Captured On Film.: June 2020

Monday, 29 June 2020

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

What I Read Last Week:

Have to say I didn't Particularly enjoy either of them.

What I'm Reading Now:

What I'm Going To Read Next:

Thursday, 25 June 2020

Blog Tour for From Venice With Love by Rosanna Ley.

I was delighted to be asked to take part in this blog tour for Rosanna's latest book. I will hold my hand up and admit to having several books of hers on my shelves but this is the first one I have actually read. And I wasn't disappointed.

About the book:

With her marriage in danger of falling apart, Joanna returns home to the beautiful but dilapidated Mulberry Farm Cottage in rural Dorset, where her sister Harriet is struggling to keep the Farm afloat and cope with their eccentric mother.

When Joanna discovers a bundle of love letters in the attic, written by a watercolourist named Emmy, she is intrigued and sets out to discover Emmy's true story. Emmy's letters take Joanna to the picturesque alleyways and bridges of Lisbon, Prague, and the most romantic place of all: Venice - where a whole new magical world seems to unfold in front of her.

Meanwhile, back at Mulberry Farm Cottage, a mysterious prowler adds to Harriet's problems and interrupts her search for a perfect partner. Will she ever find true love? Where will Emmy's mesmerising pathway lead? And more importantly, will Joanna and Harriet be able to rescue the cottage and finally be able to re-discover their sisterly bond?

What I Thought:

I have to say that quite often before I buy or read a book I often look at the reviews first - and I like seeing what other authors thought of the book. This one certainly looked promising:

'COMPLETELY BEGUILING AND BEAUTIFULLY TOLD' Kate Furnival
'A PERFECT SUMMER READ' Rachel Hore
'A GORGEOUS, MOUTH-WATERING DREAM OF A HOLIDAY READ' Red

The book tells the story of 2 sisters, both of whom are going through some tough times in their lives. The sisters are reunited in the family home to try and pick up the pieces. The book travels from Dorset to Venice, Lisbon Prague and Rome and each location is described so well. A little bit of mystery is thrown in with the hidden letters from Emmie.

On the whole I enjoyed this book - some parts were a little unbelievable but then aren't books meant to be like that? We want to be taken away from reality - even more so in the current climate. This was a nice easy read and would be perfect for taking on holiday - if only we could do so. I will definitely be reading those books on my shelves now and recommending this author.

About the author:

Rosanna Ley has had six novels published by Quercus Books. She has worked as a creative writing tutor for many years and has written articles and stories for a number of national magazines. Her writing holidays and retreats take place in stunning locations in Spain and Italy. When she is not travelling, Rosanna lives in West Dorset by the sea.

Visit Rosanna: @RosannaLey / http://www.rosannaley.com

And the best bit - this book is only 99p on Kindle right now - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Venice-Love-enchanting-holiday-read-ebook/dp/B07PSJV3F5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HBQ6GAFCWWBI&dchild=1&keywords=rosanna+ley&qid=1593070291&s=digital-text&sprefix=rosanna+ley%2Caps%2C549&sr=1-1

Monday, 22 June 2020

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

What i'm Reading Now:

What I'm Going To Read Next:

Monday, 15 June 2020

My review of The Sight of You by Holly Miller.

The Blurb:

Joel is afraid of the future.
Since he was a child he's been haunted by dreams about the people he loves. Visions of what's going to happen - the good and the bad. And the only way to prevent them is to never let anyone close to him again.

Callie can't let go of the past.
Since her best friend died, Callie's been lost. She knows she needs to be more spontaneous and live a bigger life. She just doesn't know how to find a way back to the person who used to have those dreams.

Joel and Callie both need a reason to start living for today.
And though they're not looking for each other, from the moment they meet it feels like the start of something life-changing.

Until Joel has a vision of how it's going to end . . .

What I Thought:

This book blew me away. Yes it is a love story. Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. They fall in love. But there is an elephant in the room.

Joel has dreams that can predict the future. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. Sometimes about small things. Others are life changing. One involves Callie.

I know you might think dreams predicting the future is a little improbable. I have to agree. But the book is written is such a way that the whole scenario becomes believable.

I don't want to give anything away but I will admit that to being in tears during the last few chapters.

This is a beautifully written book and the story will stay with me for quite some time.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

What I'm Reading Now:

What I'm Going To Read Next:

Tuesday, 9 June 2020

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

I'm a day late as today is Tuesday - although I ma still furloughed I'm not sure where yesterday went. But better late than never!

What I'm Reading Now:

What I'm Going To Read Next:

Blog Tour for The Summer Island Swap by Samantha Tonge

Today is my spot on the blog tour for Samanthsa new book The Summer Island Swap - a perfect feel good read.

About the book

Sometimes the best holidays are the ones you least expect...

After a long and turbulent year, Sarah is dreaming of the five-star getaway her sister has booked them on. White sands, cocktails, massages, the Caribbean is calling to them.

But the sisters turn up to tatty beaches, basic wooden shacks, a compost toilet and outdoor cold water showers. It turns out that at the last minute Amy decided a conservation project would be much more fun than a luxury resort.

So now Sarah's battling mosquitos, trying to stomach fish soup and praying for a swift escape. Life on a desert island though isn't all doom and gloom. They're at one with nature, learning about each other and making new friends. And Sarah is distracted by the dishy, yet incredibly moody, island leader she's sure is hiding a secret.

Perfect for fans of Holly Martin, Mandy Baggot and Heidi Swain.

What Did I Think:

I'm not sure about anybody else but I am reading more during lockdown - but I cannot read anything too demanding or heavy - and this book fitted the bill perfectly.

A slight misunderstanding over her holiday arrangements find Sarah not on her luxurious no expense spared holiday destination complete with unlimited cocktails and sunshine but instead on a conservation project on the stunning British Virgin Islands. To say she is not happy about this is an understatement and she is determined not to enjoy it. But as time passes and her friendship with the project leader develops her attitude changes. The setting sounds wonderful and the project itself is quite topical. Love the interaction between the sisters and how their relationship changes. But best of all is the little monkey - if he doesn't capture your heart then nothing will.

This is a perfect piece of escapism which I am sure many of us need right now.

About the Author

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK with her husband and children. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.

When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women's magazines.

She is represented by the Darley Anderson literary agency. In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins and in 2014, her bestselling debut, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. In 2018 Forgive Me Not, heralded a new direction into darker women's fiction with publisher Canelo. In 2019 she was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association romantic comedy award