Blog Tour: The Summer of Falling in Love by Liz Davies

I'm delighted to be reviewing The Summer of Falling in Love by Liz Davies. Thank you to the author and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to take part in the blog tour.

The Blurb

The thought of having a dog hasn’t crossed Theo Martin’s mind. It’s not that he doesn’t like dogs – he does – but the idea has simply never occurred to him.

It has occurred to his mother though, and when she decides to buy him a puppy because she thinks it will “liven him up a bit”, his life is turned completely upside down and not for the better as far as he’s concerned. But when he discovers that having a cute dog on the end of a lead attracts a great deal of female attention, he soon changes his mind. All kinds of women stop to pet the pup and while they coo over Poppy, they talk to him. A lot. And for Theo, it looks like his love life is taking a very welcome turn for the better.

But what about Josie Wilde, his dog sitter?

Forced to employ someone to walk his dog when he’s in work, he finds himself increasingly attracted to her, but unfortunately Josie’s interest in him appears to be purely professional. As the summer unfolds and he falls head over heels in love with the sweet and vulnerable pup, he finds himself falling for Josie.

For Theo, it’s not so much ‘love me, love my dog’, but more like ‘love my dog, love me, too’. Please…?

My Review

Being a dog-lover myself, I could not resist taking part in this blog tour. 

Poppy is an adorable bundle of fluff, who bounds into Theo's life. Theo does agree with his mother that he needs to get a life, but is rather disgruntled when her solution is to land him with a puppy. After all, it's not all just treats and belly rubs... 

Theo thinks his mother is barking mad and wonders how on earth he is supposed to cope with a dog, so he hires a dog sitter so that Poppy is not home alone. A rather attractive dog sitter, who never seems to stray far from his thoughts...

The Summer of Falling in Love is full of love (unsurprisingly!) and joy, mostly created by our cute canine. There are many pitfalls to owning a pet, but these are more than outweighed by the benefits of puppy love - but will Theo feel the same?

Theo was a lovely character, although I do wonder if perhaps he's a little too good to be true and if a guy would be quite so soppy in real life. But that aside, it is lovely to see him fall in love, and his story is an easy, enjoyable read, perfect for whiling away some time in Lockdown.

The true star of the book is of course Poppy. She is absolutely delightful!

Buy the Book!

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Falling-Love-uplifting-feelgood-ebook/dp/B086DXQ52Y
US - https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Falling-Love-uplifting-feelgood-ebook/dp/B086DXQ52Y

About the Author

Liz Davies writes feel-good, light-hearted stories with a hefty dose of romance, a smattering of humour, and a great deal of love. 

She’s married to her best friend, has one grown-up daughter, and when she isn’t scribbling away in the notepad she carries with her everywhere (just in case inspiration strikes), you’ll find her searching for that perfect pair of shoes. She loves to cook but isn’t very good at it, and loves to eat - she’s much better at that! Liz also enjoys walking (preferably on the flat), cycling (also on the flat), and lots of sitting around in the garden on warm, sunny days. 

She currently lives with her family in Wales, but would ideally love to buy a camper van and travel the world in it. 

Website: https://lizdaviesauthor.wixsite.com/home
Twitter https://twitter.com/lizdaviesauthor


See what other people are saying about The Summer of Falling in Love:

I'm delighted to be on the blog tour for Zara Stoneley's lovely festive read, Four Christmases and a Secret. Thank you to Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to review.

You can buy the book here:

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QRTC5JC/

US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QRTC5JC/

The Blurb

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… 

Except for Daisy Christmas means another of Uncle T’s dreaded Christmas parties, complete with Christmas jumper and flashing antlers. And Oliver Cartwright. Gorgeous Oliver Cartwright. Who she hates. 

Every year Daisy has to face insufferable Ollie and hear all about how BRILLIANT he is. Whereas Daisy has no job, no man and no idea how to fix things. 

This Christmas however Daisy is determined things will be different. There will be no snogging Ollie under the mistletoe like when they were teenagers. No, this year she’ll show Ollie that she’s a Responsible Adult too.

But as the champagne corks pop, and the tinsel sparkles, Uncle T has news of his own to share…and it could change Daisy's life forever… 

My Review

Daisy feels hopeless, especially compared to childhood friend, Ollie, who she hears about endlessly from her mother - he's a Doctor, no less, with a Beautiful Girlfriend (again). How can she ever live up to that? 

Daisy's career is less than stellar - like many of us, she flounders from one thing to the next, unable to catch a break to do the thing she thinks she wants to do most. 

I found Daisy a bit irritating to start with - the story is narrated by her, and her thoughts tends to interrupt conversations so that I'd lose track sometimes, but I soon adapted to her style. After all, aren't we all thinking stuff during conversations - in the end it became endearing. 

Daisy's character grows through the story, guided by everyone's favourite 'Uncle' Terence, and the new 'man' in Daisy's life, Stanley.  Stanley is lovely, as are most of the characters. They are all well-rounded, even if some are not quite who they seem to be. And of course there is the hero of the tale, who is more than swoon-worthy!

There was so much more to this story than I thought at the beginning. It develops nicely, going deeper than I expected - which made it an absolute joy to read.

About the Author

Zara Stoneley is the USA Today bestselling author of 'The Wedding Date'.

She lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.

