Waiting on Wednesday- The Little Bookshop on the Seine- Rebecca Raisin

I absolutely adore Rebecca Raisin's books and her next offering The Little Bookshop on the Seine looks to be absolutely perfect for a bibliophile like me!  I can't wait to read it, and it's only got a holding cover so far- I can't wait to see the 'real' one!

 

The Blurb

Bookshop owner Sarah Smith has been offered the opportunity to exchange bookshops with her new Parisian friend for 6 months! And saying yes is a no-brainer – after all, what kind of a romantic would turn down a trip to Paris?

Even if it does mean leaving the irresistible Ridge Warner behind, Sarah’s sure she’s in for the holiday of a lifetime – complete with all the books she can read!

Picturing days wandering around Shakespeare & Co, munching on croissants, sipping café au laits and people-watching on the Champs-Élysées Sarah boards the plane. But will her dream of a Parisian Happily-Ever-After come true? Or will Sarah realise that the dream isn’t quite as rosy in reality…

The Little Bookshop on the Seine is due to be published on October 16th by Carina UK.

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe - Jenny Oliver

The Blurb

Home, Sweet Home….?

There’s nowhere more deliciously welcoming…

When Annie White steps back onto Cherry Pie Island, it’s safe to say her newly inherited Dandelion Café has seen better days! And while her childhood home on the Thames-side island idyll is exactly the same retreat from the urban bustle of London she remembers, Annie’s not convinced that Owner of The Dandelion Cafe is a title she’ll be keeping for long. Not that she can bear the idea of letting her dedicated, if endearingly disorganized staff lose their jobs. Plus café life does also have the added bonus of working a stone’s throw away from millionaire Matt and his disarmingly charming smile!
One (shoestring budget) café makeover, a few delightful additions to the somewhat retro menu and a lot of cherry pie tastings later, The Dandelion Café is ready for its grand reopening! But once she’s brought the dilapidated old café back to life, Annie finds herself wishing her stay on the island was just a bit longer. She always intended to go back to the big city…but could island living finally have lured her back home for good?

Perfect for fans of Lucy Diamond, Sophie Kinsella and Cathy Bramley.

The Cherry Pie Island series
The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café – Book 1
The Vintage Ice Cream Van Road Trip – Book 2
The Great Allotment Challenge – Book 3
One Summer Night at the Ritz – Book 4

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café is Book 1 in The Cherry Pie Island series.

Each part of Cherry Pie Island can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story – or as part of the utterly delightful series.

The Review

I've read a few of Jenny Oliver's books and there are two things I've really enjoyed about them - the way she writes about community and the descriptions of food.  Honestly, there's no one else who can make my mouth water so much purely through their writing!

I absolutely loved The Parisian Christmas Bake Off when I read it a few years ago and also found The Little Christmas Kitchen and The Vintage Summer Wedding were good reads, although didn't captivate me in the same way.  However, with The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café Jenny Oliver had me hooked from the very first page - she's back to her baking best!

Firstly, I loved that Annie had a past.  She's not broken by it, but it's there - an ex-husband from a Vegas wedding, an insecurity built on her father's preference for her brother over her, a lack of money management skills... I felt that by knowing more about Annie's history I empathised with her plight as she fought her inner battle over what to do with the café she's inherited.   Should she stay and revamp it?  Is it financially viable?  Or should she sell it and allow developers to change the landscape of Cherry Pie Island forever?

Of course, this is a romance so there's a love interest (Hello Matt!)  Annie and Matt's friendship develops throughout the book and it's a cute and believable progression.  Both characters had baggage from their pasts but I was cheering this couple on and willing them to get together!

But the absolute highlights for me were the deliciously tempting descriptions of food being sold in the café and Jenny Oliver's charming titbits of information about the café's homely interior.  Even by the end of the book it's nothing swish, but that adds to the delightful normalcy of it.  It's exactly the kind of place you hope to stumble across for friendly conversation and a bite to eat, and is the perfect fictional retreat.

I'll definitely be back for another slice of cherry pie as the series continues.  Mine's a large slice with cream please, Annie. 

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café is out now, published by Carina.

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

Q and A with Rebecca Pugh! *Carina Week*

Today's guest as part of Carina week is author Rebecca Pugh.  Rebecca's first novel Return to Bluebell Hill was a runaway success and she's now preparing for her next release, A Home in Sunset Bay.  Many thanks to Rebecca for kindly agreeing to answer my questions today!

