Summer in Andalucia
by Lucy Coleman
An ok read set mainly set in Andalucia. Lainey is a magazine journalist specialising in food. Rick is a famous London chef. He is taking part in a food competition taking place in Andalucia and he invites Lainey to cover the story so they have a month together in the stunning Spanish scenery. Loved the location and the foodie part the main characters were a bit average. Find read on a rainy afternoon

Wanted to like this book, but it just felt like there was no spark between the characters. I just didn't get behind Lainey from the get-go itself, which is terrible as it's her POV that carries the book, and I couldn't even root for her because she just felt plucked from the air somewhat, not a character with a full human backstory and existence. The descriptions of the food also got tedious after a while, like evoking Masterchef: The Professionals, but we don't have the visuals to go with it so it rings off as we try to imagine the dishes. Overall, it just felt very ho-hum and not engaging, sadly

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book. Beautiful location that really set the backdrop for a beautiful read. Once again it’s a winner from this author. Love her books. Her way of writing.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

Lovely story in a great setting in Andalucia. Lainey and Rick were likeable main characters and you invested in their story and were willing for a happy ending. Great location, good characters and amazing food what's not to like!

Perfect summer read!

This is a very light book, ideal for some pool launching and relaxation. It is romantic, heart warming and makes you dream of warmer places.

This was a beautiful read that warmed the cockles of my heart. I loved that I got to travel to Andalucia too with a hot chef, which was great. The characters were well developed and beautifully etched. I liked how the author always gives me strong female characters. The prose flowed well and the storyline was fast, with descriptive landscapes. Overall, a fun read.

The story is set on the southern coast of Span, full of sunshine and happiness, a great read to while away from the relentless rain on a wet English afternoon.

This is a real escape from lockdown! Lainey is a talented journalist whose path crosses with Rick, a celebrity chef who co-owns the exclusive restaurant, Aleatory, with his fiancee, the volatile Cathy. Despite an obvious spark, Lainey spends most of the book trying to stay in the friend's zone. Rick offers Lainey the chance to cover a cookery competition he is starring in in Andalucia and we escape to the sunshine with them. The setting is beautifully evoked and you are always aware of the fantastic environment, with its colour and scents, as well as the glorious food which is produced. It is one for the senses.

I also enjoyed Lainey's own backstory, through her relationship with both her parents which has impacted on her more than she realises. Her life at the magazine is also not secure and her friendships with her colleagues add to your overall view of her. Lainey is career driven at the outset. As the story evolves, she begins to question her ambitions. Friendships and family, following your dreams and a slow burn romance all come together to make a great read.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book

Very charming book. Gorgeous setting and a bit of a slow burn. I have really enjoyed boks like this during this pandemic, has provided such a perfect escape from being self isolated for a year. I have been able to escape the 4 walls and disappear to sun soaked wonderful places. Thank you!

This wasn’t for me. Lainey was just too wishy washy. Bit like a doormat too. The ending seemed forced and parts of the story just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

In these days when we cannot travel, this author has taken us to Andalucia and the surrounding area for a foodie adventure. Lainey Summers is a food writer for a magazine and ends up being offered a dream trip following famed chef, Rick Oliver to Andalucia as he runs a cooking competition tv show. She is instantly smitten with Rick but he is engaged to his business partner and famous musician, Cathy. Lucy tries not to fall for him but the sun, the food, the wine and the atmosphere leaves her fantasizing about someone she cannot have. When the filming is over, and she returns home, she finds things not as secure as she thought in her job. Lucy has hard decisions to make and tried to get over Rick and the connection she is sure he felt as well.

The characters were enjoyable and the scenery lovely. I enjoyed the descriptions of the surroundings as well as all of the delicious food. Great summer read! Live this author’s books.

Lucy Coleman is the undisputed queen of escapist and emotional contemporary romances and she is on dazzling form yet again with her latest sensational novel: Summer in Andalucía.

Lainey Summers counts her blessings every single day. She is lucky enough to have a job she absolutely loves working for a renowned food magazine. Through her job, Lainey gets to sample delicious cuisine on a daily basis and meet interesting chefs who cook up mouth-watering creations that never fail to thrill and tantalize the palate. Although she has met her fair share of celebrity chefs, Lainey cannot wait to interview Rick Oliver at the opening of his latest restaurant in Piccadilly. But little did Lainey realize that meeting Rick was going to be the start of a breath-taking – and unbelievably romantic – adventure that would change her life forever…

When Rick is given the opportunity to film a cookery competition for Spanish TV in a monastery in Andalucía, Lainey is thrilled when she gets to go along to cover the story. Spending a whole month in Spain drinking in all the sights and sounds of this magnificent city is a dream come true for Lainey – and it also puts her in very close proximity to Rick. As the two begin to spend more and more time together, they begin to get very close and soon their interest in one another veers from the professional to the very personal. Under the bright blue Spanish skies, Lainey and Rick find themselves falling head over heels in love with one another, but with their sojourn in Andalucía drawing to a close, they cannot help but wonder just what the future holds for the two of them.

