This is a utterly charming read! This is a book about embracing change, taking a chance and setting your own course. I loved the beautiful village and the sweet characters. At the heart of this small town is a emporium shop that is the center of the book. Its refurbishment is disturbing to some of the old timers who are at odds with the new owner. I will not give the story away. The lovely story will charm and delight every reader. I look forward to the next in series. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. . My review is my own opinion.

**3.5 Stars**

*I was able to read this via NetGalley**

This is my first Sarah Bennett novel, and while it is not perfect, I did enjoy it. I liked the characters and the Lavender Bay seems lovely. While I reading this it reminded of me of Jill Mansell novels and I'm a very big fan of her books. My real-life has been hectic so lately I've been into reading lighter novels and this fit the bill. I did find the story to drag in parts and I wasn't as emotionally invested as I could have been, but the book was cute and perfect as a light read. I'll likely continue the series and check out her previous novels as well.

The story goes thus, Beth returns back to Lavender Bay on the death of Eleanor and finds herself inheriting her shop Eleanor's Emporium. Determined to restore the shop to its past glory and return back, she soon finds herself captured by Lavender Bay, its residents, and the entire seaside town. But most importantly by Sam, her friend Eliza's brother and his killer looks.
My first book by the author Sarah Bennett, I often read such light books, when I need a break from intense stories and this book formed the perfect accompaniment to my afternoon tea. The author introduces us to the 3 best friends, Beth, Libby and Elizabeth, but this is Beth's story with the others having their own book to tell their story
Though there is romance between Sam and Beth, it is the rest of the characters, relationships, friendships and family, which rounds up this book, making it one of the heartwarming stories. The friendship between the 3 women forms the core of the book.
Beth and Sam form the perfect couple with their level of comfort with each other along with sizzles of attraction. This book embodies all the goodness in the world, where friendships and relationships matter, where love and life abound and where community and people matter.

I was excited to have a chance to read the first book in the new series, Lavender Bay.
Beth was taken in by a neighbor as a teenager when her mother left Lavender Bay. She has grown very close to the woman and is heartbroken upon her death. Now this is when the real fun starts, but not really since this is when changes begin. Beth has been left the emporium but she lives in a flat elsewhere and has a job as well. She packs it in though and returns home. She starts to make changes to the emporium and let me tell you not everyone is happy to the repairs and changes she is making!
Feel good romance and friendships just make you feel happy!
Wonderful read, I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Pub Date 22 Feb 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for a review copy. I was not required to write a positive review.

Lovely tale of living life and not fulfilling other people’s ambitions for your life!

Leaving her old life in London behind, Beth is back in Lavender Bay, among old friends. She can't ignore the attraction to her friends older brother, but will this be enough to keep her back in the Bay?

An easy read.

Looking forward to reading the next books in this series.

I felt like Spring at Lavender Bay wasn't quite sure what it was trying to be. It was almost a romantic chick-lit friendship story but every now and again the horrible language jolted me out of my escapist enjoyment.

Sarah Bennett who delighted me and many others with her Butterfly Cove series is back with Spring at Lavender Bay, the first in another trilogy.

In this first book of course we meet all the characters that we are going to grow to love and possibly hate in the coming pages and subsequent books.

Beth returns to Lavender Bay when she discovers that the woman who brought her up has in fact left her a shop - not any old shop but an Emporium. Having not really left much of a life back in London, Beth stays for a while in Lavender Bay and it brings her closer to her old friends. 

Libby still helping her father in the local fish and chip shop and not having grown out her dark hair and dark clothes is glad to see Beth back as she now sees what sort of life she could have had if she had left Lavender By. 

Eliza has moved away to be with her husband and she doesn't come back home too often, but when she does all three girls get together. But it looks like Eliza is going to move even further away from Lavender Bay. 

Of course this book has romance, and that is provided by Eliza's brother Sam. A chef. And a man who has a caring streak which simply jumps off the page as you read about him. Sam is also back home, because his father is ill and needs to take things easy. He has left behind a prosperous career to come back to the pub he knows as home. Sometimes it is nice to come home but you still need aspirations and when Sam meets up again with Beth, he realises that perhaps what he can achieve is actually in Lavender Bay.

