Review | The Holiday Cottage by the Sea ~ Holly Martin

The Holiday Cottage by the Sea

Holly Martin

Bookouture

April 2018

Amazon

                 

The new book from the bestselling author of Summer at Buttercup Beach. Escape to Sandcastle Bay, where you’ll discover a charming little seaside village brimming with heart-warming friendships, quirky characters and plenty of sunshine.

The perfect place to fall in love this summer…

Tori Graham is in need of a holiday. Trying to piece her heart back together after losing the love of her life, she escapes to Blossom Cottage, with its picturesque views of the sea. And plans to spend the summer in gorgeous Sandcastle Bay, where her best friend Melody Rosewood lives.

Tori’s not expecting her summer by the beach to be eventful, until she meets handsome and mysterious Aidan Jackson…

Aidan looks after the holiday cottage Tori is staying in. Healing from past hurts, he wants to avoid any further chance of heartache. But could this newcomer be the breath of fresh air he needs?

Finding herself embracing life in the coastal community, Tori starts to fall in love with Sandcastle Bay and its welcoming cast of residents. But that’s not all she begins to fall for, as Tori is swept away by Aidan’s genuine heart and mischievous sense of humour. The attraction between them is undeniable, but will a simple holiday romance be enough?

As Tori’s stay in Sandcastle Bay comes to an end she has a tough decision to make…. Has her heart found a new place to call home?

                 

I absolutely adore Holly Martin and her books, so when I was asked if I would review her latest book, The Holiday Cottage by the Sea, as part of her blog blitz, I couldn't resist.

The story sees Tori head away for a couple of wees to see her best friend Melody. Melody and her sister Isla moved away when their family circumstances suddenly changed after the death of their brother, Matthew.

Tori has secured herself a cute little cottage to stay in on a fruit farm, and in return she is to help the owner, Aidan, pick the legendary Heartberry fruit. I'm not going to explain this as I really won't do the Heartberry Festival and the history behind it any justice, so you are just going to have to read the book!

As soon as Tori arrives shes is faced with sheep, a runaway turkey and Agatha - who for me was the stand out secondary character with her old lady wit and wild romantic predictions - she really needs her own book and I can't wait to read more about her meddling ways in Holly's next story!!

Once Tori and Aidan meet the attraction is instant, however both have had their hearts broken before and Tori is keeping a secret from Melody and Isla about her relationship with Matthew.

As with all Holly's books, The Holiday Cottage by the Sea, and Sandcastle Bay are settings that you simply lose yourself within. Their picturesque landscapes are beautifully described and on more than one occasion I felt like I was there as I was reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Holiday Cottage by the Sea. Holly introduced us perfectly to the sub characters, Matthew's son Elliot is a dream and I can't wait to find out more about Jaime and Leo - Aidan's brothers - and their relationships with Melody and Isla as well as catching up with Tori, Aiden, Beauty and Beast (their dogs) and of course the other characters which make Sandcastle Bay a community I would happily visit.

Review | Christmas at Mistletoe Cove ~ Holly Martin

Christmas at Mistletoe Cove

Hope Island, Book 2

Holly Martin

Bookouture

September 2017

Rating 5/5

Kindle

               

Christmas has arrived at Hope Island, promising snowflakes, surprises and plenty of seasonal joy. So snuggle up and fall in love at Mistletoe Cove …

Growing up on Hope Island, Eden Lancaster always believed that if you wished hard enough for something, dreams really could come true. But Eden’s greatest wish is also her biggest secret: she has been completely in love with her childhood friend, the charming and attractive Dougie Harrison, for as long as she can remember. And he has no idea. 

When Dougie leaves his successful life in New York to return home to Hope Island for good, Eden can’t escape her feelings. Her heart is full of hope that her romantic dreams are finally, at long last, going to come true…

This Christmas could change everything. But can a lifelong friendship really turn into the perfect romance? And will Eden get the happily ever after she’s always wished for?

               

My festive reading isn't complete without diving in to novel full of love, romance, snow and sparkle from Holly Martin.

Christmas at Mistletoe Cove certainly delivers and rounds up this series from Holly perfectly - if your new to the series if give the right about of back story to enable it to be read as a stand alone novel, If you have read the previous two, Spring at Blueberry Bay and Summer at Buttercup Beach, then Holly provides just enough info to refresh your memory from Bella and Issac and Rome and Freya's stories.

