The Spanish Cove

Oh my. Read in an afternoon loved it. The secret that led the book I did not expect the outcome. Setting amazing. The turtles were lovely. The food descriptions . The perfect friendship for Polly and Marina. Also two may be 3 love elements . Just have to read it.

Let yourself be whisked away to sun-drenched Spain for a holiday you won't forget. Absolutely brilliant… I just wish I could give it more than five stars! Got me from page one and I couldn’t stop reading till I found out how it would end!

Hugely enjoyable English Spanish book set on a turquoise cove. The perfect summertime read!!
Marina's life in southwest London needs to change, when the opportunity to return to the cove of happy childhood memories with her friend Polly, but also to face a particularly traumatic day she can't speak about, from twenty years ago.
Beautifully atmospheric, I felt whisked away to a gorgeous Spanish holiday home, boat trips and swimming in the sea!!
Great characters, great friendships, family secrets, and the perfect mix of Spanish and English!! I enjoyed the development of friendship and relationships, and characters involved. Great music too!! There is a list to check out on Spotify!!
Looking forward to the next book from Cherry Radford!!!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read early, loved it, perfect summer reading!!!

I really enjoyed this perfect beach read which whisked me off to Spain! I thought the story was well thought out, well written and I particularly liked the tidy round up at the end! Head to the beach and settle down with this book..

Marina is a piano teacher whose mother has offered to help her buy a house. However, in order to be able to provide that assistance, it requires the family holiday home in Spain to be sold. Marina hasn’t been back there since being caught up in a tragic accident that killed her father many years ago. However, she does go back and learns not only the truth surrounding the accident, but also about herself and making new friends. She falls in love with the place and people all over again.

The setting was fabulous and I enjoyed the writing style. It felt like a friendly hug each time I picked the book back up. I particularly enjoyed the part of the story involving turtles, and it led to me doing my own further learning about the fabulous creatures

I had read one of this authors books before, which I liked, but I enjoyed this one even more.

Copy provided by Head of Zeus via NetGalley.

Cherry Radford lives in the area of Spain featured in her novel and her love for this parched stretch of the south eastern coast is obvious in her writing. Marina is a 30 year old piano teacher whose family own a small holiday villa in remote Cala Turquesa. When her mother asks her to clear out and sell the villa she is torn between the wish for one last holiday in the Spanish sun and the memories which being back there could make resurface. Luckily Marina's best friend Polly, who is actually Spanish, is able to go with her.

All is not as expected when the women reach their destination as, firstly, there has been a rock fall blocking the only road in, then secondly the villa is occupied. As Marina deals with sorting out the villa and having a bit of fun as well, we gradually learn more about the events of 20 years earlier when her father died.

"The Spanish Cove" is a very readable novel and just right for the summer.

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

Thanks to Netgalley for the book. This is a lovely addition to the “Spanish” sequence of books that Radford has written that evokes a wonderful sense of place, giving any reader a wonderful holiday in a sun soaked setting. The story revolves around Marina who must return to the family holiday house on the Spanish coast to assess it for sale. It’s an action she takes with reluctance, unwilling to return to the scene where a tragedy had occurred twenty years earlier. She travels there with her best friend to discover a mix up in the booking and are compelled to share the house with three men. When the men discover her plans to sell the house they are less than pleased, especially the handsome vet, Mati, whose relatives have drawn him here since he was a young teen. But it’s through Mati that she learns to face her fears from her past and decisions about her future.

The story unfolds in the colour and vibrancy of the music and culture of the region, with an occasional flare in the storyline. Though the dialogue and brief narrative interjections that move the story rather than draw in the reader may not give it the fullest richest treatment it requires, in my view, it is a great summer read to add to the pile.

I received this book via NetGalley and give it my honest opinion.

Another fantastic read by Cherry Radford, perfect for taking on holiday and reading by the pool or on the beach!

Full of love, loss, romance and sunshine. A very easy read that you will not want to put down. The characters are believable and lovable, the scenery delightful.

Well written you will not want to put it down.

