Books Added<\/strong><\/p>\n Books Read<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This week saw the release of 2 books I\u2019ve been eager for, Elsie Silver\u2019s Wild Side<\/em><\/strong> and Lucy Score\u2019s Story of My Lif<\/em><\/strong>e<\/strong><\/em>. The first completes her Rose Hill<\/em> series, which I\u2019ve collected in paperback and the latter is the first in a new series Story Lake<\/em>. I also picked that copy up in paperback from The Works who were offering an exclusive sprayed edge edition \u2013 yes I\u2019ve succumbed to collecting sprayed edges! My other excitement was a lovely, signed paperback prize win of The Leap Year Proposal<\/em><\/strong> from Susan Buchanan. But of course, I couldn\u2019t be content with those could I, I had to add more. I picked up some great freebies, had a bit of an Irish themed binge and also reverted back to some hockey and baseball romances.<\/p>\n With my first purchase of the week being set in Dublin, I realised belatedly that this month was Reading Ireland Month<\/strong> (or as it\u2019s also known The Begorrathon). It\u2019s not something I\u2019ve taken part in before and I\u2019m a week too late to the party to formally adopt it. But, in honour of it being St Patrick\u2019s Day soon and with my own Irish affiliations, I\u2019ll keep it going for a while. So I started my reading this week with Worth a Shot<\/em><\/strong> by Amy Ewing. An easy read featuring a New York street photographer who loses her inspiration after the death of her father. In an attempt to escape everything that reminds her of him she takes up a job at the other side of the world on Inishmore, one of the Aran islands. Enter, grumpy heartbroken Niall and his Irish eyes \u2013 always works for me too! It had a nice cast of side characters to add humour to the story which had the anticipated outcome after a bumpy ride. I will remember this book for all the wrong reasons, but I can\u2019t get out of my head that the book features sauteed mushrooms as part of a traditional Sunday roast. I\u2019m sure my Irish mother in law would turn in her grave at the thought.<\/p>\n Next up, I finished listening to Scythe and Sparrow<\/em> <\/strong>by Brynne Weaver which I started on its release day back in February. It\u2019s the final book in the Ruinous Love trilogy, with each book featuring one of the Irish Kane brothers, now resident in the states. All the brothers, coincidentally find themselves falling in love with a female serial killers but it\u2019s OK, they only kill for all the right reasons \u2013 think Dexter. This one features the youngest brother Fionn, a doctor who finds himself questioning his hippocratic oath with the actions he takes to protect and defend Rose. It\u2019s a dark series, but also very funny. I make no bones about the fact that I came to this series for the narration of Eric Nolan and stayed. The first in the series is narrated by a VA who has had some serious sexual allegations made against him. Luckily for me Mr Nolan stepped in and I might be biased, but as a real Irishman he nails the narration. His co-narrator Samantha Brentmoor is also brilliant and between them they really bring the books to life.<\/p>\n In keeping with my intention to read at least one of the titles I\u2019ve been buying in the week I read Every Shade of Love<\/em><\/strong> by Bernadette Jiwa. I absolutely loved this book, and it will certainly be one of my reads of the year. Set in 1980\u2019s Dublin, it\u2019s a story of stepping outside family expectations, and stepping into a world of racism and bigotry when love chooses what society deems the \u2018wrong\u2019 person. I was totally hooked from the beginning and my little romantic heart was hoping and praying that Helena and Omar would see the light and actually follow it. It was a joy to read and I can\u2019t believe I actually picked this up for free. As it\u2019s still only 99p now I can only urge you to take a look, you won\u2019t be disappointed. On the back of that I did buy another book by the author, also set in Dublin. <\/p>\n The Last Call for Love<\/em><\/strong> by Rebekah Crane features another American woman on an impromptu summertime trip to an Irish island \u2013 bit of a theme emerging here this week. Maeve Kaminski has inherited a pub from her estranged father, a pub which has become legendary for being in competition with the other pub in the town run by the obviously drop dead gorgeous Briggs Murphy. They say there is a thin line between love and hate and it\u2019s a line they more than cross. The question is, is this for the summer or for life. The question of life is rather pertinent here, as Briggs has a life limiting heart condition that he has refused to do anything about. Was I invested, I certainly was. Like the other book it has a great cast of secondary characters, plus the nasty Eion (boo!) I enjoyed this one more, it felt less like an advert for Ireland and a little more authentic \u2013 sorry, I\u2019m thinking of those damned mushrooms again.