Holly’s best book to date!!!

Holly Martin really knows how to write stories that sweep you away with their feelgood factor. I never want to leave the villages that she creates and I also manage to learn something new with each book, this time it was about jewellery making!

I couldn't wait to get my hands on Jamie and Melody's story. All of the characters in this village are delightful but for some reason, Jamie and Melody's shy and reserved personalities just made their story all the more memorable. Melody's clumsiness was so sweet but also heartbreaking as was Jamie's insecurities.

Obviously, crazy Aunt Agatha and Dobby made a reappearance as did Tori and Aidan, and Isla and Leo, and I can't wait to read their story.

These books are a must for hopeless romantics and lovers of good old friends to lovers stories. They are exceptionally well written and take you on a holiday from your everyday woes with each book that you read.

This novel is wonderfully romantic and absolutely sizzling hot. It's heartwarming, lighthearted and spectacularly written by the extremely talented Holly Martin and I enjoyed every page. The cover, like all of Holly Martin's covers, draws you in immediately and makes you want to read it. I adore the bright colours on all of her novels, I love the pink house with the blue shutters and yellow door, I love the bright blue sparkling sea and the golden sand and the flowers around the edge of the cover are absolutely gorgeous!

Holly's novels make you feel like you're right there next to the main character, you feel so involved with the story, so engrossed with the main character that you're pulled into the storyline and you don't feel as though you're reading the novel, you feel as though you're there in the characters life. As always, with Holly's storylines, the main characters are hesitant to put their heart on the line, from being hurt before. This time we follow the relationship of Melody and Jamie, both of whom were mentioned in The Holiday Cottage by the Sea. The two of them are both secretly madly in love with one another, and everyone else knows that but the two main characters.

Sometimes what I find with Holly's novels is that they are so raunchy in parts that I am a little shocked! Maybe it's because I don't talk to my siblings in the details and openness that Melody clearly does, but I enjoy it all the same and the way they speak about it all does makes me laugh. One thing I loved about the Melody and Jamie relationship is the humour behind it, I laughed so much at their dating disasters, such as when Jamie had an allergic reaction to Melody's cooking!

The story was undoubtedly beautifully written, it's like a warm hug in novel form. Overall, it's another lovely and lighthearted story by Holly Martin which I really, really loved. I can't wait to see what Holly is going to bring out next! Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

Everything I expect from Holly Martin! Lots of fun characters and laughs with a few "Oh no!" moments along the way! Another awesome chick lit lovely from one of my favourtie authors!!! Anglophiles unite and buy Holly's books...you will not be disappointed :c)

Fun, gloriously romantic and heartwarming: you guessed it, it's another wonderful Holly Martin book! We return to Sandcastle Bay where we left Tori and Aiden starting their happily ever after, to focus on the cute connection Melody and Jamie share.

As always, both are hesitant to put themselves out there and take a risk. Although I must say Melody's past and reservations didn't really "hit" me as hard as Jamie's did and I couldn't always understand her reasoning when she was hesitant towards Jamie and their relationship.

What I do absolutely love about both Melody and Jamie, is their unwavering loyalty towards their friends and family, their 'spark' and their creativity. Holly Martin's sense of humor throughout is contagious and will have you laughing out loud. In true romantic comedy style, there are some cringe-worthy awkward situations, usually resolved with lots of laughs and even romance! The meddling villagers however, couldn't charm me in this one. When we first met the people of Sandcastle Bay in 'The Holiday Cottage By The Sea', the first installment in this series, their meddling, over-sharing and gossiping was somewhat charming and funny, but I think it went a step too far for me, and lost its sense of a realistic community.

Right from the start, Holly Martin transported me to this quaint, rustic and calming village, making me forget that I wasn't actually on holiday at the sea-side... but really wishing I was, by the time I finished this book!

Love, laughter, passion and humor: 'The Cottage on Sunshine Beach' is the perfect holiday read.

Martin's story is set in the fictional but the utterly charming location of Sandcastle Bay. Her cast of characters encompasses village life excellently with no one able to have a private life, the gossip mill running wild and well-meaning meddlers in the mix. Join the endearingly clumsy, accident-prone Melody in her quest to capture Jamie's heart you won't regret it. Brimming with laugh-out-loud disaster moments and a side helping of heart-wrenchingly poignant moments this is the perfect summer read. It is the second book in but each book focuses on a different character so you don't need to read them from the beginning (I have read the first - yet but its now on the list!).