With both of their worlds shifting and changing underneath them, will Rick and Lainey find the courage to admit how they really feel about one another? Or are they going to let this chance at happiness slip through their fingers?

Lucy Coleman’s Summer in Andalucía is an enchanting romantic read sprinkled with humour, heart, warmth and bucketloads of charm. A writer who never fails to sweep her readers away to foreign climes that are so exquisitely described that the reader feels as if they are living the story alongside her protagonists, Summer in Andalucía is a poignant and tender-hearted tale where every page is a delight.

Lainey and Rick are two characters that instantly come to life and who will steal readers’ hearts with their charisma and humanity. Theirs is a wonderful love story that leave readers with a great big smile on their faces.

As brilliant as ever, Lucy Coleman has penned another compulsively readable romantic tale with Summer in Andalucía.

I always enjoy traveling to beautiful exotic places with Lucy Coleman and she has done it again as she takes us to the historical Andalucia in southern Spain.

Lainey's dream job is about to get better when she is invited to write about a cookery competition in Spain by up-and-coming chef Rick Oliver who she interviewed for her magazine. As she spends more time in the relaxed setting of Andalucia with the handsome and understanding Rick, she starts to rethink her life and career. But Rick is in a relationship with the attractive, volatile, and popular singer, Cathy Clarkson, who calls the shots as the main investor in Rick's new restaurant. So Lainey walks away from a man who breaks her heart only to find more problems at home in the UK that will change her life forever.

Spain is on my bucket list to visit someday and Ms. Coleman has given me more sites to visit. I love the idea of staying in a restored 14th-century monastery and visiting a castle where Games of Thrones was filmed. In addition, it sounds like a very relaxing and laidback atmosphere that just screams vacation destination. And the descriptions of the food, superb!!!

As much as I love the beautiful scenery and decadent food, I could not feel the attraction between Lainey and Rick. I have to admit I am a big fan of alpha males (or at least males that stand up for themselves) and Rick is far from it. His girlfriend Cathy is a bully and he is just plain and simply a wimp. He blows hot and cold with Lainey and I believe she deserves better. I also felt that Lainey was a bit wishy-washy herself and focused too much on her parent's lives rather than her own. As for the ending, it didn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy as Coleman's other books do, so I was a bit disappointed.

Overall, if you are a foodie with a taste for adventure in beautiful southern Spain, this is the book for you.

Thank you to Ms. Coleman for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

I love Lucy Coleman’s books and this was no exception. She always manages to whisk me off to a wonderful location so effortlessly and with such detail that I could almost smell the citrus groves and feel the heat on my skin.

I really identified with Lainey and Rick, and their determination to stay true to themselves. They were clearly attracted to one another from the moment food writer Lainey met chef Rick in his restaurant in London. When Rick goes to Andalucia to film a cookery competition, Lainey goes to write features about the tv show for the culinary magazine that she writes for. It is clear that they are drawn to one another, but both strive to simply be friends and enjoy one another’s company without crossing the line beyond friendship, because Rick had a partner. I love the way in which neither of them was prepared to cheat, in spite of their connection.

The setting was stunning, with Lucy Coleman’s innate talent for whisking us away to her location, and what a location! Setting the bulk of the story in a former monastery turned hotel sounded so idyllic, and for fans like me of Game of Thrones, there was also a wonderful day trip not to be missed. I was left with the urge to book a holiday to Andalucia when it is finally possible to do so.

I loved the time spent in Le Crotoy towards the end of the book. It is in an area that I consider to be my home from home, in northern France, and a location I have missed so much during the pandemic.

This is only the second book that I have read that has made reference to the Covid-19 pandemic. The first time I was very much in the camp of not wanting to see a glimpse of our reality amidst the true escapism that I seek in books. This time round I felt completely different. Having given it some thought I think that it is not actually that bad to include it, although that may have something to do with having received my first vaccination and my finally feeling that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say is that it didn’t grate on me, and I found that, if anything, it added realness to the connection between Lainey and Rick. Maybe it really is time to add pandemic realness to escapist novels, and that is something I seriously never thought I would ever change my mind on.

I am drawn to books that include travel to exotic or exciting locations and delicious local food, with a little romance for good measure, and Summer in Andalucia provided me with everything I could possibly want, with a heavy dose of sunshine and warmth.

Lainey is a food writer and visits chef Rick Oliver to interview him and whilst, she is there, she is party to a disagreement between Rick and his partner Cathy Clarkson. Rick calls Lainey and asks to meet with her to set things right. She agrees to amend her article and Rick is very grateful.

Lainey loves food but has got out of practice cooking, but loves to be cooked for. So when she gets the opportunity to go to Aleatory Rick’s restaurant she jumps at the chance.