<\/p>\n I\u2019m cheating a bit with my last book, Time of the Child<\/em><\/strong> by Niall Williams not because it doesn\u2019t fit the theme, but because as I write this I\u2019m only 67% through. However, Friday night is rugby night (hurray), which means I can decamp to my reading chair. So, by the time you read this, it will be finished, As with the talented Mr Nolan, I\u2019ve made no secret of the fact that I love the writing of Niall Williams. His first book, Four Letters of Love<\/em><\/strong> is one of my all time favourite books. Time of the Child<\/em><\/strong> sees a welcome return to Faha, the small Irish village we first visited in This is Happiness<\/em><\/strong>, and happily it has the same lyrical beauty that typifies his writing. He can capture the essence of a place or person in the mere turn of a phrase, where others need a paragraph. The village has moved on a few years, and we return in the run up to Christmas 1962. It\u2019s a town that is still the same and yet beneath the surface, things are changing. Father Tom is showing signs of dementia and Jack Troy, the doctor, is starting to question his actions in thwarting his daughter Ronnie her chance of love with Noel Crowe. However, the secretive arrival of an abandoned baby proves to be a catalyst that will change everything. I\u2019ll give you my final verdict next week!<\/p>\n Books Added<\/strong><\/p>\n Every Shade of Love by Bernadette Jiwa (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n YOU CAN LIVE YOUR LIFE DOING WHAT\u2019S EXPECTED OF YOU, OR YOU CAN CHOOSE TO FOLLOW YOUR HEART.<\/strong><\/p>\n It is the summer of 1987 in Dublin. Though they haven\u2019t admitted it to themselves yet, friends Helena and Omar have more in common than they think. Both will be married within the year \u2013 Helena to her childhood sweetheart, Omar to the woman his Indian parents will choose for him.<\/p>\n Will they marry the wrong person and live the lives ordained for them, or will they face down the truth and the prejudice about their love for each other, even as their families come to terms with the realities of half-lived lives?<\/p>\n Or will they choose love over loyalty and freedom over duty, upending their families\u2019 world?<\/strong><\/p>\n Wild Side by Elsie Silver (4.99)<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019d always dreamed of my wedding day. But not like this. Not looking into the eyes of the man who betrayed me.<\/p>\n But when my nephew\u2019s guardianship is contested, I decide I\u2019ll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy.<\/p>\n Rhys Dupris.<\/p>\n A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises-ones he won\u2019t talk about. In fact, we barely talk at all.<\/p>\n Which would be fine, except when he\u2019s not talking, he\u2019s staring. And the way he looks at me is borderline indecent.<\/p>\n The tension between us has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation.<\/p>\n I swore I would never forgive him. But that was before I knew the man behind the mask. The one who\u2019s fierce and protective. The one who\u2019s gentle and patient. The one who shows up for us when we need him most.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not at all who I thought he was.<\/p>\n And that makes hating my husband so much harder\u2026 and loving him just a little too easy.<\/p>\n The Making of Her by Bernadette Jiwa (99p)<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018People were forever telling her how lucky she was. But what did people know?\u2019<\/p>\n Dublin 1966. When Joan Quinn, a factory girl from the Cranmore Estate, marries Martin Egan, it looks like her dreams have come true. But all is not as it seems.<\/p>\n Joan lives in the shadow of a secret \u2013 the couple\u2019s decision to give up their first daughter for adoption only months before.<\/p>\n For the next three decades, Joan\u2019s marriage and her relationship with her second child Carmel suffer as a consequence.<\/p>\n Then one day in 1996, a letter arrives from their eldest daughter. Emma needs her birth parents\u2019 help; it\u2019s a matter of life and death. And the fragile facade of Joan\u2019s life finally begins to crack.<\/p>\n Last Call for Love by Rebekah Crane (99p)<\/strong><\/p>\n For an American woman on an impromptu summertime trip to an Irish island, life changes in a heartbeat in a refreshing romance by the author of\u00a0<\/strong>June, Reimagined<\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n The last thing Chicagoan Maeve Kaminski expects to inherit from her estranged biological father is a pub. Now thousands of miles from home, Maeve is on a remote Irish island and is the new owner of the Moorings. Charming? Yes. Practical? No. The bright side: Maeve is in debt, and off-loading a famous pub for a pretty penny could be the gift she\u2019s been waiting for.<\/p>\n Briggs Murphy is suffering from a broken heart. Literally. Recently diagnosed with the same condition that killed his father, he\u2019s not looking for love. But when Maeve shows up with her color-coordinated datebook and striking blue eyes, he falls hard. Too bad she\u2019s off-limits. According to familial legend, they\u2019re enemies. And for the sake of the island, they better stay that way.