 

 

1.      How different has it been writing your second book compared to your first?

I wouldn’t say ‘easy’, but I’d definitely say that the second time round, I feel much more clued up on what’s to come and what needs to be done. Writing ‘Return to Bluebell Hill’ and experiencing the editing process was a very steep learning curve for me, but having done it once, I feel better prepared now for ‘A Home in Sunset Bay’ and it’s fantastic! I’ve taken my editor’s notes in from working on my debut, and have tried very hard to put her wonderful help and insights into practice while writing my second novel. I hope that this shows if readers who read Return to Bluebell Hill decide to read A Home in Sunset Bay! I couldn’t put into words how much I’ve learnt so far, and I still feel like I have a long way to go, but I’m excited to hopefully improve as I continue to write, fingers crossed! There’s always something to change, something I can make better, and in a strange way, it’s cathartic to chop up and lengthen sentences to make the story better as a whole. I feel like I’ve gone off on a tangent here, but all in all, writing my second novel felt much smoother than writing my first! I really cannot wait to share A Home in Sunset Bay with lovely readers.

  2.      Return to Bluebell Hill had some fabulous reviews – what does it feel like to know readers are enjoying your book?

I don’t think that there’s any one word that can describe how it feels when someone tells me that they’re enjoying my book, or I read a glowing review. Sometimes, I find it hard to believe that they’re talking about my book, a book which I’ve written. Even now, it’s completely bizarre and I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s all real and truly happening. It’s a blessing, a pleasure and a dream come true, all rolled into one, and definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me. When I hear something positive about my debut, it fills me with warmth from the inside out, and I find it hard to wipe the grin from off my face for a very long time afterwards.

3.      As a big reader, have you found writing for a living has eaten into your reading time?

I guess it has, but that was always inevitable. I do the majority of my reading when in bed at night, thanks to the fantastic built-in light on my Kindle which is the best thing ever by the way. I’m still trying to find a balance between the two, but I know that my writing will now come first. Books have always been my first love, but it’s not every day that you’re given an opportunity to write and have your novels published. I’ll always read when I can, always blog and review, but not as much as I used to. Priorities change throughout life, so I’m not sad. Excited more like!

4.      Can you tell us about your next release?

Of course! My second novel with Carina is due for release February 2016. It’s titled, ‘A Home in Sunset Bay’ and focuses on the Chapman sisters whose lives, as they so often do, went off on their own paths. The sisters were once the best of friends, closer than close and birds of a feather. Now, so many years later, they’re about to be reunited, although under shaky circumstances. I have loved writing A Home in Sunset Bay. I’ll have the pleasure of introducing readers to Dolly’s Diner, a 1950’s eatery, two sisters who I hold very dear to my heart, and a tale of how they somehow managed to get their wires so twistingly crossed somewhere along the way. I’m really excited because I feel that everything I learnt with my debut has been put into play, and I just hope it shows when readers can finally step into Sunset Bay!

5.      What’s next for Rebecca Pugh?

More books, I hope! I want to become better with my writing, I want to make more readers fall in love, I want to share my writing for years and years to come! The past year has been the most exciting of my life, and I want to live every year in the same way, sharing book news and covers and just generally making a big song and dance about it. As I said before, it’s not every day this becomes possible. This time last year I had no idea what life had in store for me, but now I wince when I think of what I’d be doing if I hadn’t submitted and at least tried, you know? I hope to continue in this exact way, blissfully happy and constantly excited. It’s the best feeling in the world!

Thank you so much for joining me today Rebecca, as always it's been a pleasure talking writing and books with you!

 

Return to Bluebell Hill is out now, published by Carina UK.

Question and Answer with Jennifer Bohnet *Carina Week*

 

I've been admiring this beautiful cover for weeks now, so when Jennifer Bohnet agreed to answer a few questions for Books with Bunny I was over the moon!  Let's hope we've got some more beautiful blue skies ahead before autumn comes.

You set your new novel by the sea- what are your own memories of the seaside?

I was born at the seaside - Weston-super-Mare - and spent a large part of my childhood there, so I have lots of memories. As many people will know the tide goes out a long way at Weston leaving a wide expanse of sand. I was very into horses as a teenager and some of my fondest memories involve lots of exhilarating early morning canters along the sand before the holiday makers arrived.

How long did it take you to write the book, and what were your inspirations?

