Review: Love and Loss at the Beach Hotel

 Love and Loss at the Beach Hotel

Can true love win the day?

Hetty Affleck is working as a maid at the prestigious Beach Hotel in Littlehampton. Her beau, Lorcan, is away at war and has recently stopped replying to her letters but she is determined to keep her spirits up. When she meets wealthy shipbuilder's son Victor Perryman, they pass the time of day and they both feel a connection but she can’t allow herself to think anything more of it - not only does she have Lorcan to think of, but she and Victor are divided by wealth and class.

Yet they meet again and Hetty is charmed and intrigued by Victor and his openness towards her. It becomes harder to ignore the attachment growing between them.

When Lorcan comes back on leave, Hetty is forced to face her true feelings. Who does she really love, and can that love conquer everything in its path?

Review

I deeply enjoy a Francesca Capaldi historical fiction novel. She has a gift for setting characters squarely in the scenery of the day. They feel accessible and real no matter the era. I haven’t explored the realities of World War I as much as World War II, so I was so excited to spend time during this turning point in history. 

The book tells the story of Hetty and Lorcan at the dawn of England’s involvement in a war no one expects to last. As it drags on into the third year, the young lovers struggle to maintain their enthusiasm for the war and each other.  The war has hastened changes in culture, courting and customs, which have made love and loss more certain than ever.

Francesca Capaldi is a captivating writer who is guaranteed to bring both characters and time period to life. This lovely story isn’t too heavy to be pleasant. Instead, it’s an excellent tale that reminds us all that connection is the basic building block of humanity, no matter the era.

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zAql23

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/love-and-loss-at-the-beach-hotel

Apple: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/love-and-loss-at-the-beach-hotel/id6504192817

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/love-and-loss-at-the-beach-hotel/francesca-capaldi/9781804368466

 

Author Bio – 

Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child. Born in Worthing and brought up in Littlehampton in Sussex, she was largely influenced by a Welsh mother who loved to tell improvised stories. A history graduate and qualified teacher, she decided to turn her writing hobby into something more in 2006, when she joined a writing class.

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Writing as both Francesca Capaldi and Francesca Burgess, she has had many short stories published in magazines in the UK and abroad, along with several pocket novels published by DC Thomson.

 

Her Welsh World War 1 sagas were inspired by the discovery of the war record of her great grandfather, a miner in South Wales. Heartbreak in the Valleys was a finalist in the Historical Romance category of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards (RoNAs) in 2021. Her latest series, The Beach Hotel, is set in her own childhood town, where her Italian father had a café on the riverside. The first in that series, A New Start at the Beach Hotel, won the Romantic Saga Award in the RoNAs in 2024.

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Francesca is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. She currently lives on the North Downs in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

 

Social Media Links – 

Website & Blog: https://www.francesca-capaldi.com/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/FrancescaCapaldiAuthor

Twitter/X: https://x.com/FCapaldiBurgess

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francesca.capaldi.burgess/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@francesca.capaldi.author

 

Review: The Echoing Shore

A Yeovil Literary Prize award winner

A lifeboat is lost off Cornwall's wild Atlantic coast. All eight crewmen die. The cause is never fully explained.
Ten years later, Kate Tregillis, the editor of a small, struggling newspaper, becomes obsessed with solving the longstanding mystery.
Her investigations provoke a backlash of threats and violence in the insular fishing community of St Branok. In exposing the truth, she risks the future of her newspaper and even her life - and discovers that the man she loves has his own secrets.

Praise for The Echoing Shore:

'A gripping story full of twists and turns' - Margaret James, Writing Magazine.

'An enthralling read that keeps you guessing to the end' - Victoria Howard, author and judge for the international 2023 Yeovil Literary Prize.

'I would definitely pick this book up from the bookshop shelf' - Claire Gradidge, winner of the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition.

 

Review 

My words seem superfluous to the formal reviews quoted above. I will say that this book lived up to its hype. It’s a solid mystery with enough unexpected twists to keep the pages turning. The strong descriptions place you right in the action even if they do slow the pacing at times. Readers of John Grisham and Dean Koontz will not be disappointed in this story. 

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Echoing-Shore-J-H-Mann-ebook/dp/B0DFT3LPTQ/

https://www.amazon.com/Echoing-Shore-J-H-Mann-ebook/dp/B0DFT3LPTQ/

 

Author Bio – 

Jason Mann is an award-winning journalist and writer living in the South West of England with Nicola, his wife, and their lively whippet, Patch. He is also a shore-based volunteer for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Jason says: ‘Many of my stories are set in the wonderful county of Cornwall where truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction. I have swum and surfed there much of my life. It has been a special place for me with its legends, soaring cliffs, rugged moors and wild seas. The landscape has a raw, mystical magic. My father and mother’s recollections of rescues and tragedies on the North coast are often the inspiration for my stories. My father became one of the county’s early lifeguards after his predecessor was killed by a strike of lightning while standing in waist-deep water during a rescue.’

