Month: Nov 2022

Posted in 5*, Adult Fiction, Blog Tour, Chick Lit

Today I’m delighted to be sharing my review for the festive Christmas on the Riviera by the wonderful Jennifer Bohnet #blogtour @rararesources @jenniewriter

Posted on by LovetheSmellofaBook

My Review

I absolutely love books by Jennifer Bohnet and was super excited to pick this up and take a trip to the South of France. What beats a wander around the Christmas markets whilst enjoying the sunshine and a glass of mulled wine.

We get to know the lovely Gabby & Elodie, as Gabby returns to France for the first time in many years and provides Elodie with an insight into how her life was when she was younger.

Set over the Christmas period it is filled with French traditions and the wonderful formation of new friendships. As always I absolutely loved the visit to France and loved this story and characters from start to finish.

Book Blurb

Christmas is a time for family and friends, but will the allure of the French Riviera be able to work its magic?

As a toddler Elodie Jacques was abandoned by her mother and left in the care of her French grandmother, Gabriella in Dartmouth, Devon.

Now 24 years old, Elodie struggles to reconcile the deep anger for the mother she has never since seen.

When Gabriella unexpectedly announces she wants the two of them to spend Christmas and her 70th birthday in her home town of Juan-les-Pins in the South of France Elodie is thrilled.

Gabriella meanwhile has her own ulterior motives for wanting to return after 40 years, a daunting homecoming potentially filled with memories, secrets and recriminations.

With Juan-les-Pins pulsing with lights, decorations and the festive spirit, Christmas promises to be filled with fun. But when Elodie learns there is the possibility that her long absent mother may join them she hides her feelings behind a show of indifference and animosity.

Will there be the reconciliation that Gabriella longs for – or will the spirit of Christmas fail to work its wonder?

Available to purchase here

Meet the Author

If you’re already a reader of my books welcome, and if you’re just checking out my novels, I hope you find something you like.

I currently live in Brittany but I have three places I often refer to as ‘home’: Devon, Brittany and the South of France. Having lived in all of them I know certain areas like Dartmouth, Finistere, Cannes well and they are the places where I like to set my stories.

My stories usually span the generations with characters ranging in age and having to cope with unexpected problems in their lives – but there is always a hopeful ending, even if there are tears before.

Happy Reading! Love, Jennie xx

Many Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to join the blog tour. Please remember to like and share to help spread the book love

Thanks for visiting Love the Smell of a Book today and I hope you have a great day!

Daisy & Kel x

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Posted in Blog Tour, Young Readers 5-9, Younger Readers

Today I am super excited to be sharing another superb children’s read with you – Flicker’s Garden Rescue by Jodie Parachini #blogtour #kidsbooks @jodieparachini @rararesources

Posted on by LovetheSmellofaBook

My Review

I loved this book as soon as I saw it’s bright and colourful cover, straight away it catches your attention. Whilst being filled with bright and colourful images and text which is in an easy to read font making the perfect story to read with a child or for them to practice their reading, whilst reading to you.

The story was easy to understand with a great explanation of how pollination works, which is a great way to start children building their understanding of nature early on.

Daisy really enjoyed this story and loved talking about it afterwards and how she thought her younger cousins would enjoy it.

A great story to grab for Christmas for your younger readers with a positive message and some great talking points about pollination as they start to explore nature.

Book Blurb

Flicker and her friends discover how helping others can be fun.

Queen Bee can’t stop sneezing, so she won’t be able to oversee the pollination of all the fruit and vegetables in the garden this year. Not only does this mean there won’t be a Garden Party, it also means there won’t be any yummy food. Flicker and her friends help save the party–and the food.

Available to purchase here

Meet the Author & Illustrator

Jodie Parachini is an American/British author and editor who currently lives in Hertfordshire, England. Jodie has written fifteen children’s books, including Listening to the Stars, HeroRat!, and Flicker Finds Her Glow. In addition to earning multiple starred reviews for her work, Jodie has been named a finalist in the PBParty competition, the Macmillan Write Now Prize, and the OhZoe Rising Talent Award.


Bryony Clarkson is an English illustrator living in the beautiful Cotswold region of the United Kingdom. She studied textile design at the Royal College of Art, London, before embarking on an eclectic creative career. She now loves to illustrate, creating magical worlds to spark the imaginations of children.

