BLURB:
One ambitious businesswoman.
One irresponsible heir.
A deal that will turn both their lives upside down…
To grow her craft business, Nancy is in desperate need of two things: help and money. So when a potential investor she’s looking to impress recommends an assistant, she jumps at the chance to secure both.
Freddy Astley-Davenport is a notorious playboy with zero work experience. He’s poised to inherit his family’s estate in sunny Seashell Bay – but only if he can hold down a job for six months first. His plan is to take the assistant role in name only, then do the least work he possibly can.
Nancy has other ideas, though, and the pair butt heads from day one. However, as they argue, sparks begin to fly, and they soon discover exactly why opposites attract…
MY REVIEW:
This story follows two flatmates, Alice, a teaching assistant, and Nancy, a small business owner.

Facing financial ruin, Nancy accepts a contract from a larger firm, with the condition that she employ their assistant, Freddy, who is hiding secrets of his own.

Meanwhile Alice discovers that the stranger she shared an unforgettable kiss with in a nightclub, is actually the single dad to one of her pupils.

Some of the characters are rather naive considering the ages they are supposed to be, but overall, an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I had read part 1 of this book and knew I wanted to read the whole thing and I am so glad that I did!

This whole book certainly made me smile, from start to finish.

Nancy is a driven woman with her own business selling yarn and associated products. She has a small but enthusiastic team behind her and she wants to expand - but she needs her pitch to go well, at the large company she is seeing. Needless to say, things go wrong, every which way you look, and the hapless Freddy is dumped on the team without having a clue how the world of work actually WORKS. He is a handsome, rich playboy and incredibly annoying!

Alice is Nancy's lodger, trying to make it in London, despite her overprotective parents. She works as a teaching assistant and she loves her job, most of the time.

Nancy and Alice become very close, like sisters, which is just as well because they need each other when disasters strike for both of them.

The main characters in this book were great and the secondary ones were described really well. Sir Richard was horrible but I thought Paul was amazing :) I got emotionally involved in this book and that is what I look for when I read a novel.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books.

I was initially given the opportunity to read this book in instalments and then finally, the whole thing in one. I did enjoy the story and loved the characters. This book was at times also very amusing. A good read.

Absolutely loved this. It is not your typical romance book and you follow the story of 2 characters, Nancy and Alice. I laughed quite a lot as the sparring between Nancy and Freddie was wonderfully written. This was a great summer read and I recommend it. Five stars for Bella Osborne.

A new book from Bella Osborne is one of my favourite treats. This one was a wonderful read.
Nancy is trying to expand her craft business and ends up hiring a 'playboy' who is under the impression that he is hired in name only and has no intention of doing a days work.
Nancy's business is such a lovely, close bunch of people and Freddie is a real eye opener for them all.
As always, her characters become close friends and you are hoping that her business woes are going to be solved.

Witty, funny, sad, dramatic, twists and turns. Great characters and well crafted dialogue. Everything you want in a romance book.

Loved this book! Just a really good read and thought-provoking in places too.

A great summer read from Bella Osborne - can be read in parts or as a novel altogether.

This one was a slow start for me. I was skeptical about where it was going, but I'm a crafter and a sucker for books about crafts. The characters were so likeable, even though they had so much going on, most of it fairly unbelievable. Which, is the best kind of book to read on a summer day outside on the patio!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

What a great finish to this book, which was released in four parts. The two main characters are each interesting but very different from one another. It made the POVs more nuanced. I loved the setting and the very satisfying ending. Bella Osborne can do no wrong!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a very enjoyable and entertaining read, telling the stories of business owner Nancy and her flat mate in alternating chapters. There are some hilarious action scenes that would look great in a movie. I definitely recommend this book!

I was reading this book at a difficult time and it was like a breath of fresh air – light, funny, at times chaotic, but with serious overtones. It really helped me to escape from the day to day intensity of my life. With all the touches I’ve come to associate with Bella Osborne’s writing – hot heroes, quirky heroines, misunderstanding, real life stuff and almost impossible scenarios.

Finished this title in double quick time and laughed out loud at some points. You really hope that things will work out for Nancy and Alice as they negotiate their very different worlds, Nancy as a craft business owner and Alice as a teaching assistant. There is even room for a cat and dog to have background roles. Even though I think I might have been tempted to strangle Freddy at the beginning if I had been Nancy, he proved his worth in the end.

Looking forward to the next Bella Osborne adventure.

I love Bella Osborne's books and this latest addition does not disappoint! It is a really fantastic read that will captivate you from start to finish. I'd highly recommend it.