This is a lovely story, it is quite sad in places but there is also humour, and romance, and very much a feeling of place - you can really visualise the area of Andalusia where the story takes place. Marina, a piano teacher, lives in London in a rented shared flat. She is completely fed-up with her flat mates, they are noisy and messy, and she longs to escape! Her best friend is Polly, she also lives in London but she is Spanish, from Madrid. They have decided that they will both leave London and find apartments in the Shoreham, Sussex area, from where there is a fast rail service to get back to London if their jobs require it. It will be a lot cheaper than London! Marina’s mother, who lives in Brighton with her second husband, has offered to help her buy somewhere, if she will first go to Andalusia and sort out and sell their summer home by the sea. Marina hasn’t been back there for twenty years, ever since her father had a catastrophic accident on their boat La Mari when she was a little girl. Just the two of them had gone out for a trip, and she had to drive the boat back to the harbour with her dead father beside her. She is frightened of the memories the trip will stir up, but Polly agrees to go with her and help as well as make a holiday out of it, and the deposit for a home of her own would be nice … so she agrees to go.

When they arrive at the villa they find there are already paying guests, three young men who have been renting it for a few summer weeks for several years. After some discussion they agree to share the Villa, to give Marina the time she needs to sort everything out and put the Villa up for sale. As she thought, sorting through the locked cupboard, deciding what to keep and what to give to charity keeps bringing up memories. She eventually finds out the truth surrounding her father’s accident, very different to how her mind had translated it, and it brings her peace of mind at last.

During the course of their stay both Marina and Polly find the man of their dreams, Marina with one of the Spanish men staying in the villa, and Polly with a young Englishman who is staying in a hippy commune along the beach from the villa. Unlike Polly, Marina isn’t someone to have a holiday fling, so her romance takes a long time to ignite, even though they can both acknowledge that their feelings for each other are strong.

This is a heart-warming story, well worth reading.

The story
Marina is a piano teacher living in London. Her flatmates drive her nuts and her love life is in the doldrums. When her mom suggests she go to Spain to pack up the family’s holiday house and put it on the market she isn’t sure at first but circumstances change and she and her best friend Polly decide to go. When they get there, the road to the house on the cove has washed away, three young guys are renting the house and the memories of happier and sad times with her late father are strong.

My thoughts
I loved reading Cherry Radford’s first book in this series and was so excited when the publisher reached out with an ARC of this story. I love how in the story, the Spanish setting is such a strong influence. The sea, Marina’s late father’s boat La Mari, the isolated cove with leftover hippies all bring some blue magic to the story. Friendship is a strong theme, finding connections that allow Marina to bond with the town and find answers to long held worries. And some handsome Spanish potential love interests don’t hurt either. This all makes for a lovely, entertaining read 🇪🇸❤️

The gorgeous cover immediately caught my attention.

Marina and her family spent many happy summers at their holiday home in Spain until her father had a fatal boating accident. Ten year old Marina was alone with her father when this happened and had to sail their boat back to the marina by herself.

20 years later Marina's mother decides to sell their holiday home, Casa Palmito, and persuades Marina to go to Spain to sort out the house and make it ready for selling.

For the first time since her father's death, Marina will return to Cala Turquesa, somewhere that hold memories of happiness and great sadness.

Whilst the plot was interesting and well written, the descriptions of Cala Turquesa and the surrounding areas were so vivid and enticing that I was longing to join the Turquitos.

Effortless reading with a satisfactory end.

Thank you Head of Zeus, Aria and NetGalley for the ARC, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

I love, love this book. Engaging story and characters whom you know!
Set the scene, feel the warmth of the sun, smell the sea.
Many twists in the history, keeps your eyes reading.
Great holiday read.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Another amazing book. The characters and scenery quickly hooked me in and it was tough to put down. An amazing and warm read.

Wow wow wow! What a wonderful delightful read.
Be transported to beautiful sunny Spain and the life of Marina who has a tragic past and comes to Spain to confront painful memories when her mum has asked her to sell the Spanish family home. Here she meets Mati and her life takes a turn for the better. A wonderful cast of characters in a well drawn storyline. It simply is the best summer read. This is the first book by Cherry Redford that I’ve read and have subsequently downloaded the other two book in the ‘Spanish’ series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. It truly was a delight.

What a beautiful story about Marina, a young woman who returns to her family villa in Spain for the first time in 20 years, after a tragedy prevented her from returning. She finds that the home has been rented by a small group of Spanish men who become her friends. The journey of discovery by Marina is a heart warming story which I devoured in just a couple of days.

A perfect beach read about Marina, who has come to Spain to clean out her father's home, and finds.....love and turtles! Marina and Mati- lovely couple- but Marina's friend Polly is terrific too. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's light and fun.

