Spring at Blueberry Bay by Holly Martin

Holly Martin is one of my favorite authors, each time I get the notification that she has a new book coming out it fills me with joy as I know that I will spend happy hours enthralled by her latest book.

Her newest book Spring at Blueberry Bay was no exception.

Blurb below;

Welcome to beautiful Hope Island where the sea sparkles, the daffodils are blooming and a blossoming romance is just around the corner…

Bella has always had a sunny outlook and caring nature, despite recently falling on hard times. When she finds a handsome homeless man on her doorstep, her kind heart tells her she must help him. So, she invites Isaac into her cottage and into her life in ways she could never have imagined…

But Isaac is not what he seems. He’s keeping a huge secret from Bella, yet he never expected to fall for this open, generous and charming woman. 

Bella can’t ignore the chemistry between her and Isaac, but she’s had her trust badly broken in her past. Will she run when she learns the truth about Isaac, or will he be the one man who can help Bella believe in love again?

I think this is my favorite book of Holly's so far, which is saying something as I love all of her books. The setting for this book is the beautiful Scilly Isles off the coast of Cornwall, a place that holds a special place in my heart as my best friends got engaged there, so I do believe it is a magical place.

Bella, is a spunky red head with a heartbreaking past that has stopped her from giving in to love in the past, she has trust issues when it comes to her own heart, but she has a huge heart and will always try to help those in need.

Issac is CEO of three companies and a multi millionaire, moving from London back to Hope Island he is hoping that something will give him the reason to stay permanently in his childhood island and not just his successful business. 

They meet in the most unexpected way, neither of them quite expecting to find in each other exactly what they didn't know they were looking for.

I spent the day reading this book completely entranced by Bella and Issac and the beautiful setting that Holly has created in this latest book. I finished the book and immediately wanted to go straight back to the start to read it again as I am sure in my haste to devour the book I have missed crucial details, not least reading more about the gorgeous Issac!

This is a heartwarming love story that is perfect for any romantic soul who loves a good book and reassures us that there are truly special people that walk among us.

Spring at Blueberry Bay is out on the 7th of April available from Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/spring+at+blueberry+bay

I really hope you enjoy reading about Bella and Issac as much as I did.

Thank you to the publishers for granting me access to an early copy on NetGalley

Surrounded by Water by Stephanie Butland

What would you do if after your husbands unexpected death you found that you really know him??

Elizabeth has just lost her husband in a tragic drowning accident saving a young woman late at night, but is everything really as it seems?

Elizabeth mover her entire life from Australia to a little town in England for the man that she loves more than anything and now she has been left alone in this little town where everyone knows everyone and everything that goes on in the town where everywhere there are people wanting to sympathise and remind her of what she has lost.

Michael tragically drowned while saving a young woman who had fallen into the pond after having a little too much to drink on a night out, but was unable to save himself. Michael is a local policeman and his untimely death is a shock to the whole community. But what was Michael doing at the pond so late at night and does the girl he saved know more than she is telling.

This story grabs you from the very first page and doesn't not let you until you have turned the last page. Elizabeth starts off the books with a letter to her husband trying to make sense of the news that has just been given to her, the news that no man or woman ever wants to hear that their spouse is not coming home.

Her grief is all consuming and swallows her whole. Her friends and Michael's mother all try to reach her but not even the arrival of her beloved sister can shift her darkness and misery, at times I found these parts very hard to read.

The story flicks between present day and the aftermath of the drowning and the survival of the young woman Kate to the time in Australia when Michael met Kate while travelling and the recent past of the early married life when Kate moved half way around the world to be with Michael.

But all is not as it seems in their outwardly perfect marriage, I have to admit I did see where the secrets would lie and I willed Elizabeth not to find the truth so that her memories of the man she loved so dearly could be preserved, however that wouldn't make for much of a story though would it!?

This book will keep you wondering what exactly happened that fateful night and will keep you reading into the night to do just that.

While I admit I did find it hard to read at times especially when Elizabeth was in the depths of her grief it by no means turned me off continuing reading. This is a very solid fiction debut and an author I would read again.

Thank you to the publishers for sending me a review copy and for letting us be a part of the blog tour. I hope you enjoy :)

You can buy Surrounded by Water here

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