Katie Fforde is one of my go-to authors but I struggled to enjoy this book.
I found the characters quite shallow and the story itself didn't keep me hooked. Sorry!

I love Katie Ffordes books. And I really enjoyed this but the main character was younger than in a lot of Katie’s previous books. So whilst I enjoyed it, I also missed a heroine who was over 30.

This was a beautifully writen, warm and envelopping romantic read. I was sucked in right from the beginning, Cass was a character that seemed familiar, she's trying to fulfil a favour to her father, Ranulph is trying to help her but the island they are on has just been hit by a terrible hurricane so theyre helping out the locals. I was totally engrossed and enjoyed every aspect of this.

I enjoyed this story and think it wold be a great holiday read. It was a bit different to Katie's usual stories, set in the aftermath of a storm on a Caribbean island but still had that warm, easy to read romance, mixed messages and confusion that make her books so enjoyable.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for my copy 1.5/5 rounded to 2

Absolutely terrible book this!

It’s a romance about a young girl (who is revealed to be a 25 year old woman but is treated as a teenager throughout) and an older man (never revealed how much older) who fall in love after her famous photographer father sends her to Dominica with a treasure map (I kid you not) of an ancient petroglyph accompanied only by strong protector Ranulph, her father’s wannabe biographer.

The romance between these characters is flat as a pancake with the marriage proposal coming out of nowhere at all! The character of Ranulph is so unfleshed out as to be a cipher, and I have no idea of why she’s in love with him beyond him being alright looking, in fact I don’t think even SHE knows why she loves him!

The book is ridden with cliches - older man, conveniently rich love interest and father, overlooked but secretly super talented heroine (how was she paying for all those courses - off road driving, first aid etc. - and wtf was she taking them?), dreamy location filled with charming ‘rustic’ locals (yuk!), millions to be had from publishing and journalism, a dumb villain… I could go on.

Its saving grace is in its descriptions of the island and the aftermath of a hurricane - I just wish we really knew why either our heroine or her beloved were there!

Don’t read this. But Katie Fforde should write a real book about Dominica.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. I highly recommend you settle down with a favourite snack at hand and just sit back and enjoy. The storytelling is sublime, so warm and cosy like a big hug. The characters are relatable (although I would hope Austin doesn’t appear in too many people’s lives) and the setting divine. A great read.

Thank you Netgalley

Slightly different from Katie Fforde's other books, this one is set on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean in the aftermath of a storm. Cass has travelled to the island to take some photos of a stone monument for her father. Their relationship is complicated, and this is a way to re-connect. A friend of her father's, travel journalist Ranalph, is going too. Once there, the stone proves difficult to find, and, following the storm, impossible. Ranalph and Cass then focus on helping the community, but another scholar is also trying to find the stone, and with Cass now distracted, can seize his chance... An adventure as well as a romance, this is great escapist fiction that offers a little more ...

I was really looking forward to reading this new book by Katie as I hadn't read one of hers in quite some time. I felt this was a bit different from her other books I have read - and I think it was the overseas location. On reading the bit at the end about Katie's connection to the island that everything fell into place. I sort of wish I had known the connection when I started reading. An enjoyable story.

Another great book by Katie, I really enjoyed the story and the characters. A great beach read.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC.

This book is largely set on Dominica island in the Caribbean, and it is an adventure romance story about finding an archaeological treasure and navigating after hurricanes. I just couldn’t get into the book, characters, nor pacing.

In this, the latest novel from Katie Fforde whose writing has perhaps taken a different turn since her earlier novels. This one takes us to the Caribbean and Dominica, via a remote Scottish island.

Cass is an artist, not a photographer like her renowned father. It has been an issue all of her life, but now he has entrusted her with a special map, an old camera and a request to photograph some stone carvings. Surely she can fulfil this one thing for him? However when Dominica is hit by a devastating hurricane, Cass along with Ranaulph who has accompanied her finds her focus is on help and rebuilding this beautiful place. As she starts to embrace all of the changes in her life, can she perhaps see what is obvious to her and everyone around her.

This book is full of the laughter and romance you would accept but also, the mystery of the carvings, the impact and devastation of a natural disaster and the way anyone can rebuild from nothing to forge a life for themselves. If an island can do it, so can Cass and Ranaulph surely?

I haven't read any Katie Fforde books for a few years. This one was quite different to the others I had read though I did enjoy it. It was set in an unusual place with intrigue, suspense and of course love. It was lovely to read how it all unfolded and kept my interest all through the book. It is a life adventure with some great characters and insight into Dominica Well worth a read.

We follow the journey of Cass whose father is a well-known photographer. He invites her to the remote Scottish Isle where he lives and asked her to travel to Dominica to find some rare paintings. He also enlists the help of his friend Ranulph. But the remote island has just been hit be a severe hurricane, leaving destruction in its wake. The pair have a harder task than they imagined. Whilst on the island she also finds herself falling for the man some years older than her. And has to decide where her true feelings lie.

Let me start by saying I love the front cover of this book, but unfortunately the writing style just didn't work for me. It was all a little too stop, start and some of the storyline just wasn't believable, and I found myself rolling my eyes. I guess I just didn't gel with the characters and found them lacking. There was no build up to her feelings towards Ranulph it was almost one minute she liked him, the next chapter she was madly in love.

The description of the Island and its people were the best thing about the book. I have been fortunate to travel to a few Caribbean islands and know how quickly the weather can change and the devastation it can cause within such a short space of time so I thought she had done her research really well. But this book was definitely not as good of some of the authors other works I have read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I will read other books by the author. But this one was not one of her best.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good Katie Fforde book & this one ticks all the boxes for me.
Well written with engaging characters & uplifting moving storyline you can lose yourself in.
Cass is not happy with her life at the moment as all she really wants to do is be an artist.
Her family thinks she would be much better to get a profession.
In the meantime her father a well known photographer who lives in the wilds of Scotland has asked if she would do him a big favour.
He wants her to find & photograph an ancient relic on the island of Dominica as he can’t do it himself & doesn’t want to let his old friend down.
She is to be accompanied by a journalist friend of her father’s Ranulph Gregor who lives not far from him.
What she thought would be a simple task to accomplish becomes a nightmare as a hurricane hits the island not long after they arrive.
Plenty of intrigue & mystery this wonderful story had me turning the pages.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a delightful story that brought the island of Diminique to life.great characters and there musy of course be a villain. Lovely storyline coping with the good times and the bad. Beautiful conclusion.

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I love Katie’s books, but slightly disappointed at this one. Unfortunately I found it slow and didn’t engage me to the story. There was a relatively quick and predictable ending which was a shame. Positively the characters were real to life and Austen did get you riled.

Lovely,nice easy reading.felt like I was on a Caribbean island with Cassie when the writer was telling the story of her being there in a hurricane and trying to get of the same island
Also a love story that hit more bumps than the trees felled by same hurricane you kept hoping they could sort themselves out somehow
Lovely book to read

Another easy read from the pen of Katie Fforde. This one takes us to an exotic island with a mystery attached. Whilst I liked it in that it was easy to read this time I didn't really gel with the characters. They were too two-dimensional and cardboard cut out for me this time.

A nice easy read which is perfect for a summer beach read.
Cass finds her way to Dominica in the most random way, but finds herself, her talents & the love of her life.
I really enjoyed this book, it was easy, gripping & I was desperate to see what happened next!
I particularly liked the authors note at the end - the petroglyph & facts about Dominica are real, which made it all the better!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.