A Secret Escape to Sunshine Island is fun romance between a popstar and an island resident.

Matteo Stanford needs a place to shoot a music video and Sunshine Island is the perfect getaway. He's a friend of island resident Alex and decides to plan a visit. Almost immediately, Matteo's location is outed by the press and his plans could come crumbling down around his feet.

Alex's girlfriend Piper comes to the rescue and drags along her two besties, Casey and Tara. Once Casey mentions the use of Gorey Castle, they get to work trying to secure the venue. Casey finds herself promoted to set designer for the shoot and wedding planner for her friend's secret wedding. Amid all of the fun, Casey and Matteo develop more than a friendship.

I enjoyed A Secret Escape to Sunshine Island. The author focuses the story on the romance between Casey and Matteo but she includes a lot of focus on family and friendship, as well. The author included drama and obstacles to Casey and Matteo's romance. He's a popular star, she's an island resident. His lifestyle is the exact opposite of Casey's. Their chemistry is undeniable as they traverse a potential relationship.

This is a cute story with great characters, a wonderful setting, and spectacular world building. I loved the author's writing style and the pacing of the book. I was hooked from the very beginning and the story and characters kept me completely engaged.

Georgina Troy’s A Secret Escape to Sunshine Island is a fun, enjoyable and feel-good charmer ideal for chasing those pesky winter blues away.

Popstar Matteo Stanford would love nothing more than to escape the glare of the paparazzi’s lenses and his adoring fans, so he heads head off to Sunshine Island determined to catch up with his old friend Alex and secretly film his latest music video. However, Matteo’s plans end up going seriously awry when his location is leaked to the press and all his plans for some rest and relaxation fly out the window! Matteo is at his wits’ end, but luckily for him, Alex’s girlfriend Piper has a plan – and she needs her two best friends Casey and Tara to help her.

Casey runs the Smoke and Mirrors stall at The Cabbage Patch Match market with her friend and when she hears of Matteo’s dilemma, she immediately comes up with the perfect setting for his music video: Gorey Castle. Securing the castle means that Casey will have her hands full as she now has to plan a secret wedding, find an actress and become a set designer. As if that wasn’t enough, Casey has to also contend with her feelings for Matteo. But surely an international popstar like Matteo would never fall for a girl like Casey…or would he?

Georgina Troy’s A Secret Escape to Sunshine Island is a lovely read that sparkles with wit, humour, emotion and romance. Fabulously escapist, highly enjoyable and guaranteed to leave readers with a massive grin on their face, A Secret Escape to Sunshine Island is a delightful romantic tale that is simply irresistible.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Casey and Mateo. Casey runs a shop of candles and mirrors with her best friend. Mateo is a singer with many hits. There is an instant attraction. Mateo has come to the island to make a video of a new song. Casey helps him to find a place to shoot the video. They each have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

I fell in love with Jersey the last time around and this has just made me want to visit even more. The community spirit shared by the characters in this story was beautiful and I loved how Matteo got involved with everything too.
I love Georgina’s characters- so well developed and real - I felt every emotion and loved spending time with Casey and Tara this time whilst renewing friendships with Piper and Alex. I can’t wait to come back to Jersey and see what happens in the next instalment with Jax.

I loved Piper and Alex's story so returning to the Sunshine Island for Matteo and Casey's was such a treat. The warmth and the sun seap through every page and the island is a character within itself! This title is the second in the series, but it could be read as a standalone too. The romance, the sunshine and the warmth of this island community is the perfect pick me up on a cold, wet day. Looking forward to the next one.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

Pick up this novel and you will find it hard to put it down again, and when you have read it, you will find it easy to believe that you have actually been there experiencing the story yourself.

It was great to be back on the Sunshine island amongst old friends and new.

I felt right at home with this book, and loved getting to know Matteo, and his initial reaction to Casey is great.

They are worlds apart so Casey is rather cautious in her rather obvious feelings towards Matteo but is willing to go to a huge effort to make sure his music video is able to be shot, and even ends up planning a surprise wedding for a friend to as a result.

It's a manic few days for everyone on the island while all you can do is sit back as a reader and really hope they manage to pull everything off in time. Add in a couple of people who don't seem to have the same goodwill and feeling of community and you get some drama too.

It's a really gentle story that is a relaxing book to ease into and read, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I think I am compiling a list of books where things sound incredibly good but in reality the plot drags on and nothing ever seems to happen. This book wasn't for me but that doesn't mean others won't enjoy it. I think I just prefer a specific writing style to be honest.

Matteo is in Sunshine Island scouting for place to shoot his music video and visit his best friend, Alex. Unlike other famous celebrity, he seem to really down to earth. Casey is a sweet lady who are willing to find a new location for the shoot and organise it for Matteo. Both Casey and Matteo attracted to each other but their relationship have its complication: Matteo is a celebrity and Casey, just a normal girl from a small town.

The story focus on Casey and Matteo and how their story developed. It is a really good chemistry depicted between them in the story despite their different background. Storyline move on at an excellent pace with focus on family and friendship and lovely sense of community . Overall it is a delightful read to me.

*review post schedule to be posted on my blog on 7/3/23*

Lovely to be back on Sunshine Island. What a beautiful book to read. Lovely community spirt felt. Makes you wish you lived somewhere like it. Very well written. Lovely feel good book. Will look forward to the next book in the series

A sunshiny filled book was just what was needed on a cold November evening.
The scenery and story were great and this was really enjoyable and very easy to read.
Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a charming story about the power of community, not to mention a tempting travel advert for Jersey! There's something wholesome about watching a group of people come together to make dreams come true -its positivity is what we need these days and there were so many wonderful characters from around the island, it was hard to keep track. (I hope we see more of Dilys!)

