I love any book written by Amanda Prowse and this is no exception. The book concentrates on the Kellow family and in particular Merrin Kellow. It is written with such compassion and care that you really feel every injustice and hurt that Merrin endures. The story involves a lot of characters from a small Cornish village but I felt I knew each and every one of them. This is a great escapist book that can transport you you from a gloomy winters day to the coastal idyll of Port Charles, another realm completely.

Amanda Prowse is one of my favourite authors, so when I saw this new book release, I couldn't say no to reading it!

Merrin moved to live in Bristol after a massive humiliation left her heartbroken. She protects her heart, having a relationship with Miguel before admitting that she doesn't love him and eventually moving back home to the beautiful Cornish coast where she has grown up and knows everyone. We see that sometimes bad things happen for good reasons from reading through.

The characters enhance the plot and are well developed. I loved Bella; she is the perfect best friend. She is positive, fun, and energetic, the ideal balance for Ruby and Merrin, who are often at odds. Merrin's parents are the most loving, caring, delightful parents anyone could ask for. Digby's mum, Loretta, seems cold and uncaring but is, in fact, quite affectionate; she just shows it oddly. I also really liked the descriptions of Lizzy the Lick, a local everyone has always talked about but who is just misunderstood. Despite being a tiny part of the story, she's particularly well described.

The book has a beautiful, heart-warming ending. In fact, the whole book is heart-warming with a great plot and even better characters. It's an easy but slow read and enjoyable throughout.

This looks at various types of love. Merrin's parent's long-term love where they can't live without each other. The short-term love in the face of adversity that Bella experiences, the love that comes from Maturity (Ruby) and unrequited love with Mr & Mrs Mortimer. Each is a beautiful love story with some challenges that shows that love conquers all.

I loved this book with its strong themes around humanity, unexpected champions, life-affirming grace, and family love.

This is a perfect read, all cuddled up in front of the fire in the cold winter months.

The “About the Author” section of Amanda Prowse’s To Love and Be Loved ends with “Amanda’s ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning off the bedside lamp at night, that ensure you walk every step with her great characters, and tales that fill your head so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades….” I don’t have to turn off the bedside lamp since I read on my Kindle ☺, and I have already started my next book because that’s what I do☺, BUT this story will be on my heart for a very long time.

Set in the small fishing village of Port Charles in Cornwall, this is the story of Merrin (Merry) Kellow, whose family founded the village generations before. She lives with her parents Ben and Heather, her older sister Ruby, and their Gran Ellen. Her best friend Bella, who I would love to have as a friend of my own, lives just down the path. Everyone knows everyone, and Merrin has always imagined her future as a wife and mother in this place. At 19, when she falls in love with the wealthy Digby Mortimer, she envisions her future raising children in the Mortimer mansion overlooking the village.

When her world implodes and she can’t bring herself to stay in Port Charles, Merrin needs to figure out how to move on and create a new normal. We follow her when she leaves the home that truly defines every part of her and settles in Milbury Court three hours away. She starts a solitary life for herself working in a hotel, where she discovers that her co-workers think of her as the sad girl. We can empathize when she returns to Port Charles at one point for a few days and, upon preparing to return to Milbury Court, she says, “I don’t want to go. I never wanted to go. And yet I can’t wait to be gone. How do I reconcile that?”

What I love about Ms. Prowse’s stories is her ability to create characters and paint a picture. We know the kind of love that lives within the rivalry between sisters. We probably all knew a Bella who considered our parents her own. We can visualize the sea. We feel the cobblestones beneath Merrin’s bare feet. We experience her joy with Digby, and then… “It was only this repeated question that made her realise her limbs were trembling and her teeth chattering, but no, she wasn’t cold, more…in pain. She felt broken. Her chest hurt. Raising her fingertips, she ran them over the front of her dress and up to her throat, just to check that nothing was actually lodged there and no one had noticed; she would have been quite unsurprised to find a dagger, hilt-deep, sitting squarely in her breast.”

I could feel Merrin’s pure, all-consuming grief, and this grief drives the rest of the story.

But this is not just a story of romantic love. We live through Merrin’s love for her village, her family, her best friend. We feel her need to get away from the place where (in her father’s words) her spirit lingers, the spitefulness and seeming jealousy between her and Ruby, the grief during her losses, and the promise of the future as she comes out healed on the other side six years later. We learn about secrets and relationships from the generations before Merrin’s that influenced everything that happens in the present day.

