Thursday 28 May 2020

Meet Me at Pebble Beach by Bella Osborne



Meet Me at Pebble Beach was originally published as a four-part serial. This is the complete story in one package.

Regan is holding a winning lottery ticket.
Goodbye to the boyfriend who never had her back, and so long to the job she can’t stand!
Except it’s all a bit too good to be true…

When Regan gets pranked, she finds herself jobless, homeless and boyfriendless in one fell swoop.

Luckily her friendly seaside community provides a beacon of hope, proving to Regan that sometimes you really can rely on the kindness of others – and one local in particular, a handsome fireman called Charlie, helps Regan realise that this could be her chance for a fresh start.

Armed with a list of ways to change her life, Regan decides it’s time to step out of her comfort zone. Because – as Charlie knows all too well – life is for living . . .

A feel-good summer read, perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Veronica Henry and Cressida McLaughlin.


Title: Meet Me at Pebble Beach
Author: Bella Osborne
Published By: Avon
Publication Date: 28th May
Links: Uk:  Amazon     US:  Amazon

Waterstones


Our Review


This book had me laughing out loud most of the way through, apart from the devastatingly sad bits. Regan is a bit of a disaster, everything that can go wrong does. The bit at the beginning was so funny and the sort of thing you would imagine happening to Bridget Jones.

When she meets Charlie she thinks her luck might have changed for the better but she is very much mistaken and things go from bad to worse.

Set in Brighton I was able to visualise clearly all the places that she went to which I really enjoyed.

Regan was rather annoying at times but lovable and a very loyal character. Even if she didn’t have anything she would still try to help other people and put them first. I loved her relationship with Elvis the dog and the other characters in the book.

A fun read with lots of laughs and a touch of heartbreak. Regan’s journey is filled with ups and downs and she is a character that will definitely stay with you.
Sincerely 
Book Angel x


About the Author



Bella has been jotting down stories as far back as she can remember but decided that 2013 would be the year that she finished a full length novel.
In 2016, her debut novel, 'It Started At Sunset Cottage', was shortlisted for the Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year and RNA Joan Hessayon New Writers Award.
Bella's stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She likes to find the humour in the darker moments of life and weaves these into her stories. Her novels are often serialised in four parts ahead of the full book publication.
Bella believes that writing your own story really is the best fun ever, closely followed by talking, eating chocolate, drinking fizz and planning holidays.
She lives in The Midlands, UK with her lovely husband and wonderful daughter, who thankfully, both accept her as she is (with mad morning hair and a penchant for skipping).

For more about Bella, visit her website at www.bellaosborne.com or follow her on Social Media:
Twitter - @osborne_bella

Friday 1 May 2020

Wedding Bells for Woolworths by Elaine Everest







July 1947. Britain is still gripped by rationing, even as the excitement of Princess Elizabeth’s engagement sweeps the nation… In the Woolworths’ canteen, Freda is still dreaming of meeting her own Prince Charming, and Sarah's idyllic family life is under threat with worries about her husband, Alan. The friends must rally round to face some of the toughest challenges of their lives together. And although they experience loss, hardship and shocks along the way, love is on the horizon for the Woolworths girls.

Title: Wedding Bells for Woolworths
Author: Elaine Everest
Publication Day: 30th April
Published By:   Pan MacMillan
Links:  UK: Amazon   Waterstones


Our Review

I was delighted to read Wedding Bells for Woolworths as I really wanted to catch up and see what the original Woolworths girls had been getting up to.

Things had changed a lot for Maisie, Sarah and Freda and their boss Betty as three of them were married with children. Freda the youngest of the group found herself in a bit of a scrape due to perhaps misguided loyalties and subsequently risked the amazing friendships she had built with the other girls.

The story is set in post war Erith against the backdrop of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding and the Olympics being held in London. Although the story is fiction I found it even more interesting because of the snippets of history that were weaved throughout.

There is a troubling incident that happens which escalated as the story unfolds and becomes extremely shocking which totally pulled the rug from under my feet. I really don't want to give the game away so I won't say any more about that.

I love how Maisie manages to make clothes for the girls out of bits and bobs and I can really see the outfits in my imagination.

One of the things I love about the Woolworths series is that it gives the reader a glimpse of a more innocent and simple way of life, people didn’t have much but they shared what little they did have. The matriarch of the family Ruby was amazing as usual and still looked after everyone she came in contact with and treated them like they were her own.

There are lots of happy moments to look forward to with Wedding Bells for Woolworths but there is also heartbreak as things don't work out quite as well as they should do for some of the characters. It really does show that life isn't all plain sailing. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Woolworths series and The Teashop Girls by the same author. 

Sincerely
Book Angel x



About the Author
A former Woolworths Girl herself, Elaine Everest is from Kent and she grew up listening to stories of the war years in her home town of Erith, which features in her bestselling Woolworths Girls series. A former journalist, Elaine has written over sixty short stories for the women's magazines and she used to run the Romantic Novelists Association blog. When she isn't writing, Elaine runs The Write Place creative writing school in Hextable. She lives with her husband, Michael and sheepdog Henry.