Tag: romance

Blog Tour/Book Review: The Olive Garden Choir by Leah Fleming

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Blog tour poster

I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for The Olive Garden Choir by Leah Fleming along with my tour buddies Margie, Michael & Mateo at Margie’s Must Reads.  Thanks to Vicky at Head of Zeus for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my review copy.

Book cover (1)About the Book

An evocative novel of secrets, love and redemption under the Greek sun.

On the beautiful island of Santaniki, close to Crete, it’s not all white sands and sunshine. When retired bookseller Ariadne Blunt suggests the English residents form a choir, there are groans of resistance. After a little persuasion, the group gather in Ariadne’s olive garden to rehearse for a seasonal concert, but each member of this choir has their own anxieties and secrets.

Ariadne’s partner, Hebe, is in failing health. Clive struggles to accept the loss of his wife while Natalie hides her shameful secret in baking for comfort. Della, the Pilates teacher drinks too much and Chloe, Queen Bee of the village society, faces a family dilemma. Then there is Mel, the real songbird amongst them, English wife of a taverna owner who hides her talent until the choir inspires her to raise her voice once more.

In this tiny community, the choir brings the residents together like never before in a bittersweet tale of love and loss – and how life can begin again when you let go of the past.

Format: Hardcover, ebook (400 pp.)    Publisher: Head of Zeus
Published: 10th January 2019                Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romance

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ Hive.co.uk (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Olive Garden Choir on Goodreads

My Review

The Olive Garden Choir’s large cast of characters concentrates mainly on the expat community, with the local people playing more of a background role – the exception being Mel’s fearsome Greek mother-in-law, Irini, although even perhaps she can mellow in the right circumstances?  However, there is plenty of local colour injected by the descriptions of authentic Greek food and island traditions.  There is also the lovely addition of recipes for some of the traditional dishes mentioned.

The reaction to the arrival of a family of refugees, including pregnant Sammia, fleeing the conflict in Syria is mixed, ranging from downright hostile (at least initially) to neutral, to welcoming.  Ironically, the expats don’t see themselves as migrants, although of course they are incomers to the island as well.

Ariadne’s belief in the healing power of music is proved correct as the formation of the choir and the coming together of its members provides opportunities for social interaction, breaking down barriers as well as reigniting old passions for music and revealing hidden talents.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a large cast of characters but aside from Ariadne and Hebe (who have to feature because of their love of books), my favourite character was definitely Clive.  I loved his touching devotion to his deceased wife, Lucy, and his continued reliance on her imagined advice.  I’m sure he’s right in believing that Lucy would have wanted him to move on and take advantage of a second chance of love and companionship.

In fact, second chances and the possibility of new beginnings feature prominently in the book which is one of the things that makes it such a heart-warming and uplifting read.  But the cycle of life includes endings as well as beginnings so be prepared to have your emotions wrung at some points.

Whether you’re dreaming of your first trip to the Greek islands or, like me, dreaming of returning one day, The Olive Garden Choir is the ideal book to conjure up the unique atmosphere of that lovely part of the world*.  It might just also restore your faith in human nature and in the power of  communities to come together for the good of others.

I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Aria Fiction, and NetGalley.

*Don’t try booking a holiday to Santaniki – it exists only in the author’s and the reader’s imagination.

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In three words: Heart-warming, uplifting, emotional

Try something similar…The Secrets of Primrose Square by Claudia Carroll (read my review here)

Leah FlemingAbout the Author

After careers in teaching, catering, running a market stall, stress management courses in the NHS as well as being a mother of four, Leah Fleming found her true calling as a storyteller.

She lives in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales but spends part of the year marinating her next tale from an olive grove on her favourite island of Crete.

Connect with Leah

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Blog Tour/Q&A: Summer on the Italian Lakes by Lucy Coleman

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I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for Summer on the Italian Lakes by Lucy Coleman, published by Aria on 5th February 2019.  Described as ‘a sun-drenched, heart-warming story from the bestselling author of Snowflakes Over Holly Cove’ , it sounds like the perfect way to escape the winter blues.

You can read my fabulous Q&A with Lucy below in which she talks about her character-led approach to writing, what puts a smile on her face at the end of the day and the inspiration for the book she’s working on next.

Check out the tour poster at the bottom of this post to see the other fabulous book bloggers taking part in the tour.  Look out for their reviews, book extracts and guest posts.

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book coverAbout the Book

Bestselling Brianna Middleton has won the hearts of millions of readers with her sweeping – and steamy – love stories. But the girl behind the typewriter is struggling… Not only does she have writer’s block, but she’s a world-famous romance author with zero romance in her own life.

So the opportunity to spend the summer teaching at a writer’s retreat in an idyllic villa on the shores of Lake Garda – owned by superstar author Arran Jamieson – could this be just the thing to fire up Brie’s writing – and romantic – mojo?

Brie’s sun-drenched Italian summer could be the beginning of this writer’s very own happy-ever-after..

Format: ebook (304 pp.)    Publisher: Aria
Published: 5th February 2019       Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romance

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Summer on the Italian Lakes on Goodreads

Interview with Lucy Coleman, author of Summer on the Italian Lakes

Welcome to What Cathy Read Next, Lucy. Without giving too much away, can you tell us a bit about Summer on the Italian Lakes?

Thank you, Cathy – it’s wonderful to be here! Brie Middleton is a character who simply popped into my head one day and suddenly I found myself putting away my planned work in progress to write her story. She is a truly hopeless romantic at heart, but found she had a talent for writing hot and sexy stories with strong heroines.  As a best-selling author that’s what her fans expect from her, but when people meet her in person, they are very surprised. She’s a very introverted, sensitive person and after a brief involvement with an infamous rock star, she’s feeling crushed. Not only was she trolled by his fans for not being slim – or glamorous – enough, it sent her into recluse mode. What was she thinking? He wasn’t even her type but suddenly she felt the need for a little sparkle in her life. Well, that didn’t work.

