Coming Home to Merriment Bay

Part Two – Sparks Fly

by Emily Harvale

Lily Harper is an events organizer, but her neat, ordered world has just exploded. First, she lost her job, then she lost her fiancé. Her five-year plan is looking increasingly shaky.

Lost and lonely, Lily heads home to her childhood village, and accepts the position of live-in housekeeper at the grand but welcoming Willow Tree Hall. It’s not exactly her dream job – Lily is more used to arranging parties than pantries – but at least she’s working.

Her first task is to arrange the Willow Tree Hall summer fete. Lily is in her element, writing to-do lists and organizing bunting and baking – until her old flame Jack Carter turns up in the village. Lily hasn’t seen Jack in over ten years, when he sped off on his motorbike, taking with him the pieces of her broken heart.

Lily vowed she would never forgive him. But as Willow Tree Hall weaves its magic, Lily finds she might just give Jack a second chance after all…

Full of warmth, tears, love, and laughter, this is a gripping romance for fans of Heidi Swain and Philippa Ashley.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

‘Paddling pool time,’ she said, with a grunt. ‘Which at least will replace the horror of bath time. And then bedtime followed swiftly by gin o’clock.’

‘How marvellous,’ said the woman, giving Jack a once over that would make anyone blush. ‘Is that flashy car yours? How I do like a man with a fast-running motor!’ ‘Thank you,’ said Jack, his mouth twitching into a smile. Aunt Rose had to be at least seventy years old and was dressed in a very fashionable dress, jacket and matching hat from which protruded a large feather in the same hot pink colour. Sam sighed. ‘I’d like to say that you get used to my aunt’s flirting but don’t assume that you have to.’ ‘My darling nephew, I do not flirt!’ said Rose, with a throaty chuckle. ‘I merely stun and disarm.’

‘Men!’ said Rose, rolling her eyes. ‘They’re just too awful but oh! L’amour! Who can resist them? Now, have you tried Tinder? I mean, you get a few freaks obviously but the sex is marvellous!’

‘You’ve put on a pound or two, haven’t you, chubby?’ ‘Stress eating,’ the man told him, taking a step backward. ‘Mind you, that’s nothing compared to your grey hairs.’ ‘It’s being famous again,’ said Mick, rubbing his grey sideburns which he’d missed with the hair dye. ‘People wanting money everywhere I look. Vultures, the lot of them.’ ‘Poor you,’ said the stranger in a sympathetic tone. ‘You really enjoyed those years being has-beens after all, eh?’

My Review:

I’m continuing to enjoy my stay in the quaint little village of Cranley and the extensive grounds of Willow Tree Hall. This installment was considerably more angst-ridden than the last with significant career, personal, and family stressors present for the two new main characters of Lily and Jack, who both separately find themselves unemployed and back in their small village after more than a decade apart. Despite the heavier issues and concerns covered, Ms. Sherlock thoughtfully and shrewdly provided comic relief often through the always effervescent and outrageous flirting of great-aunt Rose. Aunt Rose continued to delight and entertain with her feisty attitude and joie de vivre. I aspire to be as cool at any age as Aunt Rose in her seventies. Although, there were several other oddly enticing and idiosyncratic visitors bringing in smirk-worth levity as well. I am enjoying my travels to this busy little hamlet and look forward to more adventures there.

New additions to my Brit Word List include budge up – to move over, make room for others; and scrumping – stealing apples from someone else’s orchard.

Ten Things My Husband Hated

by Pauline Wiles

Maggie Moone is happily divorced.

And with her talent for fixing things, she’s perfectly content with her mundane life in the sleepy English village of Saffron Sweeting. That is, until one humiliating March evening when she learns everyone else assumes she’d love to mend her broken marriage.

Determined to prove them wrong, Maggie and her friends concoct a list of ten ways to assert her independence and live large. But her mission to move on leads to unexpected encounters, and Maggie soon finds herself mixing business with pleasure. Is the attractive young Irishman just another item on her list, or is he something more?