Christmas at Mistletoe Cove is the story I have been waiting for, we met Eden,  Bella and Rome's sister previously, and we have also been introduced to to Dougie, Rome and Issac's friend in snippets of the books too - we also know that Eden is head over heels in love with Dougie, who happens to be her best friend and has been for as long as she can recall.

Christmas at Mistletoe Cove starts with Eden nervously awaiting Dougie's arrival back on Hope Island, after 12 years away living and working in America, he has decided to come home.

Eden and Dougie are the best of friends, during his visits to the island they do everything together but Eden is very guilty of hiding her true feelings and having to deal with her heart breaking a little bit every time the holiday is over, and now he is coming home for good, as much as she is excited, she is nervous - they are very affectionate as friends and despite all the islanders believing their feelings are mutual, Eden is convinced that Dougie doesn't feel the same.

Dougie convinces Eden to meet him at Mistletoe Cove, and to write down three wishes before releasing them for the the magic of the cove to do it's thing.

Thinking its a load of nonsense, Eden does as she is asked to humour him but when one of her wishes comes true within 24 hours she starts to wonder.

As the second comes true, Eden goes from believing to having even more doubt and even tells herself that Dougie is doing all these nice romantic things because he is under a spell, when in truth all he want do do is make her dreams and wishes come true - what a man!

What follows is a well throughout story of two people very much in love trying a little too hard to make each other happy, when actually them just being together is more than enough for both of them.

Eden tries to correct her wishes, but breaks Dougie's heart in the process and the story I thought would be completely lovey dovey actually made me question whether these two could resolve their issues.

As with all Holly's books, the characters are ones that you instantly connect with, and even though this was Eden and Dougie's story it was nice seeing how both Bella and Issac and Rome and Freya had moved on in the last couple of month is gorgeous sub plots.

Hope Island is just as idyllic at Christmas as it was in Spring and Summer, with Holly capturing the readers imagination and allowing them to lose themselves for a few hours.

Christmas at Mistletoe Cove is Holly Martin at her best, full of romance, snow and magic.

        

The Hope Island Series

       

More from Holly Martin

            

Review | Summer at Buttercup Beach ~ Holly Martin

Summer at Buttercup Beach

Hope Island Book 2

Holly Martin

Bookouture

June 2017

Kindle | Paperback

For two years Freya Greene has hidden the fact that she’s totally and utterly in love with her best friend Rome Lancaster. It’s not been easy – they work together in his glasswork business, she lives above his workshop and, he’s completely gorgeous. But Rome has never shown any sign of returning those feelings. Until now…

Lately they’ve shared affectionate touches and words heavy with meaning. Yet Freya knows Rome has a damaged heart. After losing his fiancé in a tragic accident, he’s not allowed himself to fall in love.

Freya has already had her heart broken by a man who couldn’t let go of a past love. Can she risk it happening again? Rome and Freya have a friendship that could blossom into something more. Are they both brave enough to take that chance?

I am seriously running out of words to review Holly's books with!

Summer at Buttercup Beach is the second novel in the latest
Hope Island series and features three siblings.

We've already met Bella in the first book, Spring at Blueberry Bay, and followed her romance with Issac, but we were also introduced to her siblings Rome and Eden.

Summer at Buttercup Beach is the turn of Rome's story although I must point out that each of the books can be read as stand-alone novels and in any order,

Rome and Freya have been working together for two years and have formed a strong friendship, however Freya's feelings have moved towards love which is a big step for her since having her heart broken, and although Rome won't admit it - it seems the feelings are mutual!

Over the course of a few weeks and a lot of flirting, Rome eventually takes Freya out on a date.

This of course should be all lovey dovey, however a proposal of the wrong kind sets Freya up for even more heartache.

What follows is a tale of finding your feelings and taking risks with your heart.

Summer at Buttercup Beach has lots of ups and downs, deep conversations, past ghosts and lots of sex talk!

As Freya and Rome get closer, something happens to jeopardise what they could have, until eventually Rome admits his feelings, but again things are taken out of context leaving Freya feeling the only choice is to flee the island - can Rome catch her in time?

Well you are just going to have to grab yourself a copy of this feel good romance story and find out for yourself.

What I will say though, is reading a novel by Holly Martin is sure to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. Despite the ups and downs of the sub plots her books will certainly whisk you away for a few hours!