This is not a light beach read. Curl up under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate or tea, maybe in front of a fireplace, and let the story swallow you up for a day or a weekend. It’s a story you can get lost in…and it will stay with you even longer. You don’t want to miss this one.

Love ❤,
Noor.
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#booktour

What did I just 📚 read?!! Emotional, heartwarming, full of drama, tragedies & so much love ❤..

#toloveandbeloved
That's the most sacred & precious, intangible thing in the world.

This is the story of Merrin, a girl like you & me..a girl next door 🚪..I related to her at so many aspects..

Her grandpa expired when she was 9..how she held herself together..
How she was ready to take the marriage plunge, impulsively for the sake of true love..at 19
How her family stood by her in thick n thin..
How she collected her pieces together to come out stronger..
& how, like her mother said, she eventually found true love..
Her sister..father..mother..ex bf..granny.. I loved all the relationships she shared..

The author has penned it in an extensively descriptive style.. it takes you virtually on that small island & the entire read is so atmospheric that I felt I held my heart in my hand literally..

____
In this life-affirming tale from bestselling author Amanda Prowse, one woman built a new life to escape her humiliation. Now, can she put the shame behind her and finally find happiness?

Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.

It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again.

Reluctantly back in the arms of her community, Merrin begins to realise what she’s been missing out on all these years. As she begins to remember the person she used to be, she is forced to make choices about her future, and to question the past. What does she want from her life? Who is important to her? Who is to blame for everything that went wrong? And can she forgive them, let old wounds heal and finally be her true self again?

Releases 11th Jan. 2022

Another incredible story from the queen of fiction! I spent a long time reading this, savouring every word and really getting lost in the journey. From the complexity of family dynamics and living where everyone knows you, to embracing who you really are and letting fate guide you. I luaghed, I cringed and I cried. What more do you need from a book?

This is the first book I have read by this author but it certainly won't be the last. She has a beautiful way with words that captured me right from the start.
I shed quite a few tears reading this, I had to put it down for I couldn't see through my tears on more than one occasion.
A really lovely story about love and how we all deserve to love and be loved.
Beautiful setting in the stunning Cornwall, I find books set here always a winner!
Fabulously well written, I'd highly recommend.

In this life-affirming tale from bestselling author Amanda Prowse, one woman built a new life to escape her humiliation. Now, can she put the shame behind her and finally find happiness?

Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.

It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again.

Reluctantly back in the arms of her community, Merrin begins to realise what she’s been missing out on all these years. As she begins to remember the person she used to be, she is forced to make choices about her future, and to question the past. What does she want from her life? Who is important to her? Who is to blame for everything that went wrong? And can she forgive them, let old wounds heal and finally be her true self again?

I love Amanda Prowse’s books and this one is no exception.
Merrin is left devastated when one day, her whole world crumbles around her. Her family are there for her but she just wants to get away from the fishing village where she grew up.
Merrin finds a job in a hotel a few hours away and tries to recover from her heartache.
She meets Miguel and he is clearly besotted with her, but Merrin doesn’t feel completely the same. She cares for him but it isn’t love.
Merrin’s friends and family back home are lovely and even when she is away, she speaks to them regularly. Her relationship with her sister is fiery at times but with the guidance of their mum, they normally sort it out.
I will let you find out how and where Merrin ends up, as it’s a journey for you to follow her on.
A lovely heartwarming book that I highly recommend.
Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for granting me a copy of this book prior to publication date. I really enjoyed this story of Merrin who lives In a very small community village where everybody knows everybody. Loved the way all sorts of family and friends emotions and issues are woven through the book with a touch of humour and sadness - just the right mixture of both. Amanda Prowse never fails to pull you in from page one - another great read.

To love and be loved. It's what we all wish for I think. This is a beautiful book of love, scandal, friends, family, betrayal and forgiveness. Told beautifully with a sensitivity Amanda does so well. She has woven a heart wrenching story into a heart warming story by the end of the book's end.
Thank you to Net Galley, Amanda Prowse and the Publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review

What a lovely read this is.
What I love so much about Amanda’s books is how tender and affectionately she writes them, and by doing so, she really pulls at the heart strings and immerses you into the story.
The story involves some letters written from Ben (Merrin’s dad), and these just added another dimension to part of the story as they were just so touching.
The characters in this book were all so likeable that each of their stories meant something to me, and I felt the need to know more about them as the story went on. There’s so many beautiful relationships in this book that it was an absolute joy to read.