For various reasons writing The Little Kiosk By the Sea took a couple of months longer than planned - about six months in all. My inspiration came via two things - a friend who had managed a kiosk organising boat and fishing trips and had lots of tales to tell. Dartmouth, where the book is set is one of my favourite places in the world and I wanted to set another story there.

If you had a kiosk by the sea, what would you sell?

 

In a previous life I did have a kiosk by the sea! Richard and I ran a beach cafe and takeaway for several years in Devon.  This ancient black and white photo shows my mother, me and my daughter standing behind the takeaway counter of our wooden kiosk on the beach!

What is your must-have seaside buy?

 

Nothing beats a coffee ice cream with a dollop of clotted cream on top!

My favourite word ever happens to be in your title.  'Kiosk' is just a delight to say!  What's your favourite word? 

 

Not sure I have one but I think ‘Author’ would have to come high on the list!

Thank you for answering my questions Jennie, it's been a pleasure to have you visit Books with Bunny.

 

Thank you so much Kate for inviting me on your blog.

***

Buy The Little Kiosk by the Sea on Amazon.  It's out now, published by UK Carina.

 

Author Bio: 

 

I’ve lived in France for 16 years now. After 11 years down on the Cote d’Azur where Richard was a guardien for a villa, we moved from the Mediterranean coast to a small quirky cottage in Finistere, Brittany. A bit of a culture shock to say the least! When I’m not writing I love reading, cooking and having friends around for lunch - lunches that follow the French tradition of lasting for several hours. 

Question and Answer with Liz Tipping, author of Five Go Glamping BLOG TOUR *Carina Week*

Today I'm joined by Liz Tipping, author of Five Go Glamping, who has very kindly agreed to answer some questions just for Books with Bunny.

What are your own experiences of camping/glamping?  

I went glamping for the first time this summer and it was such an enjoyable experience. There were five yurts in a paddock, next to a field of dairy cows and the glampsite owners had three lambs who were absolutely beautiful. The sweetest things you ever saw!  In the morning, we had tea and coffee in a covered patio area overlooking the river and the little lambs would wander over to say hello. Inside the yurt was a wood stove and big comfy bed. It was lovely.

But I do love camping too and have been lots of times. The first holiday I went on with husband was a camping trip around Devon and Cornwall, so that’s one of my favourite memories. Our first stop was on a campsite near  Woolacombe in Devon and there was an incredible view. It was amazing to unzip the tent and the first thing I saw was the blue Atlantic sparkling! Lovely!

 

 What five things do you most miss when you're away from home?

Oh my goodness, I miss my bed so much! And my pillows! Whenever I return from a trip I can’t wait to get into my own bed and I say “Ah, bed. Bed, bed, bed. Bed.”

And I miss my sofa too- it’s getting a bit old and battered now, but whenever I think I will buy a new one, I spend the money on holidays instead.

I miss the telly loads as well! Well, perhaps not while I am actually on holiday, but whenever I come back from holidays, I always have a full tivo box and I’m all “Television, I have missed you!” and I get excited about catching up on what I’ve missed and getting back into whatever box set I am watching.

If there’s not a great reception where I am and there’s no wifi, I do tend to get a little bit twitchy. I’m not quite as bad as Fiona in Five Go Glamping, but I do like to know at least  twitter and email are accessible should I need them!

And big mugs! Tiny hotel cups always upset me greatly. In Ireland this January I was in a lovely hotel but it had the smallest teacups so I went to Dunnes and bought myself a big mug- but the first one I picked up from the display had orange juice in it. I’d love to know how it got there!

So bed, telly, sofa, wifi and big mugs!

 

Five go Glamping is set at a music festival- what are your five favourite songs to listen to at the moment?

These are the last five songs I’ve listened to- I have them in mind for the soundtrack for my next book!

Taylor Swift – Style
Jana Kramer – Whiskey
Mother Love Bone – Chloe Dancer
Carly Rae Jepsen- I really like you
Soundgarden - Fell On Black Days

What are your five essentials for camping/glamping?
1. I think sausages are an essential component for any glamping or camping trip because otherwise, what even is the point of going?

2.Cold beers ( ginger or otherwise!) – I made a beer box the last time we went camping. I filled around ten  freezer bags with water and put them in the freezer. When they were frozen,  I put them into a cardboard box with some already chilly beers and they stayed really, really cold for over two days. As the ice in the freezer bags melted, I used the water in the saucepan for cooking and making tea.

