Blog Tour: Will You Stay Another Day? by Samantha Tonge

 

We are either late for Christmas in July, or we are early for Christmas in December. Either way, we are starting to see Christmas related books being released. This is the first of several books that I am excited to read

When Lili's BFF Em died in a houseboat accident a year ago, she was totally and utterly devastated. Em and Lili did everything together. They shared a house, they travelled together and partied big time. Lili has been going through the motions, running her charity shop but the reality is that she's just getting by day by day. One day as the anniversary of Em's death is getting closer she sends Em's phone a message that says 'Knock knock'. The last thing that she expects is that she will get a response, especially one that knows their inside jokes. Lili convinces herself that it can only mean one thing....Em didn't die on that tragic night. After a series of messages, Lili arranges a meet up at a pub on Halloween but Em, unsurprisingly, doesn't show.

While at the pub, she meets Dylan who is all dressed up for Halloween and is waiting for his brother Harry who is travelling the world, but he doesn't show up. Lili and Dylan have a lot in common including somewhat adjacent careers, and so they slowly begin to share a friendship. But can a new friendship survive the depth of grief and longing for just one more day with Em? 

Lili does have support around her. There are the team members in her shop and some of the local people who Lili does her best to support. But they aren't Em! I do love how supportive Lili was of her friends, always looking out for small things for them in the shop, supporting their dreams. In essence, they became her found family and in turn they only want Lili to be happy. 

I loved the Sunday afternoon sessions that Lili runs where people get to say goodbye to objects that might be holding them back emotionally. She has a little ceremony which is based on some of the principles of Shinto. I can see how that whole thing might be cathartic. The question is whether or not Lili is ready to really say goodbye to Em?

From the cover this looks like it could be a very Christmassy book. It is, but not as much as I thought it would be. It really is only in the second half of the book that Christmas becomes prominent, as Lili has to decide if she is going to go to Las Vegas or not, a pre-Christmas trip she originally planned with Em, and then how she will spend the Christmas holidays on her return. One aspect of the cover that is very present is the robin who is Lili's comfort. She regularly talks to Bobbin about Em, about Dylan and various other things. It's very sweet.

I've read enough of Samantha Tonge's books now to expect there to be something of a twist, and when it came I wasn't surprised, as I suspected what it might be, but I was very emotionally affected by it! This is really something that I enjoy about this author's books. You are reading one story, but then the twist comes and you are reading the same story, but through a different lens. It's very clever! I already know I will be reading her next book, whatever it is about and whenever it comes out.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Check out the other stops on the blog tour as well!

Rating 4/5

About the Book

Will You Stay Another Day?

If you could spend just one more day with someone, who would it be?

When Lili sends a jokey ‘knock-knock’ message to her best friend Em, she doesn’t expect to hear back. Because – as Lili notices the chill in the air, and the little robin in her garden – she realises Christmas must be just around the corner once again. A whole year since she last saw Em.

But then this time someone replies. ‘Who’s there?’ It can’t possibly be Em, but Lili wants to believe it could be, and she hastily suggests meeting.

However when she gets to the meeting place, there only one other person there waiting. A man. And not just any man. The most handsome man Lili’s ever seen, Dylan… And he is also waiting for someone he’s been missing.

As the days get shorter and Autumn turns to Winter, will two lonely hearts spend another Christmas without their loved ones? Or can they welcome an unexpected friendship? Or maybe even more, if they can just help each other to focus on not what they’ve lost, but what they’ve found…

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/StayAnotherDay

About the Author 

Samantha Tonge is the bestselling and award-winning author of over fifteen romantic fiction titles. Her books for Boldwood mark a broadening of her writing into multi-generational woman’s fiction. She lives in Manchester with her family.



Social Media Links

Facebook: @SamanthaTongeAuthor

Twitter: @SamTongeWriter

Instagram: @samanthatongeauthor

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/SamanthaTongeNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-tonge

This week....

I'm reading

Well, I guess it was to be expected. I started my new job last week and my reading time took a complete nosedive! Things weren't helped by the fact that I chopped and changed what I was reading so I currently have several books on the go. At the moment I am struggling a little bit to juggle review due dates with library due dates with the books I have left on my 20 Books of Winter list, and with the books I want to read for Aussie August and Women in Translation month. And, of course, then there are the books that I just want to read for the sheer fun of it!

