To Love and Be Loved

To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse


Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.

It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again.
To Love and Be loved. Isn't that what we as humans strive for ? That and our health.
Once again the author has captured what being alive is all about. We follow Merrin , who as a young girl and in love ,but flees from her village and makes a new life.
Although Merrin exasperated me at times , I really enjoyed reading her story.

Mersin wants to love and to be loved. That’s not too much to ask is it? Well it seems that sometimes it may be too much to ask. So Mersin runs away to escape the devastation, the humiliation and the heartbreak. And she vows she will never go back, never face those people again, never hear the gossip, never relive the pain.
And for six years Mersin keeps her word and starts to successfully build a new life for herself whilst burying the past, the pain, the humiliation deep in her heart.
But ultimately she has to go back, and she finds something she never expected to find. . .

A story about humanity, life affirming grace and unexpected champions. It’s a really lovely book, very warm and absorbing

This book follows Merrin Kellow, but also focuses on her family. Merrin wants to love and be loved. She ends up leaving her family and hometown after a humiliating experience to start anew. In her new location, she works on healing her heart (and psyche). A number of years later she returns home and discovers that while things are difficult, maybe they're bearable with the love of your family, yourself, and time.

I'm hoping that my impression about this book is in the minority. I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I don't know if I expected more, for lack of a better word, action (or maybe oomph?), but this book while constantly moving forward in the story, at times took its sweet slow time. This is a really sweet story about a sweet family (including a few amusing sibling rivalry scenes) and a number of great side characters (Bella - I'd like to have a coffee with you and just listen to you talk). I would read another book by this author, but this book, sadly, just missed the mark for me. Oh, another huge plus - a non-graphic romance story ... and a pretty happy ending for all involved that is believable. 3.5 stars.

When I think of literary fiction, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and can satisfies just about every reader's heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day. I loved it.

Merrin loves a beautiful life surrounded by her family. She’s about to marry the love of her love, but on her wedding day events most definitely do not go as planned. Heartbroken, Merrin moves away from her beloved family to make a new life for herself, returning only when events mean she absolutely has to. This is beautiful story of love and loss.

After a humiliating experience and hating to be the village gossip, Merrin leaves her beloved family and the fishing village of Port Charles in Cornwall behind her. But thoughts of what she left behind are always at the forefront of her mind. Can she overcome the humiliation and return to the loving arms of her family.
As with all of Amanda's books I really enjoyed Merrins story, although I did question some of her decisions, I loved the friendship she had with Bella and the close family ties. Amanda writes with such feeling and compassion and I cried tears of laughter and sorrow. Tissues needed.
Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to read this advanced copy, I am under no obligation to write this review

Oh, Amanda Prowse, you've done it again!
I was hooked on the story of Merrin from the moment I started reading. She was born and has lived in the same Cornish Fishing village of Port Charles, her whole life, and intends to spend the rest of it, there, too.
On the cusp of beginning the next chapter of her life, Merrin is convinced her life is headed in exactly the right direction.
Until the one thing she never expected to happen, happens. Filled with humiliation, Merrin flees her beloved hometown to forget her sorrows, but with a huge sense of regret at leaving her family behind.
Nothing can convince her to come back, not even the death of her grandma... Nothing, until her sister gets married.
Where do I start? Merrin is a beautiful character, full of hope, romance and life. It broke my heart to read how she crumbled, along with all her dreams, on that fateful day.
And feeling that she was never going to find anything close to the love she had felt at the time, the story grows, showing how she hardens her heart to feelings too intense, pushing away so many people who love her, romantically, and otherwise.
However, life does move in mysterious ways, and despite losses, she finds her perfect ending.
I loved Merrin's best friend, Bella, a lot. What I wouldn't give to have a Bella by my side!
A consuming read which I finished in a day.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book about love, romance, and disappointment. The main character leaves home when a romance fails miserably…the story centers around her new life and that of her family back home…the angst she endures over what happened to her remains for a long time…until finally it does not…her parents love and adore her and her sister…a sweet read…this book was sent to me for review electronically by Netgalley.

A really lovely read again from Amanda Prowse. Set in Cornwall a fabulous location it's the story of the Kellow family and sisters Merrin and Ruby they have a great family life with their parents Ben a fisherman and Heather .When the worst thing happens to Merrin on what was supposed to be her wedding day she leaves home and tries to start a new life for herself as it's too painful for her to stay . This is a story of family, friendships and relationships and at the heart of the story is love that shines throughout the story,.Its got that great humour that I love about this writer but also emotion and feelings that draw you into the characters lives. The Kellow girls finally know what it's like to love and be loved. A 5 🌟read

Amanda Prowse, To Love and Be Loved, Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing, 2022.

Thank you NetGalley, for proving me with this uncorrected proof in exchange for a review.

Amanda Prowse sets this novel in a fishing village in Cornwall, and a market town close to Bristol. The fishing families are close knit, with the novel concentrating on two of these families, the Kellows and the Cardys who live in fishing cottages, and the Mortimers who are a wealthy biscuit factory family who live in a Palladian Clifton home. With its size, gardens, employment of staff and education of the son of the house, the Mortimers are established as different from the village people who are largely fishers, and shopkeepers.
A romance between Merrin Kellow and Digby Mortimer begins the novel – with the attitudes of the couple, their families and the village presenting a conflict with descriptions of Merrin in her jeans, T shirts and trainers. At times I felt as though I was reading an historical novel rather than one set in modern times. Perhaps this disconnect arises because of what I felt was the over emphasis on love of the village, the small community that appears so closed to change, a lack of ambition beyond the possibilities offered by the village, and the belief that people cannot love and marry outside their social circle.

The potential conflict between Merrin’s and Digby’s families, provides a background to the narrative. However, at the forefront is a largely unexplained tension between Merrin and her sister, Ruby. At the same time Merrin, Ruby and Bella form a strong friendship group. Similarly, Lorretta Mortimer and Heather Kellow have a relationship, formally as mistress and staff, but as the novel proceeds, shown to be a little more complex. This complexity is also apparent in the various love affairs conducted by the three young women as the main feature of the novel, but also as part of the background to each of the main families.

To Love and Be Loved deals with love in its various manifestations – long term married love, past and present love between couples which is thwarted through family disapproval and interference, a short-term affair that produces a pregnancy, and a love that upon maturity changes its attention from one person to another. Each of these threads work well together. The images of Cornwall were entrancing, and the descriptions of village traditions and personalities were enlightening in their recognition of a world that appears to have moved slowly, with appreciation of past work and lifestyles.

This is not a novel that I warmed to, perhaps because I was unable to feel for the characters whose lives seemed so enclosed. For me many of the ideas were of the past rather than present. However, my limited knowledge of Cornwall has possibly impacted on my understanding of a lifetime in this special part of the English coast. I found this an easy read, with some illuminating perspectives on the impact of shock and rejection on individuals and families, and an introduction to yet another aspect of English community, practice and location.

Amanda Prowse is my go-to author when I need romance, complicated emotions, intense yet subtle drama, and a keen understanding of human relationships. To Love and Be Loved is her latest release due out in January 2022, but I received an early copy through NetGalley. I've read at least ten of her books thus far, and there are at least another ten from the last decade that I must still get to. Trust me, I will... I already purchased three and plan to read one a month until I'm fully caught up by the end of 2022.

