlet, with a pub at its heart. As the snow falls, the inn will become an unexpected haven for six people forced to seek shelter there…

 

Mary has been trying to get her boss Jack to notice her for four years, but he can only see the efficient PA she is at work. Will being holed up with him finally give her the chance she has been waiting for?

 

Bridge and Luke were meeting for five minutes to set their divorce in motion. But will getting trapped with each other reignite too many fond memories – and love?

 

Charlie and Robin were on their way to a luxury hotel in Scotland for a very special Christmas. But will the inn give them everything they were hoping to find – and much more besides?

 

A story of knowing when to hold on and when to let go, of pushing limits and acceptance, of friendship, love, laughter, mince pies and the magic of Christmas. 

Review: I pre-ordered the audiobook of this title because it has a wonderful narrator and I really thought she did a great job of bringing this story to life. One of the things I love most about this book is the ensemble cast. It can be difficult to keep track of who is who when you first start listening but the synopsis is so well written that I referred back to that to ensure I had everyone memorised and could really settle into the story. 

This was one of those books I saw playing out in front of me like a movie or a television show. I saw everyone on  their own journey, make the detour to the inn and each character on their own journey of person discovery. This is almost like a mid-life coming of age story for most of these characters. This tiny inn and everything that surrounds it is the perfect setting for these characters to really take a look inward and have a think about where they are, where they've been and the next step they want to take. 

I warmed to Bridge and Luke straight away. They have been on a journey together and they were very easy to relate to, I could see them slotting into my own life as neighbors or friends of friends. Their story is a little bitter sweet and I really loved the way they bonded together as they bonded with the other characters. Mary and Jack are that classic combination of a hard working woman and a man who doesn't see how hard working his assistant is just because she is so hard working. She is the swan and he is he passive recipient of all of her time saving efforts. I loved watching Mary step outside of her comfort zone and seeing if Jack would realise her worth. 

Charlie and Robin were my favourite characters, the true hedonists of the group. I felt sorry for them that they had to detour on their way to Scotland but I loved that they got to interact with the other characters because I think they really brought out the best in everyone. Their story is definitely the most emotional but that because fo the passion that the two of them throw into their lives. I would definitely have found myself drawn to their pair if I was in that inn too. 

Fans of Milly Johnson will know that he books often feature the newspaper The Daily Bugle and whilst that paper doesn't feature in this book, it has been replaced with another form of media to provide comedy interludes in this narrative. I loved tuning into Radio Brian and really would have enjoyed his festive musings myself I am sure. This book is just the right balance of festive, funny and introspective and I really enjoyed the audio. I did laugh and I did cry so you know you're in for a good time with Milly Johnson's latest.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: The Little Dreams of Lara Cliffe by Milly Johnson

Lara Cliffe and her three friends are off on a mini break for her hen party.  It’s three weeks before her wedding to ’Steady Freddie’, one of the kindest men on the planet.  But something is worrying Lara. Her friends say it’s wedding jitters, but she isn’t so sure.  Fifteen years ago the love of her life, Danny Belfont, walked out on her three weeks before their wedding and she has never been able to fully get him out of her heart.

 

Then, on the overnight ferry, Lara finds out that Danny is playing in the onboard band and he spots her in the crowd. Will she meet him the next night to talk?

 

As the wonderful city of Amsterdam works its magic on Lara, she tries to sort out her thoughts.  And if fate has brought Lara and Danny back together … is it really for love or for something quite different? 

Review: Oh I loved travelling to Amsterdam with Lara and her friends. I have done that ferry crossing and so I could easily picture the things they were doing but even if you haven't travelled in the same footsteps as this group of friends, you will be rewarded with the fun of the ship as well as a virtual tour of Amsterdam, so much fun!

I really loved the characters we get to meet in this book, you can imagine their friendships and how they have changed over the years as they have grown up, got married and had babies. This is such a realistic portrayal of women my age and how their friendships have to stand the test of time in this way. I really loved that fact that Vicky, Jo and Pip are all so different from one another but are so loyal to each other and to Lara. 

There is quite a lot of drama contained in the very few pages of this book so be prepared for the whirlwind of past boyfriends, sex museums and of course a little seasickness. This book is divided into three parts and a bit of an epilogue so if you're expecting something that isn't fully developed in just under 100 pages, you would be wrong. This read had a little bit of everything and is just the perfect choice as one of this year's quick reads titles. 

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: My One True North by Milly Johnson

Laurie and Pete should never have met.