<\/p>\n Love was never the plan. But for Briggs and Maeve, it might just save them both. To make it work, they\u2019ll have to rewrite history\u2026before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n The Story of My Life by Lucy Score (\u00a36)<\/strong><\/p>\n Hazel Hart was a successful romance novelist until a breakup drives her straight into writer\u2019s block. Having failed (and failed some more) to deliver her new manuscript, she\u2019s hiding from the world behind a wall of old takeout containers until her publisher lays down the law. If she misses her next deadline it\u2019s The End.<\/p>\n Desperate for inspiration, Hazel impulse-buys a historic home online and flees Manhattan to tiny Story Lake, PA. Upon her dramatic arrival \u2013 involving an incident with a bald eagle \u2013 she discovers the charm of her new home may have been slightly exaggerated.<\/p>\n The house is a wreck and the town is struggling after their biggest employer shut down. Also, since her raccoon-infested home came with a seat on the town council our introverted heroine is stuck with a front row seat to all the small-town shenanigans.<\/p>\n But Hazel isn\u2019t worried. Not since all six-feet-three inches of grouchy contractor Campbell Bishop slapped a bandage on her forehead and unintentionally inspired the heck out of her. There\u2019s only one thing to do: Hire Cam and his equally gorgeous brothers to renovate her new spider museum \u2026 er \u2026 house.<\/p>\n Okay,\u00a0two<\/em>\u00a0things. A fake date for \u2018research purposes\u2019 will really put her work-in-progress on track. Before Hazel knows it, she\u2019s writing a romance novel and living one. At least until the drywall dust settles, the town she\u2019s falling in love with faces bankruptcy and growly Cam remembers why he can\u2019t live happily ever after.<\/p>\n The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.<\/p>\n After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone . . .<\/p>\n Hard to Fake by Piper Lawson (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s not every day you ask your older brother\u2019s teammate to be your fake boyfriend. But desperate times call for gorgeous, impulsive measures.<\/strong><\/p>\n Miles Garrett is a pro basketball player with a heartstopping smile and infamous cocky charm.<\/p>\n But to me, he\u2019s always been more than a celebrity. Miles is the guy who puts friends and family first\u2026and my college crush.<\/p>\n When my sorority sister decides to bring my ex to our reunion, I need a plus-one who can have my back and save my pride. Asking Miles is the perfect solution.<\/p>\n Until he raises the stakes for both of us.<\/p>\n He says he\u2019s only playing to win. He\u2019ll be the best fake boyfriend I\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n But his gaze hunts mine across a crowded room. He protects me with a fierceness that steals my breath. Our just-for-show kisses ignite a wildfire inside me.<\/p>\n I\u2019m fighting feelings that have been simmering for years. Soon our pretend relationship starts feeling dangerously legit\u2026<\/p>\n Because it\u2019s hard to fake what\u2019s always been real.<\/p>\n The Copper Valley Thrusters box set by Pippa Grant (99p)<\/strong><\/p>\n A billionaire boss, a terror on the ice with ego to spare, and a hockey-playing prince are here to entertain you with their love stories in this box set introducing the Copper Valley Thrusters hockey team!<\/strong><\/p>\n Mister McHottie<\/em>\u00a0is the hilariously sexy prequel to the Copper Valley Thrusters series, where you\u2019ll first meet the twin tank hockey players who inspired the next books. It comes complete with an organic happy-ever-after (or seven), a Bratwurst Wagon, ill-advised office pranks between a billionaire boss and the woman he tormented as a child, and no cheating or cliffhangers.<\/p>\n The Thrusters: Book One<\/em>\u00a0is a standalone romantic comedy featuring a hockey player whose ego is the only thing bigger than his shoe size, a fierce lady-boss pilot, rubber chockey (don\u2019t ask), and no cheating or cliffhangers.<\/p>\n The Thrusters: Book Two<\/em>\u00a0is a side-splittingly epic romance between a spare heir and the lady least likely to ever wear a princess crown, complete with dirty cookies, an emotional support monkey, and lots of messing around. This romantic comedy stands alone with no cheating, cliffhangers and ends happily with a family of\u2026more than two.<\/p>\n The Leap Year Proposal by Susan Buchanan (Prize win)<\/strong><\/p>\n Three women. One crazy hen weekend. A life-changing decision.<\/strong><\/p>\n When three women meet at a mutual friend\u2019s hen weekend on the Scottish island of Arran, they get more than they bargained for when one of them has the genius idea of proposing on 29 February, like the age-old Irish tradition.<\/p>\n High-flying businesswoman Anouska and boyfriend Zach are deliriously happy and madly in love. If only they had more time together. But now she\u2019s pregnant and doesn\u2019t know how to tell him, since having kids hadn\u2019t featured in their plans.<\/p>\n Dog walker Jess lives with her childhood sweetheart, but they\u2019re already like an old married couple, without the romance, or the wedding, or the ring. When Mark doesn\u2019t propose on New Year\u2019s Eve, Jess is gutted and decides to take matters into her own hands.