A Greek Affair by @LinnBHalton Blog Tour #BookReview & #Giveaway @rararesources #Romance #FridayReads

I’m delighted to be joining the blog tour for A Greek Affair by Linn Halton, courtesy of Rachel’s Random Resources

About the Book

More than just a holiday romance?

Her daughter, h

Her job and divorcing her untrustworthy ex are Leah’s main priorities. She isn’t really bothered that her life might be missing a few things. But after winning a prestigious travel blogger award, she’s inundated with offers to review glamorous holiday destinations. Lying around drinking exotic cocktails and being paid for it! What could be better?

Perhaps a romantic trip to idyllic Greece to find the one man who might make Leah risk her heart again…

Purchase Link – http://smarturl.it/AGreekAffair

My Review

This story encompasses a good mix of issues—including honesty with yourself and others, facing up to fears and second chances. A Greek Affair tells the story of Leah, a travel blogger, and her daughter, Rosie. Leah has been nominated in the Top Travel Blog category and is attending the awards ceremony with no expectations of winning. She is the new kid on the block, as it were, having expanded her freelance photography website to include holiday destinations. After a lucky chance encounter which resulted in an interview going viral, Leah’s website is well and truly out there. She’s had a rough several years after being deserted by her husband, who disappeared with her twin sister leaving a mountain of debts and two devastated families. As a single mother, it’s taken her years to pay off the money owed.

It’s clear some things are missing as the top drawer is half empty. When I pull out the bottom drawer, though, it’s stuffed full of letters. All I can see is red ink staring back at me as if it’s become the new black. I grab a handful and stare down at them for a moment in sheer disbelief before throwing them on the desk. 

Overdue … final demand … debt collection agency … notice of enforcement … County Court Judgement. Looking down at the open drawer, there must be over fifty similar letters and I collapse down in a heap onto the chair. My head is spinning and my hands are trembling.

It looks like Leah’s fortunes are about to turn around as she is completely unprepared and incredulous when the name of her blog is announced as the winner. It’s an important award and will mean big sponsorship deals and a lot of travel, not to mention more money which will alleviate much of the stress she been under. 

We follow Leah as she tries to balance her working and personal lives with bringing up her daughter, while trying to make sure their needs are met as much as possible. Her parents are very supportive as Leah is still trying to deal with the fall out from the disappearance and deceit of her twin and husband, but losing a daughter means they are also suffering. Leah, and Rosie who contributes to the blog, meet people during Leah’s assignments who have a huge impact on their lives. They all, including Leah, have issues to work through before they can move on. 

The characters are well drawn and the writing flows nicely. Leah’s relationships with her daughter and parents is particularly well portrayed. I enjoyed the blogging aspect of the story and the descriptions of the travel destinations really popped, bringing much colour and interesting facts to the narrative. Leah’s first assignment is a Mediterranean cruise, then a trip to Greece. The detailed account of Athens is incredibly vibrant but I think I’d have much the same trouble as Leah when it comes to heights and glass walkways.

There are serious and relevant themes covered sensitively in the story which give it depth and realism as well as empathy for the characters. 

I chose to read and review A Greek Affair courtesy of Rachel’s Random Resources via NetGalley.

Giveaway

To enter the Giveaway to Win Rose wine and chocolates (UK only) please click the Rafflecopter link.

*Terms and Conditions – UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter link.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

About the Author

From interior designer to author, Linn B. Halton – who also writes under the pen name of Lucy Coleman – says ‘it’s been a fantastic journey!’ Linn is the bestselling author of more than a dozen novels and is excited to be writing for both Aria Fiction (Head of Zeus) and Harper Impulse (Harper Collins); she’s represented by Sara Keane of the Keane Kataria Literary Agency. When she’s not writing, or spending time with the family, she’s either upcycling furniture or working in the garden.

Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award; her novels have been short-listed in the UK’s Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards.

Living in Coed Duon in the Welsh Valleys with her ‘rock’, Lawrence, and gorgeous Bengal cat Ziggy, she freely admits she’s an eternal romantic.

Linn is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and writes feel-good, uplifting novels about life, love and relationships.

Linn’s Social Media Links – Website | Facebook | Twitter