Many Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to join the blog tour. Please remember to like and share to help spread the book love

Thanks for visiting Love the Smell of a Book today and I hope you have a great day!

Daisy & Kel x

Posted in Adult Fiction, Blog Tour, Chick Lit, Seasonal

Today I am super excited to be sharing some festive fun with my review for The Christmas Trip by Sandy Barker

Posted on by LovetheSmellofaBook

My Review

I am super excited to be sharing my review for The Christmas Trip, I always love a book by Sandy Barker and this was no exception. I love getting to catch up with Lucy, Chloe and Jules again in this wonderful festive read.

Grab a cup of coffee and a cosy blanket and snuggle down for your Christmas trip with the May Ladies as they celebrate Christmas together and work hard to create the ultimate Christmas experience for everyone. Filled with Christmas decorations, stockings and traditions from all of their families as they combine all of their previous experiences and traditions from Colorado, Melbourne & London.

I absolutely loved this story, it was full of everything that is amazing about Christmas. I love the family time and time spent with loved ones and this story captures it so perfectly and is set in a gorgeous location (even if a hot Christmas doesn’t seem right)

A story that I loved from start to finish and couldn’t wait to find an extra few minutes to keep reading, so I could catch up on the latest developments between the friends and the additional characters that presented themselves throughout the story.

Book Blurb

Another year has passed and it’s Christmas again. This year best friends Chloe, Jules and Lucy are all loved up but living worlds apart.

Chloe is madly in love with her celebrity beau, Archer, but after a whirlwind year in Hollywood’s limelight, she’s desperate to get away and spend some quality time together.

Jules loves her Melbourne life – and gorgeous winemaker Matt – but a crowded flat share has her longing for a place of her own.

Meantime, Lucy is stuck in a long distance relationship, jetting back and forth between Colorado and London to see Will.

When Archer’s plan to whisk Chloe to Paris goes awry, he surprises her by bringing her friends together for a Christmas to remember…

Available to purchase here

Meet the Author

Sandy is a writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list, and many of her travel adventures have found homes in her novels. She’s also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob. 

Sandy lives in Melbourne Australia with her partner, Ben, who she met while travelling in Greece. Their real-life love story inspired Sandy’s debut novel One Summer in Santorini, the first in the Holiday Romance series with One More Chapter, an imprint of HarperCollins. 

The series continues in That Night in Paris and A Sunset in Sydney and there are two more to come in 2022. Her standalone novel The Christmas Swap celebrates her favourite time of the year, and next up is The Dating Game, a laugh-out-loud romcom set in the world of Reality TV.

Social Media Links

https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthor

https://sandybarker.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sandybarkerauthor/

Many Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to join the blog tour. Please remember to like and share to help spread the book love

Thanks for visiting Love the Smell of a Book today and I hope you have a great day!

Daisy & Kel x

Posted in Blog Tour, Younger Readers

Today is my turn to jump on the blog tour for the wonderful Dig It, Digby by Jodie Parachini #blogtour #digitdigby @rararesources @jodieparachini

Posted on by LovetheSmellofaBook

My Review

I absolutely loved reading this book, it was bright and vibrant with brilliant images that weren’t too complicated and suited the theme of the book perfectly.

As soon as I started reading and realised it had a rhyming rhythm, it totally rolled off the tongue and I just kept reading. I love doing the blog yours for younger kids as Daisy always loves to pick up the book and she loved this one too. She loved the images and spent ages flicking through and going back to them.

The words used were perfect for younger children with words written in larger font and bold for extra impact and to allow the children to join in when reading too. I can’t wait to read this with my friend’s little ones, as I just know they will love it and that the concept of dancing trucks will make them roar with laughter.

Available to purchase here

Meet the Author

Jodie Parachini is a children’s author and editor. She lives in a village in Hertfordshire, England, where she loves swimming, gardening, and taking long, rambling hikes with a smelly dog. She can be found at http://www.JodieParachini.com

Many Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to join the blog tour. Please remember to like and share to help spread the book love

Thanks for visiting Love the Smell of a Book today and I hope you have a great day!

Daisy & Kel x