<\/p>\n Ellie and Scott still live apart after six years, and his lack of commitment is a sore point. She\u2019s up for a huge promotion which involves moving country. It\u2019s make-or-break time. She needs to know he\u2019s worth turning down the job for.<\/p>\n The women meet weekly, helping each other with decisions big and small, becoming each other\u2019s support system in the run-up to \u2018the big ask\u2019.<\/p>\n Will love conquer all or will their hopes and dreams come crashing down around them?<\/em><\/p>\n The Fall Out by Jenni Bara<\/strong><\/p>\n Let me tell the story of how I fell in love with a woman who had no idea that we were even dating. The ridiculousness started when she stole my beer, and trust me, my grumpy self doesn\u2019t normally share. But somehow, Avery Wilson is the exception to every one of my many rules.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, I\u2019m not hers.<\/p>\n Not only is she the daughter of the Rev\u2019s coach who hates me, she\u2019s also sworn off dating for the year.<\/p>\n Little does she know we\u2019ve been doing just that.<\/p>\n Sure, she says I\u2019m her friend when we watch romcoms or spend holidays together, but I\u2019m just biding my time until the year is up.<\/p>\n With her father against me, and a line of men interested in dating her, once she finds out my true intentions, will we survive the fallout?<\/strong><\/p>\n Frankie by Graham Norton (99p)<\/strong><\/p>\n Always on the periphery, looking on, young Frankie Howe was never quite sure enough of herself to take centre stage \u2013 after all, life had already judged her harshly. Now old, Frankie finds it easier to forget the life that came before.<\/p>\n Then Damian, a young Irish carer, arrives at her London flat, there to keep an eye on her as she recovers from a fall. A memory is sparked, and the past crackles into life as Damian listens to the story Frankie has kept stored away all these years.<\/p>\n Travelling from post-war Ireland to 1960s New York \u2013 a city full of art, larger than life characters and turmoil \u2013 Frankie shares a world in which friendship and chance encounters collide. A place where, for a while, life blazes with an intensity that can\u2019t last but will perhaps live on in other ways and in other people. But as Frankie\u2019s past slowly emerges, her spirit and endurance are revealed as undeniable . . . and unforgettable.<\/p>\n Books Read<\/strong><\/p>\n Worth a Shot by Amy Ewing<\/strong><\/p>\n Cordelia James was once at the top of her game-a renowned street photographer with a massive social media following, gallery showings in Chelsea, and a lucrative book deal. But after the sudden death of her father, everything changed. Now, Cordelia can barely force herself to leave her apartment. That is, until she sees an ad for a summer gig at a cozy cottage on Ireland\u2019s picturesque Inishmore island. Rent-free, plus a small stipend if willing to do some menial housework and look after an elderly neighbour. Cordelia is on a plane before she can talk herself out of it.<\/p>\n But practically the moment she steps off the boat, she crashes-literally-into Niall O\u2019Connor, a grumpy local who\u2019s just returned home to Inishmore from Dublin. Cordelia\u2019s camera breaks, and Niall doesn\u2019t give a horse\u2019s arse about it. He\u2019s nursing a broken heart and trying to patch up a broken life, and he has no time for posh American tourists or their thousand-dollar hobbies. The more Cordelia\u2019s and Niall\u2019s paths cross, the more they make each other\u2019s lives hell. But as with all rivalries, their hatred is about to reach a tipping point-and it\u2019s going to heat up their cool coastal nights.<\/p>\n Featuring a lovable band of quirky supporting characters, Worth a Shot is an emotionally gripping tale of love, passion, art, food, and finding your community-even if that community happens to be on a remote island thousands of miles from home.<\/p>\n Scythe and Sparrow by Brynne Weaver \u2013 narrated by Eric Nolan and Samantha Brentmoor<\/strong><\/p>\n Murder.<\/strong><\/p>\n Mayhem.<\/strong><\/p>\n And spice.<\/strong><\/p>\n Doctor Fionn Kane is running from a broken heart, one he hopes to mend in small-town Nebraska, far away from his almost-fiance and his derailed surgical career. It\u2019s a simpler life: head down, hard work, and absolutely no romantic relationships. He wants none of the circus he left behind in Boston.<\/p>\n But then the real circus finds him.<\/p>\n Motorcycle performer Rose Evans has spent a decade on the road with the Silveria Circus, and it suits her just fine, especially when she has the urge to indulge in a little murder when she\u2019s not in the spotlight. But when a kill goes awry and she ends up with an injured leg, Rose finds herself stuck in Nebraska, at the home of the adorably nerdy town doctor.<\/p>\n The problem is, not every broken heart can be sewn back together.<\/p>\n . . . And the longer you stay in one place, the more likely your ghosts are to catch up.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41osrvjHvFL._SY445_SX342_.jpg\")
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