I started reading The Three Juliets by Minnie Darke, which is one of the books I nominated for my 20 Books of Winter list but I had to put it aside to read 100 Years of Betty by Debra Oswald as I realised it was due back at the library and could not be extended.

Another book from my 20 Books of Winter list that I started was The Midnight Bakery by Emma Davies. This will also be a post for Weekend Cooking at some in the future, assuming I can get back to it. 

I did read Will You Stay Another Day by Samantha Tonge which I will review this week as part of a blog tour.

I started The Girl from the War Room by Catherine Law which is one of two books due to be reviewed next week for blog tours.

Then I started The Florence Sisters by Tessa Harris, thinking that book would be the next book due back at the library but then two more books came up as non-renewable. I therefore started reading The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida. Fortunately this was the perfect book to read in one sitting on a Sunday afternoon! I really loved it!

I may be putting too much pressure on myself!

I did go to an author event this week! I took a drive up the highway to a town called Ballarat which is just under an hour away. Whilst that sounds like a bit of a drive, it is actually easier to get to than some of the bookstores on the other side of town. This time, I went to hear Chloe Adams and Alli Sinclair talk about their new books. I went to see Chloe Adams last week but this is the first time I had heard Alli Sinclair talk. I have been a fan since I read her book The Codebreakers. Her new book is called A Woman's Voice and it sounds so good! I have a couple of author events this week which I am really looking forward to!

I'm watching


Portugal and Spain are places that are on our bucket list so when I saw that Michael Portillo had a show on Portugal we binge watched all three episodes. The first three shows focussed on Porto, Braga and The Algarve. When there are new episodes we will watch more.

We also started watching Michael Palin in Nigeria. My son is half Nigerian and my husband lived there for a couple of years (before me obviously) and so I was keen to see something about Lagos which is where my ex was from.

I also watched the Netflix movie My Oxford Year, which is based on the book by Julia Whelan, better known as audiobook narrator extraordinaire. I liked the movie, although I was a bit surprised by the melodramatic turn in the story. 

I finally watched the second Fisherman's Friends movie which is called Fisherman's Friends: One and All. I have had it on my list for a few years at least! I really enjoyed this movie, and especially the sea shanty soundtrack.



Life


So far, the new job is great! The people are nice, there are going to be plenty of challenges and opportunities, and I feel like a can make a difference. There is a lot of information overload at this point though! It is a bit of a change after being off work for nearly 10 months, especially on those days when I have to get on the train relatively early! I am sure I will get back into the routine soon enough.

Posts from the last week


20 Books of Winter - July 
Top Ten Tuesday: Sports Romances
Blog Tour: A Place in the Sun by Jo Thomas
Blog Tour: One Snowy Day by Shari Low
Blog Tour: Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen
Afternoon Tea Diaries: The Tea Rooms
The Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: July statistics

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date, Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and the Good Book and a Cup of Tea link up hosted at Boondock Ramblings

This week...

 

I'm reading

We have a public holiday here today for Labour Day so, in theory, that means more reading time! Well, not really, as I do have quite a bit of reading time already. 

Last week I finished listening to The Truth by Terry Pratchett. I originally started listening to this back in January, but then I put it aside to listen to Jane Austen. I do intend to write something about this, but I will say here that my favourite character was Otto the vampire iconographer who had a terrible tendency to disintegrate every time he took a photo with a flash! 

I have now gone back to listening to Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley. This is a long book so I will probably be listening to this for a couple of months at least. 

I finished reading If You Could See Me Now by Samantha Tonge. I really like Samantha Tonge's books but they are a bit tricky to review because there are things that you definitely need to not know when you are starting the book. My review is here. 

I also read and reviewed The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens, which I really loved! I had been to see the author talk a few weeks ago. I really think going to author events really enhances the reading experience! This was a 5/5 read for me!

For a bit of a change of pace, I also devoured Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young. I had read a couple of chapters a couple of weeks ago, but this week I picked it up and started again and devoured it! This was my first book by her, but it will not be the last! I thought it was fab. 

I have two reviews due later this week so I read Love and Laughter (and Other Disasters) by Elora Canne, and started reading The Shadow on the Bridge by Clare Marchant. 

