Let the shenanigans begin at the Boomerville hotel …
Jo Docherty and Hattie Contaldo have a vision – a holiday retreat in the heart of the Lake District exclusively for guests of ‘a certain age’ wishing to stimulate both mind and body with new creative experiences. One hotel refurbishment later and the Best Boomerville Hotel is open for business!
Perhaps not surprisingly Boomerville attracts more than it’s fair share of eccentric clientele: there’s fun loving Sir Henry Mulberry and his brother Hugo; Lucinda Brown, an impoverished artist with more ego than talent; Andy Mack, a charming Porsche-driving James Bond lookalike, as well as Kate Simmons, a woman who made her fortune from an internet dating agency but still hasn’t found ‘the One’ herself.
With such an array of colourful individuals there’s bound to be laughs aplenty, but could there be tears and heartbreak too and will the residents get more than they bargained for at Boomerville?
It's my pleasure to be one of the hosts for the final day of the blog tour for The Best Boomerville Hotel by Caroline James today. Many thanks to the author, publishers and Rachel Gilbey of Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me and for my copy of the ebook.
The Best Boomerville Hotel isn't the sort of book I'd usually choose to read. However, I like to try something different now and again and was tempted by the eye-catching front cover which suggested a delightful quirkiness. My initial impressions were correct for this is a lighthearted novel that comes packed with eccentric characters and a series of almost farcical situations. The chapters have an almost episodic feel to them and this is the sort of book I could imagine being turned into a Sunday evening television series as I'm sure family viewers would love the romance, humour and moments of drama and heartbreak.
I have to admit that there were a few scenes that perhaps felt a little dated, the residents of the hotel have clearly never heard of cultural appropriation as they dress up in Indian fancy dress for a Taste of the Raj evening. However, given that the guests of the hotel seem to be mostly from the affluent middle class I suspect it's an accurate, if slightly exaggerated for comedic effect, portrayal of middle England. I wasn't sure too how I was meant to feel about Sir Henry Mulberry and his brother, Hugo; lecherous old men or just eccentric bygones?
Despite my reservations I did enjoy The Best Boomerville Hotel, I particularly liked Hattie who is a breath of fresh air. She's a larger lady who delights in her body and exudes a fantastic - and rather naughty - joie de vivre. I also enjoyed following Kate's journey as she progresses from being a rather lonely and vulnerable soul into a fulfilled woman looking forward to her mature years.
I'm very glad I decided to read The Best Boomerville Hotel; this genre is still probably just one I'll dip into now and again but I can understand why so many people love it and if you're a reader who enjoys warmhearted, romantic novels that are imbued with a very British sense of humour them I'm sure that Caroline James' latest book will be one you'd thoroughly enjoy.
The Best Boomerville Hotel is published by Ruby Fiction an imprint of Choc Lit and can be purchased from Amazon, Kobo, Google Play or iTunes.
Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
Caroline James has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that features in her novels. She is based in the UK but has a great fondness for travel and escapes whenever she can. A public speaker, consultant and food writer, Caroline is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association and writes articles and short stories and contributes to many publications.
Her debut novel, Coffee, Tea, The Gypsy & Me is set in North West England, at the time of a famous gypsy horse fair. The book went straight to number three on Amazon and was E-book of the Week in The Sun.
So, You Think You're A Celebrity...Chef? was runner up the Winchester Writers festival for best TV Drama and takes a light-hearted look at the world of celebrity chefs as they battle it out for fame and fortune. Coffee, Tea, The Caribbean & Me was runner up at The Write Stuff, LBF, 2015 and is an Amazon best-seller and top recommended read by Thomson Holidays. Jungle Rock, a romcom novella set in Australia, revolves around a TV game show.
In her spare time, Caroline can be found trekking up a mountain or relaxing with her head in a book and hand in a box of chocolates.
Website
Comments
Post a Comment