Blog Tour ~ Review | Spring at Blueberry Bay ~ Holly Martin

Spring at Blueberry Bay

Holly Martin

Bookouture

April 2017

Rating 5/5

Kindle | Paperback

             

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?

A gorgeously romantic and heartwarming story to completely lose yourself in. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Jane Costello and Miranda Dickinson. 

             

If I could get away with simply putting "Holly Martin is bloody marvellous" as a review, then I would  - but I don't think that will cut it, haha!

Holly has a wonderful knack of engaging the reader from the opening chapter, giving locations that are picture perfect and characters you instantly love.

I'm positive that Holly's writing and story lines keep getting better and better too - grabbing yourself a copy of Spring at Blueberry Bay will certainly leave you wanting more and is one that definately doesn't disapoint!

Spring at Blueberry Bay is the new book in Holly's latest series about three siblings, and this one is the turn of Bella who has always believed she is unloveable due to her childhood and has therefore built up walls of steel around her heart, so the last thing she expects is to have an instant attraction with Issac.

Issac comes into the story immediately, only doesn't make his real identity known until Bella arrives at his company for a job interview.

Landing the role as Events Manager at Issac's company, he and Bella try to keep a professional relationship but there are lots of heated moments as they start to fall for each other.

Spring at Blueberry Bay has some hilarious, laugh out laugh moments - one of my favourites being the telephone conference - but there were lots of tender and more serious moments, with ups and downs giving a great page turning balance to the book. Ultimately it is a truly romantic story that you can't help but grin at as your reading!

As I find with a lot of Holly's books, the supporting characters played key roles, the bond between Bella and her siblings Eden and Rome was just lovely - I'm very much looking forward to their stories in the coming months.

Spring at Blueberry Bay is gloriously romantic - escapism at its best!

            

Review | Christmas Under A Starlit Sky (A Town Called Christma, Book 2) ~ Holly Martin

Christmas Under A Starlit Sky -

A Town Called Christmas, Book 2

Holly Martin

Bookouture

October 2016

Rating 5/5

Amazon UK | Amazon US

               

Step inside a beautiful winter wonderland where love, laughter and cosy nights by the fire will make this Christmas one to remember. 

Neve Whitaker loves managing the Stardust Lake hotel. She gets to work alongside her wonderful family and she’s spending Christmas on the most enchanting, snow-covered island in Scotland. So why is her heart so heavy this festive season? 

It might have something to do with the gorgeous actor Oakley Rey, the man she finished with before he left for California and the man she loves more than anything. With Oakley’s career in Hollywood soaring, Neve is convinced she’d only hold him back. She had to end it with him – at least that’s what she keeps telling herself. 

But now she has a secret she’s struggling to keep, and when Oakley arrives on Juniper Island determined to win her back, Neve is thrown off balance. Will Neve’s fear of having her heart broken again push Oakley away for good, or is it time for her to take a leap of faith? 

Get swept away by this deliciously sweet and heartwarming tale, and spend an unforgettable Christmas on Juniper Island. 

              

Its no secret that Holly Martin has become one of my favourite authors - you only have to read my recent review of the first book in this A Town Called Christmas series, Christmas Under A Cranberry Sky, in which you can access here - to know that I've fallen for Holly's festive fictional world.

With its colourful Northern Lights, glistening snow, cosy wooden lodges and a wonderful cast of characters, it's no wonder that Holly Martin is having the success she's getting as I truly feel that her books are pure escapism for us romance genre lovers.

Although Christmas Under A Starlit Sky is the second book from the series, it can completely be read as a standalone novel - although if you were to take my advise, I would read Cranberry Sky first as for me it gives you a better understanding of Juniper Island and works well as a nice intro to the books.

Whereas in the first book the focus was primarily on one relationship - Gabe and Pip, with Christmas Under A Starlit Sky we are treated to two relationships - both cleverly crafted to entwine to make one complete story.

Christmas Under A Starlit Sky has four main characters - Neve, Oakley, Adam and Ivy - although there are plenty of references to the characters featured in Cranberry too.

Neve and Oakley's story is the main thread here but I adored reading Adam and Ivy's alongside. Neve is the manager of the Stardust Lake Hotel and has recently split up with her movie star boyfriend Oakley. When he suddenly arrives on Juniper Island just prior to Christmas, Neve is completely confused as to his feelings for her and their future together, especially when he blows hot and cold in reaction to a secret she has been keeping from him. This on/off chemistry between the pair really kept the book interesting and the pages turning with its twist and turns.