Social Media Links – 

Facebook – www.facebook.com/jason.mann.9047

Instagram – www.instagram.com/jhmannauthor/

X (Twitter) – www.twitter.com/JasonMa74964503

Website: www.jhmannauthor.com

 

Review: Christmas at Polkerran Point

Fate may have brought them together, but secrets seem destined to keep them apart...

 

An accident and a lost passport mean Gemma's six-month sabbatical to go travelling is not off to a strong start. She heads to Polkerran Point to stay at her aunt’s while her new passport is processed and to find temporary work in the meantime.

 

Enter musician Matt. Newly moved into a secluded, renovated mill – complete with a recording studio – Matt is preparing for his band’s big reunion tour. Focused on writing new music for the album, he needs a live-in housekeeper.

 

Even as sparks fly, Gemma can sense Matt's keeping secrets and with her role ending once Christmas is over, will there be anything to keep her in Polkerran?

 

A cosy, festive Cornish romance for fans of Phillipa Ashley and Cressida McLaughlin.

Review:

This was a lovely remedy to the many things getting me down at the start of this season. Like me, the protagonist has begun the season at the bottom of the barrel. Her path to love is filled with fires, messes, spoiled food and cleaning supplies. The host of delightful epigraphs kept the mood light throughout and set the tone for holiday cheer.  The authors have a cheeky sense of humor that I enjoyed so much in this hapless rom-com filled with all the reasons Christmas has endured.

The novel has a very mild PG-13 for some language and well-described kissing. Nothing that you’d be embarrassed to share with the church book club :)

Purchase Link - https://geni.us/CAPP

 

Author Bio – Cass began her writing life in Regency England, enlisted Jane Austen’s help to time-travel between then and the present day and is now happily ensconced in 21st century Cornwall. 

Well, in her imagination and soul; her heart and physical presence reside in northern England with her ever-patient husband and Tig and Tag, their cute but exceptionally demanding moggies. 

A bit of a nomad, Cass has called three countries home, as well as six different English counties, but her aspiration is to one day reunite with her beloved West Country.

In the meantime, she writes feel-good contemporary romances set in Cornwall and, in doing so, manages to live there vicariously through her characters and settings.

An Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, Cass is also a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Jane Austen Society UK and the Society of Authors.

Social Media Links – 

FB - https://www.facebook.com/cassie.grafton

X - https://twitter.com/CassGrafton

Insta - https://www.instagram.com/cassgraftonwriter/

 

Giveaway to Win a paperback copy of Christmas at Polkerran Point along with a small gift bag(Open Int)

The gift bag contains a pack of Christmas post-it notes, a Cornish coaster, a gingerbread tree ornament and some festive-wrapped Tic Tac mints!

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494601/?

 

 

Cover Reveal: Pieces of Us

To move forward, I’ll have to look back to our past…

I know I have to get myself out of this funk, but it feels impossible. My childhood best friend is dead and nothing in life is working out as I’d planned.

Then Lottie leaves me a ‘jar of joy’ in her will – filled with instructions to visit places where we had our happiest memories. But with every happy memory, I also remember the things that tore us apart.

Because Lottie was keeping secrets. And Jay – the man we both loved – keeps turning up at the same places. Even as I feel pieces of myself begin to heal, some wounds run too deep.

It’s time to make a change in my life, but can Lottie’s jar of joy really give me the strength I need?

A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel for fans of PS I Love You, The Memory of Us and The Last Letter from Your Lover.

Pre-order Link - https://geni.us/PiecesOfUsBook

Publication Date: 27th February 2025

 

Author Bio – 

Eve Ainsworth is a public speaker, creative workshop coordinator and award-winning author who draws from her extensive work with teenagers managing emotional and behavioural issues to write authentic, honest and real novels for young people and adults. Eve’s adult debut, Duckling, was published by Penguin Random House in 2022. She has had short stories published in magazines such as Writers’ Forum and Prima and articles posted online for the Guardian, Metro and BookTrust. Eve is also a champion for working class voices, has set up the Working Class Writers Network and is an experienced mentor.

