Showing posts with label Alison Sherlock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alison Sherlock. Show all posts

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Book Review: Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall (Willow Tree Hall Series #4) by Alison Sherlock



 Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall 
(Willow Tree Hall Series #4)
 by Alison Sherlock


Amazon US / UK / AU / B&N


Romance blossoms under the stars in this feelgood love story for fans of Milly Johnson and Heidi Swain.

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.



About The Author


Amazon
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Alison Sherlock loves to write stories full of warmth, laughter, love, and friendships including The Desperate Bride's Diet Club which reached No 1 in the Italian book charts. Her latest series of books focus on the lives and loves, trials and tribulations of all those who live and work at Willow Tree Hall, a crumbling stately home in the countryside. The latest book, Escape To The Country, is out now! Alison lives in Surrey with her husband and Harry, the world's daftest golden retriever. She loves to hear from her readers. 

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Book Review: A Winter Wedding at Willow Tree Hall/ A Way Back Home (The Willow Tree Hall Series Book 3) by Alison Sherlock


A Winter Wedding at Willow Tree Hall / 
A Way Back Home
(The Willow Tree Hall #3) 
by Alison Sherlock



Amazon US / AU / CA / B&N


Full of warmth, laughter, tears and a wedding!

What happens when two lost souls find themselves? Perfect for the fans Jill Mansell and Carole Matthews.

After recent heartbreak, Skye Jackson finds herself homeless and on the road with only a classic Airstream trailer to her name. A surprise inheritance of a rundown little lodge on the grounds of beautiful Willow Tree Hall forces her to change her plans. However, there is a problem...

The lodge is co-owned by care-free, playboy Will Harris, who finds himself unemployed after a recent tabloid scandal.

Syke desperately wants a home to call her own and needs to move on as quickly as possible. Will doesn't want to stay at his family home either to face the ghosts of his past. So they decide to put aside their differences and renovate the cottage together.

But when a storm hits, Skye and Will are forced to stay on to ensure that an important wedding goes ahead. Can Skye finally find a home of her own? Can Will stop running from his past and help out his family when they need him the most?

The magic of winter at Willow Tree Hall is about to change everything...




My Rating:


Favorite Quotes:




Sam, looking across the table to Skye. ‘As a woman, what do you think is the fastest way to this man’s heart?’ ‘Through the chest with a sharp knife,’ she retorted, shooting Will a piercing look.



‘No need to sound quite so surprised. I was brought up quite properly, you know.’ ‘And then what happened?’ she couldn’t help but ask. His eyes twinkled. ‘I reached adulthood and everything was legal.’



‘The school run was a total nightmare this morning. I forgot Barnaby’s homework. Although he’s only six so why the hell is he getting homework anyway? Then Joshua decided to try cat food for the first time. He’s okay. Hopefully, he’ll get shinier hair and stronger teeth like the packet says. Then Millie had a total meltdown at nursery and turned into something from The Exorcist.’ … Megan gave Skye a weary smile. ‘Hi. As you’ve just gathered, I’m Mother Inferior.’



‘Jeez, I’d forgotten how bad it was,’ he said, with a grimace. ‘This is where happy ever after comes to die… This is a UN disaster zone, not a place to hold the most glamorous wedding of the year.’



He’s always looking for his next near Mrs…



My Review: 


This was a sweet, witty, and lavishly detailed enemies to friends to lovers romance. The humor was clever and generously peppered throughout the various storylines with snarky quips and quick banter that often put a smirk on my face. Will was a selfish, scandal-ridden, and philandering asshat and I didn’t much care for the spoiled wastrel until midway through the book when he began to evolve into a surprisingly thoughtful human being who could finally see beyond his own nose. I was slow to join team Will but I adored the rest of this large and quirky cast of characters with my favorite being the fun, often married, well-clad, and feisty great-aunt Rose. Rose was an elderly cougar and party-central. This was my first time reading Ms. Sherlock’s delightful scribbling and didn’t seem to struggle at all with jumping into her series with the third book. I enjoy her engaging and agile storytelling and have added her entire listing to my TBR. I’m greedy like that.



About The Author

.
Amazon
Goodreads
BookBub

Twitter
Facebook

Alison Sherlock loves to write stories full of warmth, laughter, love, and friendships including The Desperate Bride's Diet Club which reached No 1 in the Italian book charts. Her latest series of books focus on the lives and loves, trials and tribulations of all those who live and work at Willow Tree Hall, a crumbling stately home in the countryside. The latest book, Escape To The Country, is out now! Alison lives in Surrey with her husband and Harry, the world's daftest golden retriever. She loves to hear from her readers.