Born in a small village in the UK, Zara wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up. After many (many) years, and many different jobs, her dream of writing a bestseller came true. She now writes about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hopes that her tales make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say 'ahhh'.

Zara’s bestselling novels include 'Bridesmaids', 'No One Cancels Christmas', 'The Wedding Date', 'The Holiday Swap', 'Summer with the Country Village Vet', 'Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage' and the popular Tippermere series - 'Stable Mates', 'Country Affairs' and 'Country Rivals'.

You can find Zara on various social media platforms:

Website: http://www.zarastoneley.com
Twitter: @ZaraStoneley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley

Instagram: zarastoneley

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/zara-stoneley?follow=true

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B007WK307G

Blog Tour: The Barn of Buried Dreams by Chrissie Bradshaw

The Blurb

Erin and Heather Douglas are struggling. Their mother’s death has left a void in their family and everyday life has side-lined their dreams. 

Erin has buried herself away in the family home and left her stage career. By hiding away, she is evading the pain of returning to London and the acting world where her ex-fiancé is enjoying success and a new relationship. When she meets charismatic Texan Jackson McGee, she wrestles with her feelings for him. Should she trust another man? 

Heather is juggling babies, work, a rocky marriage and running on wine. An overheard conversation makes her ask, would Mark cheat on her? 

Can the sisters help one another to face their fears, dust off and revive those dreams and find joy in life?

My Review

The Barn of Buried Dreams is a lovely heart-warming story, centred around a bereaved family. Erin and Heather have both put their dreams on hold in the face of responsibility. Erin has struggled to cope with first giving up her acting career in London to nurse her sick mother, to having to then sort out her mother's house - the Barn of the title - and effects. Her sister Heather has her own problems as a mother and a wife; she seems very self-centred at first, but there's more than meets the eye to her issues. And brother Fraser just isn't present enough.

It's a story of everyday people with everyday problems, but it's not an everyday book. It's written sympathetically, with warmth and love, and the characters are well-developed and relate-able. And there's a hunky Texan to (cowboy) boot!

I'm going to go and read the author's first novel, A Jarful of Moondreams!

The Author

Chrissie, 2016 winner of the Romantic Novelist's Elizabeth Goudge writing trophy, is a seasoned tea drinker and a tenacious trainer of her welsh terrier, Oscar. She has always loved match-making a book to a reader. Writing the kind of book she loves to read takes this a step further. When Chrissie is not writing or reading, you will find her walking Oscar on the beach, trying to avoid the gym and spending time with her family and friends. 

Her new release, THE BARN OF BURIED DREAMS - when will they see daylight?, is a contemporary story about two sisters who are struggling after the death of their mother. It starts in Dunleith, the same Northumbrian setting as her debut novel ‘A Jarful of Moondreams’, and some characters cross both books. Readers can enjoy either book as a stand alone 

Chrissie enjoys tweeting to readers on @ChrissieBeee

Her instagram account is chrissie_bradshaw_author

Her blog is newhenontheblog.com

and she has a Chrissie Bradshaw author page on Facebook.

She would love to hear from readers!

Blog Tour: Dan Knew by F J Curlew

I'm delighted to take part in the Blog Tour for Dan Knew by F J Curlew. It was published on 5th June 2017 and you can buy it here.

The Blurb

A Ukrainian street dog is rescued from certain death by an expat family. As he travels to new countries with them a darkness grows and he finds himself narrating more than just his story. More than a dog story. Ultimately it's a story of escape and survival but maybe not his.

The world through Wee Dan's eyes is told in a voice that will stay with you long after you turn that last page.

The animals in this book are all real, as are their stories. The people's names have been changed to protect their privacy. Fact or fiction? Well, dogs can't talk, can they?

My Review

When Fiona contacted me to ask me if I was interested in reading her new book about a dog named Dan, she had me at 'dog'.

Anyone who knows me knows I love dogs, so this story about a little dog, rescued by a family, intrigued me.

The story is told entirely from Dan's point of view, which is refreshing, and also very funny at times. The author shows her knowledge of dogs, bringing our little canine to life within the pages. He knows 'Mum', but her husband is only ever known as 'Him', which is quite telling about his position in the family. Dan settles in with his new family, including other dogs, after being rescued from a harsh life on the streets in Ukraine. 

I found it a little hard keeping up with the family's ever-changing locations, but then I guess a dog wouldn't know places by names as we humans do, but Dan recognises familiar places by scent and sight. The author described the cold snowy winters very well, making me shiver even in our summer heat. 

Dan's devotion to his Mum is evident, and his confusion at some of the human behaviour is quite funny, but also heartbreaking. He shows how dogs are so empathetic with their owners, feeling sad when they are sad, and wanting to protect them. Dogs are more than family, and it was lovely reading this book as told from the littlest member of this dysfunctional family.

I want a dog.

About the Author

Fiona dropped out of school aged 15, because being the consummate rebel, she hated it! After becoming a single parent she decided to return to education, graduating in 1996 with an honours degree in primary education. Ah, the irony!

As soon as she graduated she packed everything she owned into her Renault 11, including her daughter, two dogs and a cat, and headed off to Estonia to become an international school teacher. After fifteen years of teaching, predominantly in Eastern Europe, she returned to the UK .

She now lives on the east coast of Scotland with two Scottish rescue dogs and a disgruntled Portuguese cat.

Fiona's first book was To Retribution – A love story/political thriller set in times of turmoil. You can buy it here.