Plenty happens in this book and just when you think everything is going well, there's a twist and it is almost like everyone has to start again. 

Sarah Bennett manages to weave a story with warmth, humour, love and a sense of community and brings to life a fictitious place as if I could pop down to Lavender Bay to breathe the sea air and perhaps wander into the Emporium before popping to the local pub for a swoon over the hunky barman and chef!

I look forward to my return to Lavender Bay in the Summer.

I really enjoyed this book and it in a couple of days, great characters and I look forward to part 2 in the series.

This book focuses on three friends, Libby, Eliza and Beth with this book mostly looking at Beth.

I loved the whole setting of Lavender Bay and those who live there. The friendships portrayed are strong and sweet and a nice secondary focus to the romance.

There is drama, intrigue of course romance which is the perfect combination for a wonderful spring/summer read. I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

Beth gets left the Emporium b.y the lady who took her in as a teenager. She is keen to make it a going concern so that she has an option to sell it. She loves being back amongst friends in Lavender Bay and they take one of their own back into their hearts. She starts to feel at home and sorts out plans for the shop. I loved her friendships and the way everyone rallies round. I also loved the romance You feel a part of the shop coming together and the lovely romance creates a real feel good feeling around the book.
I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series to see where we will explore next.

Beth Reynolds is the person guaranteed to be dumped with a pile of work when everyone is going home. She is the one who has saved her bosses skin time and time again, her reward is seeing the slimy new guy promoted above her despite only being there for 10 minutes. She dreams of having some independence and enjoying her life but her mother’s plans for her mean she has to try to be a career girl. Her life is suddenly turned upside down when she finds out that her closest friend and carer, Eleanor, has suddenly died leaving her full of regrets over the time she should have spent with her back in Lavender Bay. She suddenly finds she is drawn into a different life but can she make things work despite the bumps in the road? Very enjoyable story of friendship and love, looking forward to the next instalment. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Sarah Bennett books and this 9ne doesn’t disappoint! Eliza, Betha nd Libby are lifelong friends and this book introduces them, their friends, family and quirks, include a bit of mad baking. I was swept into the sights, sounds and scents of lavender bay and I can’t wait to go back again and again. Loved it!

3 - Let’s have a spring fling! Stars!

Sarah Bennett, begins her new Lavender Bay series with Spring, an albeit easy, but pretty underwhelming read.

"It’s a bad idea…"

I loved this authors previous series; Butterfly Cove and have since also discovered that she writes erotica under another name, the two novellas of which I have also read and enjoyed, so I started Spring at Lavender Bay with high expectations.

What the author did deliver on was characters and locale, I loved the scene she set with regards to Lavender Bay itself, as well as Beth and her friends Libby and Eliza, and the wealth of secondary characters introduced also ticked all the expected boxes, but what I found lacking was the story line between her and Sam, and the drama in general.

"If things were different…"

"But they’re not."

"No, they’re not."

Don’t get me wrong, this was still a pretty enjoyable beginning to the series, and as I already said, the author introduced everyone and set the scene really well, but I was expecting to feel more invested, everything just sort of muddled along with them both not seeing much of each other due to their work lives, then in the next breath love was declared and all should have been well. But it turns out Beth is a runner, that frustrated me somewhat too because to be honest there wasn’t much reason for it, and it seemed to be added just to give a little drama to the end of what was a pretty lacklustre story.

You won’t struggle to read this book, but you may struggle to remember it a couple of months down the line. That said, I am looking forward to spending some time in the summer in Lavender Bay with the next book due for release in July. This is an author that is still an auto-buy for me, but maybe my expectations were just a little too high on this occasion.

Spring at Lavender Bay (Lavender Bay, #1)
by Sarah Bennett (Goodreads Author)
9010166
Alison Robinson's review Feb 17, 2018 · edit
did not like it
bookshelves: read-2018, bartender-owner, contemporary, did-not-finish, english, nerd-alert

DNF at 35%.

I adored Sarah Bennett's Butterfly Cove series so I was stoked to see this up for request at NetGalley.

Sadly, after two attempts I just couldn't get into this book.

