Meet Me at the Honeymoon Suite- Charlotte Phillips

The Blurb

Happy ever after…?

Fascinated by weddings since her mother was jilted at the altar when she was seven years old, Amy Woods is a brilliantly efficient wedding organizer, thanks to her ability to see past all the emotion and magic of ‘the big day’. Now, after years of being the assistant, she’s landed her dream job as Wedding and Events Manager at exclusive boutique hotel The Lavington. All she needs to do is pull off her first wedding weekend without a hitch…

Unfortunately the groom turns out to be her own marriage-phobic ex-boyfriend, proving yet again that Amy is good enough to be the warm up act but never the real deal. Then she breaks all her own rules and sleeps with the delicious but definitely off limits best man! To pull off the perfect weekend now, she will need to be her most clear-headed and emotionless. But as she gets to know best man Owen outside the bedroom, keeping herself focussed on the task isn’t so easy anymore.

The Review

When you've loved a series it's always hard to say goodbye, and that's just how I feel about the Do Not Disturb series.  I've read all five novellas (and reviewed all except the first book here on Books with Bunny), and feel like I know the staff and guests of The Lavington boutique hotel inside out!

Meet Me at the Honeymoon Suite introduces Amy, the Wedding and Events Manager (who's new to the role and on probation, but ssshhhhh- let the clients believe she's experienced).  Determined to prove her worth and get confirmed in post, she needs everything to be perfect at this wedding.  The only problem is, the groom is her ex-boyfriend Luke Pemberton...

However, it turns out Amy should be more worried about Luke's charming, attractive best man Owen than her ex.  It's just a shame that both Owen and Amy are such workaholics, because despite the undeniable fireworks sparking between them and the pair ending up in bed together, it seems there's no chance of a future for the couple.

In keeping with the rest of the series, this finale is a great contemporary romance.  I enjoyed the wedding setting (I want the brides flowers- they sound absolutely divine- as do the champagne cocktails!) and the tension between the couple radiated off the page.  It sizzles!  I absolutely believed in Amy and Owen's relationship and the potential problems their 'all work and no play' attitude could have on it- but I crossed my fingers and toes for it to work out between them in the end.  This is romantic fiction, after all...

I'd highly recommend the whole series and I'm hoping there's more to come from Charlotte Phillips, and soon.  After saving these last two books to read for weeks, I read them both in a few hours- oops!  I really do need to learn to pace myself...but it's hard when you're enjoying something so much.

I'm going to miss the hotel itself too.  My trips to The Lavington are as luxurious as I'm getting at the moment and it's nice to be surrounded by opulence, celebrity and beautiful surroundings- even if it is only through fiction!

These books are perfect holiday reading- give them a whirl and let them whisk you away on a wave of humour, romance and most of all fun.

Meet Me at the Honeymoon Suite is out now, published by Harper Impulse.

With thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in return for my unbiased opinion.

I read this book as part of #HIReadathon- follow the hashtag on twitter or search for it on facebook to find out more about how you can get involved.

Access All Areas- Charlotte Phillips

The Blurb

Sexy, addictive and just pure fun, don’t miss the next instalment in the Do Not Disturb series!
After losing her elderly parents, portrait photographer Anna will do anything to avoid losing the family home – the only thing she has left of her perfect childhood.

When a friend who works at the exclusive boutique hotel, The Lavington, provides a hot tip – an A list film star is staying there with her rumored toyboy lover – Anna comes up with a plan. A photo of them together could be the answer to all Anna’s money problems.

Unfortunately, she’s the worst paparazzi photographer on the planet and Jack, the hotel’s new head of security, back in England after globetrotting as bodyguard to the stars, isn’t about to allow a picture on his watch. No matter how cute the photographer might be…

The Review

I've been patiently waiting for #HIReadathon to come around because Access All Areas was one of the titles I had earmarked to read during the fortnight.  As soon as I woke up on August 1st I had this book up on my kindle ready to read.  I'd waited long enough!

Having enjoyed the previous three books in the Do Not Disturb series, I was very much looking forward to discovering what the Lavington hotel had in store this time.  As it turns out, it's a desperate Anna, smuggled into the hotel by her best friend Lucy, who's trying to get the big money shot of a big name celebrity couple.  However, she's caught in the act by the hotel's security manager Jack, who just happens to be pretty darn hot. 

