Olivia Spring

When we meet Sophie, the initial shine of living in Italy with the love of her love and her new baby is starting to wear off. No longer is the setting picturesque, the village quaint, and the language lyrical. Now, it's so far from everything, hard to traverse, and a stumbling block to be understand by those who choose not to expand their horizons. In short, she's having a difficult time of things, and the change of locale, long distance between her and her friends, business maneuvers, and "well meaning" in laws are about to push her over the proverbial edge. Her other half, Lorenzo, is understanding of the changes she's going through and trying to be supportive, but allowing the wool to be pulled one too many times over his eyes has Sophie seeing red (with good reason!). Everything adds up to a disaster in the making, and that's not even factoring in the abruptly interrupted adult activities (by his mother no less!), run ins with the local elders at the grocery, and the suddenly can't be depended on coworker back in London. Sophie's a big girl, but even the best of us needs a helping hand at some point...

Personally, there was a bit too much focus on her getting her drive back for my own liking, but I get it, life happens, and that can certainly be a part of it. On the total plus side of things, Guli's influence is definitely hoot worthy, and let's just say she's not afraid of anything...and I do mean ANTHING! I love how she made learning a new language FUN (and rather practical!) again, and how she always had their backs no matter what. Speaking of which, that best girl friends act was definitely not an act from her gal pals from London either; true blue friends to the end. Alas, I can't get by without mentioning Lorenzo again. He means well, but ai mama, when it comes to his mother, it's like she can do no wrong! All in all, I'd say it seemed like a rather realistic portrayal of what could happen if we only allow ourselves to be happy, healthy, and let go...


**ebook received for review; opinions are my own… (meer)

Ooh la la - so delightful!
5 Stars

I have never met an Olivia Spring book that I haven’t enjoyed but I have to say that I think this story might be the best of hers I’ve read so far. Cassie first appeared in the My Ten Year Crush, the first book in this series, where she was the cousin of the heroine of that story. Then she and Nico first met in the Christmas short, My Lucky Night, when they have a holiday romance in London. And now we have their full story. While I would highly recommend My Lucky Night (and My Ten Year Crush) you don’t have to have read that story to understand and enjoy this one.

Cassie has been invited to Paris to join Nico - a man she had an amazing time with over Christmas. She doesn’t know where she stands - yet still determined not to fall in love with him - she aims to go and have the time of her life. I loved Cassie’s spirit and while she has some self-doubt and worry, she was relatable, likeable and the perfect heroine. And definitely the perfect heroine for Nico.

Nico was wonderful. He was properly smitten with Cassie and the buzz of electricity between the pair was fantastique. I adored his disgust at British traditions, his love of chocolate Hobnobs, but most of all, his big heart. And sure, the fact he was hot, sexy and wonderfully successful wasn’t a bad thing either. I have no long-term first hand experience (more’s the pity) but I felt he really came across as a realistic French man.

And had I forgotten that Olivia Spring writes deliciously sexy scenes in her books or is this just the sexiest of those I’ve read? Either way - hooo boy - Cassie and Nico have amazing chemistry. Standing out for special mentions are the scene on the boat and that scene on the terrace - fan me down with a giant croissant!

The book is written in first person, past tense and entirely from Cassie’s perspective - something I didn’t actually realise until I’d finished the book and started to write my review. I think that goes to show that this obviously worked for this story. Most of the time I’m wishing for the other character’s POV but the fact that I wasn’t, tells me that I was 100% involved with Cassie’s adventure, her feelings and her uncertainty over Nico’s intentions.

I feel like I missed a trick by not eating a pastry and sipping coffee on the patio while devouring this book as I did. It transported me to France and sight-seeing around the town, going on dates with Cassie and Nico, falling in love with them as they fell in love with each other - it was like I had my own holiday romance in Paris. Olivia Spring has once again written an absorbing, romantic and hella funny story that I would definitely recommend. 5 stars.… (meer)

Hot, sweet and delicious
5 stars

I was delighted to see Olivia Spring was releasing a short and Christmassy book featuring one of the minor characters from the (equally delightful) My Ten-Year Crush. Cassie from this book is that book’s heroine, Bella’s, cousin. Fear not, though, this book stands completely alone although Bella does make a cute cameo with her son, Paul.

