Review: The Landlord of Hummingbird House

 

Book 1 of 4 in the heartwarming Hummingbird House series.

April needs somewhere to live - and peace and quiet to heal her wounds. The tenants of Hummingbird House have other ideas.

When April moves into Hummingbird House, she is intrigued by her mysterious landlord, Dai.

With a bruised heart and a distinct lack of furniture, she spends the summer getting to know the other occupants. As she smartens up her home and makes peace with her recent past, she befriends Paul, a solitary ex-chef, and Betty, an elderly lady who lives in the basement flat.

But Hummingbird House holds many secrets, and the relationships of the tenants are not as straightforward as they seem. April learns some shocking truths one eventful night and realises that victims and villains can look the same.

The Landlord of Hummingbird House explores unlikely friendships, unexpected love interests, and family relationships. Here, everyone is in need of a second chance - and appearances can be deceptive.

Review

First, have you seen a more adorable, inviting cover? I love it  everything from the color to the font. I love it so much that I want a hard copy to sit on my shelf. Beyond being adorable, it is a pitch-perfect advertisement for this charming novel.

The author captures people in their elegant simplicity. She allows details to speak for the selves  the environment she creates is immersive and rich . she has crafted characters that feels like friends. The style is a blend of literary and romantic elements that creates a homey, warm novel full of wonder. I will carry a torch for April and Dai and the innate curse of adult loneliness when life just doesn’t go quite right.   

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Landlord-Hummingbird-House-Impressions-Chances-ebook/dp/B099J88F84/

https://www.amazon.com/Landlord-Hummingbird-House-Impressions-Chances-ebook/dp/B099J88F84/

Author Bio – Jane Harvey is a pen name. ‘Jane’ crafts fun fiction for the thinking woman, where she enjoys exploring unexpected friendships and writing happy endings. In 'real life', her (prize-winning) fiction is a little bleaker. 

She was born and raised on the beautiful island of Jersey, CI, and lives with two males and a dog. 

 

Social Media Links –

Instagram.com/jane_harvey_novelist

Facebook.com/jane_harvey_novelist

Bluesky: @dreenawriting.co.uk

Promo: The Players Act 1: All the World's A Stage

 

How far would you go to save what you truly love?

England, 1715.
When society doesn’t understand you, and your family is out of the picture, a strolling theatre company could be your perfect home…

Ambitious lead actor Thomas is determined to reach Drury Lane and prove to his father that he is not a failure.

Fierce Caroline has a traumatic past and is determined to protect the company which saved her.

Kind-hearted Annie just wants to look after her found family.

So, when their heartbroken manager Robert is injured and decides to fold the struggling company, the players are resolved to change his mind, whatever the cost. Unfortunately for them, the odds are stacked against them. They’ve lost their stage, they still haven’t got a skull for Hamlet, and flamboyant ex-member Piero is hunting them down, with a spot of revenge on his mind...

Is it time for the final bow?

The Players Act 1: All The World’s A Stage gives voice to the forgotten strolling players of the 18th century in this fun, uplifting, and page-turning read.

 

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• Energetic, accessible historical fiction
• Working-class characters
• Found family
• Comedy and tragedy
• Shakespeare
• LGBTQ+
• Neurodiversity
• Mental health issues
• Multiple POV
• Heart and hope

 

Purchase Links

https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-players-act-1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Players-Act-All-Worlds-Stage-ebook/dp/B0DY8CM3LX

https://www.amazon.com/Players-Act-All-Worlds-Stage-ebook/dp/B0DY8CM3LX

 

Author Bio –

Amy was born in Eastbourne, England, where the sea and South Downs encouraged her love of the outdoors and nurtured her wildness. Her childhood was filled with folk music, caravans and imagination, and she was always dreaming up stories and characters – usually when she was meant to be doing something else.

She enjoys stories that explore both comedy and tragedy. She is a New York Times bestselling author and her work includes THE HOUSE AT THE EDGE OF MAGIC series, and the picture books for BBC’s THE REPAIR SHOP. THE PLAYERS is her debut novel for adults.

Amy now lives in Devon with her husband and six children. When she isn’t writing, Amy enjoys drinking tea, climbing trees and playing the piano, although disappointingly she is yet to master doing all three at once.

 

Social Media Links – 

www.facebook.com/AmySparkesAuthor

www.instagram.com/sparkes_amy

https://bsky.app/profile/amysparkes.bsky.social 

 

Review: Love or Your Money Back

 Is marriage about love or marketing?

Kat is 34, single and running out of time – she wants to get married before she turns 35, but her fiancé just ditched her for a 21-year-old life coach.

Freddy is a ruthless marketing guru who thinks love is just transactional. He’ll use his marketing genius to make Kat the most sought-after woman in London, if she lets him rebrand her struggling company.

With her 35th birthday looming and her love life a disaster, Kat agrees to become Project Marriage.

Can a rebrand king sell happily ever after? Or is love something even the best marketer can't package and promote?

A smart, funny romantic comedy for fans of Emile Henry (Funny Story), Lucy Score and Ali Hazelwood. 

 Review:

This breezy romance is full of smart, funny narration that lends itself well to a lazy summer day at the beach. The romance between Kat and Freddy may not give you a sunburn, but it will help you to look forward to cuddling up to your own off-kilter special someone. 