In other big news, I finished volume 1 of War and Peace this week. It is funny what you find when you look back in the archives of your blog. I was searching for something last week and came across this post from 2010 which is the last time I attempted to read this book. I have made it further this time than I did then, but I have to figure out what my strategy is going to be for when we go away for a couple of weeks. I don't really want to drag the book around with me, and I don't want to change versions or translations. Maybe I will read a few chapters ahead and then catch up when I get home!

We had our read on a theme book club meeting on Saturday. The theme was Classics and this is just some of what people read. I listened to Pride and Prejudice and will have a post up soon with some thoughts, not necessarily on the book, but on the enduring impact and legacy of Jane Austen or something like that anyway. Our next theme is Spy and I have a couple of ideas of what I am going to read.

I'm watching

You may recall that last weekend I went to the movies and saw the latest Bridget Jones movie. While I knew that I had watched the first one, I had no recollection of the second and third films at all, so this week I sat and watched the first 3 movies. If I had to rate the four movies I would say that the first and last movies are the best, followed by the third one and then the second one was the least entertaining!

The French Film Festival has just started and I am a little bit gutted that I am going to be away for most of it as there are quite a few movies that I wanted to see showing. I did go to the movies by myself on Friday night to see Jane Austen Wrecked My Life which was a lot of fun. It is about a woman who wants to be an author, but can't seem to finish any of her stories. Her friend sends a few chapters off and she gets accepted into a Jane Austen residency writers retreat in England. It is a fun movie!

Here's the trailer

Life



After book club I went to see the Yayoi Susama exhibition for the second time. The second half of the exhibition is so much fun, full of immersion rooms, polka dots, pumpkins with polka dots. It's a lot of fun. You can see a couple of photos from the first time I went here, and then below are some from my most recent visit.

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Author sisters
Blog Tour: If You Could See Me Now by Samantha Tonge
Weekend Cooking: The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - February stats




I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date and Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz

Blog Tour: If You Could See Me Now by Samantha Tonge

 

Violet is pretty happy with her life. She has a job in publishing children's books and she and her boyfriend Lenny are pretty happy. Yes, things might be a bit routine but that's how things get after a while in any relationship. Right? Well, not right, once fellow publisher Beatrix is on the scene. Beatrix is something of a personal idol of Violets, until she finds out that she has her claws into Lenny.

Heartbroken, Violet decides she needs a new flatmate. Enter Bella! Bella is energetic and driven and soon she is strongly encouraging Violet to take control of her life. First step, a lifestyle change with food and exercise. Second new hair, makeup, clothes. Third step, lose some more weight. Fourth step, why can't you go after that author with the hot new manuscript! But Bella is not quite what she seems.

As Violet's friends and colleagues become more and more concerned about her, she begins to isolate herself from them, all in the name of putting herself first, which is a shame. I particularly liked the book club women who are all much older than Violet and who clearly care for her and in some parts give some welcome comic relief.

Whilst we get to see the new Violet, we also get flashbacks into her childhood, which wasn't the easiest. I did guess part of what happened to cause her childhood trauma, but not the whole story.

I have read quite a few of Samantha Tonge's books now. She writes issues based women's fiction with an astonishing depth to them. This is the second book in a row by her that I have read where the book that requires the reader to come into it not knowing what the major themes are. Knowing would spoil the twists. It does also make it a bit tricky to review as I have so much more I could say, but I don't want to spoil the reading experience for anyone.

I'll finish with something very wise my good friend Sally told me

You don't have to believe everything you think.

Whilst I am not necessarily good at living up to this, I do remember it clearly quite regularly. It's possibly a mantra that could have helped Violet.

This book was originally published as Knowing You back in 2019 and has been revised and an epilogue added. 

I am sharing this review with the Bookish Books Challenge hosted at Bloggin Bout Books and with British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog  Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. 

Rating 3.5/5

About the book

If You Could See Me Now

A brilliant, beautiful story from the bestselling author of A Single Act of Kindness
How far would you go for a perfect life?

Back in her troubled school days, kind-hearted Violet always dreamed of a life where she was happy. Now it feels like she’s just about getting there. She has her dream job working with books, and she’s living with her handsome boyfriend, Lenny.

But when her relationship with Lenny falls to pieces and he moves out, Violet, hurt and alone, decides it’s time to really take her happiness in hand. With help from her new flatmate, Bella, she changes her image and takes control at work, ready to show the world that she doesn’t need Lenny in her life. And when she meets magnetic author Casey, she begins to wonder if all she needed all along was a makeover.

