The tour bus stops with me, TWG, today as I host day TWO of Liz Taylorson’s blog tour for ‘The Little Church by the Sea’! Huge thanks to Manatee for the blog tour invite, as well as an ARC of the book. Here is my review:
Isolated and unwelcome in the picturesque seaside village of Rawscar, Reverend Cass Fordyce has lost her faith and her home. Christmas is coming, and she isn’t looking forward to it. Then she meets attractive local man Hal – twice divorced and with a reputation as a ladies’ man he’s everything that a celibate vicar like Cass should avoid… especially as Hal is hiding secrets of his own, including his past with the mysterious Anna.
Can Cass ever find her way in Rawscar? What secret does Hal have to hide? And is there ever such a thing as a truly fresh start?
What does TWG think?
I know that Cass Fordyce would be less than amused with what I am about to say, sorry! Honestly, this book reminded me of ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ one hundred percent. Not only does Reverend Cass Fordyce have a less than holy mouth – just like the Vicar of Dibley, she also has quite a few identical personality traits. If I didn’t know otherwise, I would have assumed that I was reading a book of Geraldine Granger herself. Although, Cass Fordyce doesn’t really like to be compared to the popular vicar. No idea why though, she’s fabulous!
I have to say that I was a little bit concerned at first as I am not a religious person at all, and I knew that I would struggle if the storyline was completely religious. Nothing against religion or those who are religious. It’s just isn’t for me. The storyline does contain a lot of religious references, especially as the main character is a reverend. That said, the religious aspects weren’t written in a ‘force down throat’ manner which meant that I was able to enjoy the story without feeling as though I was going to be sent for a coffee with the devil. It really was done in good taste.
I really did enjoy reading ‘The Little Church by the Sea’ as it made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. I also loved how the Reverend showed us readers a different side to her personality – yes, Reverend’s do have lives outside of the church, who knew! I did find the romance parts a little unbelievable unfortunately – I reckon that those parts could have been extended a little bit so that it didn’t appear to be a rushed romance. Just my opinion.
However, the situation with Anna was a fantastic addition to the book and certainly made me sit up and take notice. Definitely a darker part to the book in comparison to the other characters situations. Personally, it spiced things up and created a mysterious feel to the rest of the book.
Overall ‘The Little Church by the Sea’ was a laugh out loud, touching and poignant read about love, loss and finding your own happy ever after. Whilst this book didn’t blow me away, I was still able to appreciate the heart-felt storyline.
Thanks Manatee Books.
The Little Church by the Sea will be published on the 23rd November by Manatee Books. To pre-order your copy click here.
The Writing Garnet 