** Blog Tour ** Dark Days at the Beach Hotel- Francesca Capaldi

I’m delighted to be one of today’s stops on the blog tour for ‘Dark Days at the Beach Hotel.’

Can Helen save the hotel… and her reputation?

Helen Bygrove is managing the hotel, now that her husband has been conscripted. Against all expectations, Helen and her team are doing marvellously, despite the shortages brought by war. Even the exacting Lady Blackmore agrees. But then the calm is shattered when poison pen letters are sent to prominent townsfolk and Helen finds herself the target of a police investigation. Is someone trying to ruin Helen, and the Beach Hotel? And can she rely on the handsome but taciturn Inspector Toshack to help her? When her husband, Douglas, is invalided out of the war he is determined to take back control of the hotel and things go from bad to worse.

How can she ever escape his bullying? Is she a fool to hope that she may have a second chance at love?

Purchase Link – https://geni.us/bXV7C

Author Bio –

Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child, largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was good at improvised story telling.

Writing under both her maiden name, Francesca Capaldi, and her married name, Francesca Burgess, she is the author of historical novels, short stories and several pocket novels. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists.

The first novel in the Wartime in the Valleys series, Heartbreak in the Valleys, was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Historical Award 2021. Both the Valleys series and the Beach Hotel series are published by Hera Books.

Francesca was born and brought up on the Sussex coast, but currently lives in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

Social Media Links –

Facebook Author Page:  https://www.facebook.com/FrancescaCapaldiAuthor/

Website: https://www.francesca-capaldi.co.uk/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@francesca.capaldi.author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FCapaldiBurgess

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francesca.capaldi.burgess/

Review-

I confess to being a fan of this author having already read and reviewed two of the Valleys series and one of the Beach Hotel series, so I was eagerly anticipating this new release.

I was hooked from the outset! Set against the backdrop of conscription in World War One, this is a fascinating tale of heartache, deception and bullying and yet is equally one of empowerment, resilience and steely determination to do what’s right.

Central character Helen Bygrove is immediately likeable. Tasked with running the Beach Hotel in the absence of controlling and, quite frankly despicable, husband Douglas, who has been conscripted. She is doing a formidable job, earning the respect of both staff and patrons alike, despite the difficult circumstances.

And then the trouble starts.

Francesca Capaldi’s writing style draws you into the plot with characters who come alive in her pages, whilst also bringing historical accuracy to the saga, making it truly authentic.

I loved the camaraderie between the hotel staff and how they rally to support Helen when Douglas returns, as well as the blossoming relationship between Helen and Inspector Toshack. The twists at the end when the various culprits were revealed was also a pleasant surprise and not at all what I’d expected.

I’d definitely recommend reading the other books in the series, although this can easily be read as a stand-alone.

A wonderful read that I simply didn’t want to put down!

With thanks to the author, Rachel at Random Resources and Hera books for the opportunity to participate in the tour.

Further stops can be found here:

** Blog Tour ** All Change at the Beach Hotel- Francesca Capaldi

I’m delighted to be one of today’s stops on the blog tour for ‘All Change at the Beach Hotel.’

Can she choose between her duty and her heart?

While World War One changes the country beyond measure, with food becoming scarce and Britain’s young men being called up to foreign battlefields, it is harder than ever to keep the grand Beach Hotel in Littlehampton running smoothly.

Waitress Lili Probert, a young woman who escaped her demanding family in Wales in search of a new life in Sussex, has seen her hard work rewarded at the Beach Hotel, but hides heartbreak behind her sunny personality. Her sweetheart, Norman, is missing in action and has been presumed dead, but she cannot give up hope that he may be found.

But when she meets injured soldier Rhodri, a fellow Welshman now living near Littlehampton, she fights hard to ignore her growing attraction for him, torn between her feelings for him and her loyalty to the man she thought she’d spend her life with.

But her emotions run ever higher when she suddenly receives a call from home; her mother is gravely ill and Lili is needed for her care. Returning to Wales, Lili must make a difficult choice. Follow her dreams and make her own life, or return to the place she tried so hard to escape?

Torn between her duty and her heart, Lili faces her own battle far from the conflicts in Europe…

Purchase Link

Amazon: https://amzn.to/40AuFWR

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3HhxBkC

Apple: https://apple.co/3oISBKC

Author Bio –

Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child. Born in Worthing and brought up in Littlehampton in Sussex, she was largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was brilliant at improvised story telling.

A history graduate and qualified teacher, she decided to turn her writing hobby into something more in 2006, when she joined a writing class.