Cathy and Rick are very different and she is a celebrity in her own right and she has her own list of A list friends that she brings to the restaurant on the night that Lainey is there. Lainey notices that Cathy is not wearing Rick’s engagement ring and tries to find out more about the party. One of her colleagues finds a picture of Cathy cosied up to another man which has since been deleted.

Then Rick asks Lainey to visit him at his flat and he has injured himself they spend the evening together and Rick has a proposition for Lainey which involves travelling to Andalucia.

Lainey manages to persuade Thomas her boss that it will be great for the magazine, with Rick and Cathy’s relationship seeming to be more volatile by the week will they be able to continue with their partnership ?

I really enjoyed this book, it is a foodie’s delight, it made me hungry just reading it. I enjoyed the dynamics between Rick and Lainey and it was cold and wintery day, when I read this and a trip to the sunshine was wonderful. The monastery is gorgeous and it was a fantastic setting for the competition.

A cosy and pleasant read that took me on my travels which was very welcome at this time.

A sweet, feel good romance. Coleman's descriptions brings Andalucia off the page and makes it come alive in your mind. Foodies will also love this book as the food sounds divine.

A beautiful, eloquent book that made me feel that I was there, in Andalucia, basking in the weather and scenery and eating the wonderful food. I was entirely captivated and found myself consumed by the story, falling in love with Andalucia and Rick, just as much as Lainey did. The monastery is described in the book as ‘totally captivating’ and the descriptive language was such, that if I closed my eyes, I really could find myself immersed in the magical sounding monastery and its surroundings. If you love food and medieval history, you will love this book. Actually, regardless of your interest in food or history, if you are like me, you will love this book, with its unique story and characterisations.

Lainey works as a journalist for ‘Upscale Dining’, a foodie magazine. A chance meeting with chef of the moment Rick, leads to him offering Lainey an exciting opportunity – to be part of a new TV cooking competition, shot in Andalucia, Spain. The filming is all going to take place in a old monastery and the production crew and contestants will all be staying there during filming too. It feels as though there is some kind of romantic chemistry sparking between Lainey and Rick, but is this futile on Lainey’s part, since Rick and his business partner Cathy are in a relationship. Rumour has it that they are engaged, but to Lainey, to say that the relationship seems tumultuous, is an understatement, testimony to this being the social media activity that one of Lainey’s colleague’s is sending, at Lainey’s request; mostly depicting Cathy’s bad behaviour.

As filming progresses, the relationship between the starcrossed pair becomes increasingly close as they explore the local area, indulging in their shared loves of food and history.

Lainey returns to the office post filming to yet more turmoil. Can she hold herself together or will she be left with neither a job nor any romance? I am not going to spoil the ending for you – make sure you buy the book to find out whether or not Rick and Lainey have a future together!

A sweet love story of two people bonding over a love of food and travel. Though Rick seems out of bounds, Lainey can’t help falling in love with him. Rick enjoys her friendship and companionship, but being engaged to his business partner, it’s hard for him to make any sort of commitment to Lainey.

Both characters came across as being sincere and committed to their chosen fields. I also enjoyed the sub-plot of Lainey’s parents coming together again.

What I’ve enjoy most about the author’s books apart from the sweet love stories is that they transport the reader to new and scenic locales. Here she took us to the Monastery of San Francisco located in Palma de Rio in Cordoba, to the Portacarrero Palace and yes, even to the Castle of Almodovar de Rio in which several of of the Games of Thrones’ episodes were shot.

The book had great descriptions of all the culinary delights that Rick and the participants of the cooking show produced. In times where travelling and eating out is not advisable, Lucy Coleman managed to create a sensory delightful book that I could enjoy in the safety of my home!

I have read some of Lucy Coleman's books previously and although The Villa of Dreams is still my favorite novel, I still enjoyed this one.

Like with the previous books I have read, Lucy Coleman take us to another place. In this story we follow the characters to Andalucia. The thing I absolutely love about this author's books is that transportation element. We travel to amazing places, without leaving our home, which considering the current situation with the world, it's just what we need.

We follow Lainey in this new journey and I quite liked her. I could see her passion towards her job and food, and that always something amazing to connect with. The interactions with the characters and the background of Lainey's life made sense to me and allowed me to understand her more.

Speaking of food... Something fantastic about this book was the culinary element. It made me excited about cooking, and I actually ended up reading some parts of the book while cooking dinner. I love when a book, no matter the genre, has food in it. If it makes sense for the plot, like this story, it's the perfect combination. And Lucy Coleman definitely did that with the romance, the food and the scenery.

Overall, I enjoyed it. The Villa of Dreams may have a special place in my heart, but Summer in Andalucia won me over with the descriptions and the culinary.

[I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Lucy Coleman for the eCopy of this book, via Netgalley and for allowing me to join in the fun and being a part of the blog tour with my honest review of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.]