To love and to be loved is a gentle heartwarming read of love loss and forgiveness, based in picturesque cornwall and around the family kellow comprising of parents heather and Ben and daughters Ruby and Merrin!
Merrin is all set to marry Digby the love of her life when she is cruelly jilted at the alter! Unable to stay in her home village amongst the locals and be a source of gossip and speculation she flees to Thornbury near Bristol to lick her wounds, heal and try to live again so hard when you are completely and utterly heartbroken!
The death of her father Ben is a turning point for Merrin and she returns home for the first time, only to realise that she belongs and home is truely where the heart is and with this vines acceptance and eventually happiness!
A tale of relationships, friendship, family, forgiveness and second chances!
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

Prowess packs a lot into the small fishing hamlet of Port Charles. The Kellow family has been staples of the village and much change awaits them. With Sorrow, joy, mixed in with lots of gossip and busybodies, the story has much to offer. I really felt bad for Jarvis in the first few chapters, but he found his footing. My favorite character was Bella. A woman after my own heart, munching on a bacon sandwich on her friend’s wedding day. Prose always delivers a cast of quirky characters, including the raucous bunch in this latest.

Thanks NetGalley, Amanda Prowse and the publisher for a copy to review.
Amanda Prowse became one of my all time favourite authors quickly, her stories are powerful, narrated in rich languages and well developed characters

What a delicious gift of a book packed to the gills with warmth, friendship,family,love and all set to the glorious backdrop of the beautiful Cornish landscape. Jilted on her wedding day by Digby,the spoilt son of the wealthy Mortimer family, Merrin feels compelled to leave her beloved Cornwall and the life and family she loves . In one cruel swoop ,she has lost the man she thought she would spend her whole life with , the close knit family she adores, the lifelong friends and neighbours and the most perfect idyllic village she never wanted to leave . Slowly ,she builds a new life for herself ,though one that is a pale shadow of that she left behind . She is determined she'll never allow herself to love so completely again and throws herself into work. Though missing her parents and feisty sister Ruby and best friend Bella with her fibre of her being, she can't bear to go home and risk meeting Digby and being the object of pity for the village. She even misses her beloved Gran Ellen's funeral causing fractures in her relationship with her sister. Merrin finally allows herself to enter a relationship with her handsome work colleague Miguel and when she finally has to face returning to Cornwall for Ruby' s wedding,he is the perfect crutch . Welcomed home with open arms and enveloped in the love of her family and best friend,Merrin is even more acutely aware of all she is missing but also realises she is still a talking point and object of pity among the villagers and so returns with a heavy heart to her new life . Things come to a head on Valentine's night when she returns to the room she now shares with Miguel and finds the scene set for a proposal which she knows she can't accept. Before he can pop the question ,a devastating phone call from distraught,a Ruby compels Merrin to race home to Cornwall, driven by the faithful Miguel who delivers her to her childhood home. I don't want to spoil the story by giving any more details but I was totally gripped to the last word . This has all the trademark elements one expects from an Amanda Prowse book, humour, warmth, pathos, love but with an added element of Cornish charm and magic . The lovingly depicted vignettes of family life, like the communal cups of tea, the spiky humour and teasing , add a layer of authenticity and familiarity that draws the reader into the fabric of the story . The best possible start to my reading year!

When Merrin Mercy Kellow fled from the only place she called home, she hopes to build a temporary home for herself away from the unending gossip and away from her lovely family. The incident that made her feel unwelcome in her own town and the subsequent incidents where she had to face going back there is what this book is all about. It is about self-discovery, family and above all, love.

There possibly could not have been a better name for this one. We may, at times, take for granted the love we are surrounded with without realising that … "It is surely the best gift you can bestow upon one another: to love and be loved."

Another lesson to be learnt here is that life turns out exactly as beautiful as it was meant to, if only you give it some time. It might not be the life you pictured you would have, but it will be beautiful in the way you deserve and better than anything you could have thought of and that will be tons more than enough.

