March 2022 Reading Wrap Up: Audiobooks & March Releases

 Ok let's face it, I knew that this month wouldn't be great for reading. I have no idea where the month went but it was the busiest time at work ever and so I basically just worked and then came home and slept so the only opportunity to read was on my commute once again. I listened to a couple of longer books which meant I didn't read as much during the commute. I do hope once I get into the swing of things and get back into reading actual books and not just audiobooks in April things will start to get into a better groove in terms of reading. 

I won't break my reading down into the kinds of books that I read becasue you know I only read audiobooks so here ya go...

My Review

Guest Review: The Village of Happy Ever Afters by Alison Sherlock

Molly Hopkins has happily watched all of her friends’ dreams come true on Riverside Lane.

Deciding to follow her passion for baking, Molly with the help of her friends takes the plunge and opens a Tea Garden in the village hoping to make it a summer to remember!

Meanwhile, after a rather public end of his marriage, Logan Armstrong trusts no one but his beloved Grandad. He just wants his brief stay in Cranbridge to be as quiet as possible. But his Grandad has other ideas; he dreams of seeing the old watermill working again which might just mean Logan has to ask the village for help.

Can Molly finally overcome her lack of confidence and believe in her abilities to make the tea garden a success?

Will Logan discover that Molly might just be the one to mend his broken heart? And will both of them realise that life is for living and loving?

Over a long hot summer in Cranbridge, perhaps everyone’s dreams of a happy-ever-after can finally come true.

Review: This is the fourth book in the Riverside Lane Series, all the stories being set in the pretty little village of Cranbridge, where the river runs through the middle. Each book in the series has focused on a different property in the village and its transformation by newcomers. There is a growing number of recurring characters with each successive addition to the series, but every book can still be read as a stand-alone. I have enjoyed all these stories and am looking forward to discovering what is next for Cranbridge.

The newcomer to the village in this story is furniture maker Logan Armstrong, whose grandfather has lived in the village all his life. Logan is escaping from the attention of the paparazzi following the very public break up of his marriage, and has rented one of the remaining empty and rundown riverside units in the village. While continuing with his successful business, Logan finds himself helping his grandfather fulfil his dream of restoring the village’s watermill. Another villager with a dream is Molly Hopkins, who would love to make more use of her baking skills. With the help of friends, now including Logan, she plans to open a tea garden on a plot of waste ground by the river. As Molly and Logan become closer, both begin to wonder what will happen at the end of summer when the tea garden will close and Logan plans to move on.

I have really enjoyed this book, as I did with all three previous books in this series. I can thoroughly recommend them all. The wonderful descriptions of the setting and the characters in these books have drawn me in every time so that I would love to visit this village and have a chat with some of the people there. There are four young women who are central to the series and I have enjoyed watching them follow their dreams one by one, helping the once rundown village to come back to life at the same time. I think that it is the mark of a good story if the reader finds themselves missing the characters once the book is finished and that is certainly the case here.

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

April TBR

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books With Adjectives in the Title

     

    

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This topic was last week but I missed it so going in this week instead because I like the title!

Oscars 2022: My Predictions and Thoughts. Will I Finally Get A Movie or Actor Right This Year?

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Guest Review: Great British Railway Journeys By Charlie Bunce

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.

The Scottish west coast was one of the most challenging stretches of line to confront railway engineers. Extreme gradients, curves, bogs and scree left them scrambling around for ideas, but the result is one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world. En route Michael Portillo discovers local authors such as Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott, local industries including haggis, tartan and whisky-making and impressive landscapes including Ben Nevis and the magnificent Glenfinnan Viaduct.

Places visited: Ayr, Glasgow, Paisley, Helensburgh, Loch Lomond, Tyndrum, Oban, Fort William, Inverailort and Mallaig.