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

Back in Sandcastle Bay, this instalment of the series gives us Melody Rosewood’s story. Melody has a jewellery shop in the pretty seaside town, after moving down from London to be close to her family and her best friend Tori. She loves living here and life is perfect, apart from one thing! Gorgeous Jamie Jackson is a friend of the family and is a sculptor in a shop opposite Melody’s. She absolutely adores him, but a past heartache is holding Jamie back from feeling the same. Could Jamie ever be the one for her or will they just always be good friends?

This is the second book of the Sandcastle Bay series. It can be read as a standalone book, but it does make sense to read the other books in the series to understand some aspects of the story. I have read the first book in the series, The Holiday Cottage by the Sea, and fell in love with the characters and location then, so was excited to be back in Sandcastle Bay to carry on the story. We met Melody in the first book as Tori’s friend and we also met Jamie, with his turkey, Dobby featuring in the some of the best laugh out loud moments. In this book, the story focusses on Melody and her relationship with Jamie. The other characters that we’ve already met all still feature in this book and it’s like welcoming back old family friends.

The story is, as usual for this author’s books, full of love, laughs, friendship, family and sex, but not necessarily in that order! I sat and read this book with a big dopey smile plastered across my face as it just took me to that ‘feel-good’ place! There are no big reveals in this story and no ‘will-they, won’t-they’ – you know there is always going to be a happy ending but I just love the story leading up to it! It made me feel all loved up one moment with all the sweetness of it and then all hot and steamy the next with all the sex!

This author has produced yet another top read that I could not put down once I’d started it! The writing is faultless – there is absolutely nothing that I didn’t like about this book! Everything was perfect – the characters, the setting and the story. What more could you ask for! Read this book and transport yourself off to Sandcastle Bay for a few hours – you will not regret it!

Enjoyed this cute cosy romance. A bit more graphic than I am used to in cosy romance but Holly Martin writes those scenes well. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

Holly Martin writes fun and believable characters which is a nice change of pace from the outrageous characters found in most cosy romance.

Another fantastic book from Holly, another cheesy grin left on my face! Can’t wait for the next book.. hoping for a happy every after for Isla

What is not to love about this book? I, for sure, cannot mention one thing. It's like coming home when you read about that little village at the beach again and meeting up with the characters of the first book. It feels like coming together with old friends.
The story shows us that we don't have to change into something we are not to please other people. No matter who or what you are, there is always someone you loves you. The book is full of love and romance but there is room enough for parts that make you smile or even laugh out loud. That makes it a fun read without ever being cheesy.
This author has such a lovely writing style that you want to keep on reading. You are transported from your home to the sunny beach in Sandcastle Bay, a place I would not mind living either.
I would be very sad to see this series come to an end, so I hope the author has a lot of inspiration left.
Thank you Holly Martin, Bookouture and Netgalley.

Melody really likes Jamie, Jamie really likes Melody but neither is going to take the first step. Both have been hurt in the past and really aren't willing to go that route again. Watching their romance is torturous because one would just like to hit them over the head and tell them to say what they think.. Their journey to happiness is great fun.!

Sigh. This is very good romcom perfect for the beach or for when you wish you were at the beach! Melody and Jamie both deserve a happily ever after. They are both artists and they live in a wonderful community filled with friends and family. The problem- they just stumble over each other! There are chuckles and laughs as well as some nod-your-head moments here. There's also some great dogs! I very much enjoyed the first book (which you don't need to read to enjoy this one) and I'm curious if there will be a third. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The perfect summer book. It's cute, sweet and fun to read. I loved other books by this writer and this one met my expectations.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC

Loved this book, second in this series set in Sandcastle Bay.
Melody moved to the Bay after the death of her brother, to help her sister Isla take care of their nephew. Melody has always had a thing for Jamie, but is too shy to act on it. Encouraged by her best friend she goes for it and asks him to her house for dinner. But as they start to date, there is always a disaster, as these seem to follow Melody round. She is worried this will scare Jamie away, but he is holding back for his own reasons.

One of my favourite chracters in the book is Agatha, who is great fun but interferes in everyone's business.

Really looking forward to the next book in this series - hopefully all about Leo and Isla!

This book is everything I expect from a Holly Martin novel- cute, fun, romantic, and 100% sweet. I am never disappointed in her novels and don't think I ever will be. If you have read her last release, you will notice that the characters from that book play a role in this one. This is an interconnected series of standalones.

The Cottage on Sunshine Beach is the second book in the Sandcastle Bay series, we caught a glimpse of Melody and Jamie in the first book and this book is dedicated to their story.

