Book Review: The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop by Jill Steeples
I am so happy to be welcoming Jill Steeples back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her new book, The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop.
Isla Stewart has a glittering publishing career in London, but when she’s unexpectedly made redundant, she faces an uncertain future.
Licking her wounds, Isla heads home to the Cotswolds. Keeping her devastating redundancy a secret from her proud parents, she seeks refuge at Finch’s, the enchanting bookshop she worked in as a teenager. With the owners struggling with their health, Isla steps in to manage the shop hoping to convince them that the business has a future.
Isla likes nothing more than chatting to people about books, but her safe haven is soon disturbed when she comes face-to-face with her first love, Charlie Brace, made worse by the arrival of Guy Madley, the incredibly handsome property consultant who has advice for owners Jon and Miriam.
As Christmas approaches, Isla has decisions to make. Does her future lie in London or can a whole heap of books and a sprinkling of festive magic offer a life that she could never even have dreamed of?
*****
Isla’s life in London lays in ruins after being made redundant. She heads home to the Cotswolds defeated, not wanting to tell anyone her news. When she begins to help at the bookshop she spent much of her teenage years in, she starts to remember why she loved publishing and literature in the first place. Little by little, can books, a guy named Guy, and a cat called Heathcliff help bring some magic back into Isla’s life right in time for the festive season?
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Book Review: Love Song at the Music Festival by Margaret Amatt
It’s a pleasure to welcome Margaret Amatt back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Love Song at the Music Festival.
From Heartbreak to Harmony
After young music teacher Mirren Elphinstone’s entitled boyfriend dumps her and walks out on local band Tavrach, Mirren has a score to settle. Despite her usually sunny, helpful nature, she decides auditioning for the vacant lead singer role is the perfect way to get payback.
Tavrach’s enigmatic frontman, Adam Cormac, is desperate. With the Autumn Gold Festival fast approaching, the band needs a new lead singer – and fast. When only one hopeful turns up – a golden-haired beauty with the voice of an angel – Adam takes a chance.
He soon discovers Mirren is the ex of the sneaky band member who not only abandoned them but stole some of Adam’s compositions. Tempers flare, until the tension between Adam and Mirren turns electric. What began as revenge quickly explodes into an attraction as powerful as their duets – but Adam’s been burned too often to risk his heart lightly.
If they want a chance to turn heartbreak into harmony, Adam must believe he’s more than a stopgap, while Mirren must choose love on her own terms. Only then can they strike a lasting chord before the curtain falls.
*****
Adam is not one to trust lightly especially when a trusted member of his band leaves, taking songs that don’t belong to him.
Mirren knows that Benji leaving is for the best. She also knows that auditioning to take his place in the band he’s just abandoned will be the perfect revenge. Will Adam and the other band members see it that way?
When there was another chance to be part of a blog tour for this author, I jumped at the chance and couldn’t wait to get started.
This wasn’t my first visit to Glenbriar and it felt so good to be back. There were even some familiar faces. If this book will be your introduction to Margaret Amatt’s wonderful series, it can be read as a standalone.
by Book Review: A Fatal Love by Louisa Treger
Following Ruth Ellis’ long-awaited posthumous conditional pardon in July 2026, never has there been a more compelling moment to revisit the woman behind one of Britain’s most enduring legal cases.
It is Easter Sunday in 1955 and a young man lies face-down on the ground covered in blood. A woman, blonde and petite, stands over him with a gun in her hand. This is the story of Ruth Ellis as never told before…
As Ruth awaits her trial in Holloway Prison, she recollects growing up in England during the Second World War and the events that led to the death of her lover, David Blakely.
Meanwhile, Kitty Carrington – the assistant to Ruth’s trial lawyer – tries to forge her own path through the male-dominated legal world of the 1950s and ensure that Ruth receives a fair trial.
Navigating secrets, betrayal and a broken justice system, Ruth and Kitty try to take control of their own lives and narratives. But do we ever really know the full story?