3.Warm clothes- even if it is a sweltering day, tents are often chilly at night, so don’t forget to pack a cardigan and socks!

4. Make up remover wipes- whether you are glamping or simply having a glamourous camping experience, you will bump into people on the way to the shower in the morning, so you can’t sleep in your make up the night before even if you do that at home. You don’t want to scare other campers off first thing in the morning because you look an extra from the Walking Dead.

5. And don’t forget the most important thing - a good book!

Finally, what five words would you use to describe your books?
I hope that readers will find them funny, romantic, inspiring, optimistic and heart-warming.

Many thanks for joining me today, Liz!

The Blurb

Glamping Check list
Festival tickets
Double check best Instagram filter
Avoid thinking about work/Connor/five year plan!!
A four day break from her hectic life to relax in the countryside and hang out at a local festival (for free!) is just what Fiona Delaney needs. With her best friends, great tunes and a cool looking hat her Instagram shots are going to look A-Mazing!
Until suddenly glamping starts to feel a lot more like camping and Fiona’s in desperate search of a comfy chair, wi-fi and a chilled glass of wine. But when she finally makes it to the local pub she discovers this trip could be more than just a holiday, it might just change her life forever…  Five Go Glamping is out now, published by Carina.

 

 

Guest post by Anouska Knight

Today's guest on Books with Bunny is bestselling author Anouska Knight.  Her previous releases Since You've Been Gone and A Part of Me have received rave reviews, and her new release Letting You Go looks to hit the same dizzy heights. 

Anouska's post introduces us to Alex, the protagonist in Letting You Go and explains why the author has a soft spot for her...

Alex Foster is not in a great place. She’s in her late twenties, trying to live her life in as small and inconspicuous a way as possible because she doesn’t feel that she deserves any of the opportunities denied to her younger brother, Dill.

Dill’s accident happened on Alex’s watch and there is absolutely nothing Alex can ever do to change the consequences of that one, brief lapse in concentration. Alex’s case isn’t helped by the fact that instead of watching Dill, Alex had been preoccupied in the bushes with her boyfriend at the time, Finn. As a result, there’s nothing Alex can ever do to repair the damage done to her relationship with her father, a man who has seemingly done his best to keep Alex at arm’s length from her old life.

I really felt for Alex when writing Letting You Go, I think mainly because she is so identifiable. She’s just a nice, decent girl who made an easy mistake as a seventeen year old that, for all the wishing in the world, she can’t ever take back. A decade on, Alex is carrying her guilt around with her because that’s all she can do to pay penance somehow.

Keeping a low profile living hundreds of miles away was going okay for Alex, sort of. But when her mother falls ill Alex has to face up to her father again, the town she left behind and the old ghosts she simply can’t hide from any more.

But Alex isn’t the only one with a past she’d do anything to change. In many ways, Alex’s preoccupation with her own inadequacies has blindsided her. She’s surrounded by secrets she never sensed were there before. Even her father and sister seem to be holding out on her.

Throughout the course of Alex’s journey, she learns that she doesn’t know all there is to know about the people around her, that she isn’t the only Foster who has inadvertently hurt the ones they love, and that there were other factors influencing the course of events that led up to Dill’s accident that day. That said, forgiving those individuals turns out to be far easier than forgiving herself.

Alex has to learn how to stand tall again. How to not shy away and hide from the love in her life, but to fight for it.

Letting You Go by Anouska Knight is out now (Mira, £7.99) .

Waiting on Wednesday- A Merry Mistletoe Wedding- Judy Astley

It's been a while since I've read a Judy Astley book, but I love the look of this one!  Christmas and weddings are two of my favourite things, and combined it's enough to make my little heart whoop with joy.  I'm looking forward to reading this one closer to Christmas, but it's released on October 8th, published by Transworld.

 

The Blurb
It is almost a year since Sean and Thea met and it's been a roller-coaster ride: they're getting married on Christmas Day!

Neither Thea or Sean want a big fuss - a simple wedding, with Christmas lights and just a few sprigs of mistletoe for decoration is all they need. But before they know it, things begin to get complicated. Trying to manage a long-distance relationship in the build-up to their Christmas wedding is one thing, but as one challenge after another comes their way, the happy couple begin to wonder if they'll ever make it down the aisle . . .

With unforgettable characters, charming romance and lots of laughter, A Merry Mistletoe Wedding is a gorgeous Christmas read - perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Milly Johnson.