An enjoyable story although a little unrealistic at time. Great escape read.
Many thanks Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Caro heads to Scotland to become a companion to an elderly gentleman who needs help around the house. She is amazed when she meets an old flame from a brief summer encounter. Alec is interested in making unique perfumes. So begins a magical romantic summer, one that will take Caro from Scotland to London and the south of France, in search of a classic lost perfume that might just restore all their fortunes. Slightly predictable but a nice light romance with older characters.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pleasant book. It's part of a series and I have read all of the books in this series now and they were all enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A delightfully cozy read. The setting was everything in this story. I loved the transition from dusty Scottish estate to the sunny coast of France. The characters are engaging and you become invested in how the relationships will develop. Highly recommend if you are looking for a light summer read!

I loved the mix of characters in this book from the grumpy Murdo to the adorable Rowan who is eager to spread her wings and a celebrity couple who bring a modern touch to the storyline too. Alec and Caro have a dreamy fairy tale storyline that I loved and it warmed my heart. Although the storyline was predictable, I still found myself wrapped up in the romance and friendship that is at the heart of this book.

This is a very fun quick read perfect for summer.

I didn't read the blurb so I didn't know what to expect, I often choose a book by its cover and I am pleased that I did that with this book. as it turned out to be fantastic. Going between London, Scotland and France made it all the more interesting. Lovely read and with 5 stars well worth it.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

I found A Rose Petal Summer to be a light, easy read with likeable characters. The plot was a bit predictable though entertaining.
The setting is in London, Scotland and France.
Definitely pick this book up if you are in the mood for a cozy, romantic read.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Caro took up a job in Scotland as a companion to an elderly man, Murdo while his daughter is away. The story focus on her life there and evolve around her acquaintance with the family. It was here she found the man that she fall in love years ago in Greece.

The story line is lively, moving from one character to another, pleasant read to me. The story is entertaining with strong characters with their own charms

This is the second book of Ms. Fforde's that I have had the opportunity to read and I found it to be an enjoyable story. It's a really sweet and charming story. It was interesting and pulled me in right from the start. The characters were endearing and I enjoyed getting to know them. Caro is in need of a change in scenery, so she accepts a job in Scotland as a companion to an elderly man. She is shocked when she meets his son, Alec, who Caro met in Greece years ago and developed a connection with. She had to leave the next day and they had never exchanged numbers, so couldn't keep in touch. Now, they just may have a second chance.
This was a sweet story, full of heart and I had a really nice time reading it.

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I started this book excited for a mature romance and the lure of Scotland but was disappointed. I had heard so much about the author but this book seemed far too streched, with some situations bordering on ridiculous. Even though I enjoyed reading about the barge life, the plot was slightly all over. I did not like Skye and was surprised no one snubbed her. Caro seemed like someone who couldnt stand up for herself one minute and then you see her coming up with quick comebacks. It did not make sense at all. The book was rushed, I had to skip some bits to get to the end, unfortunately due to lack of chemistry between the leads.

EXCERPT: Suddenly they saw car lights coming along the coast road. It was her cab,dawn was breaking and she had to go.

In the cab on the way to the ferry she realised that tears were trickling out of the corners of her eyes. She'd met a man she felt totally connected with, in every day, and they hadn't even exchanged contact details. How could she have let that happen? And would she regret it for the rest of her life?

ABOUT 'A ROSE PETAL SUMMER': Caro Swanson has taken a job in a remote part of Scotland.

She’s answered an ad in The Lady: being a companion to an elderly gentleman who lives in a country estate could be perfect! Surely it's time to make a change and do something different for a while?

The fact that she may also see Alec, the young man who she met some years previously and who she has always thought of as her ‘one who got away’, is of course purely incidental.

Soon Caro is falling in love - not only with Alec but with the stunning country house she's now living in. But the estate is in financial difficulties, and Caro soon realises there's only one way to rescue it.

So begins a magical romantic summer, one that will take Caro from Scotland to London and the south of France, in search of a classic lost perfume that might just restore all their fortunes.

MY THOUGHTS: Initially I was enchanted by A Rose Petal Summer, but my interest started to dim after the halfway point. In a nutshell, this was simply too long to carry the content of the plot.

There's a few bizarre things thrown into the storyline which added nothing to it, e.g. an dismissed estate manager who has sold off land that the family are trying to buy back. If you're going to write chic-lit, and it's something Katie Fforde normally does very well, keep it simple. A Rose Petal Summer is over complicated by this unnecessary storyline.

My other beef is Alex's ex-wife being a caricature. There is nothing at all realistic about her and reading sections of the book that contain her was absolutely painful.

I did enjoy the character of Murdo, and I would have liked him to have taken a larger role.

This could have been a humorous and enjoyable read. That's certainly the way it started out. Had the author concentrated on the Alec & Caro story, it would have been fine. And shorter. Instead this is a decidedly average read.

⭐⭐.5

#ARosePetalSummer #Bookouture

I: @ffordekatie @bookouture

T: @KatieFforde @Bookouture

#chic-lit #contemporaryfiction #rom-com

THE AUTHOR: Catherine Rose Gordon-Cumming was born 27 September 1952 in England, UK, the daughter of Shirley Barbara Laub and Michael Willoughby Gordon-Cumming. Her grandfather was Sir William Gordon-Cumming. Her sister is fellow writer Jane Gordon-Cumming. Katie married Desmond Fforde, cousin of the also writer Jasper Fforde. She has three children: Guy, Francis and Briony and didn't start writing until after the birth of her third child. She has previously worked both as a cleaning lady and in a health food cafe.