*****
When Ruth Ellis murdered her lover, David Blakely in 1955, it started a debate that continues in 2026. Was she a cold-blooded killer or was she pushed to the brink by a man and a life that broke her?
Ruth Ellis and her case from 1955 is one that has fascinated me for a long time. When the review request for Louisa Treger’s new book, A Fatal Love, came along, I was eager to get reading.
Now, we all know how Ruth’s story ends. What this book explores is the emotional side of Ruth – the thoughts and feelings that led her to murder David Blakely.
This kind of book is one I find interesting. It mixes fact and fiction to give us a look into Ruth’s life. How she felt, what she went through and how her relationships affected her as a human being. Of course. we won’t ever know the truth of what motivated her or how she really felt about things, but this is one interpretation.
by Book Review: My Chance to Fly By Samantha Tonge
I’m very excited to be welcoming Samantha Tonge to Novel Kicks as we celebreate the publication of her latest book, My Chance to Fly.
A BRAND NEW sparkling, uplifting story about love, friendship and learning to spread your wings from Samantha Tonge✨🦋 Perfect for fans of Shari Low, Faith Hogan and Evie Woods!
Una Lowe lives a perfectly edited life in London. Other than her best friend, she’s careful about who she lets in. Emotional complications are just that – complicated. That is, until she rescues a rare white swallow… who might have just flown in to change her life.
Because, when her beloved swallow fails to return from migration one year, Una’s world crumbles. But a viral social media campaign brings a miraculous response from a man in Bavaria named Konrad, who claims the bird has also visited him. Which leads him to invite Una to his picturesque village for the chance to see their shared feathered friend together.
Stepping out of her comfort zone, Una flies to Germany. Amidst snow-dusted streets, local festivals, and Konrad’s undeniable charm, Una’s protective walls begin to fall down.
But when the complication she’s avoided her whole life comes for her, she’s forced to confront her deepest fears. As autumn turns to winter, and inspired by the tiny, brave bird that brought them together, Una must decide if she is finally ready to risk her heart.
Is the only way to know if you can fly to face a possibility of falling…?
*****
Una is the type of person that likes everything orderly. Her joy in life is a barn swallow named Blue. When Blue doesn’t return by the beginning of the autumn, Una begins to worry. Then help comes from the most unlikely of places.
I have to say, I am a bit of a fan of Samantha Tonge’s novels and couldn’t wait to get going on her latest book, My Chance to Fly.
Can I just give some love to this cover. It’s beautiful.
by Book Review: The One Where They Fall in Love By Cristina Wolf
Cristina Wolf and her blog tour have joined us today as I review her latest book, The One Where They Fall in Love.
You never know when love may come knocking…
Hopeless romantic and romance editor Elle Thompson lives for happy endings—but real-life love? Not so much. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t thrilled when her best friend gets engaged. Really. Not jealous at all.
Meanwhile, Oliver Cole likes things a certain way. Schedules and routines and order. So when his move back to New York is disrupted with the unwelcome addition of Thor—the dog his sister adopted for him—he’s less than enthused. Even less enthused than Oliver? His neighbour, Elle.
When Elle can’t bear to hear Thor howling all night, the two agree to strike a deal: she’ll dog-sit while he’s on shift.
But what starts as a reluctant arrangement soon turns into late-night chats, sizzling chemistry, and two lonely hearts daring to let each other in.
*****
As a book editor, Elle Thompson is a deliverer of happy endings. She adores the romance genre she works in. She just wished her own life reflected the happiness of the characters she helps bring to life. Oliver Cole is not sure what to make of his new neighbour. He’s got a lot going on in his life and has no mental bandwidth to deal with it. Then he meets Elle.
The One Where They Fall in Love was my introduction to Cristina Wolf. It was the premise and genre that got me excited to be part of the blog tour for this novel. I couldn’t wait to get started. This type of book is the reason I love running Novel Kicks. It allows me to discover new authors like this one.
by Book Club