Beth Reynolds spent the best part of her childhood at Lavender Bay but left to forge a career in London. However, when her mentor Eleanor dies and leaves her Eleanor's Emporium in Lavender Bay she burns her boats and comes back home.

There are plenty of characters and old school friends but I didn't warm to anyone and at over a third through the book I just had the overwhelming feeling that nothing was happening, and frankly I didn't care.

I've been on a book downer this year so maybe I'm being overly harsh but I just didn't feel interest in finishing the book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this romantic story about new beginnings and opportunities. There is such charm in the setting on the seaside filled with so many delightful characters.
Beth Reynolds leaves a crummy job in London and moves to Lavender Bay when she inherits a curio/gift shop form Eleanor Bishop a woman who took her in and raised her when her mother married and left to live in Florida. In Lavender Bay, Beth discovers her true self and finds love out of the blue.

This is my second book by Sarah that I have read and I must say I like this one better than the last book I read. Don’t get me wrong, the last book Christmas at Butterfly Cove was a wonderful book. I just loved this story more.

In this story Beth Reynolds has not had the most easy life. Beth was raised in Lavender Bay by her mom’s neighbor Eleanor. Eleanor took it upon herself to raise her so her mother can move away with her new hubby, so that Beth could finish her schooling. Even from afar her mother wanted Beth to have the perfect city life and city boyfriend. Beth is unhappy trying to live up to her standards.

When Eleanor suddenly passes away and leaves Beth everything, Beth sees an opportunity to try to do something different. Can she have another life other than the one her mother wants her to have?

This is a wonderful and emotional story of a women who has a very low self-esteem and confidence. It tells of how she blossoms into another person and struggles with relationships and not running away when things become difficult. Her adventure into her new life is full of friends, family and love.

I truly enjoyed the characters and world of Lavender Bay. It introduces us to the world of Lavender Bay and all the adventures to come. It is a truly romantic tale of discovering ones self and overcoming the fears that hold us back.

So come and join the Lavender Bay residents and fall in love. I know I did.

*ARC provided by Neverland Book Tours & Sarah Bennett

This is a book I wanted to try out as it's almost spring so why not...
I found the beginning difficult to grasp and I didn't get the connection with the main characters which is unlike me.we have 3 friends Beth Libby and Eliza and the story is based about Beth and the surrounding area which had some lovely geographical scenes. I just didn't enjoy it as much as others. There's some scenes of drama and the unexpected but it's not one of the best...
Fully reviewed by myself and I thank netgalley

3.5 stars

Spring at Lavender Bay is the first Sarah Bennett’s books I read and I grabbed at the chance to read it as it’s also the first of a new series. Set in a fictional seaside town of Lavender Bay, this book is a delightful introduction to the author’s writing and the message the story bore: never give up and plan might alter for the best.

Lead characters and voices of the stories were Beth and Sam, childhood friends who grown up living next door to one another. A series of trials caused Beth to leave London and back to Lavender Bay. Driven by love of the late Eleanor who bequeathed wealth and property to her, Beth decided to reopen Emporium, Eleanor’s bric-and-brac shop. Sam left his dream of becoming renown chef when his father fallen ill and had to take over the running of the family pub. Random exchange turned to candid discussion that soon draw them close and see the other in a new light.

I just love the slow-burn romance between Beth and Sam. Not only they complete each other by being the ear to listen to when needed, their friendship also served to boost up confidence and nudge them in reshaping their dreams. This, more than the physical attraction between them, that gripped me whilst reading. The casual way the flirting started that developed into much deeper feeling made the romance more real and believable.

Then there’s also the tight friendship between Beth, Libby and Olivia; not to mention Sam’s relationship with his family, and the tight-knit community of Lavender Bay that spiced-up the story!

Not saying I had no issue with this book, though. In the sense that the heroine predictably appeared like a doormat and needed rescuing too often. What piqued me no end was the accident and the subsequent effect that follow close to the end of the book. And here I thought Beth had toughened up and got more confidence!! I mean, darn it! So close to the end; I wish there was other way to prove steadfast love without making one party look weaker than the other!!

I’m still going to continue following this series though. At least I’m intrigued with what would happen between Libby and a certain gentleman on the next installment. While waiting, I think I’m gonna check out the author’s other books and have a look and see.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.