I loved this summery feel good laugh out loud moments book! It was such a feel good book that I ate up. I loved this book so much and i think that everyone who reads it will too.
I just reviewed An Invitation to Seashell Bay by Bella Osborne. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

We meet Nancy and Alice - friends and housemates! Alice is a teaching assistant, and Nancy is running her own business, All Things Crafty! Both women have a lot going on in their lives, and the chapters are split between both of them.

Nancy is trying to build her business and urgently needs a big contract to keep the business going. A potential investor suggests hiring a friend to help out. Cue for posh Freddy to cause plenty of mishaps in the office. Of course, Nancy eventually sacks him at some point, but Freddy is the only person who can help her when she has an accident. For Nancy to recuperate, he whisk her to his family estate, Seashell Bay. There are plenty of mishaps, misunderstandings, funny and heartwarming moments between them.

Alice previously met a gorgeous man in a nightclub where they exchanged a brief but unforgettable kiss. Unfortunately, he turns out to be one of the parents of a child in her class, and therefore should be really out of bounds. That, however, doesn't stop her from seeking his company during the school holiday.

This was my first book by @bellaosborneauthor, and I very much enjoyed the story, it’s characters and the humour. It's a light & easy read.

This is a charming summer read full of laugh out loud moments.

Thank you @avonbooksuk and @netgalley for the advanced copy.

The book is released as 4 parts before the full book is released on 20.07.2023

Nancy needs money for her business. A handsome man steps in. Romance happens. One might add that chaos ensues. This talented author has written a cannot put down romance novel. A fun book with realistic characters who keep the story moving quickly. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author.

I enjoyed seeing two sides to Freddy in this book though he was wildly annoying to start with and I honestly don’t know how Nancy managed to find so much patience, but his interest in her company was sincere and he pulled through in the end. He wasn’t the spoiled toff everyone is expecting him to be and is instead thoughtful and kind, despite being incredibly unaware of how having a job works - his fatal flaw. Watching these two get to know each other at Seashell Bay was sweet, and though I didn’t feel any chemistry between them I liked them as a couple. I didn’t really gel with Alice’s narrative and I really wasn’t expecting it since her part of the story isn’t mentioned at all in the blurb. Her time in school was repetitive and didn’t add anything, and her stalking was weird - especially since there’s a kid involved. I’d much rather have seen Freddy’s POV than Alice’s. It felt like fully developing Nancy and Freddy’s relationship was somewhat sacrificed to make space for a second romance with Alice and Dom that wasn’t necessary for the story. Alice also never explained her motives to Dom so it seemed to all tie up nicely without any communication taking place.

That being said, it was an easy read and I did like Nancy and understanding her struggles with her business as well as seeing her determination was interesting. And, of course, her unfathomable patience with the rogue Freddy.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

A Bella Osborne book is always like a warm cuddle to me and this one is no different! Our heroine Nancy is struggling with her business and needs help - will Freddy be her Knight in shining armour? A feel good read.

A pleasant read, but I found the premise somewhat incredible and the execution rather pedestrian. This relies far too heavily on misunderstandings eg phone reception underground affects call so heroine agrees to something she’s not properly heard.

I found the back and forth between the two women’s stories really distracting and I wished the focus had been on one or the other.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I did enjoy reading this sweet, romance story, it had everything you would expect and want this kind of read. I loved the dual story of Nancy and Alice, it was good having the two stories running together. This story has a little bit of everything to keep your attention, a new business, an entitled, handsome male lead, friendships, humour, drama and romance. This is a very easy and enjoyable read.

The characters were great. I loved Nancy and her ethical stands with her business and employees, I really liked her. Freddy is funny, likeable if a little spoilt. Then there is Alice, the teaching assistant who is Nancy's housemate. She is so sweet, unsure of herself but determined to have her own life. Add in Nancy's cat Carrie, their parents and some baddies, there is a great mix in this book.

This is a very readable book. Apart from some toilet references which I felt were really unnecessary and a school where teachers feel superior to TAs (I thought that was really a thing of the past) I can recommend this book and will definitely be reading the next one in the series.

Thanks to netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.
After reading the first part as standalone, I was glad to get the chance to read the full story. Although enjoyable, the first part annoyed me mainly because I didn't realise it was only a quarter of the story!
This book was one of those stories that just makes you smile. Two very different people living together but living separate lives, both looking for love without admitting it.
Perfect summer read for anyone wanting to switch off and just enjoy a book.