But – with Bella – all is not as it seems. And Violet too has a secret, one that dates right back to her childhood, which could change everything…

IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW is a powerful story about friendship, trust, and taking control of your life while not being afraid to stand out. Perfect for fans of Shari Low, Milly Johnson and Colleen Hoover.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/IfYouCouldSeeMe

About the Author 

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK with her husband and children. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.

Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines. She is represented by Darley Anderson Agency & Associates. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. In 2020 one of her novels won the RNA's Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award. Currently Samantha writes uplifting, emotional women's fiction for Boldwood Books.

Social Media Links –



Facebook: SamanthaTongeAuthor

Twitter: @SamTongeWriter

Instagram: @samanthatongeauthor

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/SamanthaTongeNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-tonge

This week...

I'm reading

We are going away at the end of this month, so I wanted to get a bit of a head start to my reading so that I can write all my posts before I go away. I therefore read I Knew You Were Trouble by Aussie author Sandy Barker, which is the fifth and final book in the Ever After Agency series.

I then started reading Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young. I am not really sure why as I already had multiple books on the go, but sometimes you just have to do what you have to do! I have heard lots of good things about it!

I also started reading If You Could See My Now by Samantha Tonge. My review for this book will be up later this week!

Last week I had mentioned that I had started listening to Mis-directed by Lucy Parker but I was falling asleep on the couch. In the end, I started it again, and found myself sitting at the desk just listening to it! I got through it in two days as I couldn't stop listening. I did have to remind myself that Lucy Parker had written the book - it wasn't Nicola Coughlin sharing some of things that go on backstage on a period TV series.

I have now gone back to listening to The Truth by Terry Pratchett. I started this in January but put it aside to listen to Pride and Prejudice for book club. I expect I will finish The Truth this week.

Speaking of Jane Austen, I went to a library event on Friday night. It was a one woman show where she acts as the author whilst dressed in accurate period clothing, sharing letters that she sent and received, as well as excerpts from Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma. Given that I have only recently read P&P, the section she read was very familiar to me!

I'm watching


I've seen a few movies this week. I watched The Dolce Villa which is about a young woman who buys a 1 Euro house in a small village in Italy. Her dad comes to try to persuade her that this is a mistake. He clashes with the female mayor straight away but he does start to come around. They did get all the renovations done very quickly, and there were some nice foodie scenes!

I then watched a movie which has been given an English title of Honeymoon Crasher, but in French it is called Lune de Miel Avec Ma Mere or Honeymoon with My Mother! And that pretty much describes the movie. A man is dumped at the wedding ceremony  and so he is convinced to go on the honeymoon with his mother. Queue all the jokes about him being married to a much older woman. It was fun as he began to see her as someone in her own right, not just as his mother. The movie was set in Mauritius which looked gorgeous!

On Sunday I went to see Bridget Jones 4: Mad About the Boy at the cinema. I am not sure that I remember seeing movies 2 or 3, but I did quite enjoy this one. I cried several times, and I laughed! I might go and see if I can rewatch the first three movies.

We also started watching season 2 of Rogue Heroes. We really enjoyed the first series which is about the development of the SAS - Special Auxiliary Service. It is very much a smash em, bash em, blow em up kind of series, but it is a lot of fun!


Life

Not much to report here!

Max

Max is definitely better than he was last week, but we are struggling to get his sugar reading down. Hopefully we can work it out this week. He's very happy in himself though which is a relief.


Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Another Time

Blog Tour: A Santorini Secret by Rose Alexander

Blog Tour: From Provence with Love by Alison Roberts

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - March links

Weekend Kitchen: What I Baked in my Kitchen in February 

Six Degrees: Prophet Song to My Father's House







I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date and Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Most Recent Additions to my Kindle

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection (or to your to-read list!)

I started writing this list late last week, which might have been a bit dangerous give how often I tend to 1click books in the middle of the night. Here are the last ten books I have acquired (as at the end of last week). ETA - yep, it would have looked a bit different if I was writing this post on Tuesday!

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao - Can't remember where I saw this that prompted me to buy it, but it is probably because it is set in Tokyo.

The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor - I think I added this to my list because I saw that it had been shortlisted for an Irish literature prize.

