Tag: mills & boon

Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery [BLOG TOUR]

innah961 Comment

I am so excited to be part of the blog tour for The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery! Huge thank you to the team at Mills and Boon, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

About The Book:


Publisher: Mills and Boon

Pages: 385

Format I read it in: Paperback

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK | Amazon US

★★★

Synopsis:

When Daisy’s dad married Sage’s mum, Daisy was thrilled to get a new sister. Except Sage was beautiful and popular, everything Daisy was not, and she made sure Daisy knew it.

As a young girl, Sage found herself living in a palatial home where she didn’t belong. Intimidated by her new sister’s intelligence she used her popularity to put Daisy down. After their parents’ divorced, the stepsisters’ rivalry continued until the final straw: Daisy married Sage’s first love, and Sage fled to Europe.

Years later, Daisy never expects – or wants – to see Sage again. But brought together by an accident involving the little sister they have in common they must learn to put aside their differences. Slowly the stepsisters begin to view the past through one another’s eyes and long buried secrets are revealed. Until their fragile truce is threatened by one careless act that could have devastating consequences…

My Thoughts:

When I heard about the author, I knew I have heard that name before and I thought I have read some of her books. It turns out, I have “The Friendship List” in my library, but I haven’t read it yet. As soon as I finished “The Stepsisters”, I was full of regret that I haven’t read the other one as well. That is about to change soon.

The Stepsisters is such a relaxing novel, in the sense that it provides a certain sense of comfort while you’re reading it. I found myself flying through the pages. The stories intrigued me and every chapter ended with me wanting to read a little bit more. The beginning was a bit hard for me to get into. It felt like a lot of characters were introduced very quickly. However, as soon as you get through the introductory part, everything goes smoothly.

Even though the synopsis focuses on the two sisters, Sage and Daisy, we also have the third sister – Cassidy. All three sisters have different qualities, and even though for some time, they were all living in the same household, they all have different experiences growing up. Sage and Cassidy were always close to each other. Sage bullied Daisy, which led to Cassidy also hating Daisy, with no real reason. And all of these feelings somehow stayed with them in the years to come, creating a very complex and fragile relationship between the three of them. Throughout the book, circumstances will make them cross paths again. This will give them a change to rekindle their relationship and either change or stay the same.

I really enjoyed the story as a whole.

The relationship between the stepsisters really intrigued me. I loved how their differences were explored, alongside with their opinions and past and current choices in life. However, there were a few things I didn’t enjoy, such as the random racist accusation that was thrown, and how both stepsisters handled this issue. It left me very confused. The other part was Sage’s story, and how it ended. For what she did and the people she hurt in the process, forgiveness shouldn’t have been served to her on a plate. There should have been a bigger road to redemption, and it’s just not a reality that I believe in.

To conclude, The Stepsisters is a very good choice of a book to dive into this summer. The variety in characters and their storylines, as well as the relatively small chapters will definitely keep you hooked and entertained.

About The Author:

SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

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Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

Meet Me In Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo [BLOG TOUR]

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I am so excited to be part of the blog tour for Meet Me in Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo. This is Toff’s second book, and after reading Meet Me in London, I couldn’t wait to read this one as well. If you’re looking for a lovely romance set in a summer destination, this book will be your perfect escape during the pandemic! I feel so honoured to be a Mills & Boon insider, and to have this opportunity!

About The Book:


Publisher: Mills & Boon

Pages: 320

Format I read it in: Uncorrected proof

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK | Amazon US

Synopsis:

Malie Pukui doesn’t believe in happy ever after. After a tragedy caused her to flee her family and friends in Devon she found a fresh start in Hawaii. Here, working at a surf school, she can give back to those in need and try to overcome the greatest loss in her life.

Moved around foster homes throughout his childhood, Todd Masters has worked hard to be able to offer a brighter future to young disadvantaged children. Now he has his own charitable foundation working with a surf school in Hawaii, a job he loves, but he still can’t put his past behind him.

