To Sir, With Love - Lauren Layne

Lauren Layne's new novel - To Sir, With Love - is the perfect audiobook to download for the beach.

Thirty-something Gracie Cooper has been running her family's champagne store since her father's death. She loves it, but it is a struggle at times to turn a profit. And Gracie wonders if she'll ever find a romantic partner. So, she decides to join a "blind dating app where matches get to know each other through messages and common interests before exchanging real names or photos." 

I think a blind dating app is a great premise to start with - there's lots of places that the plot could go from there. (And I think the app's premise is a good one!) Grace ends up paired with someone she address as Sir and she becomes Lady. And they seem to really, really click.

But on the flip side....back at the shop, Sebastian Andrews, the landlord, is looking to buy out the champagne shop's lease. Gracie simply can't stand the man....although he does have the most beautiful eyes.... 

And I think you might be able to predict where things might go from there! Layne has penned a light-hearted romance with lots of yes, no, maybe so woven in. And that's the fun of this type of storytelling. The listener knows more than the players. It's just a matter of time before they figure it out themselves and the fun is in the journey to the inevitable (fairy tale) ending.

I liked Gracie as a lead character - she is outspoken and sassy, but kind and caring as well. The supporting cast of Gracie's family and coworkers is just as engaging. And Sebastian Andrews? Yummy!

I listened to To Sir, With Love. There were two readers - Rachanee Lumayno and Shaun Taylor-Corbett. Lumayno's voice was perfect for Gracie and matched the mental image I had created for this character. Her voice is strong without being loud. It's pleasant to listen to, easy to understand, with crisp enunciation. She captures the emotion of the character and the action. Taylor-Corbett has a very rich and full tone to his voice and it absolutely suited the character. And his voice was perfect for Sir. While Gracie is the voice we hear the most, I enjoyed having another reader for the male characters of Sir and Sebastian. It was more realistic that way. A good performance from both readers. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of To Sir, With Love.

Overall? Light and fun with a lovely dose of romance, perfect for summertime listening or reading.

I Owe You One - Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella's books are the perfect antidote for dreary days. Light, fun and fluffy. I Owe You One is newly released and it happily kept me company over the course of a very cold, gray winter's Sunday afternoon.

Fixie Farr, her mom and her two siblings run the family business, a housewares store. Well, it's pretty much Fixie - the relationships between her and her brother and sister are fractious to say the least. But, as her father always said - family first. And Fixie has lived by that tenet.

Where did she get that name? She wasn't born a Fixie, but she can't help fixing things for almost everyone. Except herself.....

Fixie is a wonderfully engaging lead character. You can't help but like her and root for her. But the more she tries to fix things, the worse things get. Handsome strangers, old flames, misunderstandings, missteps, family quarrels - and of course the will they/won't they romance plot.

The supporting cast is lots of fun as well. The 'negative' characters are easy to spot. (and very easy to dislike) I laughed out loud many times at the antics and dialogue of the shop assistants.

And yes, the outcome is pretty much a given, but it's the journey there that is so much fun to read. Kinsella's books are engaging, entertaining, humourous and a perfect pick me up. Read an excerpt of I Owe You One.