Merry is from a small coastal town in England. She lives with her sister, two parents, and grandmother. She and Digby, late teens/early twenties, are madly in love. He proposes, and when the wedding day arrives, something unexpected happens. Years later, Merry has left her hometown and started fresh in a bigger city. Her career grows, and she meets someone new, but it's not the same. She misses her family and friends, yet they also weigh her down, as does the stigma of what happened on her almost-wedding day. How can a beautiful, kind, generous, and wonderful young woman ever recover?

This is not a suspense or quick-moving novel. Prowse alternates a bit of time periods, stopping right when you really want to know what's about to happen, tho. It builds your interest without giving you scary palpitations... because you will love Merry and her view on life. She comes out of a tragedy with a positive mindset, despite the pain. And she accepts all the drama thrown at her, finding a way to heal. We can all learn from her. Of course, she makes mistakes too. But this is where Prowse excels; she builds truly realistic characters and dangles them out there for you to connect with. I might not live in England, be a jilted lover, come from a poor background, or have wandered out all on my own, but I identify with how Merry feels.

I liked how the ending doesn't wrap things up, instead offering opportunities to consider. I enjoyed the drama within a set of relatives, where there is anger and love, sadness and happiness, reality and unforced exaggeration - things that exist in every family. I wouldn't start with this novel, if you haven't read Prowse before... but definitely slot this one in somewhere early on. It's a fantastic character study, and I definitely see it as 4.5 stars.

Amanda Prowse is one of my favourite authors and I always can't wait to start one of her books, as they are always a treat.

This one was no exception. I was immediately drawn into the story of Merrin. I loved her character and felt heartbroken for her. I loved the family relationships in the story - Merrin and her sister remind me of my relationship with my sister. As with most of Amanda's books, tissues were needed. I could clearly picture the Cornish location and this makes me want a Cornish holiday again soon.

I couldn't put this down and finished it over the weekend. I can't recommend this and all of Amanda's other books highly enough. Perfect for a cosy afternoon on the sofa with a cuppa and cake.

Fabulous - I can't wait for the next one!

Another amazing read from Amanda Prowse. A real page turner and beautifully written story. I loved all the characters and loved Merrin's story. It was so sad she felt she had to leave the place she loved to get away from a humiliation that was not of her making. It was a real tear jearker at times with lovely stories of true love. The tragic loss of her Father and his letter to his daughters was heartbreaking.

Well what can I say, Amanda has smashed it again,A beautiful heartwarming story with great charecters that were very easy to get to know and love, I'm always gutted when finishing one of my favourite authors books

Another fantastic book by Amanda Prowse. She never fails to write great stories that we can all relate to. Warning: do not read on the train, like I did!

Another 5 star book
I don't know how Amanda Prowse manages to keep writing such amazing books
This was another emotional read and was a tear jerker in a few places, (tissues may be needed)
I loved the real community feel that reading this book gives, the description of the place and the people there make you almost feel a part of it.
Thank you Amanda for still writing such incredible books.
Thank you netgalley

Love comes in different disguises. Amanda has written a lovely story that deals with love, loss and loyalty.
The main story crux of the story is Merrin and her family in a small Cornish fishing village.
The story takes us through heartbreak, rediscovery and the hidden past.
A great feel good which I'm sure everyone will be able to identify with one character.

Another former by the talented Amanda Prowse. I devoured this book as it is a lovely tale with lovely characters that drew me in. The Cornish setting is just perfect for this story of love, betrayals, loss and most of all families.

Merrin loves her life, her town, her fiancé, her family and the future she is planning. That is until she is left at the alter. Wanting not to be around for the gossip mongers, she leaves her hometown and tries to start over.

This book is about love, loss , family, forgiveness and starting over. Written as only this author can beautifully write. I did enjoy this book. I loved Merrin she was as her dad said “ as much glass as steel”. Strong and fragile at the same time !

I have read and loved every one of Amanda’s books and this was no exception. Very heartwarming in places but also loss and betrayal made for an amazing read. I loved the characters who I could really relate to and Amanda’s description of the setting in Cornwall was the icing on the cake. I’m sad to finish this book and can’t wait for the next one. Hope we don’t have to wait too long!!

What a book! It was so good I didn’t want to put it down. I’ll be recommending it for my Book Club along with reading more by this author. Well written.

I really enjoyed this book! This story is more than about romance, it is also about loss, grieving, forgiveness, and starting again. I can relate to the main character , I am also a family-oriented person that's why I understand her priorities and love for her family. This is my first time reading Amanda Prowse's work, and I was not aware that I should prepare tissues with me!

I sometimes felt I was reading a historical novel. It was only when I read that Merrin was using a mobile, partway through, that I realised the story was set in modern day. It was so old-fashioned - the girls were all so old-fashioned in their attitudes, their main goal in life to marry, make a home, have kids. I didn't really warm to Merrin. Yes, what happened to her was terrible, but her subsequent actions were OTT. There were overlong passages, and it was saccharine sweet at times, all about home sweet home. I did like the description of the scenery. Bella's character was great. I also thought the ending to be realistic. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Merrin and her family live in a beautiful coastal fishing village in Cornwall. She can’t imagine ever leaving, her roots are tethered to the land she loves.

Everything seems perfect when she meets the man of her dreams- Digby, the son of a wealthy local landowner- and he asks her to marry him. As the wedding day approaches, tension spirals between Merrin and her older sister, Ruby, causing a dark cloud over the fairytale story of the rich boy and the fisherman’s daughter. But then Merrin is left at the alter and her idyllic life falls apart.

Hurt and demoralized by the well-meaning village gossip, Merrin does the unthinkable and flees her home.

Years pass as Merrin tries to regain her lost confidence. She has a relationship with a kindhearted, handsome chef, but her heart is still damaged, and she can’t fully invest in the relationship.

It takes a wedding and a devastating loss before Merrin finally faces her fears and can move on with her life.

I enjoyed the rich coastal setting and the captivating characters in this story but felt Merrin overreacted to an admittedly horrible event. It cost her dearly in the end. I also couldn’t accept the last-minute addition of a love interest who becomes the love of her life- all in the last chapter or two of the book. I think it would have read better if she woke to the realization of how much the chef meant to her.

Overall, an enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for my advance Ebook, To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse. I am a fan of this author and she did not disappoint with this one! Merrin gets stood up at the alter and needs to rebuild her life and her confidence. Luckily, she has great friends and family that stand behind her and support her leaving home to accomplish this in hopes she returns stronger. Although, I did feel this book dragged at times, I enjoyed the characters and was a little surprised at the ending. I will be recommending this book for my book club.

Another Amanda Prowse book I enjoyed although I did find with this one there were just too many tears and grief. Romance on so many different levels plus the solidarity of families and friendships. I did find the main character, Merrin, a little weak and frustrating at times but there were some terrific peripheral ones. Somewhat old fashioned overall with the scenes in Cornwall stuck in a time warp but enchanting nonetheless. The ending was a little unexpected and rushed but then again, some of the earlier passages were a little drawn out particularly all the teary ones!

Amanda Prowse never disappoints and I LOVED her latest, To Love and Be Loved. Loved this story, loved the characters and loved the setting. Might be the favorite of mine to date!

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

I absolutely love Amanda’s books and To Love and Be Loved wasn’t any different. Merrin lives in a quaint little Cornish village and about to marry the love of her life. Getting jilted at the altar wasn’t what she expects to find when she arrived at the church! Devastated, she realised she needs to move away if she is to get over it.
Will she ever come back to the village?

I found the book a little old fashioned at times but then I realised that many quiet villages are a little slower at getting with the times! A lovely read

To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse is the story of Merrin Mercy Kellow, a young woman from Cornwall, England who finds the love of her life only to have it dashed away at the last minute in humiliating fashion. Unable to stay in her small village where she's the talk of the town, she takes off to recover, to sort out her life and to discover what she wants and if she can live away from the land and people she loves. Eventually she returns, but can she ever be happy there again?

