A Posy of Promises

Ava has been brought up by her grandmother Maggie due to her mother Scarlett having flown the nest to go to America making her fortune singing. Ava can’t remember Scarlett but treasures pictures and mementos she finds when Maggie has to go into a home due to old age. When she is bequeathed a large rather broken down house she wonders whom her benefactor is. Add into the mix that after a night on the tiles she finds herself in bed with the son of her boss, Ava’s life is a little mixed up at the moment having finished an eight year relationship not so long ago. This is a wonderful easy read that makes you think about life and not taking things for granted. Of friendships and relationships that we treasure along the way. Of the little things that matter and how others or even “things” can have such an effect on our lives. “The possibilities are endless”. A wonderful,beautifully written, relaxing read.
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Sharon Dempsey's A Posy of Promises is a delightful novel with characters readers will care about. I enjoyed my visit to Belfast.

I enjoyed this and wizzed through it really quickly. It’s a nice easy read that flows well. The characters and dialogue feel real, but it doesn’t seem like this is the end of the story. Fully expecting a sequel!

A Posy of Promises by Sharon Dempsey is a great summer read!
Ava has been bequeathed a large mansion that needs much renovation. Who left her this mansion?
Finlay had recently broken up with Ava. "...you just don't light up for me." After being together 8 years, she was content being herself.was dumbfounded - yet she did realize that. Also, Ava had other things on her mind - should she keep the mansion with its many needed renovations, o r sell it?
She chats via email with an old friend, Joseph, who now lives in San Francisco - a long way from her home in Belfast. She calls Joseph and asks his opinion on the mansion.
Also, Ava spends a lot of her time visiting her grandma who literally raised Ava. Her grandma had 2 strokes, already, and was 86 years old. Ava clung to the woman who raised her. Ava's mom had run off to make good in America when Ava was a baby. Didn't Scarlett (Ava's mom) care enough to even check up on her once in awhile? After all, Ava found out that the mansion was meant to be for Ava and her grandma to live in.
Since Finlay's rejection, Ava goes "out on the town" and ends up sleeping with Ben Dale - her employer's son.
Oh, oh! And to make things worse, Ava left a necklace in Hazel's (her boss) bed the night she spent with Ben.
Ava is worried she will lose her job if Hazel finds out she slept with Ben.
Scarlett returns to Belfast, sees the mansion in disrepair, and wants to see Ava. Scarlett and Ava meet up and have a stormy, albeit, encounter that lasts throughout the story. Scarlett tells Ava that she is limiting herself, and to afraid of any change. Instead of continuing to pine for Finlay, Ava now looks forward to a visit from Joseph...
Definitely a place for a sequel!!! Fast, interesting, read. Recommend! Many thanks to Bloodhound and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Being a massive fan of programmes like Grand Designs. I instantly fell in love with the house that Ava inherits and had so many visions and ideas of what the house should look like. I'm not sure whether Ava would agree but it was lovely to fantasise about inheriting a house like that and what I would do with it myself.

Ava is such a wonderful character. I warmed to her from the off and by the end she felt like one of my friends. In fact there are many wonderful characters in this book. From Hazel, Ava's boss, to her wonderful friend Niamh and her childhood friend Joseph, they were all great and I would love to see more of them.

This was such a wonderful story. There are lots of things going on in Ava's life with her beloved grandma being in a home, the house, her love life and to top it all her mother, but it all slots in so lovely making this a mesmerizing read. 

A Posy Of Promises is a gentle and beautiful story that took hold of me and wouldn't let go. I finished it in one day as I was so invested in Ava's life and was quite melancholy when I reached the end as I wasn't ready to say good bye to the characters. An enchanting and heartwarming story with characters that will stay with me for quite a while. Loved it.

The title and the imagery on the cover of A Posy of Promises immediately pulled at my attention. I have been turning books down recently due to health etc so the first glance is crucial in helping me make a decision on how to spend my time.

Next I took a quick squiz at the blurb and knew it contained enough to entertain me. So did all of that then live up to my expectations? Yes, I’m pleased to say it did.

This is a very simple book to read, the writing flows smoothly, the characters are the type you can instantly class as friends. Add in a dilapidated old mansion that has been bequeathed to Ava by a mystery donor. An amazing gesture but she isn’t sure whether to keep it or sell it off and gain a sizeable profit.

Joseph is her life long friend, they chat via Skype whenever they can but she soon begins to feel the distance between him in San Francisco and her in Belfast. This leaves options open for him to come and help her with the renovations or possibly a bit more.

A classic beach read, close loving friends, a skeleton or two in the family closet, a will they won’t they romance .. pick up a copy of A Posy of Promises and you won’t be disappointed. There is definitely potential for further adventures with these people so I look forward to meeting up with them again in the not too distant future.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

What a wonderful tale! And, best of all, it's first in a trilogy .. so two more to look forward to with eager anticipation.

Ava Connor is very happy with her life; living with the grandmother who raised her, working in a job she loves and sharing her down time with a long term boyfriend. Then Finlay dumps her, her beloved Gran's health is on a downward spiral and, out of the blue, she is bequeathed a rather large house, but has no idea from whom. Being content with her lot in life, Ava is thrown by these events. What will she do with her good fortune? How could Finn break it off when her gran, Maggie, is so ill? And will she ever find out where this house fits into things?

