What an absolutely perfect book! Full of mystery, family, intrigue, love and drama! I loved the historical element and the way the story of Rainbow Bay unfolded. This is a little different from Ali's other books and that just makes it even better! I adored it!

Not your average chick lit read, great fun but with a twist of mystery and ghosts added to it. Full of wonderful characters a great story full of friendship , humour and romance

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I have read several of Ali McNamaras books and Secrets and seashells at rainbow bay is by far my favourite. This is a lovely story and has a bit of everything in it.
The story of Amelia - a single mum to son Charlie who lives in a poky flat on a council estate and works in a supermarket. Just when Amelia is at rock bottom she’s visited by Benji who informs her she may well be the last in line of the Chesterford family and therefore is set to inherit a castle at rainbow bay.
The castle now a tourist attraction comes with its own set of eccentric staff and a few resident ghosts of chesterfields past.
One ghost in particular Lady Clara has her own secrets and the search for her diaries may lead to Amelia discovering long hidden family cover ups.
As Amelia settles in to castle life with Charlie, she’s determined to make a success of the buisness and with the help of long serving couple Arthur and wife Dorothy, admin assistant Tiffany, Gardner Joe and new arrival antique restorer Tom could happiness and love be on the cards for the new Lady Chesterford.
I really recommend this book it’s a great summer read and a really lovely story.

Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay focuses on Amelia. She’s a single mother who is trying to do the best for her young son, Charlie.

When she is told that she’s the last descendant of the Chesterford family and has inherited a castle, she doesn’t believe it at first. With a little convincing, she and Charlie arrive in Northumberland where most people are very friendly.

As she begins to make changes, strange things begin to happen, secrets are revealed and rumours about the castle being haunted may not be lies after all.

Ali McNamara is one of those authors for me. Whenever a new book of hers gets released, I read. Simple.

I pretty much devoured this book over a day. The story, the characters, the setting. It was all great; even grumpy Arthur.

I am totally in love with the cover and the title just makes me smile.

Amelia was easy to love from the beginning. I could tell straight away that she was strong and determined to do whatever was needed. She had been dealt some tough times in her life but was still trying to stay positive for her son. She felt such a realistic character for me.

Benji, who I wanted to just hug, Arthur, Dorothy, Joey and Tiffany made a brilliant supporting character team. Tom sounds so lovely too. Aww, Tom. Sigh.

The plot moved at a good pace for me. It was engaging, involved a mystery which I am always a fan of, and ghostly goings on. It had me believing that there could be such things as ghosts.

I could picture myself at this castle. The atmosphere this book creates felt so vivid and I was as intrigued as Amelia as to what would be revealed. I am fascinated by old buildings so the historic aspect appealed to me even though it is a fictional history. I love the idea that everything has a story to tell.

I didn’t want it to end. I have such a book hangover. The seemingly effortless writing style is the type I aspire to write. Maybe someday.

This book has wonderful characters, love, friendships, ghosts, a magical setting and an intriguing story that had me continuously turning the page. It would be perfect for afternoons in the sunshine or for that holiday read. I loved it.

If you like Cecelia Ahern and Giovanna Fletcher, you’d love Ali McNamara.

This was such a lovely book. Amelia's husband leaves her and she is raising her 9 year old son charlie by herself in a council flat.

One day she gets a letter informing her that he has inherited a castle and so she and charlie move there to start a better life.

Its not all sunshine and roses though because the castle is old, dusty, needs repairs and Amelia has to pull out all the stops to keep it going.

A really lovely read and i would be happy to visit this world again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sphere for an a copy of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay for an honest review.
I’ve always loved Ali McNamara’s books and this is no exception.. I was hooked from the start and the characters of Amelia, a strong modern woman, and Charlie are so well written , that when they have a change in circumstances , you really care what happens to them. I particularly enjoyed that this book had lots of history and intrigue in it , which sets it aside from a standard “chick lit “book..
A wonderful holiday read , which I will be recommending to all my friends.

What a brilliantly written story. Not just a romance but a novel full of love set in a castle that has stood for hundreds of years.. This is one that I could read again and again. How the author comes up with these ideas I don't know but they are really worth having and makes for a great novel that you wont want to put down. You will want it to go on further even after the end. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good read with humor and happiness within.. Great tenth novel Ali McNamara looking forward to book number eleven.