Amanda Prowse once again hits it out of the park with a heartfelt novel filled with love and compassion. You won't want to put this one down...her descriptions of the Cornish landscapes will speak to your heart. Thank you to the author, Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This author is one of my favourites and I was so excited to be able to start to read this and as always was blown away by this authors ability to be able to get right to the heart of human emotion. This was a book above love and being in love and also the consequences of love breaking down and learning to love yourself again. I couldn’t put this down once I had started reading and read it in a couple of days and felt like I had been transported to the Cornish village it was set in. I would love a sequel to this to see how merrins journey in life continues

3 Stars

One-Liner: Some great side characters, but not enough.

*Minority Opinion*

Merrin was in love and excited to marry her beau, Digby. She could see her entire future with her family and Digby in Port Charles, Cornwall. It was her home, after all. But the day of the wedding leaves her shattered and vulnerable. Merrin leaves her home in the fishing village to rebuild her life.
Six years have passed, and Merrin has a life of her own away from home. She doesn’t want to go back but has no choice when a tragedy strikes. Merrin realizes what she missed by leaving her community and dear ones and changing into someone she isn’t. Back home, Merrin has to decide who she is and what she wants from life. What does her future hold? Is she willing to move on and be truly happy?
I’ve had some of the author’s previous books on my TBR list for a while. When this one showed up in the Read Now section on NetGalley, I decided to go ahead and give it a shot.
Plus Points:
• Ruby (Merrin’s older sister) and Bella (Merrin’s bestie) are two fab characters in the book. Merrin’s mother was just as good.
• The tension between Ruby and Merrin is a highlight of the book.
• Women have a larger role to play (as expected) throughout. They are the decision-makers.
• Beautiful descriptions of Cornwall. Something different from the city/ small town descriptions I usually read.
Not-so Plus Points:
• The narration is too slow. I understand slow beginnings, but this one is slow from start to finish. At no point did I want to read fast to know what happened next. The story went its own sweet way.
• Despite Ruby being painted as the insecure sister, Merrin seemed self-absorbed in many scenes. It was about her most of the time. Even when I understood what she went through, I couldn’t continue feeling sad for her for the rest of the book.
• Multiple POVs (in the limited third person) but none for Ruby. I wanted to know her more. She seemed more real and vulnerable than many others.
• No clear indication for time leaps. We won’t know that a few months/ years have passed until we read the first 2-4 paragraphs in a chapter. Makes it a little hard to track the timeline.
• The happy ending was good, but bringing a new love interest in the last chapter somehow didn’t work for me. Given what Merrin repeats throughout the book, it felt surreal.
• Some weird adverbs (I forgot to note them but I remember wondering why they had to be used).
To sum up, To Love and Be Loved has its merits but hasn’t been a noteworthy read for me. Pick it up if you want something slow and sedate with bursts of emotions.
Thank you, NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

this was such a sweet and precious book, i will keep it close to my heart for always. thank you netgalley for always blessing me with beautiful books.

Merrin and her family live in Cornwall. When she faces devastation in a situation in her life, Merry decides to move away from her home, family, and friends. After a time, filled with many ups and downs, she begins to realize that she is still blessed with many who love her, leading her to an eventual life filled with love.

Thank you to Amanda Prowse and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy.
I’ve read several of Amanda’s books and thoroughly enjoy her writing.

We all want to Love and Be Loved. In this story we find a young couple (Merrin and Digby) in a small fishing village, madly in love and ready to be married. He comes from wealth and she is the daughter of a fisherman. Life doesn’t always work out as we imagine it. Merrin flees her beloved village and settles into a new life for many years until tragedy calls her home. Sibling discord, well-kept secrets, confessions, forgiveness and love. Another smashing novel by Amanda Prowse!

I hold my hands up and say that Amanda Prowse as one of my favourite authors, she never fails to produce fantastic books and I’m always looking forward to any new books she writes..

Amanda has such a unique gift of understanding and explaining everyday lives and events which makes the reader connect to the characters so easily. As I was reading the book I was matching some of the characters to people that I know in my life and the similarities were remarkable. Also some of the life experiences I have had were so well portrayed it was like the author could read my mind.

Overall this book was about love. being in love and the consequences of love breaking down. The absolute heartbreak of a breakup was so well portrayed it brought tears to my eyes. I felt so much for the main character Merrin. I was hoping she would find her happy ending. How our roots and upbringing impact on our lives and choices were also beautifully explored.

I really loved the Cornish setting and I could imagine the sea breeze on my face as I turned the pages. I was sad to finish this book and can only say Amanda you have done it again, I don’t know how you manage to write books each one unique but each one equally brilliant..

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to lose myself in this fantastic book

another good story from Amanda Prowse. She does not disappoint a very good read.. Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher

Amanda never fails to create likeable characters who have you rooting for them, and Merrin is no exception. I was instantly taken to the Cornish coast and involved in the lives of the lovely characters I found there. Another very enjoyable read from one of my favourite authors.

Mending Your Heart

This is a remarkable story of family love and of a small town. Scandals, rumors and a wedding that didn't happen. It is about forgiveness and letting go, about learning to live and love after your heat has been broken and you have been humiliated and devastated by one that you loved and trusted with all your heart. It is a story of returning home to a family and a town that loves you as much as you love it.

When Merrin is left at the altar waiting for the groom that never shows she is completely heartbroken. She moves away and starts a new life far from her family and the lovely seaside village she grew up in and loved with all her heart. It is only the death of her beloved father that brings her home.

Once home she realized this is where she belongs and decides to stay. However along the way she must mend her heart as she once again rebuilds her life and regains her confidence. Only when she confronts those that hurt her so badly and forgives them can she find peace.

I really loved this story of love and hope amongst heartbreaking events. It is truly a wonderful story and I know you will enjoy it as much as I did. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Amanda Prowse for writing a great story, Lake Union Publishing and Amazon Publishing U.K. for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

Any book by Amanda Prowse is guaranteed to be a good read and this one is no exception. Her characters are always so well described that you feel like you know them. Merrin was a lovely character and I felt such pain and sympathy for her but it all worked out for her in the end. Great description of Cornwall and all round great story. Five stars from me and highly recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early ARC

A funny bittersweet read filled with moments of heartbreaking loss but the relationship between Merrin, Ruby and Bella adds a sense of humour to the story ,Amanda wrote in the back of the book that She wants to write the type of story that the reader finds difficult to leave down and She does that time and time again, while I was at work, I was thinking about the book and while I’m not always keen on a happy ever after, it was justified in this book.

Another lovely story from Amanda Prowse, set in Cornwall beautifully descripted with characters you want to read more about. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

The story
Merrin, daughter of a fisherman in a small Cornish coastal village, is young and in love with her fiancé Digby, whose family is wealthy and live in the Old Rectory “big house”. But the unthinkable happens when she is stood up at the altar on her wedding day. She leaves the village and doesn’t return until two years later. She can’t deal with the whole village gossiping about her and her family’s shame.