Cassie is a likeable and relatable character. She has her grumpy moments - especially when it comes to Nicolas, but she also has her vulnerable moments such as when she’s dealing with her boss or her personal insecurities. I especially enjoyed that she was not afraid to call Nicolas out when he was being rude!

As we get this story solely from Cassie’s viewpoint, my first impression of Nicolas was of a gorgeous and exceptionally rude Frenchman. To be honest, my opinion of him didn’t much change until he really started interacting with Cassie. At that point, his directness became endearing and I started to like him just as much as Cassie herself did.

And speaking of that, Nico and Cassie have some lovely chemistry once they get over the fact that they don’t actually dislike each other. They’re really not disliking each other in the lift to the rooftop bar and when they get back to the hotel then all bets are off. At that point, if there was snow in London, it would’ve melted.

Whether it’s an author I’ve read 1000 times or someone fairly new to me like Olivia Spring is, it normally takes me a page or two to get into the writing style and voice of the author. So it was a lovely surprise that from the very first chapter I was all-in with this story and completely engrossed. Ms Spring’s voice is so friendly and descriptive, really engaging and with a good dose of British humour.

Not only is this a fairly short book (at just 150 pages) but it also takes place over the course of just a couple of days. Despite that, it feels very full and the chemistry and emotions are realistic and a delight to read.

Upon finishing the story, I was surprised and delighted to find that Nico and Cassie are actually getting a full length story in a future book called xxx. Had I not read that, I would have finished this book and been very satisfied with the ending and unaware there was to be more. What I’m trying to say is that I’m still classing this book as having a happily ever after as our pair are together and happy at the end.

This was another winner for me and another delightful tale from Olivia Spring. I loved the characters, felt the connection and could feel the magical sparkle of London at Christmas. This is the perfect book to snuggle up with alongside a cup of laden hot chocolate. And I found the story as hot, sweet and festive as my delicious drink. 5 stars.… (meer)

A delightfully satisfying romance
5 Stars

This is my first Olivia Spring novel but I know it will definitely not be my last as I enjoyed this tale immensely and fair devoured it from beginning to end.

Our story is centred around Bella and is written completely from her perspective. That’s not normally my first choice in a book, but it worked in this case as we as readers were as in the dark about Mike and his feelings as Bella herself.

I’m not sure that I’ve ever read a character that was more ‘me’ than Bella. She’s organised to the point of madness and likes to think things through to infinity before making a decision. She often finds herself in uncomfortable situations because she can’t bring herself to potentially upset someone else. She was unbelievably likeable and while she was a touch self-deprecating, it never came across as whiny and I never felt she was overly down on herself. I just loved her.

Mike through Bella’s eyes was pretty much the perfect man. He’s tall, sexy and ripped - but he’s also sweet, kind, caring and genuinely wants the best for Bella. I also loved the fact that he had a special nickname for Bella and how he was also ridiculously clueless (and perhaps cowardly) in how he handled things with Bella. It made him all the more real.

But it’s when Bella and Mike are together that things really shone for me. Their bond is so evident and they are just perfect together - both as friends and then as something more. They had chemistry in spades and their sex scenes were nicely hot. The desk in the empty classroom? Ooh boy! What I especially loved was that neither of them changed for the other. They liked each other for exactly who they were - quirks and all - and, well, it made my heart happy.

Obviously this is the story of Mike and Bella and their romance but in all honesty it’s so much more, too. Bella is somewhat stuck in her life and her personality and preferences tend to keep her stuck, despite her best efforts. As much as I loved the romance aspect of this story - the way that Bella grows and gains confidence was equally wonderful and frankly inspiring.

On finishing this story I felt the joy and happiness of a satisfying romance… but I also felt incredibly uplifted and positive. I noticed myself thinking of the story throughout the day and almost wishing that I hadn’t finished it so I could go back and live in that world some more. I’m delighted to hear Cassie - Bella’s cousin who had a minor side role in this story - is getting her own book next so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some Bella and Mike cameos.

This book was a sheer delight for me. I loved the characters, loved their story and loved the positive feelings that I got from reading. A book I would happily recommend and 5 stars from me.… (meer)