I particularly loved seeing chronic illness represented well inside a book with a strong heroine. I applaud the writer for looking deeper than "she wears a size 10 - gasp" for why love feels challenging for a modern woman. In spite of a challenge, Kat still has plenty of confidence and capability, so it's no wonder that Freddy can't help loving her.  While high on romance (and alcohol), the story focuses on emotion than intimacy so it's a safe bet for most readers. 

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Your-Money-Back-funniest-ebook/dp/B0FDBMMZQQ

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Your-Money-Back-funniest-ebook/dp/B0FDBMMZQQ

 

Author Bio – 

Bio Suzy K Quinn writes romantic comedy / rom com books / cozy mystery and has sold over 1 million books worldwide. She is a bestseller in the UK, US and Germany and has plans for total world domination with more feel-good books (bestsellers, obviously) in the near future.

Suzy lives in Wivenhoe, Essex, with her husband Demi and two daughters. She is a twin, an incompetent parent of two and now fully decaffeinated. Her twin sister, Cate Quinn, is also a bestseller author. When she's not writing, she is reading rom coms and cozy mysteries.

Suzy loves her readers and is ALWAYS happy to chat on social media - she's @suzykquinn on all the socials. You can also get a free book at her website:

www.suzykquinn.com

Social Media Links – 

Facebook.com/suzykquinnbooks

Tiktok @suzykquinn

Instagram @suzykquinn

Twitter @suzykquinn

Threads @suzykquinn

Review: Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing

 Sad to leave her daughter and granddaughters behind in England where she has been visiting for the past year, Olivia Grace is excited to return to her hometown of Pelican Crossing and resume her life as a counsellor. But a shock awaits her, threatening to destroy her future and forcing her to make changes she’d never anticipated.

Dan Parker has moved to Pelican Crossing with his teenage daughter after the death of his wife, intent on making a fresh start. Now, having fulfilled his long-held dream of opening a Wellness Centre, he confronts an unexpected challenge

Faced with an unforeseen situation and frustrated by her friends' relentless matchmaking, Olivia finally admits her attraction to Dan and agrees to a date. But real life isn’t a romantic novel, and things don’t go smoothly.

Can these two lonely people find a future together, or are they destined to grow old alone?

For fans of heartwarming small-town romances, this is a must-read. With vibrant descriptions of the charming coastal town and two endearing characters who struggle with loss and loneliness, this book will tug at your heartstrings.

Review:

Oh I do love my mature ladies in romance! This is yet another heartwarming book by Maggie Christensen. The characters are very truthful and feel authentic for their age as they both try to start over in life and love. I was thrilled that the main characters felt like mature adults, though some might call them "boring" since they tend toward communication and emotional stability. Neither character changes much throughout the book. To me, that felt realistic - leave the drama to the youth! I felt that it deepened my connection to the characters to see them relate to each other and their families in healthful ways. 

This book is perfect for fans of Debbie Macombe or Hallmark movies. I found it to have more emotional depth than either of those comparisons, however, which made my literary-fiction-loving heart very happy.  I missed the other characters from earlier books, but that just gives me good reasons to go and read those books again. 

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

Author Bio – 

After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing contemporary women’s fiction portraying mature women facing life-changing situations, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.

From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘Come and teach in the sun’. Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!

 

Social Media Links – 

https://www.facebook.com/maggiechristensenauthor
https://twitter.com/MaggieChriste33
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8120020.Maggie_Christensen

https://www.instagram.com/maggiechriste33/

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maggie-christensen?list=about

https://maggiechristensenauthor.com/

https://bsky.app/profile/maggiechriste33.bsky.social

Cover reveal: The Croatian Island Library

 

Where books are borrowed, and friendships are forged…

When her beloved grandfather dies, Ana Meštrović buys a catamaran in his memory, which she names Dida Krila – Grandad’s Wings. 

For the summer months, it will be transformed into a travelling library, delivering books to children living across the Croatian islands.

Joined by crew members Natali, a young mechanic afraid of her own shadow, and Lloyd, an older widower who needs a fresh start, the newly-formed trio all have their own reasons for needing the floating library to be a success.

Embarking on an adventure that will change them for good, they each discover that a new chapter is only a boat ride away…

Pre-order Link - https://mybook.to/CroatianIslandLibrary

Publication Dates - 16 th January 2026 (ebook) 29 th January 2026 (paperback)

Author Bio –

Eva Glyn writes escapist relationship-driven fiction with a kernel of truth at its heart. She loves to travel and finds inspiration in beautiful places and the stories they hide.

Set mainly in Croatia, her contemporary stories are more about friendship than romance, the coming together of people through shared interests, and the opportunity to make fresh starts in their lives. A love of books is a common theme too, so her publisher, One More Chapter, has christened them the Bookish Escapes collection which currently includes The Dubrovnik Book Club,

and The Santorini Writing Retreat, with The Croatian Island Library to be published in January 2026. In addition Eva has written two Second World War dual timeline romances, An Island of Secrets and The Collaborator’s Daughter, and a new beginnings novel entitled The Olive Grove. All are set in Croatian, a country she loves. Although she considers herself Welsh, Eva lives in Cornwall with the man she met and fell in love with more than thirty years ago. She also writes as Jane Cable.

Social Media Links –

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

Twitter: @JaneCable

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

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/eva-glyn