But fate has pushed them together for a reason. 

Six months ago, on the same night, Laurie and Pete both lost their partners.

Struggling to manage the grief, they join the same counselling group – and meet each other.

From their sadness, Pete and Laurie find happiness growing and they sense a fresh new beginning. 

Except, the more they talk, the more they begin to spot the strange parallels in their stories.

Then Pete discovers a truth that changes everything.

But, as surely as a compass points north, some people cannot be kept apart. 

My One True North is a story of friendship and what love means, of secrets uncovered, teashops on corners and the northern lights.

Review: Well I'm just wiping away my tears having finished this book in basically one sitting. I just loved this story so much. I am a huge Milly Johnson fan and I have so enjoyed everything she has written but this book is just something else; Queen Milly just took it to another level. And that cover and that synopsis just doesn't give any of what lies within the pages away!

This book deals with grief, not the most cheerful of topics but it is what gives this book its heart and soul and so you instantly sympathise with all of the characters and the situation that they are in. We get to meet a grief counselling group that meet at a cafe that Milly Johnson readers will be familiar with. I loved the crew that meet here and their cakes and their banter. They each come to grief from a different direction and bring a new perspective and they each have a little something extra either bringing them more pain or more joy in their lives. I loved meeting them and I so enjoyed being entertained by as well as crying with them throughout the book. 

The main characters that this story follow though are Laurie and Pete and this is pretty much a narrative that switches between their two lives and the stories that they each bring to the book. Their stories are so intertwined right from the beginning, beautifully and cleverly so but they just don't know it yet. I LOVE when you, as a reader, know something that the characters don't know yet. The pleasure of not knowing when or how they're going to find out. It keeps you turning the pages and ensures that you're ultra invested in these characters. 

Both Laurie and Pete are incredibly easy to love. They just have so much heart and such optimism in the face of tragedy, you can just tell that they are full of love and yet Milly throws so much at them you really hope that they're going to come out the other side unscathed. Laurie works at a solicitor for one of Milly Johnson's other famous characters, the Daily Trumpet and Pete works as a heroic fireman with an equally heroic and hairy twin brother-what is not to love about these two. It was a joy to spend time with both of them!

Obviously this book does deal with grief in many different forms and so care warnings should be exercised here but it is just such an integral part of the story as well as the fact that we don't always know what is going on in other people's relationships. This is something that this writer deals with so well in so many of her novels, but this is in no way an 'issues' book. I loved the sensitivity with which all of the things that the various characters are dealing with are woven and written into the plot and I defy anyone to call this novel anything but uplifting and hopeful. 

If you are a long time reader of Milly's novels, some familiar faces come out to play in My One True North and it was such a joy to see them. If you are new to this authors works then you picked a great place to start because this is the best one yet!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: The Magnificent Mrs Mayhew by Milly Johnson

Behind every successful man is a woman.

Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.

Sophie Mayhew looks like she has the perfect life. Wife of rising political star John F Mayhew, a man who is one step away from the top job in the government, her glamour matches his looks, power, breeding and money. But John has made some stupid mistakes along the way, some of which are threatening to emerge. Still, all this can still be swept under the carpet as long as Sophie 'the trophy' plays her part in front of the cameras.

But the words that come out of Sophie’s mouth one morning on the doorstep of their country house are not the words the spin doctors put in there.  Bursting out of the restrictive mould she has been in since birth, Sophie flees to a place that was special to her as a child, a small village on the coast where she intends to be alone.

But once there, she finds she becomes part of a community that warms her soul and makes her feel as if she is breathing properly for the first time. Sophie knows she won't be left in peace for long. Now she must decide: where does her real future lie? 

Review: Talk about girl power, this novel is total girl power combined with the power of Yorkshire, just the best kind of powers! I found it really easy to get into this story and indeed into the book. I listened to it on audiobook and would definitely recommend the narration, it really brought it to life! I enjoyed getting to know Sophie and her old life but I enjoyed getting to know Sophie in her alternate life as well once she takes part in THAT press conference. 

One of my favourite things about this book was the setting. I enjoyed the fact that we got to see a different side to Yorkshire, a bit of coast and a bit of quiet. It worked so well for the purposes of telling this story and I just loved being transported there from whatever setting I was in. 

I also loved the sense of community and women helping each other as well. Sophie makes some great friends once she gets north of the M25 (of course) and she also has some truly magnificent women supporting her in both locations throughout the book. It is always refreshing reading about women supporting each other rather than them being pitted against each other. 