I loved the balance between humour and mishaps as Anna tries to snap the elusive photo and romance between her and Jack.  How Charlotte Phillips manages to get this just right baffles me every time- it's not quite romantic comedy, yet there are laugh out loud funny moments.  It's by no means erotic fiction, but there's a few sizzling scenes.  It's not out and out emotional fiction, yet Anna's reasons for needing the money the photo will bring tugged hard on my heartstrings.  It's perfection in the form of contemporary romance. 

I'll be left with a few lasting images from this one (without giving too much away, Anna wearing clothes that are too small for her- I could see this so clearly in my mind!), and that is testament to the authors well-crafted descriptions. 

In my opinion, Harper Impulse have the best selection of romantic novellas on the market, and Access All Areas (and the whole Do Not Disturb series) are at the heart of that.  I loved it so, so much.  This is ideal summer reading and had me clamouring for the fifth and final Lavington book- Charlotte Phillips is just fantastic!

Access All Areas is out now, published by Harper Impulse.

With thanks to the publisher who provided me with a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I read this book as part of the #HIReadathon.  Find out more about to get involved here.

Kiss Me on this Cold December Night- Charlotte Phillips *including author guest post*

Ella and Tom had a romantic fling five years ago.  Ella has no plans to relive it, but when she unexpectedly bumps into Tom at a London hotel memories of their red hot connection come flooding back- can she resist temptation? 

I'd enjoyed Charlotte Phillips' Did Someone Order Room Service? earlier this year (see my review here ) and had been looking forward to this latest release in the Do Not Disturb series. 

I was completely swept away by the winter romance of Kiss me on This Cold December Night!  Ella and Tom's relationship was engaging and I particularly liked that they had history which added a bit of extra spice.  Their date to Hyde Park is sweet and tender whilst the steamy scenes in the hotel will leave you hot under the collar- a fabulous balance of classic romance with some mild erotic scenes.  The characters were likeable and developed as the story progressed.  I found myself willing them to find the happiness they deserved.

Once I started this book I struggled to put it down- Charlotte Phillips has written a festive romance that had me hooked.  I am desperate for more from this series now! 

Kiss Me on This Cold December Night is out today, published by Harper Impulse, a digital imprint of Harper Collins.

8/10

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.  Find out more by clicking the link below.



Charlotte very kindly offered to write an exclusive guest piece for Books with Bunny which you can read below....

Thanks so much for hosting me and reviewing my story!

This is the third story in my Do Not Disturb series of novellas. The stories in the series are all standalone, but they are linked by the same backdrop – a luxury boutique hotel in London.

When I first decided I wanted to write a Christmas story for the series, it was the end of August, the weather was toasty warm, and Christmas was the furthest thing from my mind. All I knew about the story was that it would be a reunion – Tom and Ella had a one night stand five Christmases ago and I liked the idea of Christmas throwing them a second chance.

The best part of writing this story was choosing some of the fantastic Christmas London sights to use. I had a lovely time surfing the internet and looking at pictures of Somerset House ice skating rink, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and Trafalgar Square’s huge Christmas tree.

I like to think of Christmas as a time when anything can seem possible, and I really wanted to play around with the idea of fate, so I looked for ways of bringing Tom and Ella back together that depended on total chance. So Tom is on his way to his annual festive family holiday in Barbados when his plane is grounded by the bonkers British weather, and Ella has won a Christmas shopping weekend in a competition. Ella left Tom sleeping five years ago for a good reason, but amid the magic of snowy London things might be different this time around.

I hope it’s as much fun to read as it was to write!

Did Someone Order Room Service?- Charlotte Phillips

I seem to have been reading lots of romantic fiction recently, and Harper Impulse is right up there as the frontrunner in contemporary publishing.  Totally escapist romance, and with a diverse range, if you are looking for some books to woo you then I definitely recommend trying some of their titles.

Did Someone Order Room Service? is part of the Do Not Disturb series, and is an entertaining, light-hearted rom-com romp. 

When Layla Jones heads to work in an upmarket hotel the last thing she expects is to be requested as a personal assistant to American tennis star Matt Stanton.  Known for his playboy antics and love 'em and leave 'em mentality, can Layla resist his charms?

I found Did Someone Order Room Service? a lively book, not too long in length and with a sharp, snappy pace.  I liked Layla as a character and really wanted her to get the happy ending she deserved.  The only downside was the ending, which seemed a bit abrupt, but other than that it had everything I would look for in a romance-including Matt Stanton who I imagined being a real hottie!

Did Someone Order Room Service? is out now, published by Harper Impulse, and imprint of Harper Collins.

8/10

With thanks to Harper Impulse for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I have some very exciting Harper Impulse news coming soon.......