Tag: romance

#BlogTour #BookReview The One by Claire Frost @TeamBATC

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The One - blog tour graphic (002)Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The One by Claire Frost which will be published on 3rd March. My thanks to Sara-Jade Virtue at Simon & Schuster for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my review copy.

The OneAbout the Book

What happens when you lose the love of your life just three months after you meet him?

Lottie Brown has finally found The One. Leo is everything she’s ever wanted – he’s handsome, kind, funny and totally gets her. Three months into their relationship, Lottie is in love and happier than ever before.

But then Leo tragically dies, and Lottie is left floundering.

As she struggles to stop her life falling apart, Lottie learns more about the man she thought she knew, and starts to question whether Leo really was as perfect as he seemed…

Format: Paperback (368 pages)     Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: 3rd March 2022 Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Find The One on Goodreads

Pre-order/Purchase links
Bookshop.org
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Hive | Amazon UK
Links provided for convenience only, not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

The news of Leo’s death arrives suddenly and completely without warning, just at the point where Lottie has come to believe their relationship has blossomed into something permanent. So much so, that she’s reached the important point of introducing him to her sisters. As Lottie struggles to cope with her grief, the reader learns about how Lottie and Leo first met and the sweet way in which their relationship developed built on a shared sense of humour, love of the music of Elton John, a easygoing sense of companionship but also that important spark of passion.  After the particularly disastrous end to her previous relationship, for the first time in many years, Lottie feels loved and supported in a partnership built on trust.

It’s no surprise therefore that when Lottie discovers that Leo had kept things from her, it only adds to her sense of despair at his death.  Why did he not tell her? Why did none of his family disclose such a vital piece of information? She spends long hours alone pondering on the things she and Leo had planned to do that now will never happen – travelling around the world, even starting a family. ‘Then, in the blink of an eye, all those dreams, all the expectation, all that happiness had been ripped away from her.’ One of the most affecting scenes for me was when Lottie finds herself alone at Leo’s funeral and on the periphery, having never been introduced to any of his family except his cousin Ross.

Usually close to her sisters, Em and Annie, Lottie’s grief makes her push them away, rebuffing all offers of help and advice. After all, how can they with their seemingly perfect lives understand what she’s going through? For a time she retreats into an imaginary world in which Leo is not dead.   But, as we learn, Lottie’s a strong person and when she finally accepts the support of her sisters, she finds the courage to embrace new opportunities.

The One is a tender and emotional story of coming to terms with loss, the importance of family through difficult times and the resilience of the human spirit.

In three words: Engaging, bittersweet, tender

Try something similar: Before We Grow Old by Clare Swatman

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Claire FrostAbout the Author

Claire Frost grew up in Manchester, the middle of three sisters. She always wanted to do a job that involved writing, so after studying Classics at Bristol University she started working in magazines. For the last twelve years she’s been at the Sun on Sunday’s Fabulous magazine, where she is Assistant Editor and also responsible for the title’s book reviews. She can mostly be found at her desk buried under a teetering TBR pile.

Connect with Claire
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#BlogTour #BookReview Before We Grow Old by Clare Swatman @BoldwoodBooks

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Before We Grow OldWelcome to the first day of the blog tour – which also happens to be publication day! – for Before We Grow Old by Clare Swatman. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the tour and to Boldwood Books for my digital review copy via NetGalley. Do check out the posts by my tour buddies for today, Sheri at My Reading Getaway and the team at Romance By The Book.

Before We Grow OldAbout the Book

Some people are just made for each other…

When seven-year-old Fran first met Will they knew instantly that they were made for each other. For eleven years they were inseparable, but then, at the age of eighteen, Will just upped and disappeared.

Twenty-five years later Will is back. Is fate trying to give them a second chance?

Still nursing the heart break from all those years ago, Fran is reluctant to give Will the time of day. The price Will must pay is to tell the truth – the truth about why he left, the truth about why he’s back…

And Fran has her own secrets to hide. The time has come to decide what Fran and Will really want from life – before it’s too late. ..

Format: Paperback (314 pages)         Publisher: Boldwood Books
Publication date: 19th January 2022 Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance

Find Before We Grow Old on Goodreads

Purchase links
Hive | Amazon UK
Links provided for convenience only, not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

When Fran and Will run into each other in a coffee shop after a gap of twenty-five years is it coincidence, fate or something else? Finding themselves both single again, albeit each now with parental responsibilities, they quickly resume their relationship, their attraction to each other being as intense as it was all those years ago.

However, a revelation from Will causes Fran to reappraise her relationship with him and results in them embarking on a quest, along with Fran’s son, Kieran, to make the most of every day because, after all, you never know if it might be your last.

The story is told from Fran’s point of view meaning that the reader gets to witness her ever-changing emotions: doubt, guilt, resentment, frustration and an abiding sense of injustice. Not all of these may seem warranted. For instance, her initial response to Will’s revelation is one of anger when you might have expected, or hoped, her to feel sympathy – especially since Fran has a big secret of her own that she’s concealed for twenty-five years (the nature of which readers may well guess).

I found myself with immense sympathy for Will. Not only is he attempting to put things right with Fran but he is facing a personal challenge with fortitude and dignity. His tender relationship with his daughter, Elodie, was heart-warming and I also liked the bond he formed with Fran’s son, Kieran. Will’s world is rocked when Fran finally reveals the secrets she has concealed for so long but, despite everything he’s going through, he shows a capacity for forgiveness I found astonishing.

There are joyful moments in the book – one of my favourites involving Krispy Kreme doughnuts – but there is immense sadness as well. Before We Grow Old is something of an emotional rollercoaster that will have you laughing one moment and tearful the next. As the author demonstrates, life is a journey in which you never know what’s around the next corner. Carpe diem, as they say.

In three words: Emotional, tender, romantic

Try something similar: The Ends of the Earth by Abbie Greaves

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Clare SwatmanAbout the Author

Clare Swatman is the author of three women’s fiction novels, published by Macmillan, which have been translated into over 20 languages.

She has been a journalist for over twenty years, writing for Bella and Woman & Home amongst many other magazines.

She lives in Hertfordshire.

Connect with Clare
Website | Twitter | Facebook

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