Katie lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England with her husband, some of her three children and many pets. Recently her old hobbies of ironing and housework have given way to singing, Flamenco dancing and husky racing. She claims this keeps her fit. The writers she likes herself is also in the romantic genre, like Kate Saunders.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of A Rose Petal Summer by Katie Fforde for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

I recieved an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. If you're a fan of Katie Fforde, you'll love a Rose Petal Summer! Similar to her other Brit Chick Lit staples, the story is well written with a wonderful cast of quirky characters, and makes you long to visit the British or Scottish countryside. I felt like there were a few too many storylines in the book, so as a result certain ones didn't get addressed as well as I would have liked, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book!

A Rose Petal Summer is a lovely story by Katie Fforde. Caro Swanson takes a job helping an older gentleman in Scotland. I might have thought this strange except I met a young woman doing the very same thing on a vacation trip. While Caro is doing this same thing she is reunited with a former friend who could have been the one. Add in the search for a lost perfume and you have an adventure with exceptional scenery.

The characters are likable. Now they also seem ready to find that true love that was missed years earlier. Perfect for a spring sitting on the deck read especially if you want to travel but are unable to do so right now. Go enjoy the adventure with Caro. So for a heartwarming read be sure to check out A Rose Petal Summer.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was good and made me think about perfume in a way I hadn't before. I do always love the relationships and characters that Katie Fforde creates. I liked the Scottish setting for a lot of this book as well as the parts set in Grasse, France. Definitely recommend this for a fun, light and romantic read!!

A Rose Petal Summer comes out next week on April 19, 2022 and you can purchase HERE. I've read and reviewed a lot of books by Katie Fforde, some of which you can find HERE.

Caro pulled her jersey over her knees knowing she should just be sensible and have an early night. She'd said her goodbyes to her friends who were having drinks not far away, and she had a cab booked for five in the morning to get her over to the other side of the Greek island where she'd been staying to catch the ferry to the mainland and the airport.

I was in the mood for a relaxing escape and A Rose Petal Summer by Katie Fforde fill that bill nicely,

The book begins with a chance meeting in Greece between two young people who end up talking well into the night, only to stop when Caro, the young woman, must leave to go home.

Fast forward 20 something years, and Caro takes a job in Scotland, intrigued by job advert she answered because it's in the same location as that man she met all those years ago.

I really appreciated that the story had an older heroine. And I'm always a up for a second chance romance. I found myself wanting to take trips to both Scotland and the French countryside after reading this; I love how Katie Fforde's books always have that affect on me. I also love good scents, so I appreciated that storyline.

While I really liked Alec, I did not like the side cast of characters as much as I usually do, and I found the plot with Scarlett and David to be a bit far-fetched.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the this book to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

I honestly thought this would be a bit better but it did not hold my interest. Caro and Alec are great but there seemed too much drama around family stuff instead of their story. Could not finish.

A wonderful warm-hearted story. Very enjoyable. Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

🏰Sweet second chance at her blast from the past💕

3.5-4🌟 stars
I enjoyed this sweet story of Caro and her second chance with Alec but I can't say it was a standout, probably because the main characters had no chinks in their character to remedy or react to and the plot was not particularly realistic (though I do not require realism in a romance, a bit more would have been nice). The setting was a plus, alternating between London, Scotland and the South of France; the secondary characters and their romantic subplots provided some extra, positive vibes; and the drama involving Mungo, the elderly patriarch Caro is hired to companion, provided some skullduggery drama.

But for some reason I did not feel emotionally invested in their story. Caro is a people-pleasing paragon: what can't she do when she puts her mind to it? She seemed a bit too perfect. As were Scarlet and David and Rowan and Aaron and Joe and Heather and Pascal and ....

I also was baffled by the logic behind someone possibly wanting Mungo dead when they could not benefit from their relationship with him unless he was alive!

It's an easy escape from the worries of real life with no steamy bits and multiple happy turns at the end, maybe best as a beach read.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley, Katie Fforde and Bookouture for the ARC of A Rose Petal Summer. This is my personal review.
I have read several books by this author and was so looking forward to reading another. I had to make myself keep reading this book to see if I could connect with any characters or really want to finish to the end.
The book description said it would capture the hearts of readers who love Debbie Macomber, Carolyn Brown and Fern Michaels. For me it did not even come close.
The storyline was not put together very well and at times for me it did not make sense. This sadly is one I cannot recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you can believe it, I've never read one of Fforde's books, but this won't be the last. I've seen reviews that compare Fforde and Debbie Macomber, and I can see why because both authors write uplifting stories with love, but I feel like there are differences. Fforde leans into European settings in A Rose Petal Summer—and I loved seeing London, Scotland, and France through her eyes.

I really enjoyed a story about a 41-year-old falling in love. In the past, Caro met a mysterious young man and meets him again in Scotland. As she gets to know Alec, they have more in common than meets the eye. They work together on several fronts from a business idea to family relations. The dynamics of all the characters were so fun. I was hoping for one final scathing text, but alas, it wasn't there. (I think you'll see what I mean when you read this book.) This is a whimsical read, light-hearted in the best way.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for contemporary romance and in the mood for fun. It has closed bedroom door scenes instead of on the page.

You get bonus points if you love the scent of roses.