Another aspect I really enjoyed was the enterprising nature of the characters. These characters are ambitious and whether that meant putting themselves forward in government positions, speaking up for themselves when a man has wronged them or taking it upon themselves to start a truly wonderful business, they gave it their all and really weren't afraid to show their ambition!

If you're looking for some strong women, a great Yorkshire setting and getting the ending people truly deserve then this book is definitely for you!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: The Mother of All Christmases by Milly Johnson

Eve Glace - co-owner of the theme park Winterworld - is having a baby and her due date is a perfectly timed 25th December. And she’s decided that she and her husband Jacques should renew their wedding vows with all the pomp that was missing the first time.  But growing problems at Winterworld keep distracting them … 

Annie Pandoro and her husband Joe own a small Christmas cracker factory, are well set up and happy together despite life never blessing them with a much-wanted child.  But when Annie finds that the changes happening to her body aren’t typical of the menopause but pregnancy, her joy is uncontainable. 

Palma Collins has agreed to act as a surrogate, hoping the money will get her out of the gutter in which she finds herself.  But when the couple she is helping split up, is she going to be left carrying a baby she never intended to keep?

Annie, Palma and Eve all meet at the ‘Christmas Pudding Club’, a new directive started by a forward-thinking young doctor to help mums-to-be mingle and share their pregnancy journeys. Will this group help each other to find love, contentment and peace as Christmas approaches?

Review: Oh this brought back such wonderful memories of reading the Yorkshire pudding club for the same time. Women supporting each other, various story lines to get your teeth into and of course that wonderful Yorkshire setting! I cannot stress enough what a salve it is to have Yorkshire dialect and Yorkshire settings mentioned in Milly's books every time. They make me feel like I am visiting home every time I read them and I swear my accent is stronger after I finish each book!

I loved catching up with some old faces as well! It was great to find out how Eve was getting on after the opening of Winterworld and dive back into her world as well. I was so pleased when I found out that she was expecting as well, I enjoyed seeing her journey over the course of the novel. Annie was great to read about as well. I love the fact that she is so in denial about even thinking she could be pregnant initially. I was telling her off a little initially. I love how passionate she is about her business as well!

I think Palma was my favourite character to read about and her thread of the novel definitely had the most drama and had me gasping,. I wanted to mother her and just tell her everything was going to be OK and I am glad that she found some women in her life to befriend and also to give her some of the support that she needed!

There were so many moments that made me laugh throughout this novel. I mean the fact that we have a cracker company in the book means that we have some great cracker jokes but also all of the more embarrassing features of pregnancy and relationships. There are also some very real moments and I think I cried a total of four times. It really was a wonderful read and I really do hope we might possibly get a glimpse of the summer pudding club at some point in the future! If you're a Milly fan then you won't be disappointed and if this is going to be your first then I would definitely recommend ordering her entire back catalogue now-you're going to need it!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

UK Giveaway & Event Vlog: Milly Johnson Penny Parkes & Veronica Henry

I've been hitting lots of milestones all over the place recently, I passed 400 subscribers over on my BookTube channel and hit 1000 followers over on Instagram as well as it being my 2nd anniversary on BookTube and just getting to hang out with some of my awesome UK blogger friends recently, can you tell I love talking books on the internet?

So I hosted a US only giveaway over on my BookTube channel and now its the turn on the UK only giveaway on here-yey!

I recently attended an event with wonderful authors Milly Johnson, Penny Parkes and Veronica Henry in Waterstones Cheltenham. I made a video about it over on my channel and decided to do a giveaway of books by these authors! So here are the books you can win...

(signed copy)

(signed copy)

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

To enter, go and leave me a comment on the video below! For extra entries you can tweet about the giveaway and/or leave me a comment on this blog post-simple!

This giveaway is UK only and closes on 1st October at Midnight.

Any other questions, just ask on here or on any of my social media platforms!

Guest Review: Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage by Milly Johnson

Viv arrives at Wildflower Cottage, a tumbledown animal sanctuary, for the summer. Her job is to help with the admin, but the truth is she is here for something much closer to her heart.

Geraldine runs the Wildflower Cottage sanctuary. She escaped from her past to find happiness here, but now her place of refuge is about to come under threat. Can she keep her history at bay and her future safe?

Two women join forces for one shared cause - with unexpected results ...