My thoughts
This story takes place over a six year period and deals with love, friendship and loss. It’s an entertaining story, thoughtful about the emotional side of families taking care of each other through thick and thin. I felt that Merrin took so much time (the whole story 🙈) to lick her emotional wounds for something that for me, really wasn’t her fault 😞

'I believe you, I thought we were on the same page, but turns out we weren't even reading the same book.'
'Words are easy like the wind, faithful friends are hard to find." William Shakespeare said that.'
Turns out her dad had been right when he wrote:
When you're ready and you've done enough adventuring and figuring out, come home, Merrin. Come back to Port Charles, this little place where your spirit linger even after you have driven off in Vera Wilma Brown. Walk the beach barefoot in all weathers, my little maid, and let yourself be. Be open to what is right in front of your very eyes and let yourself be happy.

Those three things were the ones that really took my heart hostage while reading this beautiful book. Amanda Prowse has written her best book yet. It will capture your heart and keep you turning the pages. You will laugh, cry, want to scream. You will feel so much reading this book. It's just a beautiful yet sad story. But that is love at times. Beautiful and sad. My take away from this book is to never ever give up on love. Always hold on to your heart. Keep your mind open to things that can and do happen.

Merrin is the main character in this book. She goes through so much and you will feel for her. She is so much stronger than she thinks though. After the heartaches and losses she still runs barefoot on the beach. She still loves deeply the people that she holds close and dear. She's a survivor. I really liked her so much.

This book is about surviving a very sad situation and prevailing. Finding yourself after a loss that is so unexpected. The family in this story, the Kellows, are a tight family. A simple family. They are there for each other even when it seems like they aren't. The two sisters, Merrin and Ruby, may fight but they also love each other fiercely. Their parents had a love that would never end. They set an example for their girls that love is wonderful. That love, true love, always prevails. Always wins. No matter what. Even with so much adversity in her life Merrin knows this. But she is holding back, until.

This story will stick with you. It will make you stop and think. Stop and take notice. It will make you believe in things. It's written in such a beautiful way. The words just flow off the pages straight to your heart. Even the very saddest parts when you will cry those big fat ugly tears you always get from a Prowse book will make you want more. Keep you turning the pages. All the way to the very end you will hope things end perfectly for Merrin.

There are a couple of characters in here that I truly despised. Even after I read what they had to say I was not happy with them. Some things should not ever be tampered with. But that would have made this book different so it's really done to perfection in my humble opinion. The would be mother in law did finally grow on me a tad. Not a lot, but a bit. As much as I didn't want to like her, she had some good points. I felt for her a little.

Thank you #NetGalley, #AmandaProwse, #AmazonPublishingUK, #LakeUnionPublishing for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 huge, big, giant stars from me and the very highest recommendation possible. Read it. Have lots and lots of tissues though. You may need them.

What a roller coaster of emotions.
Merrin goes through some thing that shocks her world and hasn't seemed to find her true north again and felt whole.
She picks up and moves to try and find herself but has constant reminders. Then she comes face to face with her past.....

3.5 stars
I loved the storyline, characters (especially Bella) but the story seemed to move a bit a bit too slow for my liking. My heart broke for Merrin and the humiliation she had to go through. I cried while reading the scene where she is being consoled and is still in denial that her Digby could ever put her through something so embarrassing. I admired her strength, her will, and her pride. There was a good amount of emotion in the writing but the speed of the story (also the immature Ruby) made me take away those stars. Overall, it was a good read!

I love Amanda Prowse's books and she is one of my favourite authors. This was another winner in my eyes and I was totally absorbed in the story all the way through. Firstly, I loved the landscape of beautiful Cornwall and as it's one of my most loved holiday locations I revelled in the descriptions of the place and its people. I really engaged with the characters - most of who were warm and wonderful which gave the book a homely and comforting feel. Merrin's parents, sister and best friend were all so very likeable. There is a lot of sadness in this book as Merrin, suffers a number of losses and then has to try to get herself back on track to rebuild a life wherein she can love again. Although I felt desperately sorry for Merrin there were times that I wanted to sit her down and have a good talk with her as her actions and choices had such a terrible effect on her family and friends - the ripple effect of her own situation and inability to come to terms with it affecting the lives of so many of the people she loved. Over a period of six years many lives were changed and opportunities lost as she centred solely on her own problems and was unaware how this impacted on her family. I had to keep reading long into the night as I wanted to see how it all turned out and whether the ending would reveal happier times for her and her loved ones after all the turmoil of recent years. Amanda Prowse writes beautifully and she has the ability to draw in the reader. I was hooked from page one. I just can't get enough of her books and look forward to her next one. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

“Young and desperately in love, Merrin (Merry) had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.”
I struggled to take a liking to the centre character Merry she can across as very self centred and self absorbed who was more worried about what others thought about her than anything else. The characters around her including her parents, sister Ruby and friends Jarv and Bella and their relationships were fantastically written and definitely added to the unfolding story and kept me reading till the end.
Due to the writing style you can feel yourself being immersed in the Cornwall scenery and the fishing village in which it is set, the story appears very slow at times and you find yourself lost at times within the timeline and how much time has passed, whereas the addition of a new love interest for Merry right at the end feels very rushed.
Overall this was a very readable story with a fantastic setting, but it was the back characters that kept me reading more than Merry herself and if more had been included to form a greater understanding of the relationships that were already there it may have made it easier to relate to Merry and her personality.
I would like to thank the author Amanda Prowse, Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me access to this free Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.
#ToLoveandBeLoved #NetGalley

Another great story by this author. She has become a favorite one to read.
Her stories are all very different, places, subject matter, yet all captured my attention the same way as she has very strong characters that draw me in from the beginning.
This one is set in a small fishing village, where Merrins family is well known, but when something happens, that humiliates her, she decides to leave the village to avoid being the talk of the town.
Being away just made Merrin miss her family and village even more and when tragedy struck, she had no other choice than to return and face what she had also run away from, to be there for the people she loves.
What a great storyteller this author is, I have now read 5 of her books and I can't wait to read another.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book.

🌊A Cornwall gal, now & forever🏘🌅

My experience of Amanda Prowse's novels, gained over the past few years, had me eagerly anticipating this book. It's replete with family drama and romantic disappointments, but the basic underpinning is a deep-seated love for the small seaside town with its natural beauty and tight community where lead character Merrin finds her strength and soul satisfaction. In the end, life does go on with some happy resolution for a number of key characters, including Merrin.

It's not my favorite Prowse story. The narrative is a bit long and I can't say I deeply connected with any of the characters. Merrin suffers a terrible, wrenching upset at the start of the story and the remainder of the book is her slow, painful recovery with numerous setbacks and loss along the way. But she remains true to the belief that love needs to be deep, all encompassing for both partners, like the love of her parents. She won't settle for less. She has her close family and friend Bella at her back, constant and loyal, and the knowledge that Port Charles, the town of her humiliating history, is also her only true home.

A worthwhile, well-written read.

Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK/Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Drama,Rumors and living in a small town. Merlin is heartbroken humiliated when she’s left standing at the alter.
She then decides to move away to try to start a new life when she hast to come back home again due to her father‘s death. Can she stay in her hometown again after all that has happened? I really enjoyed this story of heartbreak Romance and hope

This book is set in Cornwall, my favourite place in the world, and the author captures the atmosphere perfectly. I almost believed I was there on those clifftops.
Merrin, 19 and in love is subjected to a horrendous event that sees her leaving her loving family and beloved Cornwall behind and she feels she will never return . A tragic event sees her return several years later in to the arms of her family. There is love as always but also some unburied resentments come to the fore.
Another great book by this author dealing with issues we come across in daily life and deals with love, loss and moving on and accepting and appreciating what we have in life.

Merrin lives in the beautiful fishing village of Port Charles in Cornwall, it's her happy place, filled with childhood memories and where she intends to stay for life, that is until she is faced with the worst humiliation possible, she flees the village and the comfort of her family, to escape the gossiping that every small village is known for.