Melody moved to Sandcastle Bay to help her sister bring up their nephew when her brother Matthew died, Melody is something of a klutz and it has affected her confidence. Jamie was Matthew’s friend and he was there for Melody when she needed someone after her brother’s death.

Melody has fallen in love with Jamie and although he has feelings for her, he is reluctant to be in a relationship due to being hurt in the past. Melanie asks Jamie to dinner with disastrous consequences and on further dates when things don’t go well they have to decide whether to remain as friends or try and find a way to develop their relationship.

Another magical book from Holly Martin, the story is warm, lighthearted and with delightful characters, particularly interfering Agatha and Jamie’s niece Marigold. It was also nice see how things were progressing for Aiden and Tori from the previous book. I look forward to Leo and Isla’s story next.

I loved this book. It's sweet and funny. The perfect romance book. #TheCottageOnSunshineBeach #NetGalley

This was my first Holly Martin read. The Cottage on Sunshine Beach was an adorable read. Though it is the second in the Sandcastle Bay series, I was able to follow along and do not feel that the first must have been read first. I loved Melody and Jamie individually, and together. The pooches, Sirius and Rocky added to the fun!. I was immediately grabbed by the cover art, which convinced me that the book contained a light, sweet story. It was not misleading! I will definitely go back to grab the first one in this entertaining series!

Today the second book in the Sandcastle Bay series is out in the world and I can't wait to share how much I enjoyed my reading experience. Followers of my blog might know that I absolutely loved the first part of the series, being The Holiday Cottage by the Sea.  And I can tell you straight away the second book in the series doesn't disappoint.

We return to Sandcastle Bay but this time in the Summer. A couple of months have passed since the last book. In The Cottage on Sunshine Beach we continue the story, but now we follow Melody as the main character. I absolutely adored her as a side character in The Holiday Cottage and I couldn't wait to get inside her head. But I have to be completely honest, were I had an immediate connection with Tori it took me awhile to find this with Melody. Because of her upbringing Melody is quite unsure about herself and feels really bad about her clumsiness. I never viewed her that way in the previous book and was quite surprised to learn how many negative thoughts went through her head. She is a very sweet girl, but not one of my favorite Holly Martin ladies. What didn't mean I didn't enjoy the story! 

I absolutely loved to be back in Sandcastle Beach. Although there were only two weeks in between reading to books, it felt like coming home a bit. Of course its a book and you have to go with the story. But I kept wanting to run to the village to see how the pups were doing. Or to Aidan to see how the campaign was coming along. It was so good to see all the characters again. Holly normally revisited characters from previous book, but this time I really felt like they were still a significant part of the story. Their story-line continued, all though as a reader you see it trough another characters eyes. 

And of course, my beloved side character Agatha was on a roll again. Damm, I love that woman. She is such a crazy, old bat who means well. I keep wishing she is going to get her hot date with Stefano. Can't wait to see what shenanigans she would get up to. There could have been a little more Dobby. Let's be honest you can never have enough of a Turkey, who thinks its a dog right? But I loved the funny bits with all the puppies. And of course that community feeling that Holly does so wonderfully, with the sandcastle  and sculpture competition.

I really need to find a real life Sandcastle Bay and book myself a holiday there. Because it truly felt like coming home.  I can hardy wait for the thirth book in the series. I am secretly hoping it will be a Christmas book. Allthough I am not quite sure I can last as long without a fix of Sandcastle Bay!

Review will be posted on 22/06/2018 on my blog!

Another hit in the series. If you liked the Holiday Cottage by the Sea, you will like this one, as it continues with some of the other characters. This one has the romance of jewelry make Melanie, and sculpture Jamie. Both are shy and awkward at times, and it is fun to see them stumble and progress towards their HEA. Dragged a bit in the middle, sadly, but it is slight. Would definitely still highly recommend this book and author, and look forward to the next in the series.

Reading a Holly Martin book is like coming home; it's comfort and warmth, sweetness and fun, with characters that feel like your closest friends and family. It's escapism at its finest and I have loved every book of hers I've read. The Cottage on Sunshine Beach was no exception.

Melody and Jamie were two beautiful and caring people that were destined to be, and yet both were so awkward and too careful to push the boundaries of their friendship ... until suddenly they weren't.

All it took was Melody finally making that first move for them to go headstrong into a gorgeous relationship. There were, of course, some bumps along the way and some hilariously clumsy moments (as well as some seriously hot ones!) making this a true delight to read.

I loved revisiting the characters from Sandcastle Bay that I've come to adore and I cannot wait to read Leo and Ilsa story next (at least I hope that's next and not too far away!). Holly is definitely one of my favourite ever authors!