REVIEW: Coffee in Castillo

Coffee In Castillo

Author: Shona Silverman

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pub Date: March 8, 2018 

BLURB

Things change. Life changes.

Yesterday, pretty artist Abbey was married. Today she is single. What will happen tomorrow? The same boring job, surely. Night after night in the tiresome company of her lazy, bickering teenage son and her grumpy, ageing mother. Loneliness under the miserable grey skies of England.

Tomorrow comes and Abbey is right, but only just. She still has that dull job but could not have guessed that it would take her on a business trip to Spain. And how could she have anticipated meeting charming expat writer Lewis there? Suave and handsome, Lewis lives in a different world. His realm is filled with light, warmth and passion. Is there room for Abbey in this place? Could this be her last chance in love?

Things are changing, quickly. Driven by her desire for love, seduced by sunlight and Lewis' emerald eyes, Abbey braves the challenges of a strange country. She finds herself drawn inexorably deeper into his world. Compelling and charismatic, Lewis is irresistible yet unreachable. The lines of love are drawn in the sand and the battle to capture his heart 

begins.

Join Abbey in this heartening, nimbly-paced romance. Share her hopes and fears, her sorrow and joy. Leave the chill rain of England behind and experience the exotic heat of the Spanish summer. Laugh with the locals in a little café, mingle with colourful fiesta crowds, walk with Abbey along a lonely seashore.

Will Abbey win Lewis' love? Can her dream become reality? The answers lie in the sultry world of Coffee In Castillo.

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My Review

Coffee in Castillo is an intimate story of life’s intricacies and delicacies for a few patrons of Caféteria de la Luz and residents of Castillo.  A story of taking charge, making your own dreams come true and creating your own happiness.

While visiting Castillo for work, Abbey meets Lewis.  She is inexplicably drawn to him and the lifestyle of Castillo.  When she returns home, she longs for and daydreams of her time with Lewis.

She is disenchanted with her life and loses pleasure and inspiration in the one thing she loved, painting.

Finding a magazine that Lewis gave her before she left gives her the impetus to visit him again.

Will Abbey find the happiness, love and fulfillment she has been yearning for in Castillo?

This is a sumptuous romance with a slow build that is full of “feel good”.  The relationship between the main characters is gradual and sweet.  The story telling pulls you into the lives of the characters.  Although I did love the story, I found the execution was not to my liking.  The story unfolds through snippets of time and although written well, left me wanting to know more.  I wanted the author to dig deeper into these characters lives because although I connected with the book, I don’t feel as though I connected fully with its characters.

Overall an enjoyable and entertaining read.

I received a free copy of this book.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About Shona

Shona is a British novelist and copywriter. Her short stories, full-length novels and countless articles appear in print and on websites around the world. She loves to travel, sometimes to research scenes for her work and other times simply for the pleasure of it. Everything that Shona writes comes straight from the heart.

Coffee In Castillo is Shona’s second novel. A nimbly-paced page-turner, this contemporary romance is an engaging love story whose brightly-drawn scenes play out in the exotic warmth of a Spanish paradise.

Discover more about Shona at shonasilverman.uk.

REVIEW: Midnight Blue

⭐⭐⭐(3.5 stars)

It should have been easy.

I needed the money. He needed a babysitter to keep him from snorting himself to death.

I was cherry-picked especially for him. Responsible. Optimistic. Warm. Innocent.

The worst part is that I should have known better.

Alex Winslow. British rock star. Serial heartbreaker. Casanova with whiskey eyes.

“Don’t get near the devil in a leather jacket. He’ll chew you up and spit you out.”

Guess what? I didn’t listen.

I signed the contract.

World tour. Three months. Four Continents. One hundred shows.

My name is Indigo Bellamy, and I sold my soul to a tattooed god.

Problem was, my soul wasn’t enough for Alex Winslow. He ended up taking my body, too.

Then he took my heart.

Then he took my all.

Alex Winslow, British singer and a-hole extraordinaire is a recovering addict.  He is a wastrel and he is jaded.  There’s really not much to like of him in the beginning.  He is assigned an “nanny” to make sure that he does not relapse.  He chafes against this and decides he will try to scare the babysitter away by saying and doing the crudest of things.  He is obsessed with his ex-fiancée who cheated on him.  Wants at all cost to reunite with her.  His plans are slightly amended when he comes to know the nanny.  She does not take his shit.  She gives just as much as she takes.  She refuses to lie with him simply because he is a rockstar.  She will not bend to his every desire and whim.  It’s refreshing for him and he finds himself intrigued.

Indigo Bellamy is down on her luck.  She is living with her brother, his wife and kid in their one-bedroom apartment.  She does not just need a job, she is desperate for one.  She wants to help pay for the surgery her nephew requires.  She would also like to financially help her brother and his wife.  So, when an opportunity presents itself, she jumps right on it.  She is to be a “babysitter” for the famous Alex Winslow.  For three months, she is to make sure he does not relapse and that he remains on good behaviour so that his Tour will run smoothly.  If she succeeds, she will get $100K at the end of every month. She knows of Alex and his addictions and although she is leery, how can she say no?

My opinion is probably in the minority but this kind of missed the mark with me.  This is not the first book I read by LJ Shen.  I absolutely loved Vicious, but Midnight Blue, for me, doesn’t match up.

There is a lot going on in this book.  Maybe too much for me.  I like angst but this book seems like more drama than angst.  Some drama is understandable due to the fact that Alex is a recovering addict.  However, I find there was more drama that was created outside of his control than what he actually created. Every character in this book except for Indigo had lies and secrets.  It was hard to keep up.

  

Even though I did not like all the drama, LJ Shen does write amazingly.  I loved Indigo and Alex together.  In the beginning, Indigo knows he is going to break her but she cannot help it, the feeling between them is all-consuming.  She sees a softer side to him and this draws her in as much as it repels.  Alex, on the other hand makes her feel wanted and desired.  He is the cat to her mouse.  He does share a side to him that he does not share with anybody else.  Weather he wanted to or not, he trusted her with his true self.  He is also there for her through the complicated family dynamics even though he, himself, has been chewed up and spit out.  It is not an easy road for this couple and was glad to see that Alex had to work for his happily ever after.

Will this stop me from reading and LJ Shen novel, absolutely not.  I would recommend this to people who LOVE drama, bad-boy rockstars and those who love LJ Shen because regardless of my rating, LJ Shen’s books deserve to be read.