Six years later, having set up a new life in Thornbury, Bristol she is faced with a family tragedy and has to return to her childhood home, it's not going to be easy, but she has no choice. Once she's back there with her family, she begins to question the life she once had, can she forget the past and return to the place she's always loved and misses immeasurably, only Merrin can make that decision but will she follow her head or her heart...?

To Love and Be Loved is the latest creation by the hugely talented Amanda Prowse, this author could write a shopping list and it would be a best seller! She creates her characters in such a way that you immediately feel you know them personally, almost like being part of the family, they are completely authentic, from the first page of every book I've read by her I've been totally invested in the story and this one is no exception. Merrin's story is one that I'm sure every girl who has ever been in love dreads and my heart broke for her many times during this book, it's a tale of love, loss, grief, sibling rivalry and fractured loyalty and I encountered so many different emotions whilst reading it. Amanda writes from the heart, about subjects that will resonate with every one of her readers in one way or another throughout their lives, and I recommend you read at least one of her books, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

I'd like to thank Amazon Publishing UK, Netgalley and the author for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Oh! I just loved "To Love and Be Loved" by Amanda Prowse. This beautiful novel about love, family bonds, heartbreak, public humiliation, small town with deep roots and bigger gossip, as well as rebuilding from disappointments, is magnificent! As always, Amanda Prowse portrays a well-rounded story, with great characters, large emotions, big lessons, and perfect conclusions, all in her gentle voice. Thank you to the author, publisher, NetGalley for the early release copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I’d like to thank Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘To Love and Be Loved’ written by Amanda Prowse in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Merrin Kellow is at the church with family and friends for her marriage to Digby Mortimer when she’s told that he’s changed his mind. Port Charles is a close community and rather than be the subject of gossip she drives away to start a new life, stopping in Thornbury on the outskirts of Bristol where she’s offered a position at Milbury Court Hotel. It isn’t until tragedy strikes her family that Merrin feels she has no choice but to return and face what she dreads the most, being pointed out as the girl who was abandoned at the altar.

It’s always a pleasure to read a novel by Amanda Prowse and ‘To Love and Be Loved’ is a beautifully written family drama of Merrin, her parents Ben and Heather, feisty sister Ruby, best friend Bella, and the residents of Port Charles. Ms Prowse has the ability to get inside the characters and she’s sculpted them so superbly that as I’ve been reading I’ve felt a part of the community which has made me look forward to my next visit to Cornwall. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading this heart-warming yet at times sad account of six years in Merrin’s life that’s had me enthralled to the very end culminating with an absolutely perfect conclusion.

The greatest shame is if you didn't let yourself love and be loved.

Merrin Kellow is young and vibrant. Merrin is marrying her person. The one that completes her. The one that makes her happy. The one that she loves, she is looking forward to marrying Digby Mortimer. Their families have a long history in their costal town town in Cornwall. She is the daughter of fisherman and Digby lives in the big house. In their community everyone knows everyone and it is the wedding of the year until it becomes something different. It changes everything for Merrin that she leaves the town she loves, the people she loves to rebuild all that she has lost.

I loved this story and the relationships behind it. It is not only a story of a lost love but of sisterhood, friendship, and families. Merrin lost something that she could not get back. The intangible thing of acceptance is a powerful. It gives us courage and security and without it we are lost. The narration of Merin's love, pain and rebuilding is powerful. She is confronted by her loss in different ways thru her relationships. The protection we find in our relationships and the shame we have when for whatever reason, we have caused harm. I loved the candor of these relationships, the easy way and the difficult times of facing the what are relationships are made of.

With any great love story involving any of our relationships is redemption. Something made new from loss, pain, and misunderstanding. It was a complete package.

A special thank you to Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I love all of Amanda’s books and although it took me a bit longer to get into this book once I did it did not disappoint. I think it was the setting that to start with made me think it was occurring back in history. A young Cornish woman was left at the alter on her wedding day and the storyline takes us through her life and that of her Cornish family. Her love of the Cornish village disappears because of the hurt at being left at the alter but will it return? Thanks once again Amanda, your publisher and NetGalley.

Another wonderfully written book by Amanda Prowse. I loved this book, the main character is so brave- to run away and start a new life only to return and face her fears - takes amazing strength. The lessons learnt and life skills discovered were so important to her, but also to the reader. Wonderful book.

How do you pick up the pieces when a day of bliss turns into a day of tragedy?

Get ready for an emotional and thought provoking journey of love, loss, heartbreak, growth, and healing. It’s beautifully written and I felt so invested in Merrin’s journey as I found it so relatable. If you’ve ever dealt with heartbreak in any form, this story will definitely resonate with you. I really loved the character development and seeing how Merrin navigated through some very tragic circumstances. We love a strong female lead! If you love women’s fiction, this book is for you! I was so hooked that I pretty much read it in one sitting. Highly recommend!

To Love and Be Loved
by: Amanda Prowse
Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing
Pub date: Jan. 11, 2022

With a picturesque Cornish setting and strongly developed characters, Amanda Prowse delivers a story that soars through the peaks and valleys of the magnitude of love. Nineteen-year-old Merrin is happy in her beloved Port Charles, with its rugged Cornish coast and cragged shorelines. For generations, the men in her family were fishermen. She loves her special spot of Reunion Point and the village that faces the sea, and she believes in love. When her world suddenly falls apart, she bravely leaves her beloved community to heal her heart and escape embarrassment.

Prowse's writing is simply exquisite. She takes us on an intensely emotional journey with Merrin from her family and community in a small fishing village to her new surroundings in the small market town of Thornbury. Along the way, deep family connections and history are explored. Merrin perseveres to untangle the complexities of who, how and when to love. As she struggles to find her sense of place and belonging, Merrin's strength deepens.

The book showcases the power of words and phrasing to capture the intricacies and feelings of moments in time. Whether describing the comfort of the blue sea and green fields of Cornwall or the devastating physical pain of heartbreak, Prowse makes sure her reader is there for a full experience.
Thank you to Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing for the advance reader's copy and the opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#ToLoveandBeLoved #NetGalley

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

“Another fabulous book from Amanda Prowse”

A story of family, love, loss, scandals and a wedding day that didn’t go to plan. It’s also about letting go and forgiving people.

Merrin is eagerly looking forward to her wedding and marrying Digby. But, on the day, she’s left jilted as he doesn’t show. Not wanting to be in the town where everyone is talking about her, she moves away, from the lovely village she grew up in and her family to start a new life. She’s thriving in the job she’s doing, and meets someone, but she feels it’s not the same as what she had before.

She misses her family and friends, but knowing she can’t go home,, when she hears devastating news, she’s forced to come home. Back home, she realises, that this is where she’s meant to be.

But, she has to mend her broken heart and again, build her life and feel confident. Facing those that treated her badly will help her get peace and start to move on.

The story had heartbreaking moments and it’s not a fast-paced novel, it does alternate with what’s happened in the past and present.

Highly Recommend This Book.

This is a really sweet story about a sweet family. I finished it over a weekend. This book is about surviving a very sad situation and prevailing. Finding yourself after a loss that is so unexpected. Enjoyable read.

Another really lovely book by Amanda which made me very tearful. This book features a young woman called Merrin who leaves her fishing village for a new life away from the sea. She later returns. I would recommend this to anyone who loves Amanda Prowse's books and would make a perfect holiday read.