When Malie rescues Todd from the sea a spark ignites between them, and the two wounded souls find a common ground. But amidst the surf, sunsets and sizzling kisses, can Malie let go of her past and risk something she’d locked away forever… her heart.

My Thoughts:

Meet Me in Hawaii was a lovely romance, and I managed to read it in two days. It’s very fast paced and captures your attention straight away. I remember Meet Me in London giving me Christmas vibes, and Meet Me in Hawaii managed to do the same with the summer destination. The coctails, beaches and surfing brought a great atmosphere, and during the pandemic, I actually really needed a little bit of that.

I really liked Malie as a character, especially her story, and how she bravely tries to be happy and get rid of all the guild she feels. And I also liked Todd, with his own traumatic childhood and his broken relationship with his father. I loved how these two characters managed to find themselves and click so fast. I loved their beginning scenes, and they gave me many butterflies.

However, then Malie makes some poor decisions, and I didn’t enjoy them. I am not a fan when a character decides to stop a potential relationship from happening because they are scared of being hurt. They could both feel the tension, and they both at some point tried to resist it, and then Malie properly rejected him and I was just agitated. But that’s just because I’m very picky with my romance tropes. It’s a “it’s not you, it’s me” situation. But apart from this, I really enjoyed the whole book.

I especially enjoyed the children and their interaction with Malie as a surfing teacher. Tara’s story was very moving and to be fair, I would have loved to read more about Jonny and Sky. I felt like there was an opportunity to explore this, and things were left unsaid. The competition in the end was quite interesting as well, and I loved the ending.

Even though it’s mainly a romance story, Meet Me in Hawaii is so much more than that!

It’s also a story about grief and guilt, and moving forward. A story about true friendships, one of those strong ones, that are quite rare to encounter these days. It’s a story about relationships, not just between partners, but between friends and parents too. But most importantly, about the freedom to be able to do what makes us happy in our lives.

Rating:

★★★★

About The Author:

With a combined social media following of over two million, Georgia “Toff” Toffolo captured the nation’s hearts on E4’s Made in Chelsea and as Queen of the Jungle on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! She’s also a regular on ITV’s This Morning. Her debut romance novel Meet Me in London was published in 2020.

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Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo [BLOG TOUR]

innah9611 Comments

★★★★★

I am so happy to be part of the blog tour for Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo. And not only am I participating, but I also have the privilege to kick it off! Thank you to the amazing team at Mills & Boon, for this opportunity. Below is an image of the Blog Tour Banner – please check out the rest of the book bloggers that are participating as well:

The team were so kind to send me a very beautiful personalised package, including some handmade gifts as well. The beautiful biscuit is by PippingGoodBiscuits. The personalised bauble with my name by Claires.Crafts. And the handmade clay earrings by OchreHandmade. These are all amazing small business that deserve your attention. And if you cannot support them at this time, at least give them a follow. They are amazing!

Synopsis:

Meet Me In London is a beautiful and emotional Christmas book. It follows Victoria, a designer that hopes to one day showcase her work. And it also follows Oliver, a millionaire and an owner of a big business, who is under pressure from his family to find a woman and settle down.

Oliver makes a deal with Victoria. He will help her showcase her designs and help the children she teaches. In return, she will pretend to be his fiancee on the opening day.

But, as you can imagine, things won’t go to plan. They will start developing feelings towards each other. Furthermore, an accident that happened in the past has scarred Victoria for life, and because of that, she is afraid to open up and trust another man.

My Thoughts:

The romance is beautiful, because it is raw and real. I felt the love, care and lust, as much as I felt the pain, the hurting and the need to protect the other person. The slow-burn pace was also something I really enjoyed. I loved how caring Victoria is, not only with Oliver, but with everyone in her life. Especially the children that she teaches. All she does in life is just give and give, without expecting anything in return. And the fact that she has been so hurt in the past for various reasons is so heartbreaking, and it does make you root for her all the way through.

And I also loved the respect that Oliver showed, always ensuring Victoria is okay and in agreement with whatever comes next. I don’t think this happens too often in romance novels, and it was a really important moment to note. The character development between Victoria and Oliver is amazing, and it all ends up in happy tears. I love how she makes him care more about the people and the community, rather than just his business.