Review: As a great fan of Milly Johnson's books, I am almost ashamed to say that this one has been on my 'to be read' pile for ages. I even attended the wonderful launch event where Milly kindly signed a copy for me. However, it was definitely a case of better late than never, as this proved to be one of my favourite of her stories so far. Although containing the usual Milly Johnson humour, it is a little different, with a dark element creeping in, adding another layer to the story. 

The setting for the story is the Wildflower Cottage animal sanctuary in the intriguingly named village of Ironmist. It is a lovely little village with a slightly magical quality lent to it by the mistiness suggested by its name. Viv Blackbird has taken a job at the sanctuary to help with the book keeping, even though she has no liking for animals bigger than her beloved cat who she has had to leave at home. At the sanctuary, she meets Geraldine, who helps to run the place, and owner Heath Merlo, as well as a wide assortment of animals of all kinds who have seen better times and now need some TLC. The sanctuary is very run down and under threat from an unpleasant local landowner; the pressure he is under seems to be having an adverse effect on the ruggedly handsome, but unfortunately grumpy, Heath. Running in parallel with Viv's story is the story of her mother, Stel and her friends at home. A single mother, Stel is always on the lookout for Mr Right, and thinks she may have found him in work colleague Ian, but is he all that he seems? 

This is a lovely story, full of humour and an assortment of wonderful characters and highly amusing names and incidents. There is also a much more serious side to the tale, with an unfortunately all too common violent problem rearing its head, leading to some frightening situations. The group of animals at the sanctuary includes some that are really down on their luck, and it is lovely to think that they would be looked after in such a manner as they are at Wildflower Cottage. I really enjoyed watching as Viv overcame her fear of animals and developed a special relationship with one bird in particular. It transpired that Viv had an ulterior motive in going to Ironmist; that added another interesting dimension to the story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, whether you are a Milly Johnson fan or new to her works; if this is your first book of hers, I'm sure it won't be the last. 

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: The Queen of Wishful Thinking by Milly Johnson

When Lewis Harley has a health scare in his early forties, he takes it as a wake-up call. So he and his wife Charlotte leave behind life in the fast lane and Lewis opens the antique shop he has dreamed of. Bonnie Brookland was brought up in the antiques trade and now works for the man who bought out her father’s business, but she isn’t happy there. So when she walks into Lew’s shop, she knows this is the place for her.

As Bonnie and Lew start to work together, they soon realise that there is more to their relationship than either thought. But Bonnie is trapped in an unhappy marriage, and Lew and Charlotte have more problems than they care to admit. Each has secrets in their past which are about to be uncovered. Can they find the happiness they both deserve?

Review: This was such a fabulous book to be absorbed in over a weekend and definitely one to banish those rainy springtime blues. Milly Johnson has a great gift of being able to weave serious issues and humour together with the help of characters you can easily relate to and relationships you can easily fall in love with and this book is a great example of that. This is a great book for die-hard Milly fans but also fabulous if this is your first foray into the wonderfully Yorkshire world that this author creates!

I was definitely hooked on this story right from the word go and found it really difficult to put down once I had picked it up. The story surrounds two people who are going through a great deal of changes in their lives and they each get a chapter at a time to deal with their own personal stories and then sometimes their tales overlap and we get to see the way they react to each other as well as the way they deal with their issues on their own, I loved this structure and it made for a very easy read. 

This book also deals with the antiques business and a little bit with the law, both of which I have limited knowledge of, but this wasn't a problem, as I was afraid it might be. I came away from the book feeling like a knew a little bit more about both and I really do look at the antiques industry in a completely different light now. I think if you have any interest in the business of antiques then this is definitely a must-read for you, but if you are new to that whole aspect of life, Milly will guide you through it, don't you worry. 

The issues of domestic violence, divorce, miscarriage and starting again from scratch are all covered in this book and yet you don't feel like this is a book about 'issues' and those things aren't forced down your throat at any point. Because this book has such strong main characters, these things are happening but are just a part of their lives and you get to deal with them alongside the characters so nothing seems to heavy or unnecessarily dramatic. 

Speaking of those characters, I loved those two main characters. Bonnie is a woman who is stronger than she realises and it was wonderful watching her grow and develop over the course of the book. She doesn't appreciate the sunshine that she brings into the lives of those around her and it is great seeing how she affects her friends and colleagues. Lew also doesn't seem to realise how strong he is. I loved how laid back he was throughout the whole of the book. I would love to have a boss like him and I really enjoyed seeing his transformation as the book went on. 