4.o stars

I received a complimentary Kindle book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Amanda Prowse, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Amanda Prowse is a prolific writer of GOOD books and I am a prolific reader of GOOD books. We are a match made in heaven.

Seriously, Amanda writes lovely books based in the United Kingdom that allow me to learn more about the region, people, and customs.

I'm so glad that this is my last book of 2021 - it was a good one to end this pandemic year!

RECOMMEND

Amanda Prowse has done it again! Another thoroughly believable story, with very believable characters, against a gorgeous backdrop. You feel as though you could travel down to Cornwall and find this gorgeous fishing village, and walk through the cobbled streets meeting the wonderful characters who populate this incredible novel. Merrin is so wonderful, and so vibrant and believable you want to meet her and join the close knit group of friends.

Merrin was madly in love, with her whole life mapped out with the man she adored, much to the envy of her older sister Ruby. However when he leaves her standing at the alter in her beautiful dress, and runs off, live in her gorgeous fishing village will never be the same. She can't cope with being the girl that everyone gossips about, so she leaves her beloved village and goes to work, and live, in a hotel several hours away. Her parents and Ruby are devastated, as is her best friend, although they do understand why she had to leave and make a life for herself elsewhere.

When Merrin has to return to the village for the wedding of her beloved sister, she takes the very handsome Miguel with her, and tried to put the ghosts of the past behind her.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4380673841

When Merrin Mercy Kellow fled from the only place she called home, she hopes to build a temporary home for herself away from the unending gossip and away from her lovely family. The incident that made her feel unwelcome in her own town and the subsequent incidents where she had to face going back there is what this book is all about. It is about self-discovery, family and above all, love.

There possibly could not have been a better name for this one. We may, at times, take for granted the love we are surrounded with without realising that … "It is surely the best gift you can bestow upon one another: to love and be loved."

Another lesson to be learnt here is that life turns out exactly as beautiful as it was meant to, if only you give it some time. It might not be the life you pictured you would have, but it will be beautiful in the way you deserve and better than anything you could have thought of and that will be tons more than enough.

Through the book, there is a constant fierce sense of community and family; while reiterating the fact that sticking together through storms is what gets everyone on the other side, it also brings to light that if you look around, you will find people (no matter how small in number) willing to catch you when you slip as well.

"This world is full of strangers who couldn't give a rat’s arse about your health and happiness, and you can count on one hand the number of people who’ve got your back."

Bonus: The prospect of Vera Wilma Brown finding a Frank Ferdinand Falkenstok after everything Merrin goes through was a fitting end and definitely made my heart happy.

If you do not mind reading about heartbreak, multiple deaths and the grief that comes with it, then do check this one out. I received a complimentary copy of this book from @netgalley and I cannot thank the publisher and the author enough for this approval. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Life in a small town can go for wonderful to stifling in a minute. People seem to remember the a memorable incident, at least until the next one comes along. But, some incidents invoke heartbreak, a touch of scandal which never goes away and always a look of pity, whether real or imagined. Until we realize that we are in control of either fueling the fire or putting it out. Merrin is so excited to start her new life in the fishing village where she grew up. What starts with so much promise, ends completely different and Merrin is forced with making hard decisions.

Amanda Prowse is always an author I can go to for an emotional read, with wonderful small town feels with huge problems. Love her characters and the dynamics of the family, especially the sisters. No one loves you quite like a sister…either best of friends or worst of enemies…but, always having each other’s backs. Life throws curve balls at us all the time, Merrin is thrown one at an young age and it takes awhile for her to figure things out and grow up. Writing is beautifully descriptive of Port Charles, Cornwall. You can feel Merrin’s love for this fishing village and her family. The story did drag a little for me, especially when introducing the love interest and where it was going, then the ending felt rushed.

Thanks to Ms. Prowse, Lake Union Publishimf and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

What a lovely read this is.
What I love so much about Amanda’s books is how tender and affectionately she writes them, and by doing so, she really pulls at the heart strings and immerses you into the story.
The story involves some letters written from Ben (Merrin’s dad), and these just added another dimension to part of the story as they were just so touching.
The characters in this book were all so likeable that each of their stories meant something to me, and I felt the need to know more about them as the story went on. There’s so many beautiful relationships in this book that it was an absolute joy to read.

To love and to be loved is a gentle heartwarming read of love loss and forgiveness, based in picturesque cornwall and around the family kellow comprising of parents heather and Ben and daughters Ruby and Merrin!
Merrin is all set to marry Digby the love of her life when she is cruelly jilted at the alter! Unable to stay in her home village amongst the locals and be a source of gossip and speculation she flees to Thornbury near Bristol to lick her wounds, heal and try to live again so hard when you are completely and utterly heartbroken!
The death of her father Ben is a turning point for Merrin and she returns home for the first time, only to realise that she belongs and home is truely where the heart is and with this vines acceptance and eventually happiness!
A tale of relationships, friendship, family, forgiveness and second chances!
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

Prowess packs a lot into the small fishing hamlet of Port Charles. The Kellow family has been staples of the village and much change awaits them. With Sorrow, joy, mixed in with lots of gossip and busybodies, the story has much to offer. I really felt bad for Jarvis in the first few chapters, but he found his footing. My favorite character was Bella. A woman after my own heart, munching on a bacon sandwich on her friend’s wedding day. Prose always delivers a cast of quirky characters, including the raucous bunch in this latest.

What a delicious gift of a book packed to the gills with warmth, friendship,family,love and all set to the glorious backdrop of the beautiful Cornish landscape. Jilted on her wedding day by Digby,the spoilt son of the wealthy Mortimer family, Merrin feels compelled to leave her beloved Cornwall and the life and family she loves . In one cruel swoop ,she has lost the man she thought she would spend her whole life with , the close knit family she adores, the lifelong friends and neighbours and the most perfect idyllic village she never wanted to leave . Slowly ,she builds a new life for herself ,though one that is a pale shadow of that she left behind . She is determined she'll never allow herself to love so completely again and throws herself into work. Though missing her parents and feisty sister Ruby and best friend Bella with her fibre of her being, she can't bear to go home and risk meeting Digby and being the object of pity for the village. She even misses her beloved Gran Ellen's funeral causing fractures in her relationship with her sister. Merrin finally allows herself to enter a relationship with her handsome work colleague Miguel and when she finally has to face returning to Cornwall for Ruby' s wedding,he is the perfect crutch . Welcomed home with open arms and enveloped in the love of her family and best friend,Merrin is even more acutely aware of all she is missing but also realises she is still a talking point and object of pity among the villagers and so returns with a heavy heart to her new life . Things come to a head on Valentine's night when she returns to the room she now shares with Miguel and finds the scene set for a proposal which she knows she can't accept. Before he can pop the question ,a devastating phone call from distraught,a Ruby compels Merrin to race home to Cornwall, driven by the faithful Miguel who delivers her to her childhood home. I don't want to spoil the story by giving any more details but I was totally gripped to the last word . This has all the trademark elements one expects from an Amanda Prowse book, humour, warmth, pathos, love but with an added element of Cornish charm and magic . The lovingly depicted vignettes of family life, like the communal cups of tea, the spiky humour and teasing , add a layer of authenticity and familiarity that draws the reader into the fabric of the story . The best possible start to my reading year!

Thanks NetGalley, Amanda Prowse and the publisher for a copy to review.
Amanda Prowse became one of my all time favourite authors quickly, her stories are powerful, narrated in rich languages and well developed characters

Another incredible story from the queen of fiction! I spent a long time reading this, savouring every word and really getting lost in the journey. From the complexity of family dynamics and living where everyone knows you, to embracing who you really are and letting fate guide you. I luaghed, I cringed and I cried. What more do you need from a book?

