A good holiday read to escape with wonderful descriptions of the largely unspoilt Andalusian coast and inland National Park. The story itself was a little slow and disjointed in places plus odd bits that raced ahead with great introduced aspects not covered. Fairly run-of-the-mill romance full of misunderstandings and non-communication but on the whole lighthearted and entertaining. Somewhat believable characters although maybe too many for the story to run smoothly and lacked depth but as a light read it fits the bill.

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Unfortunately it just wasn’t a story for me. I found it to be disjointed at times, not flowing freely. I got stopped up multiple times on the word usage/ verbal structure in many of the paragraphs, which made it very difficult to get truly invested in the story.

This was an enjoyable feel good story, which I read over a couple of days while on holiday. The main character, Juliana, spends time in Spain as the request of her much loved Spanish uncle and rediscovers her love for Spain along with her own heritage and identity. The way the author describes this area of the Spanish mainland makes me want to visit there and enjoy it’s unspoiled beauty. I always enjoy a good love story and with, a little lighthearted humour thrown in, this was the perfect holiday read.

Genre: Fiction | Romance

Release Date: 21st July 2021

Publisher: Aria & Aries

CW: Racism, Death.


Juliana makes her living as a spanish TV extra, although her only connection to her heritage is some bad spanish lessons and cloudy memories of her Mother from years ago.

So when her slighly eccentric uncle Arturo asks her to come and look after his uninhabited Andalusian home for three months, she jumps at the chance to go and learn more about where she came from. But when he reveals the house will be hers if she just completes ten little and slightly strange tasks, she's got the opportunity to not only learn the truth about her roots, but maybe finally put down some of her own.

From family rivalries to problematically handsome neighbours, Julianas journey wasn't just ticking boxes on some list - it was a deep dive into her family history and the lies that have been hovering around her entire life. This was a very beautiful story about finding all the little things that make us who we are and form our identities.

The setting was cosy and immersive, and the author has Spanish heritage herself - you can definitely feel her love for the culture oozing from her writing. This would be the ideal book to read when you're desperate to escape somewhere sunny, very much a beach read.

However, I couldn't really connect to Juliana as I found her narration disjointed and somewhat erratic and felt that a lot of plot was just told to us rather than getting to see it, as though something was happening off to the side that the reader wasn't allowed to see.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Cherry Radford, Aria & Aries and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a first for me reading material by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A heartwarming story, well written and transports you to Spain, if only for a little while. I have read some mixed reviews on this book, but I personally think it's worth reading it.

A wonderful, absorbing read, reminiscent of Karen Swan’s books set in Spain and Italy. A novel that evokes its wonderful Spanish setting infused with all the senses and creating a sensual and moving tale. Julianna seizes the chance her uncle offers her to go to Spain and fix up his old summer house while at the same time learning about her Spanish heritage and the place her mother loved. It’s also an opportunity to escape and perhaps even put behind her, the never ending attachment and fascination with her childhood friend, now famous actor, Toby. Julianna’s own life had taken on the role as an extra- both in the film profession and in her own personal life. Spain was the chance to be her own leading role. But with these opportunities also come figures from the past, rearing up from unexpected places and directions. And her neighbour, Josemi, darkly handsome, prickly and somehow connected to all of this. All the threads in the story are beautifully and tightly woven together into a lovely seamless and totally absorbing novel.

The Spanish House by Cherry Radford

Juliana is half Spanish and finds herself at a bit of a crossroads in her life. Her Spanish mother died when she was a child. Her Uncle Arturo offers her a chance of 90 days to do up his summer house and explore her roots. This book follows Juliana’s journey to find out more about her mother’s short life and there are many secrets that will appear along this journey.

A wonderful well written and descriptive story that makes you long to go to Spain or even imagine you are there.

Wonderful characters and a little intrigue as things are not always as they seem.

Great book from start to finish. 4.5/5

This book is just so cute! I will definitely be looking for more from this author soon.

Julianna is such a loveable character and I was on her side with every decision, even her more questionable ones. I was absolutely rooting for her and Josemi from the beginning. But, I will say I wanted her to focus on her Uncle's to-do list just a little more. Uncle Arturo was such an amazing man and every scene with him in it had me wishing for a relationship like that in my life.

Every secret that Julianna uncovered was more shocking than the last but I felt that it was all realistic enough for me to suspend my disbelief. I loved the setting more than anything else. Radford describes Spain in such gorgeous detail that I swear sometimes I was there with her finding it all out.

Juliana has always wanted to explore more of her Spanish heritage and so when her uncle offers to leave her a house, she jumps at the chance to go to Spain. The house comes with a list of conditions that must be fulfilled in order for it to become hers. The story follows Juliana as she works through the list of tasks, whilst learning about her family, and herself. She also has a love interest with Josemi, and I enjoyed seeing how their relationship unfolded. It was by no means straightforward!

