Thursday 27 October 2016

Book Review & Giveaway - Dancing in the Rain by Emily Harvale

Amazon UK
Title: Dancing in the Rain (Hideaway Down Book 4)
Author: Emily Harvale
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Author supplied review copy
Publisher: Crescent Gate Publishing
Publication Date: 28th September 2016
Rating: 5 Stars

Take a break in Hideaway Down. It's the perfect place to find romance. Make new friends, meet up with old ones and maybe even fall in love.

Happiness comes when you least expect it.

When Rachel Simpson’s boyfriend, Drew, suggested they should take a break, she thought he meant together, so she rented a holiday cottage in the picturesque village of Hideaway Down for the perfect, autumn getaway surprise. Except she was the one who got the surprise, and now she is spending a week alone in a cottage by the sea. Not quite the fun, romantic break she was hoping for.

Lucas Webb needs to get his act together – or so his friends keep telling him. He’s been like a bear with a sore head since his girlfriend dumped him… and that was several months ago. Perhaps a change of scene is what he needs. At least he still has Monty, his beloved dog… and a break by the sea will probably do them both some good.

Is it simply bad luck that this is one of the wettest, windiest autumn weeks since records began? Or does the universe work in mysterious ways?

It turns out a new Emily Harvale book on my kindle is pretty much irresistible, and so I started this within a few days of it appearing. Within a few pages the book, to pardon an expression from new to the series Billy Brookes, felt like a pair of old worn slippers. Just what you need after a hard day at work, something very warm and comfortable to slip inside - which is just what Dancing in the Rain is, especially to fans of the Hideaway Downs series. 

This is the fourth book in this series and can easily be read as a standalone, but given how good the other books are, and the fact they are all fairly quick and highly enjoyable to read, I'd still recommend starting from the beginning. 

There are updates to all the recurring characters of the series, as well as some new guests to the cottages. In Vine Cottage we have Billy Brookes who is a builder in his fifties, that Janet is very happy to meet...after all she has been looking for a builder for months. 

In Ivy Cottage, we have Rachel Simpson, who has very recently been dumped by her boyfriend Drew. She originally booked the cottage after he had suggested they go on a break...but that wasn't quite the sort of break he meant, and so she is dreading a week alone in a cottage, especially when arriving in the pouring rain. 

Then in Mistletoe Cottage is Lucas and Monty. Monty is a loveable dog, and Lucas has also got a quite recent ex. He has been told by his friends he needs to get away for a bit, and found this cottage. Again arriving in the rain isn't quite what he had in mind. 

After a power cut on their first night, Lucas and Rachel spend quite a bit of time together and lets just say their holidays take a turn for the better, despite the un holiday like weather!

Although Hideaway Down is not looking its best, the sense of camaraderie and community spirit is still present, and lots of the action takes place in local pub The Snowdrop Inn. There are great pillar of community communication, so that anything that happens is around the village, before you have taken your next breath. It was fantastic to see the Gaggle Gang are still about, and if you have no idea what a Gaggle gang is, then I do urge you to read the first book, to see just what these geese are all about!

Dancing in the Rain is a great autumnal book, given the incredibly dodgy weather that is usually present in the fall, but will be an enjoyable book whenever you read it. It has a gradual romance that creeps up on two people, and there is a really romantic moment that fans of the series will love, and new people will still agree is lovely, even if they don't know the full back story to the moment.  

Dancing in the Rain, is a relatively short book, that is very quick to read, and I finished it in two reasonably short sittings. It is a pleasure to read, and is another incredibly good addition to the Hideaway Down series. 

Thank you to Emily Harvale for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.   


Giveaway to win 4 x signed copies of Dancing in the Rain (Open Internationally)

Emily Harvale has very kindly offered 4 readers of Rachel's Random Reads the chance to win a signed copy of Dancing in the Rain


Giveaway open internationally, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 8/11/2016. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner.  Good luck everyone.

Win 4 x signed copies of Dancing in the Rain (Open Internationally)

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