Spring at Blueberry Bay: An utterly perfect feel good romantic comedy (Hope Island, #1)

by Holly Martin

Welcome to beautiful Hope Island where the sea sparkles, the daffodils are blooming and a blossoming romance is just around the corner…

Bella has always had a sunny outlook and caring nature, despite recently falling on hard times. When she finds a handsome homeless man on her doorstep, her kind heart tells her she must help him. So, she invites Isaac into her cottage and into her life in ways she could never have imagined…

But Isaac is not what he seems. He’s keeping a huge secret from Bella, yet he never expected to fall for this open, generous and charming woman.

Bella can’t ignore the chemistry between her and Isaac, but she’s had her trust badly broken in her past. Will she run when she learns the truth about Isaac, or will he be the one man who can help Bella believe in love again?

A gorgeously romantic and heartwarming story to completely lose yourself in. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Jane Costello and Miranda Dickinson.

• ISBN10: 1786811855
• ISBN13: 9781786811851
• Publish Date: 7 April 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Bookouture
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 340
• Language: English

Reviews

[Emma (SCR)]

This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free for a Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Firstly I would like to thank Holly for letting me be a part of his tour. I have read most of Holly’s books and she never fails to impress me with her interesting characters and the prettiest locations and this book is no exception.

Bella Roussel has lived on Hope Island her whole life and she can’t imagine living anywhere else. Bella recently lost her job and has had a tough time trying to find a new one, but Bella has a promising interview on Monday. The job is made for her and not only does she really want it, she really needs it. Bella Roussel is one of those characters that you instantly want to befriend. She is one of those people that brighten up the day when you see them, but she has been so truly broken by her past that she is so scared to let any one in. But when she meets Isaac Scott her heart has other ideas.

Isaac Scott is just so incredibly swoon worthy. He is extremely romantic and he won my heart quite early on. Isaac is also funny, clever and determined. Isaac has worked very hard in his life and it has got him to where he is today. But being the CEO of 3 companies means that Isaac has been used in the past. Women have used him for his money and status and men have befriended him for the same reasons. This has left Isaac slow to trust but there is something about Bella that he just cannot stay away from.

Once again Holly has delivered a wonderful story that will have you falling in love with Isaac, Hope Island and all it’s inhabitants. I have a sneaky feeling that this will not be the last we see of these either. I’m hoping for a book on Rome and Freya but I am hereby getting on my knees and begging for a book for Dougie and Eden. BEGGING Holly!!!! I have a feeling I will fall harder for Dougie than I already have for Isaac.

[Leah]

Holly Martin is one of my favourite romance authors. If you’ve ever feeling down, a Holly Martin book can pick you back up and there always filled with warmth, love, humour and romance, not to mention the picturesque settings. Spring at Blueberry Bay is no different, filled with Martin’s trademark humour and wit and filled to the brim with tons of spark and charm. Bella, in particular, was a hoot because she was just so feisty and instead of just letting sleeping dogs lie (or Isaac get away with lying to her) she never gave a second thought to barging into someone’s office or room to give them a piece of her mind. I admire that in people, because I am a wuss; I can’t stick up for myself to save my life. People just walk all over me, and I would love some of Bella’s fire and spirit.

Having finished Spring at Blueberry Bay I’m not quite sure what the plot was… Because it seemed mostly to be about how attracted to each other Bella and Isaac were, despite how hard they tried to fight it, considering Bella wanted to work at Isaac’s charity, The Umbrella Foundation not to mention the fact they only met because Isaac went undercover as a homeless person, Zach, to see how Bella would react (inviting him into her home and kissing him… make of that what you will). It was quite a sneaky opening to the novel, but I loved it. It’s a clever way to see what potential employees will actually do when faced with a homeless person and even though Bella’s reaction is not how most would react, I liked it. So sue me. It certainly grabbed my attention and the pace from there was quite frantic, almost a bit insta-love-y, but I don’t care.

I loved Bella and Isaac. Their spark was undeniable and there really was something there, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. I thought it was going to go a bit 50-Shades for a minute which was terrifying. I liked how they just clicked and they just got on with it. Yes, Bella had a few parent-related issues (which when it was all explained kind of made me wonder why her Aunt Lucy and Uncle Finn hadn’t explained it all sooner?) and there were other things that got in the way (the fact they work together and he’s her boss, etc) but I just loved the romance of it all. I loved them as characters, and it just made me a bit swoon-y.

My only issue with Spring at Blueberry Bay is this weird thing British authors have with the word ass. It’s used so many times in this book and it just sets me on edge every time because this is a British book, with British characters and a British author, so why the heck do they say ass? It’s arse and it baffles me that it didn’t get changed in editing because it’s an AMERICANISM. It’s such a stupid thing to get riled up over but are we all suddenly going to start talking in American slang with American accents? Apart from that I loved the book. Holly’s such a good storyteller and you really feel like you’re there with the characters the entire time and, once again, I would quite like to go and live on Hope Island. I hope Holly’s next book is set there, and I hope it’s Rome’s story. I fear it will be Eden’s, but I want to know more about Rome. This was another brilliant read from Holly Martin and I look forward to her next one.