The descriptions of places and people, really made me feel as though I was there. It was like being away, without actually be away. Lovely piece of holiday escapism. It fell flat in a couple places for me but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. Generally, it was an easy enjoyable read.

I’ve not read any of this authors work before, though based on this book, I would be open to doing so.

3.5 stars

Copy provided by Aria & Aries via Netgalley

Juliana is a half-Spanish/half-English young woman living in London and working as an extra for film and television when her uncle invites her to come to Spain for three months to stay at a vacation home that he owns. He also promises her that the house will become hers provided she meets a number of conditions.

When Juliana was 7.5 years old her mother left the family and returned to Spain. Juliana never saw her mother again before her death two years later so she jumps at the opportunity to spend time in Spain to get to know her uncle better and to learn more about her Spanish heritage. While completing her uncle's conditions, Juliana starts to imagine her future in Spain, learns more about the mystery surrounding her mother's death, and falls for her handsome artist neighbour.

The Spanish House is a pleasant contemporary romance set in a fabulous location. I loved learning about the Almeria region of Spain and, being the theatre nerd that I am, I also enjoyed the scenes involving the shows staged by the local theatre group. The romance storyline wasn't well developed, in my opinion, however, I enjoyed the other aspects of the story enough to make it a three star read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC.

A sweet love story in a beautiful Spanish setting with a cast you'll adore. The Spanish House made me all warm and fuzzy inside. It's a journey of finding truth, family, and love. It was the feel-good story I needed.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the arc. I voluntarily read and reviewed this title.

*I received a free copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was okay. I didn't guess some of the little twists. But it just felt like a slow read, but not necessarily in the best way. I felt bored about 1/2-2/3 of the way through, but I wanted to know how it ended. I liked the main character, but I felt like her "relationship" with one of the other characters was just.. meh? weird? I don't know how to describe it. All in all, I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it.

An enjoyable story set in Spain with strong characters, an engaging plot and some intrigue to boot. Julia was interesting and coped well with everything that was thrown at her. Such beautiful descriptions of a romantic setting. Perfect for your summer holiday.

One summer Juliana gets a chance of a lifetime. Her uncle Arturo offers her a chance to housesit his home in Spain. She uses this as chance to connect with her Spanish roots. She learns about her mother and who she is. She spends the time rediscovering her family and her connection to them. She falls in love with the town and her life. This was a charming summer read. It will transport you to the coast of Spain. I had a blast reading this story!

An Inheritance With Strings…
An inheritance with strings faces the modestly living Juliana. An evocative and engaging tale with a breathtaking backdrop. Lighthearted and easy reading for some ideal, romantic escapism to sunnier climes.

I couldn't get into this book. I tried but after 12% it wouldn't hold my attention.. DNF



**********************I received an ARC for my honest opinion.******************************

I absolutely LOVED LOVED this book and would give it a million stars if I could. This book had everything a favorite book should have: a good premise, a strong main character, intrigue, a point to the story, a good ending, and the reader must care. This book had all those elements plus more. Plus it is also a book about rediscovering your worth and finding your place in the world after starting over.

I highly recommend this book and am buying a copy to own to re-read it at a later date. I would definitely re-read from this author in the future and will look into past books if there are any if it has half good as this one.

I sincerely thank Netgalley, Cherry Radford and Aria & Aries Aria for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already Available: 7/12/21

"The Spanish House" is about self-discovery and love, family and friendship, and life-changing decisions. When Julianna decides to take up her uncle's challenge to renovate a small Spanish house she has no idea of what will happen in the 90 days of the task. In the book we get to meet the locals and Julianna's family as she starts to unravel various mysteries. This is a lovely, warm-hearted tale set in a hot foreign climate, so great holiday reading.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria Publishers for inviting me to read and review this beautiful story!

Juliana grew up in London in an acting family. When she was 7, her mother moved back to Spain and she never saw her again, two years later she was told her mother passed away.

Now, many years later, Juliana’s Spanish uncle, her mother’s brother, has asked her to help him with his house in the country.

He has a list of conditions for her to complete. After 90 days, if she has met the conditions, he will leave the house to her. Juliana takes him up on his offer, and tries her best to complete his conditions…. Redecorate the house, make friends with the neighbours, join the local acting group.

But while she is completing the conditions, she realises that the information she was told when she was younger wasn’t the truth. Her uncle was trying to help her understand the events of the past and who she really is.

This is a beautifully written story set in a gorgeous area and the writing placed you right in the Spanish countryside. I really enjoyed how the events opened Juliana’s eyes to her heritage and helped her find a way to find peace in her life and future ❤️

Thank you for my copy of this beautiful, heartwarming story. Filled with family secrets and romance, this story is a delight. While completing conditions to get ownership to her uncles home in Spain, Juliana gains learns about her family and gains love.