Adam has been brought to Juniper Island by Gabe to work as assistant manager with Neve gets the hotel up and running and to help guide it through their first Christmas and New Year period.

Adam comes with his own heartbreak but throws himself into his new role of which is not short of challenges, and one of them first challenges is to locate Ivy Storm, one of the local villagers that has gone missing.

From the moment Adam finds Ivy and discovers that she's not the elderly lady her name suggest, you can feel their chemistry jumping from the pages - as I read on I was left wondering if their broken hearts could be mended and if they could learn to trust each other in order to be happy.

Christmas Under A Starlit Sky is a story full of hopes and dreams, love and romance and of course that festive warmth you want from a Christmas story, so grab yourself a hot chocolate (marshmallows a must!), a snuggly blanket and curl up with what is my favourite novel of the season so far!

            

Review | Christmas Under A Cranberry Sky (A Town Called Christmas, #1) ~ Holly Martin

Christmas Under A Cranberry Sky -

A Town Called Christmas, Book 1

Holly Martin

Bookouture

September 2016

Rating 5/5

Kindle

          

This year spend a wonderful Christmas on Juniper Island, where love can melt even the iciest of hearts… 

Piper Chesterfield lives a glamorous life travelling the world and reviewing the finest hotels. She calls nowhere home, she works alone and that’s how she likes it. For long ago Piper decided that to protect her heart she should lock it away. 

So when Piper’s next assignment brings her to the newly opened Stardust Lake Hotel for the festive season, the last person she expects to face is Gabe Whitaker, the man who broke her heart so completely she could never love again. 

But Piper isn’t the only one who has been frozen in time by heartbreak. Gabe hasn’t forgotten the golden-eyed girl who disappeared from his world without a trace. 

Now fate has reunited them on Juniper island, can the magic of Christmas heal old wounds? And can this enchanting town be the one place Piper can finally call home? 

Curl up with this gorgeously romantic tale and let the glistening snow and the roaring fires of Stardust Lake Hotel get you in the festive spirit this Christmas. 

              

Having fallen in love with last years festive books from Holly Martin, I was excited to see that she was writing a new series this winter, although I had my doubts that nothing could top the magical fiction that White Cliff Bay brought - but, how wrong was I? 

I started reading Christmas Under A Cranberry Sky and I did little else until I finished it - You know books are good when you complete them in one sitting!!

Christmas Under A Cranberry Sky tells the story of Piper and Gabe, whom were the absolute best of friends during their childhood and teen years.

However, we are quickly thrown into the current situation - Piper is a mystery reviewer for a magazine, giving her thoughts and views on hotels across the globe.

Her latest assignment is to check in to the newly refurbished Stardust Lake Hotel on Juniper Island.

Piper has been here once before.. with Gabe and his family, but what she doesn't expect to find and especially within the first half hour of her arrival, is that the new owner is Gabe himself.

Gabe,  the one person she has ever truly loved.

Gabe, the only man she's ever been with.

Gabe, the man who seemingly broke her heart snd she turned her back on twelve years ago.

Now of course I'm not going to divulge into the full details of why this pair haven't seen each other for so long - your simply going to have to pick the book up and read it for yourselves but what I will tell you is not as all as it seems and as the story progresses we can feel Pip and Gabe falling back in love with each other in the masterful way Holly creates her romantic stories. Only it's not quite as simple as just falling in love... not only do they both have trust issues, Pip is dealing with some nasty reminders of her past, and there is also Gabe's four year old daughter, Wren, to consider.

I honestly didn't think that Holly could top Penny and Henry's story in last years Christmas at Lilac Cottage but not only did I completely fall for Pip and Gabe, Christmas Under A Cranberry Sky felt like it had excelled to another level - Holly's writing gets better.

Christmas Under A Cranberry Sky had everything covered, from miss- understandings, friendship, love, lies and honesty. 

There were scenes that made me snort out loud, parts where I just wanted to tell them to get on with it and of course the romantic and family moments that make you want to sigh and go 'aww' too.

Throw in a Christmas market, snow, hot chocolate, igloos, the Northern Lights, a few steamy kisses plus a healthy dose of Frozen and you have yourself the perfect festive read.

I can't recommend reading Christmas Under A Cranberry Sky enough this winter- Holly has a wonderful way of transporting you to the fictional world where you are completely emerged like marshmallows on a got chocolate in to the characters and their lives.

