Summer Nights at Hillview Farm by Margaret Amatt - #bookreview #blogtour

Adele had just reached the end of the secondary five records and was cross-referencing projected exam results with behaviour notes when her eyes landed on the date at the top of her planner...

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I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Rachel's Random Resources. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

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The Blurb

Some rules were made to be broken… especially when it comes to love.

After a tragedy left her heart shattered, deputy headteacher Adele Robson has rebuilt her life in Glenbriar, keeping her grief hidden behind a polished, no-nonsense exterior.

Rugged farmer Owen Lyndell is having a hard time with his wayward teenage son Max, and the summer holidays at Hillview Farm aren’t going well.

Term-time clashes over Max have made Adele and Owen loathe each other, so discovering her new dream cottage is next door to Owen’s farm is unwelcome news, especially when she’s finally built up the courage to carry out the summer bucket list she and her late fiancé dreamed of. And when Owen shows up accidentally during one of her bucket-list activities, they start to see a different side to each other.

Between horse riding, wild swimming, and sunsets over Loch Briar, both Owen and Adele have a chance to rediscover love. But only if Adele can overcome her past heartbreak… plus the immovable fact that she's Max’s teacher, and when summer ends, she and Owen must return to a professional relationship.

But perhaps the last item on the bucket list is one already written in the stars.

My Review

Although this book is part of a series, each book works as a standalone story. This book made for lovely reading and I enjoyed it very much.

The chapters are told from two different perspectives: Adele, who is deputy headteacher at a nearby school, and Owen, who is the father of Max, a student who tests Adele's patience every day. When Adele moves into a new home following the death of her fiancé, she is shocked to find that Owen is her nearest neighbour.

However, outside of the school setting, they see and appreciate one another in a different way and it's not too long before the chemistry between them becomes apparent. 

This is a lovely enemies-to-lovers story and is set in a small Scottish town. The setting was perfect for this story, and was an enchanting setting for the author to place her characters. 

The book deals with themes such as second chances, healing and moving on.  Although grief figures in the story, it is not even remotely maudlin.

The book has a predictable ending which was perfect for this story. It was clear from the very beginning that this was the likeliest outcome. If you like a beautiful setting with relatable characters and a little spice thrown into the mix, then you will love this story as much as I did.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1914575136

Publisher: Leannan Press

Formats:  e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  363 (paperback)

Series:  Book 18 in the Glenbriar series

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Margaret Amatt is a bestselling Scottish author, professional daydreamer, and certified chocolate addict. She’s been making up stories for as long as she can remember – some of them even made it onto paper (and, tragically, onto floppy disks that no computer can read anymore). After two decades of writing in secret, she finally unleashed her first novel on the world in 2021, kicking off a ten-book series set on the stunning Isle of Mull.

But why stop there? She’s also the creator of The Glenbriar Series, where romance, small-town drama, and a pinch of spice keep readers coming back for more. This series is still going strong, with more books planned!

Margaret has spent her whole life in Scotland’s breath-taking Highland Perthshire, despite her entire extended family coming from the Glasgow area. Her books are romantic and emotional, sweet and funny, and each one can be read as a standalone, but long-time readers know the joy of familiar faces popping up, adding to the chaos.

So, if you love relatable characters, sizzling chemistry, and plenty of banter, you’re in the right place – just don’t blame Margaret when you stay up way too late reading just one more chapter.

You can also find Margaret at:

Author Website

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Other Blog Posts Featuring This Author

Christmas Wishes at the Station Book Shop

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random)

(all opinions are my own)

Sugar and Spice at the Pumpkin Corner Cafe by Laura Briggs - #guestpost #blogtour

I am delighted to be welcoming Laura Briggs to the blog today, who is going to talk about her book, Sugar and Spice at the Pumpkin Corner Café. Before I hand over to Laura, I just want to give you a little information about the book.

