One of my favourite things about book blogging is discovering new authors. When I was first invited to take part in a blog tour for Maddie Please, I was excited to read her work, and can honestly say that I’ve not looked back. Her books are filled with fun and heart and a lovely helping of romance for a more mature heart. If you’d like to read a couple of my previous reviews, you can follow these links: The Old Ducks Club and Old Friends Reunited.
Thanks to Rachel Gilbey from Rachel’s Random Resources for arranging this tour and for arranging my digital advance reading copy, which was gifted to me via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. You can read my thoughts below.

Synopsis
Clover Harrington might be sixty-one, but she’s still bossing it in the corporate world and can still run rings around her younger colleagues. And then she is made redundant….
Devastated and now suddenly the wrong side of sixty Clover doesn’t know what to do with her life or her corporate wardrobe! What does she wear if not red lippy and a power suit?! Rather than offer her any support, her partner, Jack announces he’s off on a golfing weekend, leaving Clover completely adrift.
Desperate to get away from it all, Clover decides to visit her cousin Zoe at her small taverna in the gorgeous Italian Lakes. There she can rest and recuperate and plan the next stage of her life.
Until Clover’s eighty-year-old mother, Eleanor decides to turn up for the holiday too! Instead of gentle ambles around the lake, Eleanor seems more interested in late night poker and swigging Prosecco and Clover can’t quite believe her mum is having more fun than she is. But as the saying goes – if you can’t beat em, join em!
But is Clover brave enough to live La Dolce Vita?

Review
As the weather here had turned rather chilly and distinctly wet, I was more than happy to accept a trip to the Italian Lakes. Previous books had taught me that I was going to have a fun-filled trip and I couldn’t wait.
Clover Harrington was the epitome of how I would imagine an older version of a helpless workaholic. Addicted to power in all forms, boardroom and dressing alike, she took her redundancy to heart. I’m not quite the same age but would certainly panic if I had to start again. I don’t buy into the power side of work, but as I age, I know it’s a harder sell when competing with younger candidates.
Losing patience with her partner, Jack, she tells him that they are over and packs a bag for a trip to the Italian Lakes. The part of the story that centred around Clover’s relationship with Jack was highly amusing. His inability and unwillingness to accept her decision spoke volumes about his commitment to Clover, or rather, his lack of commitment.
Arriving at her cousin’s taverna, it doesn’t take long for Clover to realise that there is more to life than power dressing and red lipstick. She soon learns that there is joy in getting dirty, working hard, and relaxing with a glass of something nice. She also learns that not all men are the same as Jack. Just as she’s beginning to see an opportunity for some fun, her octogenarian mother appears and has definite plans to live her best life.
Eleanor, Clover’s mum, is an absolute force of nature. She doesn’t feel that the decision to move into a retirement community was the right one for her and soon sets about proving that she has plenty more years of fun still to enjoy.
I am struggling to choose the best part of this book and really believe that it’s all pretty wonderful. I found joy, most of all, in seeing Clover’s metamorphosis from boardroom titan to the relaxed, fulfilled woman she became. Her story arc was triumphant and wholly uplifting.
You may not be surprised to learn that I am recommending this book, unreservedly and looking forward to the next treat from this fabulous author.
Author Bio
Maddie Please is the #1 bestselling author of novels including The Old Ducks’ Club and Sisters Behaving Badly. Having had a career as a dentist and now lives in rural Devon where she enjoys box sets, red wine and Christmas. She will be taking a new direction in her writing for Boldwood with joyous tales of older women.

Social Media & Weblinks
Check out these other stops on this wonderful blog tour