Before long, unresolved issues from her past begin to clash, and Maggie is forced to wonder if antagonizing her ex-husband was such a stellar idea.

No sooner does she begin to understand what’s important to her, than she stands to lose everything that truly matters.

This is the fourth in the collection of Saffron Sweeting romantic comedies, which can be read in any order. If you like gentle British humor and deliciously resilient heroines, you’ll love Ten Things My Husband Hated.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Not only had I jumped the queue, I’d snapped at an old-age pensioner, and accused everyone of needing pills to help them poop.

It felt strange to hear my maiden name after so long. I probably hadn’t heard it since my wedding day, way back when Pluto was a planet.

‘I know you have a knack for it, but surely you’re not liking these odds and sods?’ She made it sound as though I was embalming corpses at the morgue, or cleaning public toilets.

Nobody in Saffron Sweeting knew Mrs Worthing’s first name. Everywhere you went, people accorded her the respect she demanded. She walked around in all weathers with a headscarf firmly tied, and her chin half an inch higher than it should be. The corners of her mouth, on the other hand, never lifted at all.

He shrugged, then wrote something on the clipboard. No doubt a secret acronym for patient is deranged.

I looked down, and recoiled in horror… I was an unmitigated dog’s dinner. My clothes were drenched in sweat, my hair was a hedgehog’s nest, my face was smeared with goodness knows what, and I’d wiped my nose on my shirt.

My Review:

This was my second time reading the crafty Ms. Wiles amusing words, and I believe she has become a bit habit-forming, as perusing her clever tales is something I would enjoy incorporating into my diet for a tasty treat.   Written from the first-person POV of Maggie, a rather wimpy and mousy jam loving divorcee who must have been a medical marvel as she appeared to be missing any trace of a backbone. I enjoyed the humorous storylines but wanted to provide Maggie with several brisk yanks as a form of medical intervention to dislodge her cranium from her backside. However, her friends hoped to refocus her energy and give her a kick-start toward self-independence by making a list of activities to be viewed as rebellious acts against her rather smug and self-serving ex-husband. There were a few mixed results and comical escapades along the way with a small village full of quirky yet oddly captivating residents.

I gleaned two new and fun additions to my Brit Words and Phrases list with: odds and sods – different kinds of things that are usually small and unimportant; and much of a muchness – two things that are very similar.   The UK saying of “odds and sods” seems much of a muchness to the use of “odds and ends” in the USA, although I’m finding odds and sods to be far more fun to say aloud.

My Mother’s Silence
by Lauren Westwood
Pub day: 11/11/2019

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Coming Home to Merriment Bay
Part One: A Reunion
Merriment Bay series
by Emily Harvale

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I don’t know how your mum stays alive because she clearly doesn’t have a heart.

 It’s like an inferno in that kitchen. But that might have something to do with Luigi, the chef. He could make my pot boil any time he wants, if you catch my meaning. I’ve half a mind to make him husband number three.

 So many questions and thoughts and fears careered around in Cat’s mind, but her lips wouldn’t form any words. Not polite ones, anyway.

 The expression on Mary’s face was one of abject horror. As if she had seen the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and they were heading straight for her.

 My Review:

Starting a new series involves setting the stage, establishing the traits and personality quirks of the various characters, and drawing the reader in with various story threads and my curiosity has been poked, nudged, and dialed to itch factor, as I’m impatient to know the secrets. What a tease that Emily Harvale, I would stamping my little foot and turning the air blue if I didn’t already have Part Two already loaded on my Kindle.

A sparkling festive romance that will warm your heart this Christmas.

The week before Christmas, GP Zander Gillespie finds his festive plans in tatters. He’s supposed to be flying out to his parents’ chateau in Carcassonne with his high-maintenance girlfriend, Melissa. But she has other ideas. She wants to spend Christmas in London with her party friends – and he’s not invited. The prospect of facing his family, with their questions and their sympathy – not to mention the ‘I told you so-s’ – just isn’t an option. Instead, Zander decides to head to his holiday cottage in the quaint moorland village of Lytell Stangdale, where he intends to hide away with his faithful rescue Labrador Alf.

