Book Synopsis:
Martha is the youngest of three sisters and, in her mid-thirties, has the dubious honour of being the only one to call off a wedding at the last moment.
Now, feeling as if she’ll be single forever, and trying to keep her low opinion of her sister Iris’s fiancé to herself for risk of looking bitter, Martha needs a change of scene.
When she is given the opportunity of a holiday to Paxos it seems too good to turn down, though the idea of travelling alone is daunting. And when the trip to the Greek island gets complicated, Martha wonders if this has all been a mistake.
But soon the island and its residents start to work their magic on Martha, and when she meets single father Harry and his adorable son Milo, a new way of living is revealed in contrast with the drab routine of her life back home. How can Martha leave behind the warmth of the people, the freedom and the fun, not to mention Harry and Milo when it’s time for her to go home…
Let Helen McGinn magic you away to a world of sunshine and serenity, romance and relaxation. Perfect for fans of Erica James, Carol Kirkwood and Karen Swan.
My Review:
The Island Of Dreams is an atmospheric, romantic read which is perfect from escaping from all the bad weather at the moment.
Firstly I absolutely loved the wonderful descriptions of Paxos in this book, which made me feel that I was actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. It sounds like a wonderful place to visit and I spent far too much time looking at pictures of it on google. This is definitely not a book to read if you are hungry as some of the food described in this book sounded really delicious. I’ve definitely added Paxos to the list of places I’d like to visit soon.
The character’s were interesting creations and I enjoyed following them throughout the book. It did take me a while to warm to Martha as I wasn’t sure about her at first but she soon grew on me. I liked that she wasn’t perfect as it made her and the story seem more real. The romance between her and Harry was lovely to watch develop, with little Milo often making me smile as he seemed so cute. I felt a bit cross with Martha for even considering the possibility of going home and leaving them behind, but perhaps it wouldn’t have seemed realistic if she’d immediately decided to change her plans.
I thought the story had a steady pace to it and I soon found myself immersed into the story. There were a couple of surprises which I wasn’t expecting but mostly I just enjoyed experiencing island life alongside the characters. My only slight complaint was that the book seemed to end a bit abruptly as I would have liked to find out what happened to the character’s in the future but I’m keeping everything crossed that this means there will be a sequel as I really want to spend more time in Paxos.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Boldwood for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
I’m Helen, author of The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club blog and book. I was a wine buyer for a big supermarket for years and now write and talk about it on TV’s Saturday Kitchen and This Morning. Along with wine, my other great love is books, both reading and writing them. I really hope you enjoy reading it, hopefully with something lovely in your glass when you do.
Over The Rainbow Blog 