The Blurb

Professional pastry chef Blaire Reese is blindsided when her beloved Aunt Rachel dies, leaving her the Sugar and Spice Pastry Cafe in Willow Grove. Returning to her hometown, Blaire discovers her beloved family business is in trouble, and—to make things worse—its most-cherished recipe is missing.

Her first love and former summer crush, Evan Hadley, is also back in town, having traded a corporate career to help manage his family’s Heath Acre Farm, famous for its autumn Hay Daze corn maze. Grown up – and with rugged good looks – he’s only charming when he wants to be. Like when he's not tangling with someone over business matters, the way he is with Blaire after she cancels a large order for organic pumpkins.

Her sunshine is disappearing under his grumpy storm clouds, until he accidentally learns the truth about her situation. Now, he offers to help save her aunt's legacy and her family’s pastry cafe. As they work together in secret, the ingredients for a very different recipe develop— one simmering with romance—but an unexpected turn of events melts their growing attraction into a mess.

Will Blaire save the beloved cafe and find the lost recipe that means so much to the pastry café’s customers? And can she save this last chance at love with the first boy she ever kissed?

Sugar and Spice at the Pumpkin Corner Café invites readers to dive into its cozy autumn escape this fall—for fans of grumpy x sunshine, small town romance, Gilmore Girls, pumpkin lattes, sugar and spice and everything else that's nice about this magical season!

This is the perfect new cozy-up-with-a-pumpkin-spice-latte read that’s meant for fans of Laurie Gilmore and Rebecca Raisin!

Welcome to the blog Laura.

Thanks so much to Left on the Shelf for this chance to share with all their readers about my new small town romance read Sugar and Spice at the Pumpkin Corner Café!

It seems like everyone is looking for their next favorite magical cozy autumn read these days. Books that make you want to snuggle up with a blanket and a cinnamon (or pumpkin!) spice latte are everywhere you look on social media, and frankly why not? We all love the escapist settings and seasonal charm that make you feel like you’ve been sucked into an episode of Gilmore Girls, where Luke’s diner has an endless supply of pancakes and coffee and the town square is always festooned in soft glowing lights and seasonal charm. 

I definitely set out to capture a bit of that atmosphere for Sugar and Spice at the Pumpkin Corner Café, where I got to explore my love for all things autumn as my heroine Blaire inherits her aunt’s adorable café in the town of Willow Grove. Of course, there are complications—including a missing family heirloom recipe that could make or break Blaire’s chances of keeping the beloved café afloat as customers begin to notice the absence of her aunt’s cherished signature dessert from the daily specials. Meanwhile, her childhood sweetheart Evan is also back in town, and the sparks fly when Blaire has to cancel an order of organic pumpkins from his family’s farm on short notice (grumpy x sunshine anyone?). Past misunderstandings and present conflicts threaten to keep them apart, but working together to find the missing key to duplicating Aunt Rachel’s beloved pumpkin pastries could find common ground in ways neither expected—and unlock feelings both of them assumed had been left in the long ago past. 

If you’re thinking it sounds like something straight out of a Hallmark movie, well, you might be on to something, because I definitely did some TV binge watching as writing background for this one—in fact, you can see my Top Inspirations for writing Blaire and Evan’s story if you check out my latest Instagram reel at https://www.instagram.com/paperdollwrites/. A few might surprise you…others definitely won’t… but it’ll give you a feel for the kind of atmosphere the pages will whisk you off to if you choose to pick up a copy yourself. You can find it available in Kindle and Paperback via Amazon and eBook format from other major retailers. So, if you are missing your favorite pumpkin spice latte right now, or just need a feel-good escape to somewhere cozy and comforting, I hope you’ll make Sugar and Spice at the Pumpkin Corner Café your next reading adventure!

Thank you so much for being my guest today. I cannot wait to read the book.

Book Details

ISBN:  979 8278149262

Publisher:  Independently published

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  276 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

 Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller 'A Wedding in Cornwall'. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.

You can also find Laura at:

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(media courtesy of author/Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)