Book Review and #BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources – Winters’ Gift by Florence Keeling (4.5 stars)

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Title: Winters’ Gift

Author: Florence Keeling

Published: 15th of November 2018 – Crimson Cloak Publishing

Format: Ebook – 280 pages

Hello Hello! How are you?

Today I’m bringing you a review of this lovely book that I read for my latest blog tour stop on the Rachel’s Random Resources tours organised by Rachel. Winters’ Gift by Florence Keeling has been the perfect pick me up these past few days and I’m so glad I get to share it with you.

Thank you to Rachel for letting me take part in the tour and for sending me the book. All opinions are my own.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

Bea Winters’ life is going nowhere. Bullied at work she longs to follow her dream of becoming a published author. So when an advert appears in her local paper to work in the accounts department of a publishing house in Yorkshire, she jumps at the chance.

Her gorgeous new boss Scott Summers is the perfect distraction and she strikes up an instant friendship with another aspiring author, Eddie Richards.

But all isn’t as it seems in the sleepy village of Bloomsdale. How does the local clairvoyant know her name? Where did the little black dog suddenly appear from and why does she keep bumping into the mysterious Charlie?

MY REVIEW

Winters’ Gift by Florence Keeling is a lovely contemporary romance, and I’ve only just realised why it has that title! You’re going to love it!

We follow Bea who lives in Birmingham and has hit a dead end in her life and wants a new start. She comes across an add for a publishing company in Yorkshire and decides to try her luck. When she arrives in Bloomsdale, some strange things start to happen and she has to come to terms with everything, alongside a great new job, a gorgeous boss, great new friends and the mysterious Eddie Richards.

This book is set in Yorkshire, mostly in the publishing company, Summer Days Press, and in the Sophie, the narrow boat, but I did really enjoy this rural setting, I don’t like books set in the city, so I was glad that we got to see this story unfold in the countryside. My mum is obsessed with canals and narrow boats, so I’ll get her to read this book too, I’m sure she’ll enjoy it as much as me!

I was immediately immersed in this book, which is really surprising because I hardly read contemporary romances quite like this one. It was such a lovely, comforting type of read and I went through a whole host of different feelings while reading it, it has certainly occupied me the last few days.

Bea is a great character, I thought that she was a bit older originally, but she is 25 and she really does have a solid head on her shoulders. I felt a very big connection to her right from the start because my dream is to work in a publishing company. Obviously, she works as an accountant, which couldn’t be farther from what I want to do, but it’s still a publishing company aha!

I sort of struggled with Scott’s character throughout this book and if you read it, you’ll understand why, one minute I really hated him and the next I really liked him, and even though his “justification” didn’t sit right with me entirely, I did understand him better at the end, but still wasn’t too fond. I did love Eddie right from the start however, as I did Joe and Buddy, oh and also Giles, he is hilarious and I love him.

I will admit that some things don’t exactly add up perfectly because of the little twist in the plot and the sort of “special” side to this book, but I did really enjoy reading it and I didn’t expect any of the plot twists, I was totally oblivious until everything was revealed. I was never bored and I just kept turning the pages to know more. I was totally rooting for Eddie and Bea from the minute they set eyes on each other and I liked how the whole story ended and everything seemed to find its own place.

MY THOUGHTS AND RATING

I had a really great reading experience throughout and I was just hooked from start to finish. I exclaimed “omg” a few times, giggled and had my heart broken alongside the characters. It was a really great written book that did all the right things and I’m so happy I decided to pick it up.

Overall, I loved it, the story was quite unique and very well written, the characters were believable and I really connected with both Eddie and Bea. I gave this book 4.5 stars because it was just lacking that special spark I need to give a 5-star rating and a few things seemed a bit convenient or rushed for my liking, but it was a great story, really enjoyable and I highly recommend if you are looking for a quick, sweet contemporary romance with a little twist and some unexpected revelations.

Thank you once again to Rachel and Florence for inviting me to take part in the tour and providing me with a copy of the book, it was a pleasure, as always.

That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed this post, see you soon, stay safe,

Ellie xx

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – FLORENCE KEELING

Florence Keeling adopted for her pen-name her Great Grandmother’s name, chosen because of the shared birthday of April Fool’s Day.  She is married with two teenage children. Born and raised in Coventry, England she now lives just outside in Nuneaton.  Reflected Destinies is her first novel. Florence Keeling also writes for children under the name of Lily Mae Walters.

Florence’s Links: Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

If you would like to purchase this book, you can find it here: Amazon UK (affiliate link) – Amazon FR (affiliate link) – Amazon US – Kobo