This is a grand read, full of warmth. So much going on with beautifully created characters and a well-spun tale that drew me in so quickly. The characters are so true to life, I would expect to bump into any of them should I visit Belfast. I was more than happy to drink in all the details and quite sad to reach the final page. Roll on book two!

My thanks to publishers Bombshell Books / Bookouture for approving my request via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

We start this book with Ava Connors considering the property of ninety seven Mount Pleasant Square, where she was brought up by her grandmother, now in a home following a stoke. Ava had considered selling the house but is re-thinking as she goes over all the possibilities of it as somewhere for her, Ava, to settle. I loved that she was left the property while her grandmother was still alive, and that she didn’t know who had left it to her-a nice little pile of questions and secrets were already beginning to materialise!

I quickly settled into beautiful descriptions and ‘put you right there’ settings of Belfast, and the nicely timed unravelling of secrets via a letter that her grandmother had written, among other things. This book had a lighter feel to it than the cover, or indeed the genre implied (for me, I can be very judgy in that regard!) and I was happy that there were a few smiles along the way. I also loved when we started getting another side to the story. For me the thing I ached for was a mixture of who the mystery benefactor was, and also why her mother, the aptly named Scarlett, hadn’t been there when she was growing up. These things-the pieces of the puzzle you didn’t know, and the way they were linked up, as well as the near miss type scenarios, where you weren’t sure if certain characters would even meet, were done excellently and I found myself actually nervous at so many points! All in all such an enjoyable book, where I loved moving slightly outside my comfort zone and I look forward to book 2 in the trilogy to see where it goes next!

Thanks so much to Sarah at Bloodhound Books and to Netgalley for the book in return for an honest review.

I am a big sucker for books about big houses that need renovating so as soon as I knew this book contained a big house I was excited. Ava’s boyfriend has broken up with her, her grandmother who raised her has bad health and she inherits a big house.

A Posy of Promises contains a wonderful cast of characters, Ava was my favourite and by the end of the book I really felt like I’d made a friend in her. The characters are well-written and they all have depth to them.

I loved this book from the start, it was an easy read and one that I couldn’t put down. There seemed to be a lot going on in the book but Sharon wrote it so wonderfully that it all worked. The book is heart-warming and throws up questions regarding relationships, friendships and the little things we take for granted.

A Posy of Promises is a book to pick up and get lost in for a few hours. Immerse yourself with the gorgeous house, wonderful characters that become friends and Sharon’s lovely writing style. It’s one to read while relaxing and not stressing about life.

Sharon Dempsey has a lovely descriptive writing style that easily sets the scene making sure the reader feels a part of the story. In this story Ava has to contend with quite a few things especially as her once cosy life changes dramatically. From a relationship breaking down, secrets from the past resurfacing and the health of her gran in decline just being a few situations.

With lots of family drama, friendships and a dash of romance A Posy of Promises certainly entertains. It is a relatively short story but I loved how Ava basically came to life as the story progressed. Ava is instantly likeable and even though she isn't necessarily the most adventurous I easily became attached to her character. I also enjoyed her friendship with Niamh it was a great contrast to have as they were pretty much opposites in personality!

There is a warmth to the story that shines through as I got to know Ava and discover her past. It felt like I just got a taster of her life and I would be interested to see what happens next!

Perfect for grabbing a cup of tea and maybe even some chocolate A Posy of Promises will keep you entertained with warmth, love and friendships!

Four stars from me!

With thanks to Sarah at Bloodhound Books for my copy

I was intrigued by the blurb for this book and I think that the cover is lovely and very in keeping with the book!

I really enjoyed the story and I thought that Ava was a brilliant character, very well developed and I instantly liked her. The book really did make me think about some of the relationships we have.

The book has a great ending, I was genuinely a bit saddened when it finished as I had really enjoyed the story and wanted to carry on being in their lives!

It is only a short read at 194 pages (according to Goodreads) but there is a lot of story contained in those pages and I have to say I loved it - five stars from me, very highly recommended!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book by the blurb. It sounded as though it might be a tale of long lost family members which I guess it is in a way but the not the way I expected.

Ava Connors is finding her life changing from all directions. Her boyfriend of many years has ended their relationship and her grandmother has moved into a nursing home after health struggles. When she discovers she has inherited a house it sets her on a path of self discovery that even she didn't expect.

Ava is written in a very real way. She is more than happy with spending nights at home with her cat rather than out drinking. She feels a loyalty to her grandmother which finds her wanting to stay close by. The other characters we are introduced to are also very likeable and have little side stories of their own. This is the first book I have read in a while which hasn't had me feeling dislike for somebody. All the people in this book are nice in their individuals way.

I liked the unpredictability of this book. I started the first few pages thinking I already had the ending sussed but it continually surprised me with the roads it took me on. This made it a different read for me and added to the enjoyment.

I couldn't write a review without talking about THAT ending. I really hope this is the first in a series otherwise you finish this book very frustrated...talk about a cliffhanger!

I would recommend this book to all fans of chick lit that fancy something different and unpredictable.