Summer on a Sunny Island by Sue Moorcroft | Blog Tour Review | @suemoorcroft @avonbooks #SummerOnASunnyIsland

Published by Avon
Available in ebook, audio and paperback (30 April 2020)
400 pages
Source: Review copy via Netgalley

ABOUT THE BOOK

The #1 bestseller is back with an uplifting, happy read that will raise your spirits and warm your heart!

This summer, sparks are flying on the island of Malta… When Rosa Hammond splits up from her partner Marcus, her Mum Dory suggests a summer in Malta. Not one to sit back and watch her daughter be unhappy, Dory introduces Rosa to Zach, in the hope that romance will bloom under the summer sun. But Rosa’s determined not to be swayed by a handsome man – she’s in Malta to work, after all.

Zach, meanwhile, is a magnet for trouble and is dealing with a fair few problems of his own. Neither Rosa or Zach are ready for love – but does fate have other ideas? And after a summer in paradise, will Rosa ever want to leave?

MY THOUGHTS

To celebrate the publication of Summer on a Summer Island, Sue was recently a guest on the blog with a post about the book ‘Five Places in Summer on a Sunny Island: now and then’. Now as part of the blog tour, I’m pleased to share my thoughts on this summery read.

With holidays abroad being a hope for the future with the current situation, it was lovely to get away to sunny Malta for a short while.  I’ve only ever been to Malta once before, and that was as part of a cruise holiday a few years ago (a few of my Malta pics are below). My memories of that day were of searingly hot weather, wandering through intriguing looking side streets and being bothered by flies when we were trying to eat outside! However on to the story.

Rosa’s mum Dory is a celebrity cook, and is temporarily based in Malta to research a new Mediterranean cook book. Rosa, having split from her ex Marcus (good riddance!) has taken a leave of absence from her job and joined her mother to assist with the food photography and social media etc. The last thing on her mind is romance.

Zach Bentley is renovating and also living at one of the apartments owned by his grandmother, accompanied by his sister Marcie and her young daughter Paige.  Paige was an absolute delight – a forceful young child, she wasn’t backward in asking for what she wanted but she had a charm and innocence with that ‘aww’ factor.

Well, you can guess what happens can’t you!  Zach was a favourite of mine from the outset, he was one of those characters that you can’t help falling for.  In his early thirties, his family background was complicated and he had a bit of a chequered past (not entirely his fault) but he was compassionate and brave and would do anything to help the underdog, which often caused quite a bit of drama in the book.  I particularly loved the way he was with Paige, kind but firm and he didn’t let her get away with any nonsense. Rosa, I took a bit longer to warm to and I can’t quite put my finger on why, as there was nothing really to dislike about her.  She’d been dealt a bad hand in the love stakes but certainly wasn’t a shrinking violet – her mother had taught her to stand up for herself.

This may be a story about romance in the sun but as ever with a book from Sue Moorcroft there are some darker subjects included within the pages. There are problems of family dynamics, depression, gambling, troublesome exes, plus some pretty nasty characters all make their presence felt to ensure that this is far from being just a ‘light romance’ read.

The author’s love and knowledge of Malta comes over clearly with vivid descriptions of locality for that sense of place. It wasn’t just the scenery that was well described – the food too! Some of Dory’s recipes sounded delicious and I was quite envious of all the food tasting that went on!

The book isn’t all about Rosa and Zach; other characters have their share of romance and conflict and this makes for an interesting and absorbing read, when wondering if, and how matters would be resolved.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent on the island of Malta. There is drama, romance, (and as I’ve come to expect from a Sue book, some of it nicely raunchy), witty dialogue and a story that has relevance and depth.  Definitely one to be recommended for some lockdown relaxation!

My thanks to Sanjana of Avon for the tour invitation and the publisher for providing the review copy via Netgalley.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times and international bestselling author and has reached the coveted #1 spot on Amazon Kindle. She’s won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award, Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award and the Katie Fforde Bursary. Sue’s novels of love and life are currently released by publishing giant HarperCollins in the UK, US and Canada and by an array of publishers in other countries.

Her short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses have appeared around the world.

Born into an army family in Germany, Sue spent much of her childhood in Cyprus and Malta.

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Book Links:
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