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami - I saw this on Emma's blog over at Words and Peace

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - I have been thinking about getting this for a while and finally bit the bullet.

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey - I first heard of this book last year at Rachael Johns Reader Retreat and have been meaning to get it since then.

Never Want to Sea You Again by Leonie Mack - I really enjoy Leonie Mack's books so when I saw that she was releasing this short story on her Substack I had to get it. It is still available

The Baby Dragon Cafe by Aamna Qureshi - Somehow I ended up on a broadcast channel from the publisher for this book, and in the end I couldn't help but pre-order it.

If You Could See Me Now by Samantha Tonge  - Upcoming blog tour review book. I do like Samantha Tonge's books.

Happily Ever After by Jane Lovering - This is also an upcoming blog tour review book

Where the Birds Call Her Name by Claire van Ryn - This is an Australian author and the book sounds great. I was pleased when it was approved on Netgalley.

Have you read any of these?

Countdown to 2025: Day 18

 This year I am participating in Countdown to 2025 hosted by Lynn from Lynn's Books. Today is day 18 and the prompt for today is Christmas Cards – a book with a message

So, this is going to be a bit odd, because the book I am choosing definitely has a message, but, as I mentioned in my review in the author's note where she asks people to leave a review if they could, she specifically asks that we not mention one of the themes of the novel. So I won't! But it is definitely there!

Here's the link to my review from earlier this year

Tomorrow's prompt is Christmas Carols – a book with musicians, song or instruments

Blog Tour: The Promise of Tomorrow by Samantha Tonge

 

Elena knows that her days are numbered.When she was 10 years old, she made a deal with a strange woman in the woods. Her mother, who had been in a terrible accident, would be saved, but Elena would pay the price when she turned 30. Elena had always been cautious, but as it gets closer to her birthday, this caution is paralysing.

Her workmate Rory, is the complete opposite. He is flamboyant, loves extreme sports and never saw a challenge that he wouldn't accept.

Elena and Rory work well together, with their skills complementing each other in their work at a biscuit factory. When he needs a temporary place to stay, along with his two stick insects, Elena agrees that he can stay with her, no matter how uncomfortable that makes her initially. The thing is though, like so many of us, both Elena and Rory are wearing masks, so sharing a house together gives them the chance to really see beneath the mask.

After a couple of odd incidents that unsettle her, Elena decides to throw caution to the wind. After all, if this is the end she wants to have experience life as much as she can, which Rory finds quite confusing. Who is the real Elena? And where does she disappear to?

I love that Elena and Rory are fundamentally just good people. For example, Elena's neighbour, Tahoor, is lonely following the death of his wife and Rory finds himself watching soccer with Tahoor, despite the fact that he doesn't like football.

I have read a few Samantha Tonge books now, and I always enjoy her way of exploring various topics, with care and respect. One of the things that is interesting about this book is in the author's note where she asks people to leave a review if they could, but she specifically asked that we not mention one of the themes of the novel. Of course I am going to respect that request. You will just need to read the book to find out what happens to Elena and Rory.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley  and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

About the book

The Promise of Tomorrow

Elena Swan believes she’s going to die. And soon.

She’s not ill. She’s not in imminent danger. But she is sure it’s going to happen.

Because many years ago… she’d made a promise to a stranger, in the woods. Elena’s mother was in hospital, after a life-threatening accident. The promise would keep her mother safe, but put Elena’s own life at risk, instead, when she grew up and turned thirty.

Elena put the promise to the back of her mind, over the years. But she’s twenty-nine now, and when something happens that puts her life in danger, she remembers. And she knows.

But Elena hasn’t done everything yet. She’s not brave like her daredevil friend Rory. But she’s also not ready to give up on life. Not before she’s been to Paris. She always wanted to skydive too. She’s never even fallen in love.

Without the promise of tomorrow, can she fulfil all her dreams before fate comes for her?

A completely unexpecting, romantic uplifting story, about friendship, love, and fate, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls and Faith Hogan.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/PromiseofTomorrow

About the Author 

Samantha Tonge is the bestselling and award-winning author of over fifteen romantic fiction titles. Her books for Boldwood mark a broadening of her writing into multi-generational woman’s fiction. She lives in Manchester with her family.