Eighty miles away, Livvie’s world has come crashing down. With plans to cook a romantic meal for her boyfriend, she heads home early and walks in on him in a compromising position with their neighbor. Fed-up of his lies and philandering ways, this is the final straw. With her Christmas plans up in smoke, the thought of spending it with her parents and her smug, married sister with her pompous husband in tow, is enough to bring Livvie out in hives. So, when she fires up her laptop and finds the perfect little holiday cottage in Lytell Stangdale available to rent over the festive period, it seems the perfect solution. Or is it…?

Zander didn’t believe in love at first sight until he set eyes on Livvie. Livvie had sworn off men until she met Zander. The pair may be reluctant to give in to temptation, but fate seems to have other ideas…

Join Livvie and Zander – and all the usual characters – for a magical Christmas in Lytell Stangdale.

The perfect cozy read to snuggle up with this Christmas

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Zander struggled not to laugh at Mary who was dressed as Madonna complete with a pair of the largest conical breasts he’d ever seen… ‘They’re more like traffic cones.’ ‘Mind where you’re pointing them things, Mary, you’ll have someone’s eye out,’ Jimby said, chuckling. ‘Aye, they’re like a couple of nuclear weapons, Big M,’ said Camm.

‘And who’s this bonny lass here, then?’ Gerald asked, eyeing Livvie up and down. He reached into the pocket of his skin-tight leopard-print leggings and pulled out a pair of false teeth, popping them into his mouth with a rattle. Molly leaned in to Livvie. ‘And there was me thinking he was pleased to see me.’ Livvie did her best to suppress a giggle. ‘Ah, you can always tell when he spots a bonny lass; the teeth go straight in.’ Mary put her hands on her generous hips and rolled her eyes.

‘Granny Aggie.’ ‘Yep, it’s Granny bloody Aggie; up to her usual with the vicar.’ ‘Sounds ominous,’ said Zander. ‘You’ve no idea,’ said Jimby. ‘What’s she said now, Moll?’ Molly sighed. ‘You know how she’s been feeding that stray cat?’ ‘Yes.’ Rosie looked worried. ‘Oh, God, I think I know what’s coming next,’ said Violet. ‘Well, she’s only gone and sent Rev Nev a text telling him that she has a lovely pussy and asked him if he wants to go and stroke it. Told him it purrs if he does it gently.’… ‘Please tell me she’s done that in innocence.’ Molly snorted. ‘Like bugger she has; the wicked old bat knows exactly what she’s doing, pretends it’s innocent though.’

My Review:

This was a delightfully fun and deftly written book with a few absorbing and intriguing dashes of vile and villainous behaviors.   The premise was entertaining, the storylines were humorous and impeccably well-crafted, and the nimble writing was easy to fall into yet cunningly perceptive, cleverly witty, and comically detailed. I wore a near-constant and gleeful smirk while reading and barked out a few chuckles and giggle-snorts as well. Eliza J. Scott has discovered the recipe for the secret sauce and has generously applied her savvy word magic throughout this divinely entertaining and effortless read.

Two city dwellers find themselves thrown together in a quaint and quirky little village inhabited by the most supremely odd yet uniquely appealing, thoughtful, humorous, and pleasantly beguiling residents. The extremely likable two main characters were strangers yet they were immediately comfortable with each other. They were both unexpectedly taking a last-minute separate holiday away from their own unpleasant and dissatisfactory relationships, which had reached their expiration date.   A computer glitch and inclement weather found them sharing a holiday cottage as well as snow and ice adventures, village holiday fun, dispiriting and cringe-worthy ex moments, a precious rescued Labrador, an instant kinship and rapidly blossoming yet tacit attraction, and a hilarious 80’s theme party with an elderly woman dressed as the conically corseted Madonna. I may now be Ms. Scott’s most fervent and rabid fan for that diabolically clever scene alone.

I found treasure with several exciting new additions for my Brit Word List with aud mucker – old friend; nithered – very cold; and skew-whiff – crocked or twisted to one side.