Through the book, there is a constant fierce sense of community and family; while reiterating the fact that sticking together through storms is what gets everyone on the other side, it also brings to light that if you look around, you will find people (no matter how small in number) willing to catch you when you slip as well.

"This world is full of strangers who couldn't give a rat’s arse about your health and happiness, and you can count on one hand the number of people who’ve got your back."

Bonus: The prospect of Vera Wilma Brown finding a Frank Ferdinand Falkenstok after everything Merrin goes through was a fitting end and definitely made my heart happy.

If you do not mind reading about heartbreak, multiple deaths and the grief that comes with it, then do check this one out. I received a complimentary copy of this book from @netgalley and I cannot thank the publisher and the author enough for this approval. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Amanda Prowse has done it again! Another thoroughly believable story, with very believable characters, against a gorgeous backdrop. You feel as though you could travel down to Cornwall and find this gorgeous fishing village, and walk through the cobbled streets meeting the wonderful characters who populate this incredible novel. Merrin is so wonderful, and so vibrant and believable you want to meet her and join the close knit group of friends.

Merrin was madly in love, with her whole life mapped out with the man she adored, much to the envy of her older sister Ruby. However when he leaves her standing at the alter in her beautiful dress, and runs off, live in her gorgeous fishing village will never be the same. She can't cope with being the girl that everyone gossips about, so she leaves her beloved village and goes to work, and live, in a hotel several hours away. Her parents and Ruby are devastated, as is her best friend, although they do understand why she had to leave and make a life for herself elsewhere.

When Merrin has to return to the village for the wedding of her beloved sister, she takes the very handsome Miguel with her, and tried to put the ghosts of the past behind her.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4380673841

Life in a small town can go for wonderful to stifling in a minute. People seem to remember the a memorable incident, at least until the next one comes along. But, some incidents invoke heartbreak, a touch of scandal which never goes away and always a look of pity, whether real or imagined. Until we realize that we are in control of either fueling the fire or putting it out. Merrin is so excited to start her new life in the fishing village where she grew up. What starts with so much promise, ends completely different and Merrin is forced with making hard decisions.

Amanda Prowse is always an author I can go to for an emotional read, with wonderful small town feels with huge problems. Love her characters and the dynamics of the family, especially the sisters. No one loves you quite like a sister…either best of friends or worst of enemies…but, always having each other’s backs. Life throws curve balls at us all the time, Merrin is thrown one at an young age and it takes awhile for her to figure things out and grow up. Writing is beautifully descriptive of Port Charles, Cornwall. You can feel Merrin’s love for this fishing village and her family. The story did drag a little for me, especially when introducing the love interest and where it was going, then the ending felt rushed.

Thanks to Ms. Prowse, Lake Union Publishimf and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

4.o stars

I received a complimentary Kindle book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Amanda Prowse, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Amanda Prowse is a prolific writer of GOOD books and I am a prolific reader of GOOD books. We are a match made in heaven.

Seriously, Amanda writes lovely books based in the United Kingdom that allow me to learn more about the region, people, and customs.

I'm so glad that this is my last book of 2021 - it was a good one to end this pandemic year!

RECOMMEND

To Love and Be Loved
by: Amanda Prowse
Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing
Pub date: Jan. 11, 2022

With a picturesque Cornish setting and strongly developed characters, Amanda Prowse delivers a story that soars through the peaks and valleys of the magnitude of love. Nineteen-year-old Merrin is happy in her beloved Port Charles, with its rugged Cornish coast and cragged shorelines. For generations, the men in her family were fishermen. She loves her special spot of Reunion Point and the village that faces the sea, and she believes in love. When her world suddenly falls apart, she bravely leaves her beloved community to heal her heart and escape embarrassment.

Prowse's writing is simply exquisite. She takes us on an intensely emotional journey with Merrin from her family and community in a small fishing village to her new surroundings in the small market town of Thornbury. Along the way, deep family connections and history are explored. Merrin perseveres to untangle the complexities of who, how and when to love. As she struggles to find her sense of place and belonging, Merrin's strength deepens.

The book showcases the power of words and phrasing to capture the intricacies and feelings of moments in time. Whether describing the comfort of the blue sea and green fields of Cornwall or the devastating physical pain of heartbreak, Prowse makes sure her reader is there for a full experience.
Thank you to Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing for the advance reader's copy and the opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#ToLoveandBeLoved #NetGalley