Instigated by her agent, she finds herself flying off to Lake Garda to assist author, and academic, Aran Jamieson to run four, week-long writing retreats at Villa Monteverdi. In between she intends to pen that romantic, feel-good story that is welling up inside of her and which, she hopes, will restore her faith in the pursuit of true love.

But while the words grow on the page, what she feels for Aran is something straight out of one of her hot and sexy stories. And that’s not something for which she was prepared. Or the fact that she gets pulled in to inject a little romance into his latest writing project.

Your previous books have all been set in different locations: the Gower Coast in Wales (Snowflakes over Holly Cove), the Loire Valley in France (The French Adventure) and now, with Summer on the Italian Lakes, Italy. How important is location to your stories?

The story itself usually dictates the location. Rarely is it the other way around – except for (ironically) my current work in progress! But then, I’m rather fixated on that particular location…

Summer on the Italian Lakes takes place in a writing retreat in an idyllic villa on the shores of Lake Garda. Is this based on personal experience or a case of wishful thinking?

I’ve been lucky enough to have visited Italy, and Lake Garda in particular, numerous times over the years, but Villa Monteverdi is purely fictional. It is, I will admit, a composite of several villas in which I’ve stayed. However, because it’s at the heart of the story line it had to be a little unusual; a place that would be worth risking everything to hold onto. Italy is such a wonderful country and once visited, it stays in your heart, it truly does.

The main character in Summer on the Italian Lakes, Brie Middleton, writes ‘steamy’ love stories. Might you be tempted to follow her example?

The short answer is no. I don’t avoid writing about sex, and it certainly plays a part in this novel, but the ideas that drive my story lines focus on relationships and the pursuit of true love. That’s just the way my mind works.

As well as having a distinct lack of romance in her life, poor Brie is also suffering from ‘writer’s block’. Is ‘writer’s block’ something you’ve experienced and, if so, what are your techniques for overcoming it?

Another short answer – no. In fact it’s the very reverse. I have more ideas for stories than I have the time to write. And, as with this particular one, when Brie popped into my head I was forced to down tools because she was insistent I write her story first! I’m not a planner. I start with one character and usually a working title. I often feel I don’t write the stories at all, the characters do. That helps, as there’s never time to over-think something, or plan ahead –it just happens when I sit down at the keyboard.

Before becoming a published author, you were an interior designer. Does your interest in interior design manifest itself in your writing?

All my passions in life tend to influence my writing whether I want that to happen, or not. I guess the saying ‘write what you know’ is true because unwittingly that’s what happens. I believe the aesthetics of one’s surroundings is crucial to a feeling of general well-being. I like order, cleanliness, tidiness and a sense of tranquility. Given my background I do spend a lot of time designing the interior of the homes my husband and I have had over the years. Having moved a year ago, we are still in the process of finishing off a total make-over. However, it’s been a busy year for me and while my other half does the building side of things, I’m the decorator and I’ve had trouble keeping up! But it’s something I love doing when I’m not writing and I will be making time to get things sorted very soon.

What’s your favourite and least favourite part of the writing process?

Simply putting my fingers on the keyboard and living in the world my characters create. It’s bliss because I write happy books, even if they tackle real-life issues. But it’s about optimism and not giving up on your dream. I always end the day with a smile on my face. Least favourite? Having to stop. In perfect world I would go to bed with my iPad and not reappear until I’d written ‘The End’. I did do that once – it took a month and to be honest I did very little else. Shower, eat, sleep (minimal) and write. But I have a husband and a family I love dearly and it was a one-off. But for continuity purposes it was bliss and I felt I was living the story, so I was in a happy place!

The author Diane Setterfield has said she is ‘a reader first, a writer second’. Is that a view you share?

I was an avid, obsessed reader for many years and it began from about the age of eight. I was always a scribbler but finding my soul mate at the age of eighteen and having a mortgage, then two children within a couple of years meant having two very diverse careers first. Writing was my dream for the time when life wasn’t so hectic and I could indulge myself – and give up the day job! Having waited (with growing impatience) for the opportunity to present itself, it’s tough to choose reading over writing now, I will freely admit. With so many ideas coming at me, I tend to slot in reading as a break before I begin a new story. Writing has become my reading – which sounds weird but it’s the truth.

Which authors do you admire and enjoy reading?

I have my old favourites (mostly classics) – books I read and re-read, although less and less these days given my workload. I’m a bit like that with films. I’ve watched Love Actually well in excess of fifty times, hazarding a guess. I also have a lot of contemporary author friends and I’m a sucker for a feel-good book. Last year I read novels by Darcie Boleyn, Faith Hogan, Christie Barlow, Jill Steeples, Debbie Johnson, Samantha Tonge… to name a few.

What are you working on next?

Well, this is the one story where the location came first. I fell in love with the Palace of Versailles many years ago through reading about the French Court and Louis XIV. So, while what I’m writing is a contemporary romance set in modern day, the location is in and around Versailles itself.  I know the gardens well after numerous visits but last June was the first time my husband and I had braved the massive queues to tour the inside of the palace itself. Well, we were in heaven! Walking around the rooms the turbulent emotions of the past are almost tangible and it was a little overwhelming. But we will be visiting again. And very soon.

Thank you so much, Cathy, for some very interesting questions…it’s been great fun!

lucy colemanAbout the Author

Lucy lives in the Forest of Dean in the UK with her lovely husband and Bengal cat, Ziggy. Her novels have been short-listed in the UK’s Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards. Lucy won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award.

Connect with Lucy

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