Writing as both Francesca Capaldi and Francesca Burgess, she has had many short stories published in magazines in the UK and abroad, along with several pocket novels published by DC Thomson.

Her Welsh World War 1 sagas were inspired by the discovery of the war record of her great grandfather, a miner in South Wales. Her latest series, The Beach Hotel, is set in her own childhood town, where her Italian father had a café on the riverside.

Francesca is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. She currently lives on the North Downs in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

Social Media Links –

Website: https://www.francesca-capaldi.co.uk

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/FrancescaCapaldiAuthor/

Twitter: @FCapaldiBurgess

Instagram: Francesca,capaldi,burgess

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@francesca.capaldi.author

Review-

I was eager to read this book having previously read “Hope in the Valleys’ from the Wartime in the Valleys series.

While this is book two of the Beach Hotel series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

I was particularly drawn into Lili’s story due to her Welsh background and could easily relate to the references to her family life back in Wales. It also made the introduction of Rhodri as a potential new love interest plausible as both were looking for a connection to home.

The style of writing compliments the historical context and, although set during the First World War, this is not a war novel but rather an historical romance set in that period of time. It’s much more a portrayal of characters, dilemmas and perspectives and as a reader you find yourself easily immersed in the plot.

I loved the chapters describing the build up to Christmas, with Lili searching out the ideal presents, then planning carols back at the hotel before setting down in the staff quarters for their own roast beef version of Christmas dinner. You could feel the bond between the staff oozing from the pages!

In contrast, the more elite clientele of the hotel, along with the odious Mr Bygrove, offer a stark contrast in characters and show the difference in class and expectations which would have been prevalent at the time. The author cleverly injects discrete humour into these paragraphs to reinforce the absurdity of some of their behaviour.

A truly heartwarming read and highly recommended!

With thanks to the author, Rachel at Random Resources and Hera Books for the opportunity to participate in the tour.

Further stops can be found here:

** Blog Tour ** Love in a Time of War- Adrienne Chinn

I’m thrilled to be one of today’s stops on the blog tour for ‘Love in a Time of War’.

Three sisters

The Great War

The end of innocence…

In 1913, in a quiet corner of London, the three Fry sisters are coming of age, dreaming of all the possibilities the bright future offers. But when war erupts their innocence is shattered and a new era of uncertainty begins.

Cecelia loves Max but his soldier’s uniform is German, not British, and suddenly the one man she loves is the one man she can’t have.

Jessie enlists in the army as a nurse and finally finds the adventure she’s craved when she’s sent to Gallipoli and Egypt, but it comes with an unimaginable cost.

Etta elopes to Capri with her Italian love, Carlo, but though her growing bump is real, her marriage certificate is a lie.

As the three sisters embark on journeys they never could have imagined, their mother Christina worries about the harsh new realities they face, and what their exposure to the wider world means for the secrets she’s been keeping…

Author Bio –

Adrienne Chinn was born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, grew up in Quebec, and eventually made her way to London, England after a career as a journalist. In England she worked as a TV and film researcher before embarking on a career as an interior designer, lecturer, and writer. When not up a ladder or at the computer writing, she often can be found rummaging through flea markets or haggling in the Marrakech souk. Her second novel, The English Wife — a timeslip story set in World War II England and contemporary Newfoundland — was published in June 2020 and has become an international bestseller. Her debut novel, The Lost Letter from Morocco, was published by Avon Books UK in 2019. Her latest novel, Love in a Time of War, set during WWI, is the first in a series of three books based around the changing lives of three English sisters and their half-Italian mother, with a timeslip to 1890s Capri and London.

Social Media Links –

https://www.adrienne-chinn.co.uk/love-in-a-time-of-war/

https://www.facebook.com/adriennechinnauthor

https://twitter.com/adriennechinn

https://www.instagram.com/adriennechinn/

Review-

An evocative read set across a dual timeline both before and during the Great War, this is a tale of family, love, heartache, secrets and moments in life that change things forever.

The author expertly weaves the narrative to build the story of the Fry family and its three sisters, each with their own individual personalities and aspirations.

Historically accurate and reflective of views and opinions of the time, the reader encounters life as it would have been for each member of the family and how this impacted on their opportunities and experiences. It is impossible not to get caught up in each of their stories and also reflect on how history can often repeat itself.

A thoroughly captivating and emotional read.

With thanks to the author and Rachel at Random Resources for the opportunity to participate in the tour. Further stops can be found here: