THE HOTEL AT HONEYMOON STATION

 

SYNOPSIS

When Emma’s useless fiancé tells her a lie she cannot forgive, she decides enough is enough. She leaves him, quits her dead-end job and travels hundreds of miles away to the ancient village of Honeymoon in the Dorset countryside, to help her friend Tia turn the old train station into a boutique hotel.

Tia has told Emma that it will be a project, but when Emma arrives in Honeymoon and sees a weed-choked crumbling ruin, her vision of an idyllic life in Dorset begins to disintegrate. But when she meets twinkly-eyed builder Aiden in the village shop, and sparks fly between them, she can’t help but feel that the stars have for once aligned.

As work begins on the hotel, Emma and Aiden grow closer, and on sun-dappled evening walks, he tells her the secrets of the village. But there are some villagers who wish that Emma had never arrived in Honeymoon… And when Emma is involved in a terrible accident on site, and then discovers what Aiden has been keeping from her, it feels like the universe is telling her to leave Honeymoon for good. What if she was wrong to say goodbye to all that was safe and familiar? Will she ever be able to find her happy-ever-after in Honeymoon?

Title: The Hotel at Honeymoon Station

Author: Tilly Tennant

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: June 18, 2021

Tilly Tennant was born in Dorset, the oldest of four children, but now lives in Staffordshire with a family of her own. After years of dismal and disastrous jobs, including paper plate stacking, shop assistant, newspaper promotions and waitressing (she never could carry a bowl of soup without spilling a bit), she decided to indulge her passion for the written word by embarking on a degree in English and creative writing. She wrote a novel in 2007 during her first summer break at university and hasn't stopped writing since. She also works as a freelance fiction editor and part-time lecturer.

Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was her debut novel; published in 2014 it was an Amazon bestseller in both the UK and Australia. In 2016 she signed to the hugely successful Bookouture and is currently working on her fifteenth Tilly Tennant novel. Christmas bestseller A Very Vintage Christmas has just been made into a movie for Lifetime Channel.

Tilly also writes young adult fiction as Sharon Sant. 

Author Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.tillytennant.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TillyTennant/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TillyTenWriter

 

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

And Tilly Tennant did it again! I’ve yet to read one of her books I don’t totally fall in love with, be it the story, the characters, the setting or all three… What a delightful read! I just managed to read it in less than 24 hours so involved I got in Emma and Tia’s lives.

Emma is frustrated with her life. Her sister is off to Iceland to start her dream job and her (piece of sh*t) boyfriend and coworker are taking advantage of her, so when she gets reacquainted with Tia, an old school friend, she decides to embark on a new adventure and help her turn an old train station into a boutique hotel.

I felt for Emma so much the first third of the book! It was so painful to see how she was a doormat to her boyfriend (it’s better being single than having a boyfriend like that!). It took a while for her blindfold to fall off her eyes but once it did it was such a pleasure seeing the new Emma emerge.

Honeymoon was such a gorgeous place and all the people there so charming (yes, even Sid!). The writing was so good it made me feel I was there in Nell’s shop or Darcie’s cafe along the girls. Blake and Aiden sounded quite dreamy and I wouldn’t have minded working alongside them on the hotel renovations even though I absolutely hate physical work! It was a bit frustrating seeing Emma denying herself a new shot in love as it was clear from the beginning that they had great chemistry and that Aiden could be so good for her.

Some of Emma’s reactions to Tia were a bit out of scale, but hey, renovations can be quite stressful so I guess I can forgive her.

Fun, escapist read about new beginnings and the importance of taking chances when you feel stalled in your life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.