“The Spanish Cove” by Cherry Radford is an emotional tale about self-discovery, uncovering secrets from the past, and finding a bit of romance along the way in a beautiful cove in Spain.

After a messy breakup in which Marina’s boyfriend leaves her for her flatmate, Marina is ecstatic when she learns her mother is willing to help her buy her own house. Except, it comes with one condition: she has to return to Spain to sell the family holiday home, a place that holds painful memories for Marina and her mother.

When Marina meets the people who live in the area, including the handsome veterinarian Mati, she reunites with her love of the Spanish cove. Yet, as she peruses through the items her family left behind, memories start resurfacing about the tragic event that caused them to leave, making her question what truly happened all those years ago and whether she will ever find closure in a place that caused her so much pain.

Radford has written another stellar romantic paradise getaway that doesn’t only deliver the heat and the spice, but a bit of mystery as well. Marina is an easy character to follow as she is headstrong and full of determination to sell her family home and uncover the secrets shrouding the tragic event from her past. She comes to life across these pages, along with the other characters she meets who reintroduce her to the beauty of life in Spain. For people who started off as strangers, they become well-adored friends and characters that will entertain and cause readers to laugh along with their shenanigans.

Filled with breathtaking details of the Spanish landscape that will easily have readers falling in love with the setting, and a group of friends who balance out the emotional moments with humour, this is the perfect summer read. Look for “The Spanish Cove” by Cherry Radford on its expected publication date of July 14th, 2022!

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus (Aria) for inviting me to read a free copy of this e-arc and for the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This is a summer beach read.

Living in London, Marina's life has to change. So when she gets a chance to go back to a place of her childhood memories, along with Polly her friend. She’s happy. She has to remember a day that was upsetting, that even know she can’t talk about, a time from twenty years ago.

The setting of the story was gorgeous, I felt as if I was there, in a Spanish home, going on boat trips, swimming in the sea.

Secrets were revealed, the characters were lovely and the forming of friendships and relationships, was good to see.

Looking forward to seeing what Cherry writes next.

3.5
The Spanish Cove is a story about friendship, love and grief. It's got a great setting, I loved reading about the Spanish coast. Marina's mother offers to help her buy a home in London but she has to come home to Spain to help her first. Marina isn't ready to return to the place where she tragically lost her father. She finds herself falling back in love the coast. She makes a new friend while sorting through her memories of her father. I liked this story a lot, but it's not a full romance story. There's lots of healing, friendship and self discovery.

Loved this book. Am a big fan of Cherry Radford already and this did not disappoint. The characters, setting and story line were all so engaging and colourful with a lovely gentle romance as well. Highly recommended.

I need to go on holiday and this book made me feel like I was on holiday, a perfect escapist story.
Lovely character and setting, mouthwatering food descriptions, an entertaining story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Having loved Cherry Radford's previous book 'The Spanish House' I couldn't wait to read this one. And I wasn't disappointed. This too is set in Spain and the scenery, the surroundings and the sunshine di shine through.

The story of Marina on her return to the Spanish Coast to deal with the sale of the family holiday home. It sounds so simple but things just don't go according to plan. There are mix ups, meetings and facing your past. All this but will the truth be told and will Marina fall in love?

I really enjoyed this book (only slightly less then the last one), found it flowed well, I loved the characters and it was so easy and enjoyable to read. It is a book to sit in the sun with, the soak up the warmth and to dream you too are in Spain.

Now I just have to find ' The Spanish Garden' and I'll be happy!

I loved this novel because I am familiar with this part of Spain but also have an interest in the Brighton area. Romance was inevitable as was keeping the house but both happened near the end/epilogue maintaining momentum.

This was a lovely summer read and I enjoyed it very much. Even though it’s the third in this series it read as a stand alone book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The eagerly-awaited third book in the series set in the beautiful coastal villages of Almeria in south-eastern Spain. This time, the sea and the beautiful beaches take centre stage, and what a wonderful setting this is. I know these beaches and villages very well, and the author has managed to convey the beauty of this unspoilt and heat-drenched part of Spain. Secrets from the past, new friends to be made, problems to be solved - The Spanish Cove is another satisfying novel by Cherry Radford. Hopefully there will be more.

A truly stunning book from Cherry; her books get better and better. Set in Spain, it beautifully written with lovely descriptions.