This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

Review: Great British Railway Journeys is a BBC television series, presented by the former politician Michael Portillo, that has been airing on television for several seasons. Michael Portillo is filmed undertaking various rail journeys, stopping at locations along the route to view places of interest and to interview people about the role of railways in their industry. The inspiration for the series was the railway timetables and guides written during the 19th century by George Bradshaw and known as Bradshaw’s guides. This was a time when the railway network in Britain was expanding rapidly, and the programme makers wanted to follow Bradshaw’s guide to show how the advent of the railways changed the face of Britain, and to contrast the Victorian era with the present day.

Charlie Bunce was the executive producer of the first two series of the programme, and wrote this book, with a foreword by Michael Portillo, to accompany the series. It describes the nine separate journeys that were featured in these two television series. Each of the journeys, which cover England, Wales and Scotland, has a separate theme covering such topics as the movement of manufactured goods, or the opening up of coastal holiday resorts to city factory workers. Although, compared to the television series, the book seems rather dry, it is accompanied by many historical photographs, which I found to be the most interesting aspect of the book.

This book will appeal to all railway lovers and also, because it is a travelogue with an historical angle, will also appeal to those with an interest in social history.

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

Guest Review: Love Blooms at Mermaids Point by Sarah Bennett

Bestselling author Alex Nelson is slowly coming apart at the seams after a failed marriage and an abrupt change in career leave him at a crossroads in life. When an unexpected opportunity arises to escape to the idyllic village of Mermaids Point, he’s hot on the heels of his brother, Tom, who has recently moved there. Buying a rundown bookshop might be just his latest harebrained scheme, but Alex has never been one to do things by halves.

After spending her early years caring for her mother, Ivy Fisher is finally ready to start living her own life. But when the impossibly charming, impossibly good-looking Alex Nelson swoops in and snatches her dream out from under her nose, it really is the last straw. Forced by circumstances to spend more time with him, Ivy finally gets a peek of the real man beneath the confident exterior, and she likes what she sees.

But just when things are starting to come together for them, Ivy is reminded why men can never be trusted. Is Alex who he says he is, or is he using Mermaids Point as nothing more than research fodder for his next bestseller?

Review: This is the fourth book in a series about events in the lives of people living in the lovely seaside town of Mermaids Point. In the first three books, readers have got to know several recurring characters, as well as newcomers, who are always welcomed in by the caring community. All of the books can be read as stand-clones, but I would advise reading them all in order, as they make up an enjoyable and satisfying saga. The author has thoughtfully provided at the beginning of the book a list of characters and their place in the stories as an aide memoire for returning readers and a guide for those new to the series. In common with earlier books in the series, this one has an attractive and inviting cover depicting the story’s setting. As anticipated, I was drawn into this latest story from the very beginning and eagerly followed events therein.

This is the story of writer Alex Nelson, a relatively new visitor to Mermaids Point, and local girl Ivy Fisher, who has just lost her mother after a long illness. Alex has met seamstress and craft enthusiast Ivy on previous visits to the town and has found himself intrigued and attracted to her. He is also drawn to the warm and peaceful atmosphere of Mermaids Point itself. Looking for a new start near to his brother who has taken over as Mermaids Point’s GP, Alex sets his sights on the town’s rundown bookshop, which is currently for sale. However, he has no idea that Ivy had plans for the building. She is disappointed not to be in a position to buy the shop, but she and Alex reach an agreement to run their businesses together there. It looks as though there may be more than a business relationship developing between the pair, but a revelation about Alex’s past makes Ivy suspect that she may not know the real man at all. 

As with the previous three books in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and found it a quick and easy read, not wishing to put it down until its conclusion. Once again, I was pulled into the lives of the characters and attracted to the town itself, with its welcoming feel. The story this time had Alex and Ivy centre stage, with some but not a great deal of involvement from other recurring characters. I felt for Ivy with difficulties caused by her estranged father heaped on top of her grief, but I also felt that Alex would be there to shield her when needed - what a supportive character. Even with lots going on in his life, he was so considerate of her needs. Just as in her other books, Sarah Bennett has succeeded in drawing the reader into the world of her characters, feeling their every emotion. I can’t wait to find out what she has in store next for the inhabitants of Mermaids Point.

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