What’s the best way to spend a Bank Holiday weekend? Snuggled up on the sofa reading, of course! Here are the five reads I’m looking forward to most.
The Barefoot Bookshop on the Beach by Rebecca Raisin
We need a bookseller for the Barefoot Bookshop on the Beach… apply here!
When Harper sees an ad for what must surely be the most idyllic job in the world, she’s almost tempted. But she can’t possibly leave her bookshop job in London, or her burgeoning career as a successful Bookstagram influencer… That is, until a casual remark about a debut author lands her in deep trouble.
So she applies. After all, now she’s got nothing to lose. Except maybe her heart, she realises, as she lands on the beautiful island of Ésperé in the Seychelles and finds herself seemingly surrounded by beautiful men. Including the hotel owner, moody but heartbreakingly-handsome Xavier.
But inter-staff relations are strictly forbidden. And Harper has enough on her plate, with a member of staff missing and a wily band of expats to contend with. Plus, she’s determined to make the bookshop and new start the success they deserve to be… Even if – under the blazing sunshine – the romance novel superfan in her can’t help but hope the boss of the hotel might not be quite the grump he seems…
The Grapples of Wrath by Alice Bell
THIS MYSTERY HAS THEM IN A CHOKEHOLD…
Claire Hendricks can see ghosts. But that doesn’t make solving murders any easier…
Pro-wrestling manager Ken King is convinced his late father is haunting his Brighton gym and he hires medium-turned-private-investigator Claire to help his beloved dad move on to the next life.
But Eddie can’t because he’s adamant he was murdered, and he tasks Claire with bringing his killer to justice.
In the world of pro-wrestling, can she work out what’s real, who’s faking and unmask the killer once and for all?
The Name Game by Beth O’Leary
The Isle of Ormer: population 500, soon to be 501.
Charlie Jones has landed on the island to embark on her brand new life. As the manager at Ormer’s only farm shop, this job will be her perfect next chapter. Good riddance to the mainland, this is it – fresh air, and a clean slate.
Except there is one small issue . . .
Charlie Jones has also just arrived on the Isle of Ormer, to embark on his brand new life. His job at the farm shop feels like fate, and could not have come at a better moment. On Ormer, Charlie has promised himself he’ll escape old friends, bad habits and heartbreak.
This second chance is the best thing that could have happened to Charlie . . . and Charlie.
That is, until they are introduced . . .
Regret This Later by Olivia Spring
He’s forbidden. She knows better. But The Love Hotel Paris has other plans…🤭
Single mum Laila is officially an empty nester. But her social life’s flatter than a crêpe, and her love life? Non-existent. So when her best friend signs her up to The Love Hotel, Paris’s hottest matchmaking retreat, Laila knows it’s rude to say no!
Laila cannot wait to see the city of her dreams – and the added promise of a holiday romance. Until she discovers her “perfect match” is Gabriel—her best friend’s twenty-seven-year-old son. She hasn’t seen him in years, and now he’s all man… Broader. Infuriatingly good-looking. And absolutely, one hundred per cent off-limits.
Laila knows better. But her connection with secret tech millionaire, Gabriel is undeniable. And as the days melt into nights filled with electric glances, near-miss kisses, and one unforgettable moment under the Paris lights, resistance becomes impossible. Will Laila walk away before her heart and friendship are destroyed? Or will she fall for the one man she can never have and worry about the consequences later?
How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin
LAURA NEVER MEANT TO LIE. BUT OLD HABITS DIE HARD.
When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Fliss, the budding artist Laura had just taken under her wing.
Annie is no stranger to murder – after all, she’s solved a few cases already. And something about the way Fliss died feels familiar. She’s seen a case like this before. Or read about it, rather, in the journals of her dead Great Aunt Frances, whose close friend was killed in the 1960s in the exact same way: with her heart surgically removed from her chest.
As threats pile up on Laura’s doorstep, it soon becomes clear that she’s next, and that she’s hiding something . . . With her mother’s life on the line, can Annie find the killer before it’s too late?
From the gritty streets of 1960s Soho to the lofty galleries of present-day West London, follow Annie and Frances as they race to bring a killer to justice.
And if you fancy something to sweep you away…
The Floating Venice Bookshop is out now!
Can a bookshop bring two hearts together?
Beth loves everything about living in Venice. The meandering canals and the cobbled street have captured her heart, so when she loses her job and fears she’ll have to return to England, she’s devastated.
Until she stumbles upon a book barge for sale, it seems like fate. Beth has long harboured a dream of opening a specialised bookshop that combines her two passions: art and books. She just needs to be brave enough to take a chance, and maybe a little help from a local.
Enter Marco, a gorgeous, passionate local art promoter, and their chemistry is instant and electric. Beth needs Marco’s local knowledge to launch her business, but as they work together, both seem determined to ignore the sparks flying between them.
The closer they become, the more their attraction grows. Soon, they will have to choose – face their fears and give love a chance – or walk away forever.