The romance here is a little more understated, but it's not hard to see why Matteo would fall for Casey, because she's pretty awesome. As for Casey, she's living the dream of a rockstar romance - if the dream also involves a very stressful weekend of last-minute event management. I can't help but wonder how their fledgling relationship will survive outside the sunny bubble of Jersey and would love a follow-up short story (or even an epilogue!)

Need a break? Don't think too hard about the logistics, just sit back and enjoy this light and uplifting romance.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley; all opinions are my own

My Thoughts: well this read was a lot of fun and exactly what I needed after the heavy crime/fantasy books I’ve been reading recently.

It’s exactly what you expect to be, a feel good will they won’t they romance with a dash of the celebrity life style thrown in!

I loved Casey as a main character, she wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she thought was right, would call others out when she thought they were wrong… but was also good at admitting if she was wrong too!

Matteo is more than your typical heart throb popstar, he’s kind, caring and always out to help everyone around him, it felt obvious to me that the game hadn’t gone to his head when much helped me warm to him quite quickly.. I was definitely in their corner 🤣

The book had a real sense of community spirit which made me smile, they all pulled together when needed, just as it should be.

Obviously it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, but can they achieve what seems impossible and film a music video and host a secret wedding in the same place on the same day?

The perfect escape in book form, the writing is seamless, a thoroughly enjoyable read!

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the story was sweet and relaxing. I enjoyed the characters in the book and didn't want the book to.end!

A Secret Escape to Sunshine Island by Georgina Troy

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Popstar Matteo Stanford is eager to escape to the sunshine island to catch up with his old friend Alex and secretly film his latest music video. But within moments of landing, the location for the shoot is leaked to the press, and his island escape and video might be over before they start.

Not to be defeated, Alex’s girlfriend Piper recruits her two best friends Casey and Tara, who run the Smoke and Mirrors stall at the The Cabbage Patch market. It doesn’t take Casey more than a moment to realise the perfect setting for Matteo’s video is Gorey castle, but securing the venue means Casey is soon planning a secret wedding, finding an actress and becoming a set designer!

My Opinion

This is the second book in the series but I feel that it would work well as a standalone. A lovely, easy book to read with some great characters that it was nice to get to know. A delightful read and a welcome escape somewhere warm whilst the weather outside is cold.

Rating 4/5

Loved this one, a perfect read on a cold winters day. The story was great and the descriptions made me feels I was actually there feeling the warmth of the sun. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

My Review: Gosh I wish I was on the Island with the gang. We follow Popstar Matteo, Biggest Star Winner whose career really took off after finishing first. His friend Alex has sourced a beauty spot for him to film a video for his next release. Sadly, things dont go to plan. Love, work, friendships are tested. The scenery is just perfect. The highs eventually outweigh the lows but the journey is a well written one. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Matteo is a pop star, trying to film at a secret location, but when the location is revealed he must call in the help of Alex and his girlfriend Piper; and her friends to help him out.

It isn’t long before Casey and Matteo are soon showing chemistry but can Casey really find love with a pop star?

This is the second novel in a series but can be read as a standalone, but will probably have you wanting to go back and read the first novel.

This is a great narrative with heartwarming romance and true friendship which will make you feel a little emotion in all the right places.

A Secret Escape to Sunshine Island is a charming romance book and a great book to read on a Sunday afternoon.

A Secret Escape to Sunshine Island takes place after Finding Love on Sunshine Island. So, before diving into this book, you should read Finding Love on Sunshine Island. I was super excited to read this book, I adored Georgina’s previous one, and I couldn’t wait to return to Jersey Island. It was great to see Piper and Alex again. Even though they aren’t the story’s main focus, they still play an important role in it. The scenes that they were in had my heart pitter-pattering with happiness. I really do adore them.

In this book, we get to know Casey and Matteo (Piper and Alex’s best friends). Things are happening on Jersey Island; Matteo has come to the island hoping to film one of his music videos. Problems arise when someone leaks the filming location for the video to the media. That is where Casey comes in. She has the perfect location for Matteo; the only problem is Casey’s friend Vicki has a wedding taking place there at the same time. With some fast talking and the promise to help plan the wedding, Casey manages to secure the venue for Matteo. With only a few days to get things ready for Matteo’s video and Vicki’s wedding, Casey is wondering if she has bitten off more than she can chew. This book is a lovely, light, fluffy romance read. I flew through this book. As you can imagine, a lot is going on in this book; planning both a wedding and staging the venue for a music video requires a lot of different moving parts. Sometimes things got a little too chaotic and hard to follow, but all the hustle and bustle makes for an entertaining story. I also enjoyed spending time with all the residents on the island; it felt like catching up with old friends.

Casey is a great main character for a romance. She has this wonderful girl next door vibe to her, and her heart is so big. Watching her try her best to ensure the music video goes off without a hitch and that Vicki has the wedding she has always dreamed of was heart-warming. Matteo is a sweetheart and oh-so-charming. He was the perfect main romantic hero for this book. The attraction between Casey and Matteo was evident right from their first meeting. I was interested in seeing how Georgina would make their relationship work. Casey and Matteo live very different lifestyles, which creates many hurdles for these two to jump over. I had a slight problem with the romance between Casey and Matteo. I adored these two as characters, and they will make a fabulous couple. I just wished there was more dialogue and alone moments between them. They didn’t really get a chance to get to know one another. And because of that lack of dialogue, their romance didn’t feel believable to me. The moments when these two are together are sweet and swoony and will definitely get your heart racing faster.  

I really hope that Georgina writes about Jax’s story next! I do love that man.