Facebook: @SamanthaTongeAuthor

Twitter: @SamTongeWriter

Instagram: @samanthatongeauthor

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/SamanthaTongeNews

Ma1d1ves!

Ma1d1ve

This week....

I'm reading

I didn't feel like I was reading a lot this week, but I did manage to get through three books which isn't a  bad reading week. I finished reading The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson. I definitely see myself reading more Laura Pearson very soon.

I then read Samantha Tonge's upcoming release, The Promise of Tomorrow, and then I read The Little Provence Book Shop by Gillian Harvey

My next read, which I am starting tonight, also has a French feel, One Winter at the French Chalet by Mandy Baggot. I am more used to reading about Greece from this author so it will be interesting to see her take on France!




I'm watching

I started watching a new series on Netflex called Home for Christmas. It's actually a Norwegian rom com series which has been dubbed in English. It is about a nurse who needs to find a boyfriend before Christmas. It's actually not too bad, although maybe a bit surprising that they have made 2 whole series so far, with another on the way.

I have also watched two episodes of actor Richard E Grant's series Writers Around the World. The actor travels to Italy, France and Spain and talks about books which were set or written in the area ranging from classic books to more contemporary stories.

On Sunday afternoon we sat down and watched Star Wars: A New Hope. My stepson's girlfriend has never seen any Star Wars movie before so this was her introduction.


Life


My stepson and his girlfriend were down from Brisbane for the weekend, so we were doing the tour guide thing all weekend. 

We did have a 40th birthday to attend on Saturday night. It was formal but we could only wear black and white. I cheated a bit and did silver and black. Gave me a chance to wear a dress I bought a couple of years ago but never had the chance to wear before. It ended up being a high tea for dinner which was a bit unusual, but definitely fun!

Posts from the last week

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: October Links

Weekend Cooking: In My Kitchen (September)

Six Degrees of Separation: Long Island to Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles




I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

Top Ten Tuesday: Purple!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books with My Favorite Color on the Cover. Now, if you take a look around my blog, you might notice one main colour. So it should be no surprise that my post this week features the colour purple. It could be the title is purple, the whole cover or just part of the cover. I did think I had done a post like this before, but apparently not!

French Chateau Escape by Gillian Harvey - Purple text and France!

When We Were Friends by Samantha Tonge - Can't get much more purple than this!

The French Chateau Dream by Julie Caplin  - I am sure I could find some more books with lavender on the cover

Battle Royal by Lucy Parker - I chose this one because of the purple dress

One French Summer by Gillian Harvey - More France. 

Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson - I wasn't a big fan of this book but it is very purple.

Lilac Skies by Shivani Bansal - Same with this one!

Elodie's Library of Second Chances by Rebecca Raisin - I really like Rebecca Raisin's books and this was no exception! 

Someone I Used to Know by Paige Toon - Purple!!

How to Mend a Broken Heart by Rachael Johns - Rachael Johns is an autobuy author for me, no matter what colour the cover is.

Blog Tour: A Single Act of Kindness by Samantha Tonge

 

Image provided

 I have read a number of Samantha Tonge's books now and the most recent ones are often interesting, issues based reads. This time, one of the issues was kind of close to home for me.

Tilda lives a very tidy, very organised life, and not just because she runs a cleaning business. Everything in her life is compartmentalized. She knows exactly what she is going to have for dinner on any given day of the week. Everything in her house has it's very specific place, at least in the public rooms.  Her routine is very regimented

It is therefore out of character when she invites a homeless man named Milo to stay at her home, just for a couple of days, to recover from some injuries that he gained when he was mugged whilst living on the streets.

Milo has an unfortunate backstory as to exactly how he is on the streets. He has good job references, but to get a job you need an address so he is in a vicious cycle. 

Having someone in her house other than her very distant cat Dettoll is actually very confronting for Tilda. She is very independent. She is estranged from her mother and brother (her mother is a real piece of work), and she doesn't seem to have any real interpersonal relationships. She focusses on her business and her routine, oh and a budding online relationship with a Frenchman named Yves. After being treated very badly by her last boyfriend, Tilda wants to prove that she can be loved. She has set herself a goal and she is determined to meet it. I was a bit worried about this aspect, about whether Tilda could see the red flags or if she is just so determined to meet her goal that she was blind to them.