This is the first book I have read by this author but it certainly won't be the last. She has a beautiful way with words that captured me right from the start.
I shed quite a few tears reading this, I had to put it down for I couldn't see through my tears on more than one occasion.
A really lovely story about love and how we all deserve to love and be loved.
Beautiful setting in the stunning Cornwall, I find books set here always a winner!
Fabulously well written, I'd highly recommend.

In this life-affirming tale from bestselling author Amanda Prowse, one woman built a new life to escape her humiliation. Now, can she put the shame behind her and finally find happiness?

Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.

It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again.

Reluctantly back in the arms of her community, Merrin begins to realise what she’s been missing out on all these years. As she begins to remember the person she used to be, she is forced to make choices about her future, and to question the past. What does she want from her life? Who is important to her? Who is to blame for everything that went wrong? And can she forgive them, let old wounds heal and finally be her true self again?

I love Amanda Prowse’s books and this one is no exception.
Merrin is left devastated when one day, her whole world crumbles around her. Her family are there for her but she just wants to get away from the fishing village where she grew up.
Merrin finds a job in a hotel a few hours away and tries to recover from her heartache.
She meets Miguel and he is clearly besotted with her, but Merrin doesn’t feel completely the same. She cares for him but it isn’t love.
Merrin’s friends and family back home are lovely and even when she is away, she speaks to them regularly. Her relationship with her sister is fiery at times but with the guidance of their mum, they normally sort it out.
I will let you find out how and where Merrin ends up, as it’s a journey for you to follow her on.
A lovely heartwarming book that I highly recommend.
Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for granting me a copy of this book prior to publication date. I really enjoyed this story of Merrin who lives In a very small community village where everybody knows everybody. Loved the way all sorts of family and friends emotions and issues are woven through the book with a touch of humour and sadness - just the right mixture of both. Amanda Prowse never fails to pull you in from page one - another great read.

To love and be loved. It's what we all wish for I think. This is a beautiful book of love, scandal, friends, family, betrayal and forgiveness. Told beautifully with a sensitivity Amanda does so well. She has woven a heart wrenching story into a heart warming story by the end of the book's end.
Thank you to Net Galley, Amanda Prowse and the Publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review

This book starts off really Heartwarming but soon takes a turn, evoking emotion. It's an emotion book because you feel like you're in it, going through what the characters are experiencing. To me this is a sign of good writing, drawing you in.

Digby seems like such a huge drip in the end, Merrin is so cool, calm and collected when they have their 'chat'.

I love the first trip to Port Charles with the lovely Miguel, he is so supportive.

Flipping heck did I need the tissues for this one, what a brilliantly emotional book.

You go from the place of extreme happiness to extreme sadness throughout the book on more than on occasion, but the way Ruby and Merrin and there mum and dad are with each other is really beautiful.

I love any book written by Amanda Prowse and this is no exception. The book concentrates on the Kellow family and in particular Merrin Kellow. It is written with such compassion and care that you really feel every injustice and hurt that Merrin endures. The story involves a lot of characters from a small Cornish village but I felt I knew each and every one of them. This is a great escapist book that can transport you you from a gloomy winters day to the coastal idyll of Port Charles, another realm completely.

Amanda Prowse is one of my favourite authors, so when I saw this new book release, I couldn't say no to reading it!

Merrin moved to live in Bristol after a massive humiliation left her heartbroken. She protects her heart, having a relationship with Miguel before admitting that she doesn't love him and eventually moving back home to the beautiful Cornish coast where she has grown up and knows everyone. We see that sometimes bad things happen for good reasons from reading through.

The characters enhance the plot and are well developed. I loved Bella; she is the perfect best friend. She is positive, fun, and energetic, the ideal balance for Ruby and Merrin, who are often at odds. Merrin's parents are the most loving, caring, delightful parents anyone could ask for. Digby's mum, Loretta, seems cold and uncaring but is, in fact, quite affectionate; she just shows it oddly. I also really liked the descriptions of Lizzy the Lick, a local everyone has always talked about but who is just misunderstood. Despite being a tiny part of the story, she's particularly well described.

The book has a beautiful, heart-warming ending. In fact, the whole book is heart-warming with a great plot and even better characters. It's an easy but slow read and enjoyable throughout.

This looks at various types of love. Merrin's parent's long-term love where they can't live without each other. The short-term love in the face of adversity that Bella experiences, the love that comes from Maturity (Ruby) and unrequited love with Mr & Mrs Mortimer. Each is a beautiful love story with some challenges that shows that love conquers all.

I loved this book with its strong themes around humanity, unexpected champions, life-affirming grace, and family love.

This is a perfect read, all cuddled up in front of the fire in the cold winter months.

The “About the Author” section of Amanda Prowse’s To Love and Be Loved ends with “Amanda’s ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning off the bedside lamp at night, that ensure you walk every step with her great characters, and tales that fill your head so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades….” I don’t have to turn off the bedside lamp since I read on my Kindle ☺, and I have already started my next book because that’s what I do☺, BUT this story will be on my heart for a very long time.

Set in the small fishing village of Port Charles in Cornwall, this is the story of Merrin (Merry) Kellow, whose family founded the village generations before. She lives with her parents Ben and Heather, her older sister Ruby, and their Gran Ellen. Her best friend Bella, who I would love to have as a friend of my own, lives just down the path. Everyone knows everyone, and Merrin has always imagined her future as a wife and mother in this place. At 19, when she falls in love with the wealthy Digby Mortimer, she envisions her future raising children in the Mortimer mansion overlooking the village.

When her world implodes and she can’t bring herself to stay in Port Charles, Merrin needs to figure out how to move on and create a new normal. We follow her when she leaves the home that truly defines every part of her and settles in Milbury Court three hours away. She starts a solitary life for herself working in a hotel, where she discovers that her co-workers think of her as the sad girl. We can empathize when she returns to Port Charles at one point for a few days and, upon preparing to return to Milbury Court, she says, “I don’t want to go. I never wanted to go. And yet I can’t wait to be gone. How do I reconcile that?”

What I love about Ms. Prowse’s stories is her ability to create characters and paint a picture. We know the kind of love that lives within the rivalry between sisters. We probably all knew a Bella who considered our parents her own. We can visualize the sea. We feel the cobblestones beneath Merrin’s bare feet. We experience her joy with Digby, and then… “It was only this repeated question that made her realise her limbs were trembling and her teeth chattering, but no, she wasn’t cold, more…in pain. She felt broken. Her chest hurt. Raising her fingertips, she ran them over the front of her dress and up to her throat, just to check that nothing was actually lodged there and no one had noticed; she would have been quite unsurprised to find a dagger, hilt-deep, sitting squarely in her breast.”

I could feel Merrin’s pure, all-consuming grief, and this grief drives the rest of the story.

But this is not just a story of romantic love. We live through Merrin’s love for her village, her family, her best friend. We feel her need to get away from the place where (in her father’s words) her spirit lingers, the spitefulness and seeming jealousy between her and Ruby, the grief during her losses, and the promise of the future as she comes out healed on the other side six years later. We learn about secrets and relationships from the generations before Merrin’s that influenced everything that happens in the present day.

This is not a light beach read. Curl up under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate or tea, maybe in front of a fireplace, and let the story swallow you up for a day or a weekend. It’s a story you can get lost in…and it will stay with you even longer. You don’t want to miss this one.