Christmas romance at its absolute best - I can't wait for Christmas Under A Starlit Sky, which is book two in this gorgeous A Town Called Christmas series.

          

With thanks to Bookouture for supplying a review copy.

Review | Summer at Rose Island (White Cliff Bay Book 3) ~ Holly Martin

Today is my stop on the Summer at Rose Island blog tour hosted by Star Crossed Tours, and I'm delighted to finally be able to share my review with you.

Published 13th May 2016

Pre-Order

Fall in love with the gorgeous seaside town of White Cliff Bay this summer and enjoy long sunny days, beautiful beaches and… a little romance. 

Darcy Davenport is ready for a fresh start. Determined to leave a string of disastrous jobs and relationships behind her, she can’t wait to explore White Cliff Bay and meet the locals. 

When Darcy swims in the crystal clear waters of the bay, she discovers the charming Rose Island Lighthouse. But it’s not just the beautiful building that she finds so intriguing… 

Riley Eddison doesn’t want change. Desperate to escape the memories of his past, he lives a life of solitude in the lighthouse. Yet he can’t help but notice the gorgeous woman who swims out to his island one day. 

Darcy is drawn to the mysterious and sexy Riley, but when it seems the town is trying to demolish his home, she soon finds herself having to pick sides.

She’s fallen in love with White Cliff Bay. But is that all Darcy’s fallen for? 

Pull up a deck chair, sink back with a bowl of strawberry ice cream and pick up the summer read you won’t be able to put down. 

I feel like I have been waiting for ages for the third instalment of Holly Martin's White Cliff Bay series. I loved Penny and Henry's story in Christmas At Lilac Cottage and discovering the area more with Libby and George in Snowflakes On Silver Cover but I was excited to see the fictional village way from the snow and storms of the winter weather.

With a romantic story, gorgeous settings and plenty of humour, Summer at Rose Island certainly lived up to my expectations.

I don't want to give too much of Darcy's story away but I will say I completely felt sorry for this character - everything she has done she has been made to feel a complete failure so it's no surprising that she decided to move to White Cliff Bay, a place she fell in love with at a young age when she used to holiday and stay with her beloved Aunt Ginny. 

With some free time before starting her job at the local council, Darcy dives into the waters surrounding Rose Island with her dog, Ben. 

Very quickly both Darcy and the reader are introduced to the lighthouse keeper, Riley - a grumpy American at first glance but over the course of the book, Darcy discovers there is more to this man and falls for him fast!

Whilst Darcy was friendly and chatty, Riley wasn't and had shut himself off from the rest of the villagers, but as their relationship grew, It was great to see their characters change and develop.

Of course all good love stories have a glitch in there somewhere and whilst my suspicions were right about Darcy's new job and the role linking to Riley and the lighthouse, their story was one I simply couldn't put down and even through some of their rocky scenes and more serious conversations I found myself laughing out loud.

Other than the love interest, there is a fairly big story line involving the lighthouse (along with a few smaller plots) and it is incredibly clear how much research was done on this and Darcy's career as the book was very informative but without giving you brain overload!

Holly Martin never fails to capture the reader, I was utterly sucked in to the book right from the opening page and when I wasn't reading Summer At Rose Island - I was thinking about it!!

One of my first thoughts on the book was 'Disney's The Little Mermaid for Grown Ups' - and that theme continued throughout the book. 

It was magical and captivating yet with a realistic feel.

Although this book could quite easily be read as a standalone novel, I loved the fact that I had read the previous two as not only were some of the landmarks familiar there were mentions of Libby, George, Penny and Henry too which gave hints as to where they are and what they are up to now but at the same time Rose Island brought new discoveries keeping it fresh, interesting and exciting.

I really hope that there is more to come from the White Cliff Bay series - I've loved all three and can't recommend them enough.

Rating 5/5

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC of 

Summer At Rose Island.

This is my honest opinion.

Make sure you grab a copy of books 1 and 2 from the White Cliff Bay series..

              

Holly has been writing for six years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award

at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and

was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine's

competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her novel The Guestbook. She

was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic

Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014. Holly lives in Bedfordshire.

Links

Website - https://hollymartinwriter.wordpress.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/hollymartin00

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/holly.martin.167189?fref=ts

GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7336832.Holly_Martin

Amazon Page - http://www.amazon.co.uk/-

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