Lovely story of how Amelia, a single mum with her boy Charlie, come to inherit a castle and an added bit of mystery too.

The story centres mostly around the castle, on how Amelia battles to improve it and a mystery about Clara, one of the previous inhabitants.

I really liked the mystery element and the added ghosts, which I guess no castle is without!

The beach doesn’t feature very heavily in this story, which to me feels a little strange - why name it after a beach if it’s not a prominent feature of the story?

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book and giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

This is the first book I have read by Ali McNamara but I am now a huge fan and have purchased another one of her books, Daisy's Vintage Cornish Camper Van which I look forward to reading!

Firstly, the cover is so very colourful and so inviting and will look amazingly beautiful on the bookshelves and really stand out. Love the quote "When it Rains, Look for Rainbows. When it's Dark, Look for Stars."

Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay is a really enjoyable read - imagine being the heir to a Castle - Chesterford Castle! The book is set in the beautiful Northumberland coast with glorious beaches. After her marriage broke down, Amelia and her son Charlie moved out of the family home into a flat and they got used to their new lives, despite how hard it was. Then Amelia receives the most unexpected but awesome phone call from the lovely kind Benji! She is the next heir of Chesterford Castle. At first, Amelia was not sure about moving into the castle but I am so glad she did - such a fairy tale of a story, with some unexpected moments. Amelia and Charlie relish living in Chesterford Castle overlooking the magnificent Rainbow Bay.

Together, with all the previous residents of the castle plus the new residents, Amelia turns the castle around and brings it into the 21st century with a gift shop and tea room!

During her time at Chesterford Castle, Amelia meets her Prince Charming, Tom who certainly sweeps her off her feet and they both give each other and Charlie the love and happiness they all deserve. Moving to the castle has certainly changed her and her son's lives but also all the residents living there - she has brought the castle alive and into a much happier and vibrant and sustainable place. Even the ghosts at the end of the book gave her their blessing which was so lovely as all along they had been helping her, even though she could not see them.

I really did not expect the ghost story aspect but it made the book and brought all the main characters alive, and gave us the history of the castle through them. It was really interesting to learn all about the history angle and a great deal of research must have gone into this. Chesterford Castle will now thrive thanks to Amelia, Charlie and all her wonderful friends in the castle and the community, which she classes as family.

A perfect book for reading at any time of year, but especially a great Summer read! Will make you smile throughout - such a happy happy read. I now want to visit the Northumberland coast and look for a Castle, a Rainbow and a Conical shell! I look forward to Ali McNamara's new book next year!

This review is based on a NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

5 full stars
It's such a great and cozy book to read while feeling the sun on your face and having a cold drink near you.
A great writing style that makes you reading the book in less time than expecting, a story that has a bit of everything to experience a heartwarming romance with a bit of mystery in an old castle that is holding captive a ghost, (like most castles does no? ) and a great few experiences in the weeks to restore the old chambers and furniture for a future business that could keep them live a lovely life in the castle

I fell in love with the cover and then I fell in love with the book.
I was in the mood for a summer read and this was entertaining and enjoyable.
I loved the setting, the well written cast of characters and the setting.
I rooted for the characters and was happy to read their story.
It's the first book I read by this author and it won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I absolutely love Ali McNamara's books so I was thrilled to get an early preview copy from Netgalley.
Amelia is a struggling single parent since her husband left her. She is struggling to earn enough money to move them out of the tiny flat in a rough area.
She is informed that she has inherited a castle, and her Son Charlie has become an Earl, although she wants to keep his title a secret from him until he becomes an adult.
Amelia is suspicious and reluctant at first, before deciding to move in and use her business skills to draw in more income.
I found this book interesting and there is a fair bit of intrigue. All of the characters seem to be keeping secrets, which kept me eager to discover what they are.
Like many of Ali's books, there is a supernatural element, that adds a touch of magic to the storyline. Charlie states that the castle is haunted. Amelia thinks that he is making it up, until strange things start to happen.
This book is so enjoyable, it has a great story and a good plot. The characters are well developed and relatable. This is a book that makes you feel happy, it is a joy to read.

