When Storm books decided to release the first three books in this series, I was absolutely thrilled. I’m a definite fan of Eliza Scott’s writing and I just knew that I wanted to be involved in each of her tours. Having now read each of them, I’m delighted with that decision and eagerly awaiting the next instalments. If you’d like to look at my reviews of the first two, you can follow these links: The Little Bookshop by the Sea and Summer Days at Cliff Top Cottage.
I’m grateful to Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources for the blog tour invite and to Storm Books for providing my digital review copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. You can read my thoughts below.
Synopsis
Welcome to your happy place…
Stella Hutton has everything under control. Her high-flying career as a lawyer relies on her keeping a calm, rational head on her shoulders. She hasn’t got time for love, or space for a man in her glamorous new apartment, a converted warehouse overlooking the rugged cliffs of Micklewick Bay.
But when a handsome stranger walks into the Jolly Sailors pub, with a sparkle in his blue eyes and a head of dark curls, everything changes. Making a beeline for her, Alex Bainbridge introduces himself while a gorgeous Labrador waits at his feet. Electricity instantly sparks between Stella and Alex, as her heart flips inside her chest and her usual strict rules about men fly out the window…
Stella thinks her crush will pass. But every time she bumps into Alex — on her daily jog along the promenade, at the supermarket, inside the Happy Hartes Bookshop — her feelings only grow stronger. Her close-knit group of friends have never seen her like this before. After thirty years of being happily single, has Stella finally met the one? Or will her cherished independence sabotage her chance at a forever love?
Escape to Micklewick Bay in this uplifting, feel-good page-turner, perfect for fans of Heidi Swain, Jenny Colgan and Phillipa Ashley.
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Review
Having met Stella in the previous books, her reputation for being disinterested in relationships was made very clear. Put off the idea by her mother’s stance, she was perfectly happy with her career and her friendship group. As we are taken on a guided tour of her life, it’s hard not to be enviable of her success and all the trappings that have come with it. I absolutely loved the descriptions of her apartment.
Stella is not a man-hater, though. She’s just too focused on other elements of her life, and that suits her. Having grown up as an only child to her business-focused, single mother, it’s easy to see that this apple hadn’t landed far from the proverbial tree.
We then meet Alex, a stranger to Micklewick and breathtakingly handsome. Stella soon starts to question her decisions. Alex is the perfect example of a leading man, and I totally understand why Stella is torn between the life she knows and the unknown territory of a relationship.
It was great to get under Stella’s skin and learn more about her past. Her backstory had been perfectly told in the first couple of books, and I was thrilled to learn more. There was a gentle innocence to their courtship, which was definitely one for fans of clean romance. Just skip the thoughts which were definitely not innocent.
Once again, this is an ensemble story, and we find ourselves catching up on the lives and loves of the familiar characters from the previous books. The author definitely has the knack of developing characters in such a way that before you know it, they feel like lifelong friends. A special mention has to go to Fred the Labrador, the clumsy companion of Alex. His innocent antics practically bring their romance to an end before they really get going, but if you want to know how, you’ll need to read this delightful story.
Author Bio
Eliza J Scott lives in North Yorkshire with her family and has wanted to be a writer as far back as she can remember. She is inspired by her beautiful surroundings and loves to write heartwarming stories based on romance and friendship with a generous dollop of community spirit and a hint of humour. She has written and self-published ten novels and has been an Amazon UK Kindle bestseller.
When she’s not writing, Eliza can usually be found with her nose in a book or working in her garden doing a spot of plot wrangling (of the writing variety), and battling against the weeds. The weeds, unfortunately, are currently winning but Eliza is undeterred. Roses are amongst her favourite flowers and she doesn’t need much of an excuse to visit a plant centre where a new rose always seems to mysteriously find its way onto her trolley much to her husband’s astonishment.
Eliza also enjoys having a catch-up with friends over tea and cake, as well as bracing walks in the countryside, rounded off by a visit to a teashop – for yet more tea and cake!
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Please take a look at the other stops on this lovely tour
Book Escapes with BabsW67 