 

 

Social Media Links – 

https://twitter.com/canelo_co

https://twitter.com/EveAinsworth

https://www.instagram.com/canelo_co/

https://www.instagram.com/eveainsworth/

https://www.facebook.com/canelobooks

https://www.facebook.com/eve.mitchell

https://www.tiktok.com/@canelo_books

https://www.tiktok.com/@eveainsworthauthor

 

Title: A Nightingale in Parkleigh Square

The sparkling NEW Christmas Romance from the author of A Wedding in Cornwall!

Quirky, creative, and dedicated to their work, window dressers Nina and Molly can’t believe the news from the upscale staging and design company which occasionally hires them as extras during the Christmas season: their tiny New York company has just been tapped to create a magical Christmas window and showroom display for London’s newest designer fashion boutique! 

With their trusty assistant in tow, they catch a plane across the Pond, making their way to the historic former department store with a unique past in Parkleigh Square—and their once-in-a-lifetime chance to impress the ultimate client, legendary fashion designer Simone Van Stewart.

But a humiliating encounter with the London branch’s new frosty director reveals a tragic truth — the duo was hired by mistake. With time running out before the store’s unveiling, and the best window stagers already booked, however, Nina and Molly have been given a tentative trial period to prove they can do the job – and they’ll need a miracle to survive it. Battling deadlines, a delivery disaster, and their own personal doubts, it seems their dream assignment could soon spiral into their worst nightmare.

Not everybody at the exclusive store for Van Stewart is against them, however. Rugged, handsome fashion designer Vincent is supportive of their chances, and makes Nina’s heart race whenever their paths cross. Can she risk romance with an ocean between their two worlds, and with all her future plans and dreams at stake? Her friend Molly worries she’s getting in over her head—but Molly has her own complications to worry about, both personal and professional, as the dream team from Queens searches for the key to make Parkleigh Square’s newest business come alive with Christmas magic, which may just lie in histories both beloved and forgotten.

Filled with flurries of romance, friendship, humor, and heartwarming revelations, A Nightingale in Parkleigh Square is the must-read new release of the Christmas season.

 

Pre-order Link - https://books2read.com/u/mBB0aR

Publication Date: 21st November​

 

Author Bio – Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller 'A Wedding in Cornwall'. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.

Social Media Links

Author Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1JjeMoI

Twitter: http://bit.ly/1ME9ivJ

 

Notes for Bloggers: (Don’t include on the post). 

Please do not share the cover with anyone until the 6thNovember. I want this to be a spoiler free reveal!  

Thank you so much for taking part in this cover reveal. 

Please on 6th November put your post live, or later but not earlier, and either tag @rararesources or send me the link via email so that I can start sharing it. If you can tag Laura Briggs too that would be great. 

Please use all the blurb and author details on your posts, and format them to your own blogs needs. I’m just providing the text and links, as I’m aware all blogs are individual. 

If you are going to have any problems posting then please let me know as soon as possible.  I hope you all love this cover and enjoy sharing it with the world. Thank you

 

 

 

Review: Victory for the Sewing Factory Girls

 

1916, Scotland.

Five years after leading a strike at the sewing factory, newly pregnant Ellen is rushed off her feet at the Clydebank Clothing exchange, the heart of the community. Ellen is missing her husband James who is away with the Royal Navy, and worried about how to make ends meet. She desperately wants to confide in her best friend Sadie. However, Sadie is hiding a heart-breaking secret of her own which places strain on their friendship.

Ignoring concerns from her sister Sadie, seventeen-year-old Rachel has signed up as a munitionsworker at the former sewing factory in Clydebank. Together with the other women nicknamed 'the munitionettes' she finds fun and friendship as they start a local football team.

When Ellen is forced to return to the factory to earn money for her growing family, she clashes with Sadie, who is angry about the working conditions. Several of the women and their babies are falling ill, despite assurances from management that the factory is safe.

As the war rages on, can the women help each other cope through the difficult times ahead?

Review

The Sewing Factory Girls introduced readers to the strength and dedication of women in war-time Scotland. In this companion novel, the women are dealing with love, loss, and football while the war continues. Posy Lovell has a gift for gently weaving historical events into stories that show us how universal our experiences really are.

This book is a wonderful example of light historical fiction. The characters are so cozy and heartfelt. I enjoyed learning more about women’s football in Scotland and the role it played in women’s rights. In the end, I was very happy for the victories these women experienced. I would love to read about them again.

The book is appropriate for all ages. 

 

Purchase Link – https://bit.ly/3N0W8fW

 

Author Bio – 

Posy Lovell is a pseudonym for author Kerry Barrett, who has several historical fiction novels with HarperCollins.

Social Media Links –

- Instagram: @kerrybean73

- Facebook: @kerrybarrettwrites

- https://x.com/kerrybean73