There's always something extra magical about Ali McNamara's novels and this one is no different. The last novel I had read of hers was brilliantly written and captivating and I knew that this one would be the same. Immediately, I was drawn in with it's pretty cover. I love the colourful flowers used, the cute car in the middle, the huge imposing castle in the background - and of course the glistening sea on the right hand side! Everything looks beautiful and makes for a really spellbinding cover.

Onto the story itself, I immediately warmed towards main character Amelia. You could see from the start that she was doing all she could to help make Charlie's life the best it could be on such a low amount of money. When I read the part where Amelia looks in the fridge for dinner and it's mostly empty, it really upset me and I had high hopes that they would get their happily ever after - after all, it was the least they deserved after what they had been through!

When they arrived at Chesterford Castle and there was a few ghostly goings on happening, I couldn't wait to read more about it - I found it so interesting reading about the previous inhabitants of the castle - some of them sounded quite cheeky! As well as main character Amelia and her son Charlie, there are also a bunch of other secondary characters that you get to know and love too. I particularly liked Arthur, he seemed like a lovely man underneath his grumpiness! And I also loved Dorothy's character too. I also really enjoyed reading about Amelia and Tom's relationship and seeing where that was headed - I just wanted it to desperately work out for Amelia because she really had been through quite a few wars and deserved to be happy.

Throughout the book, I just felt like there was this magical, spellbinding energy and I loved it. I love Ali McNamara's style of writing - it's wonderfully captivating and I enjoyed every page, every character. It was a fabulous novel and I can't wait to read more by this author in the future. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

When I started reading this story I thought it would be one I could not put down but in the !middle I found it very repetitive.

Saying that I did enjoy it.

It starts off with Amelia a single Mum with Charlie living in a not so nice estate after her husband left her. She receives details that she has inherited a castle and after much thought decided to take it on, ghosts and all.

She decides to try and make the castle profitable again with the help of Tom a recommendation who restores antuques.

It is a nice little story and I did enjoy it.

I spent quite a bit of time after reading the synopsis to Secrets And Seashells At Rainbow Bay pondering what I’d do in the unlikely event of a distant relative leaving me a castle.
In truth, I know I wouldn’t handle it half as well as single mum Amelia who appeared well equipped to transform the failing visitor attraction.
One of the things I really enjoyed about Ali McNamara’s 10th book is that nearly everyone is keeping some sort of secret and uncovering them all, one by one, is what kept me turning the pages to the very end.
The staff at the castle are, as the blurb suggests, eccentric and add some wonderful colour to the story, especially curmudgeon Arthur.
At some points I found Amelia difficult to relate to and maybe didn’t even like her that much but I think that was the way her character was supposed to be. She’d been hurt in the past and was protecting herself by being closed off and perhaps a bit prim.
Having said that, she didn’t seem to have any problems making friends both with the staff, at the school gates and in the local boozer, so it was a bit of a conundrum.
The story moves along at quite a pace with various plot lines coming together. For me it definitely became more interesting towards the end.

For me, it isn't summer until Ali McNamara has a new book out so as far as I'm concerned, it's now summer - enjoy!

This book is about Amelia, a single parent living in a dingy flat on a dodgy estate with her young son Charlie. She is astonished to be contacted by a genealogist working for a firm of lawyers telling her that, through a distant relative, she is the heir to Chesterford Castle in a coastal town in the Northumberland. Due to the terms of the will, she can't inherit the title herself but her son is now officially the Earl of Chesterford, a fact she's not keen to share with him! Not surprisingly she thinks it is a scam at first, as I suspect most of us would. It might seem far-fetched to think you could inherit from some unknown relative but the very day I began this book, there was a story in the news of a man who was proved to be the heir to a Cornish estate worth £50M after DNA testing. So these things can happen - there is hope for us yet!