The longer Milo stays, the more Tilda's routines are challenged, and she doesn't like it, because that routine is what has helped her stay on track over the years. It causes conflict, but it also brings positive change. For example, Milo has some business acumen and he really challenges her to think bigger when it comes to her business. He also challenges her to maybe let down some of the barriers that she has spent so long building, especially when it comes to her estranged brother.

If you are looking for light and fluffy, this is not that book. The way that Tilda feels she needs to protect herself comes from years of trauma, and for some of those years she used the bottle to help with coping, or at least masking the pain. You have to respect her commitment to her coping mechanisms, to knowing what works for her. And whether by changing those routines it might have unintended consequences to her sobriety.

I mentioned that one of these issues was a bit close to home for me. My dad was an alcoholic who managed to stay sober for more than 40 years before he passed last year, and yet he talked about still needing to actively work on making good decisions all that time. He definitely relied on AA to help get him through over those years and didn't like it when he could no longer go to meetings.There are also other family members who struggle with alcohol. I guess you could say that we definitely have addictive traits in our family. Mine relates to food.

Whilst this is a serious book, it still is uplifting. The idea that just one single act of kindness sets in motion a whole series of decisions and choices, and can lead to such fundamental changes for both parties is inspiring

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour and see what they have to say about this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

Rating 4/5

About the Book

A Single Act of Kindness

 
Meet Tilda Wright…

Tilda has done everything she can to make her life neat, protected, tidy. No longer the girl who was scared of everything, whose family pushed her away, who hit rock bottom. Now she runs her life – as she does her successful business – with the utmost organization. As long as she keeps everyone at arm’s length, she will be fine. She will be safe.

But then a chance encounter with a man who’s fallen on hard times changes everything. Milo needs a break, and self-contained Tilda surprises herself by deciding she should help him. Just for a while. A few days at the most.

Maybe all he needs is someone to organize him, to help him clean up his act? She is sure she knows how to kick-start Milo into turning his life around.

What Tilda doesn’t know is that – with this single act of kindness – it might actually be her own life that’s about to change forever…

Purchase Link https://mybook.to/ActKindnessSocial

About the Author

Samantha Tonge is the bestselling and award-winning author of over 15 romantic fiction titles published by HQ, and most recently Aria. Her first book for Boldwood, Under One Roof, was published in February 2022 and her move to Boldwood marks a broadening of her writing into multi-generational woman’s fiction. She lives in Manchester with her family.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthatongeauthor/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/SamanthaTongeNews

Bookbub profile: Samantha Tonge Books - BookBub

 

This week....

I'm reading

I am quite sure how I had enough energy but I did finish a couple of books last week. Maybe it's the reading I am doing in the middle of the night when I can't sleep thanks to work issues.

This week I read two books that I am going to review later this week. The first was A Single Act of Kindness by Samantha Tonge. I have read a number of this author's books and this is up there with the best from her!

I also read The French Cooking School by Caroline James. It should be pretty obvious why I was attracted to this book. I mean France and foodie reads! My idea of a good read!!

Speaking of France and food, I started Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge. This is the current Cooking the Books selection and it features Julia Child as one of the characters!

I'm Watching

Masterchef Australia is back baby! I will be very interested to see how this season goes as there are three new judges this year.

Life

Whilst I am collapsing into bed each night and therefore not doing a lot, we did manage to have a fancy lunch. One of my step-daughters is moving to the UK for a while so we went to a lovely buffet restaurant in the city yesterday. There will be several other farewell events this weekend 

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Greece or Bust!

Blog Tour: Invitation to Italy by Victoria Springfield

Blog Tour: Making Memories at the Cornish Cove by Kim Nash

Weekend Cooking: Meliz's Kitchen by Meliz Berg

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Autumn TBR

 

  

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books on my Spring 2024 TBR. As I am in Australia, this means I am looking at Books on my Autumn 2024 TBR

So these first 4 books are upcoming new releases that I will be reading for blog tours.

Summer at the Santorini Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin - I have read a number of Rebecca Raisin's books set in various locations. I am looking forward to visiting Greece.

Making Memories at the Cornish Cove by Kim Nash - Looking forward to returning to Driftwood Bay.

 

A Single Act of Kindness by Samantha Tonge - A new Samantha Tonge book. Yay!!

The French Cookery School by Caroline James - A cooking school in France. I'm in!