There were some seriously funny moments in this bit, particularly the misprinted newspaper headlines and captions that are interspersed throughout the pages. There were also a few moments when this book made me cry, sometimes through happiness and sometimes through sadness, but being able to laugh and cry at the same read is the sign of a truly good book and that's just what this is! I love how typically Yorkshire some of the phrases are and they were just the icing on the cake for me in what was a fantastic read and another win for Milly Johnson. 

To get your fabulously Yorkshire copy, click here!

Review: The Barn on Half Moon Hill by Milly Johnson

Cariad Williams has been writing to Franco Mezzaluna since they were kids. But he has never written back. And now he has become a famous film star. What's more, he is due to visit Winterworld, the Christmas theme park where Cariad works. The only problem is that she has boasted to her friends that he is her boyfriend and now everyone will find out about her lie...
An exclusive short story from Milly Johnson to raise funds for the Care for Claire charity. 

Review: This is a lovely short story from Milly Johnson that is easy to read and really quite charming. I read it in only a few hours, not really wanting to put it down. As usual, Milly has written with humour and an understanding of real people. 

The story revolves around Cariad Williams and her fascination with film actor Franco Mezzaluna. Although originally from Wales, Cariad moves to Yorkshire to work in Winterworld, the theme park that is central to Milly's novel, A Winter Flame. It was nice to revisit the theme park and some of the characters from the earlier story; there is also the hint that Milly may return to their story in future. The story of what happens with Cariad and Franco, and indeed the barn on Half Moon Hill, is quite magical and refreshing. I can't really say any more than that without giving it all away.

All profit from this ebook exclusive short story from Milly Johnson will go to help a lady who lives in the same community as Milly and who tragically lost her children, her home, indeed everything, in a fire started by her ex-husband. So, if you like the sound of the story, please buy it and contribute to the fund set up to help this brave lady. 

Guest Review: Here Come The Boys/Ladies Who Launch by Milly Johnson

Angie Silveroak and her husband are taking a much-needed holiday on the cruise ship Mermaidia, so the last person she hopes to bump into on the first night is her one-time best friend Selina and the man Selina stole from her and married twenty years ago.

And what she needs even less is to be marooned in Malaga with Selina when both of them manage to miss boarding the ship in port. 

It will take three days for them to travel across Europe to catch up with the ship again in Croatia. And in the company of each other twenty-four/seven, a lot of old baggage is going to be unloaded. 

Angie Silverton and Selina Molloy have not always been friends. Best pals at school, they fell out over a man, and it was only when they both missed a ship in Here Come the Boys that they found friendship again.

Now they are reunited again and life since their adventure on the Mermadia has been anything but boring. Did Selina stick with her horrible husband Zander? What happened to Angie and Gill when they stepped off the ship? And what does the future hold for the friends?

Join Selina and Angie as they take afternoon tea at The Sunflower Cafe to find out. 

Review: Having thoroughly enjoyed Here Come the Girls, which I actually listened to as an audio book while on a P&O cruise, I was really looking forward to reading this novella.  It was well worth the wait. Although a short story, it is not lacking in content.  There is drama, romance, adventure and, of course, humour aplenty.

Once again, the action takes place on the cruise ship Mermaidia, this time sailing from Southampton to the Adriatic. The main players are Angie and Gil on their first cruise, and Angie's one-time best friend, Selina, who has come on the holiday with her husband, Zander. I don't want to give away the plot, but suffice it to say that the girls have a bit of an adventure and not all of the action takes place on the ship. There are plenty of other interesting and entertaining characters on board, some of whom are instantly recognisable to anyone who has been on a cruise. Milly has also included a couple of individuals from Here Come the Girls.

Milly has followed this story up with a short story called Ladies Who Launch, in which we see Angie and Selina a year and a half after the cruise visiting the Sunflower Cafe (from Milly's latest novel Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Cafe) for one of their famous afternoon teas. It is lovely to find out during their conversation what actually happened at the end of the cruise. So often, I am left wondering what happened next at the end of a book. In this case I know - thanks Milly Johnson.  In this story, as well as introducing us to the Sunflower Cafe, we also meet some of the characters from the next book.

Both Here Come the Boys and Ladies Who Launch are wonderful reads. As with Milly's other novels, they are entertaining with some lovely Yorkshire humour.  Be warned though, if you've never cruised before, and even if you have, you may well find yourself off to the travel agents for a few brochures.