Amelia is determined that she is going to make a success of running Chesterford Castle and using her marketing skills, she sets out to do just that. She is keen to make her good fortune work for the benefit of the staff and the community and , as always, Ali McNamara has created a fantastic range of characters to help Amelia in her endeavours. There's Arthur, the gruff caretaker with a heart of gold, his wife Dorothy the kindly housekeeper, Joey who helps Arthur out and does a bit of everything and ditzy Tiffany who works in the office. There's also Tom, an antique furniture restorer who soon becomes invaluable to Amelia in more ways than she expected. Benji, the genealogist, begins to do some research on the history of the castle and begins to uncover some of its secrets. As Amelia comes to know and love the castle, she comes to love the staff too. They really become like a second family to her and Charlie.

Then of course, there are the ghosts. It's something I love in this author's books that there is always a hint of the supernatural to some extent or another. In this book, the ghosts who inhabit Chesterford Castle let Amelia know whether they approve (or not) of the changes she is making to their castle, even when she isn't sure she actually believes in them!

Let's not forget the healthy dollop of romance infusing the whole book. This is kind of a modern day Cinderella tale with Amelia going from rags to riches and with those riches coming under threat as well as her happiness. But who would be her Prince Charming? And does a modern woman even need a Prince Charming? Ah well, that would be telling...

For sheer enjoyment, it's hard to beat an Ali McNamara book so get yourself a copy of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay. I'm sure you won't regret it!

Amelia is struggling as a single mother, living in a dodgy council flat since her husband abandoned her. Her luck seems to change when she is contact by Benji, a heir hunter who tells her she has an inhritance to claim. This sees her and her son Charlie moving to a castle overlooking rainbow bay. Along with the existing team at the castle, she recruits peope to help her turn the fortunes of the castle round.

An enjoyable read with some great characters.

I really loved this book, a rags to riches (well sort of!) story with fabulous characters, a castle, ghosts and a mystery!

Amelia is a struggling single mother, living on a dodgy estate with her 10 year old son Charlie (her husband just walked out one day and left them), when she finds out she is an ancestor of the Chesterfords of Northumberland and has been left a castle by the sea as she is the next living relative. At first of course she thinks it's all a joke, but when it becomes clear it's true she moves to the castle with Charlie to try and rejuvenate it's finances and make it a viable business again for future generations.

The small group of people already working there have been there years and after the initial settling in everyone is very happy with the new owners, although Amelia finds it very hard being addressed as Lady of the Manor and the staff equally find it hard to just call her just Amelia! Charlie of course is in his element and is taken under the wing of everyone there.

There are some lovely characters in this story, with the addition of four ghosts that Charlie can see all the time, but it takes a while for Amelia to believe in/see. There is also a slight mystery running through it, and maybe other relatives around that people don't know about.

This was a really easy reading intriguing story with a lovely ending that could easily become a series with other characters at the castle.

I absolutely loved this book!!!! Amelia and Charlie are such loveable characters I was engrossed from the start! Hey really hate to give any spoilers so I won’t but basically the story follows Amelia who has been happily married, when her husband Graham leaves with no warning her life is thrown into turmoil. She has to move onto a not so nice council estate and is struggling to make ends meet when she receives a letter that changes everything. Benji who helps track people through their family tree finds Amelia to tell her about a castle in the most idyllic spot in Northumberland’s coast. She moves into the castle and has such a lovely team to help her Dorothy and Arthur are just so nice in their own way, joey seemed so nice and helpful and ditsy Tiffany and obviously Tom the hero in the story! When old family members who haunt the castle appear to Charlie and then others I will admit i was a bit apprehensive to continue because I’m a scaredy cat! But it was just thrilling to find out the castles history in a fun way, if you haven’t read this it’s a must!! Thanks so much Ali I so needed a fab book after a few awful ones and this was awesome!!

What a lovely endearing read! I have read all of Ali’s previous books and this one is definitely my favourite of them all! So much so it was read in two sittings and thoroughly enjoyed!
Amelia and her son Charlie are down on their luck living in a council flat in a not very nice estate since her marriage failed. Daily life is a struggle financially,until the fairy godmother Benji contacts her about an inheritance! Suddenly life is changed beyond all recognition as they inherit Chesterford castle. A real rags to riches tale as they along with assorted staff/ friends try to turn the castles fortunes around and discover the value of true friendship along the way! A real feel good comforting read to be enjoyed. Thank you so much bet galley for this advance copy to read, I will thoroughly recommend it to all x