The remainder are books that I have on my TBR for a variety of reasons:

The Chocolate Factory by Mary-Lou Stephenson - I just started reading this yesterday!

Something New by Lucy Knisley - I borrowed 3 of Knisley's books at the same time!

The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns - One of the few paper books I have bought recently

At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer - I just finished reading another Jenni Keer

The Shakespeare Sisters by Juliet Greenwood - I am hoping to read the second book on the Shakespeare Sisters series.

The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons - I have heard many good things about this book!

Have you got any of these books on your TBR list?

Blog tour: When We Were Friends by Samantha Tonge

When you were a teenager did you have a friendship that was so strong that you just knew was going to last forever, and yet it didn't. I did. I became friends with her at a church camp and once we clicked we totally clicked. We spent a lot of time together and we talked about everything, especially her love life (mainly because I didn't really have one), past future, everything. In our first jobs we ended up working quite close to each other so we would meet for lunch. And then we went on holiday together, came back, and that was it. We were no longer friends. Even now I can't tell you what happened, and I have thought about it a lot over the years.

Morgan, Paige, Tiff and Emily had a friendship like that. They were thick as thieves all through high school. Together, they were the Secret Gift Society, always having each other's back and solving small mysteries for others as well. They were inseparable. The difference between them and my friendship is that they all know exactly what happened to end their friendship. It was explosively, spectacularly  destroyed in public at their school dance and they have never spoken since

Nineteen years later Morgan needs their help. Her 18 year old son really needs to know who his father is, a secret that Morgan has never told anyone. She puts a coded message in the alumni newsletter asking The Secret Gift Society to meet up, not knowing if any of them will see the message, let alone show up. They do, although it is reluctantly as the hurt that was caused on that night so long ago has left a lasting impact on all of them.

This book covers a lot of ground. As the story unwinds we learn about the issues that each of them are facing as adults, ranging from infertility to divorce, to the impact that working as a frontline nurse during Covid has, and more. The women are all wary to share their truths with each other, which is understandable given the distrust that they all feel. We also learn what happened in the lead up to the argument that destroyed the friendship, and the things that they all kept from each other then, some of which are really big issues in themselves

There is a lot going on in this book as the women look back at their past, and then evaluate their current lives. In an effort to help Morgan, the group travels to the south of France and then to Cornwall and we gradually see each of them coming to some kind of realisation about the part that they played in the destruction of their friendship, and about the current issues that they are facing, as well as deciding if their is any future for them as friends now. I particularly liked the way the author addressed the fact that there are often things that we don't tell anyone, even the people we tell everything too. There is also a big twist towards the middle of the book that I must confess I did not see coming. When I finished the book I was like, okay, I can see how that happened but when I was reading it definitely came out of the blue.

I like Samantha Tonge's books. They always have that little bit extra than just a run of the mill book in her genre. I already know I will be looking for the next one from her!

Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to review this book.

About the book

When We Were Friends

Four friends, one big secret... and the journey of a lifetime.

It’s nineteen years since they stopped speaking to each other, but now Morgan needs to contact her three best friends from school: Paige, Emily and Tiff.

Her teenage son wants to meet his dad and Morgan can’t ignore his requests any longer. And Paige, Emily and Tiff all knew what actually happened back then. Even if that was what led to their friendship group falling apart, they’re the only people Morgan can think of who might be able help her find the man who disappeared without a trace before she could tell him she was pregnant.

Can Morgan persuade her old friends to go on a road trip to track him down? As adults – with marriages, children and a whole bucket-load of their own problems – will they be able to work together to solve the mystery? And if so – just when forgiveness for the past looks like it might be possible – how will they cope with the biggest shock of all?

A story about love, families and how the people who know you best are the ones you will always need in your life. Totally heartbreaking, brilliant, uplifting fiction for fans of Jill Mansell, Paige Toon and Sheila O’Flanagan.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/Wewerefriendssocials

About the author –

Samantha Tonge is the bestselling and award-winning author of fifteen romantic fiction titles published by HQ, and most recently Aria. Her first book for Boldwood, Under One Roof, will be published in February 2022 and marks a broadening of her writing into multi-generational woman’s fiction. She lives in Manchester with her family.



Social Media Links –



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthatongeauthor/?hl=en
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/SamanthaTongeNews
Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-tonge