I also loved Oliver’s family. When a millionaire’s family with a family business is represented, we usually see them as bitter and arrogant. And very often, they are rude to the person their son is dating. So I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t expecting that. But this book surprised me in a very positive way. The family of Oliver were very supportive of Victoria (minus the annoying cousin). They made her feel welcome and very loved from the start. She even got along very well with the mother.

The friendship in this book is precious! The lovely bond that Victoria shares with Zoe, Lily and Malie is beautiful! Since the accident in which they all were involved, they have become closer than ever and always supported each other through thick and thin. The friendship that these girls share is something every girl dreams of.

I loved this book so much! It put me in a wonderful Christmas mood, and made me want to decorate my Christmas tree, even though I need to put pumpkins first. 🙂 I really hope Meet Me In London by Georgia Toffolo is made into a Christmas movie. I swear, I will be the first person to watch it!

Also, there is a new book coming out in Spring 2021 called Meet Me in Hawaii, with Malie, one of Victoria’s best friends. It has surfing and I cannot wait for it!

Purchase Links:
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Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh [BLOG TOUR]

innah9614 Comments

★★★★

Thank you to Mills & Boon, for sending me a copy of Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh, and for the opportunity to participate on this blog tour. 

Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh is the second book in the Union of the Rakes series. It can be easily read as a standalone though.

Synopsis:

This is the story of Jessica McGale. Her family business is in need of investors, after it collapses due to a fire. Jessica is determined to acquire investors for her business at any cost. When she realises that London’s elite will never give a chance to a humble farm girl like herself, she does the unthinkable. She poses as “Lady Whitfield” and joins the elite on the table. She especially tries to get close to the Duke of Rotherby, as his influence and support could save her company. But one thing Jess never expected to happen, is to grow feelings for him. 

Noel is the carefree and notorious duke, but only his close friends truly know him. When he meets Lady Whitfield at the business bazaar, his world shifts. She makes him want to obey every command she tells, which is something he never imagined doing. He struggles to trust people, but trusting Jess is so easy. 

But what happens when the business bazaar is over, and so is the fake portrayal of Lady Whitfield? How do you cope when someone has lied to you, but you want them in your life forever? Read this amazing book to find out! 

My Thoughts:

I was so hooked about this book, and I finished it in two days. While the plot is a bit predictable and it has a Cinderella vibe to it, I still enjoyed it a lot. 

I could completely understand where Jess was coming from, and in order to save her business, I don’t think there were any other options, given how much rejection she faced in the first chapters. But as soon as she started developing feelings, she should’ve been honest with Noel. The person in me felt uncomfortable for her every single time she would deliberately put herself in an awkward situation and not tell the truth when she had a chance to. And the business trip to the farm? Oh, that got me biting my nails again. I also understand that continuing with the deception was a crucial part of the plot, to produce the drama that it did, but I am just not a fan of dishonesty. 

Noel was an amazing character, even though, at times, he seemed like the typical rich boy.

I loved the way his relationship with Jess progressed during the couple of days, and how he started opening up. Honestly, I didn’t believe it at first, given that it was based on a lie. I thought that given the fact how much trust issues he had, he could never get past her betrayal. And for me, his way of coping and resolving the issue didn’t fit with his character. I have the feeling that people who are lucky enough to have a high income and live in the elite societies are much more wary of “gold diggers”, and everything Jess does (even though for a good reason), seems to be for her business. So I wouldn’t have blamed him if he reacted in a way more different way and just told her to “bugger off”.

Overall, I enjoyed Would I Lie to the Duke and it was a very pleasurable short read to get me away from reality. I don’t always dive into historical romance, and this was a surprising change that ended on a positive note. Honestly, I am glad that it sparks a debate in my mind and makes me think of “what I would have done” on either side of the relationship. I would have acted very differently. And maybe that’s the reason I’m not married to a duke (yet). 😀 

Purchase Links:
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