Love ❤,
Noor.
____
#booktour

What did I just 📚 read?!! Emotional, heartwarming, full of drama, tragedies & so much love ❤..

#toloveandbeloved
That's the most sacred & precious, intangible thing in the world.

This is the story of Merrin, a girl like you & me..a girl next door 🚪..I related to her at so many aspects..

Her grandpa expired when she was 9..how she held herself together..
How she was ready to take the marriage plunge, impulsively for the sake of true love..at 19
How her family stood by her in thick n thin..
How she collected her pieces together to come out stronger..
& how, like her mother said, she eventually found true love..
Her sister..father..mother..ex bf..granny.. I loved all the relationships she shared..

The author has penned it in an extensively descriptive style.. it takes you virtually on that small island & the entire read is so atmospheric that I felt I held my heart in my hand literally..

____
In this life-affirming tale from bestselling author Amanda Prowse, one woman built a new life to escape her humiliation. Now, can she put the shame behind her and finally find happiness?

Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.

It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again.

Reluctantly back in the arms of her community, Merrin begins to realise what she’s been missing out on all these years. As she begins to remember the person she used to be, she is forced to make choices about her future, and to question the past. What does she want from her life? Who is important to her? Who is to blame for everything that went wrong? And can she forgive them, let old wounds heal and finally be her true self again?

Releases 11th Jan. 2022

I have previously loved Amanda Prowse’s books so was excited to see she had something new out. Young and in love Merrin gets stood up at the alter and has to run away from her small hometown due to the embarrassment. This was a solid romance novel with likeable characters and family tragedies. It’s not a gripping read, but I liked it all the same.
Thank you to the NetGalley and the publishing house for this ARC in return for an honest review.

"To Love and Be Loved" is a romance and family drama set in the West Country. The central character is Merrin (Merry) who seems to have no career goals but instead wants to be a wife and mother. At the start of the story she believes that she has found her one true love in Digby. However, although the young couple are happy to ignore their class differences, this is not the case with Digby's mother. This is a book about finding one's way in life, the struggles of living in Cornwall, family, friendships and community.

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

I am always enthralled with books by Amanda Prowse and this one did not disappoint.

Her gentle style is descriptive, her characters believable and the subject matter often painful. I enjoyed the way in which, although this story focused on Merrin and her very public humiliation, as a reader you are drawn into life in Port Charles and the inhabitants there.

The love and interactions between the characters is heart warming and I felt could even be developed further in subsequent stories. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel, I would highly recommend it

Amanda Prowse always amazes me with her ability to bring out the feelings. Not just the romantic feelings, but the love of family and friends and nature. This book really hit me with how feelings may trick us and some may be the real thing and others may not, and who is to know the difference other than looking back and evaluating. This was a great story about love, family, denial, running away, and so much more. I would definitely recommend it.

I don't think I have ever read an Amanda Prowse book that I haven't liked, and this one is no exception.

Merrin is a Port Charles girl, born and bred. Her father is a fisherman and I have to admit to wanting to go and visit Cornwall ASAP after descriptions of the area in this book! Merrin loves her village and her family and when tragedy strikes and she feels forced to leave home, it has repercussions for everyone around her. She is quite an amazing woman and reading all about her made my heart full - clearly, I got very emotionally involved.

This is a book about family, love (in all its guises) and belonging. I loved it. I also loved that it had a decent epilogue and a nicely rounded ending :).

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

Thanks to the Author and netgally for an early copy of this book in exvhange for an jonest review. Amanda Prowse is one of my favoutite authors and this book didnt disapoint. The story follows Merrin who grew up in a tight knit community in Cornwall but then experiences a heartbreak and in order to heal moves away from the gossip in the village. We then see how her life develops and what happens when she had to return some years later. Although it was a little slow in places, the story kept me hooked and I liked the characters of the main women in the book. The ending was perhaps a bit too neat but a good way to end none the less and I was sad to finiah the book. Would definitely recommend.

Merrin is a young woman who is excited about her future, but her wedding day does not go as expected, and she decides to move to a new town to start over on her own. Merrin finds a place to fit in, build a career, and make new connections. But, she never goes back to her home village and her relationships with her family and friends there feel that pain. Events draw her back and she starts to deal with some of the ghosts of her past to determine her next path forward.

Thank you Lake Union and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This is my first book by this author and what a treat, the perfect book to join me over a couple lazy days after the Christmas holiday. I really enjoyed the writing style characters and storyline and will be seeking out more books by this wonderful author.

I love Amandas books and this is no exception.

Beautifully written this is the story of Merlin who moves away and rebuilds her life.

The story made me cry in parts but was heartwarming and lovely.

Thank you Amanda for another lovely book

A gorgeous book that definitely pulled at my heartstrings as I avidly read this beautiful book.
A stunning setting and a lovely community, it was easy to be drawn into the story.
Merrin was a character who was both strong and weak, whose strength to overcome her past was inspiring.
It was a story that I couldn’t put down! I needed to know the outcome as I had become emotionally attached to the characters and intrigued by the situation.
Amanda’s amazing books always captures my attention and imagination, and this one was no different than the others I have enjoyed.
Such a fabulous book.

EXCERPT: Breathing long and slow, Merrin closed her eyes briefly, feeling instantly better, calmed. This was the perfect spot with the widest view and she could spend hours here, staring at the waves. Her dad once told her that they were the heads of white, foaming horses, cantering up to the break and crashing, before making a sharp turn and petering to nothing on their return. It was now impossible for her to see them in any other way. Looking out over the purple bruise of sky where clouds hung low over the ocean, she offered up a silent prayer.

Please don't rain! Not on my wedding day . . .

ABOUT 'TO LOVE AND BE LOVED': Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.

It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again.

Reluctantly back in the arms of her community, Merrin begins to realise what she’s been missing out on all these years. As she begins to remember the person she used to be, she is forced to make choices about her future, and to question the past. What does she want from her life? Who is important to her? Who is to blame for everything that went wrong? And can she forgive them, let old wounds heal and finally be her true self again?

MY THOUGHTS: As with all of Amanda Prowse's books, To Love and Be Loved is a very emotional read. I had shredded a great number of tissues before I was a quarter of the way through! If only the worst Merrin had to worry about on her wedding day was the weather . . .

We follow Merrin's life journey as her future is ripped apart and she flees her home to try and make a life elsewhere. But, as we all know, the problem with running away is that we take along the problems that are in our hearts and our heads. And at some point, we just have to turn around and deal with them.

Don't expect a fast paced book, you won't get it. To Love and Be Loved is a meandering and often sad read as Merrin spends a lot of time treading water, surviving rather than living.

The sadness and grief is, at times, overwhelming. But it is also punctuated with some beautiful moments in Prowse's trademark style.

Prowse has created a very close knit family in the Kellows. Ben and Heather are still very much in love after their many years of marriage and I enjoyed the easiness of their relationship. Merrin is the younger of their two daughters and a very different personality than her older sister Ruby, who is more prickly and brash, Merrin more dreamy and soft. And I loved their friend Bella, whose role in life seems to be a buffer between the sisters.

Initially, I loved this book, and I still do, but with some reservations. It is intense, emotionally. But, in places it is just too much. Was there ever a family as perfect as the Kellows? I would like to hope so, but probably not. (view spoiler) And the ending is very sudden, and for me was, considering Merrin's past, far too fast and unlikely.

Yet, despite all this, I finished with a smile on my face and am eagerly awaiting Prowse's next.

⭐⭐⭐.8

#ToLoveandBeLoved #NetGalley

I: @mrsamandaprowse @amazonpublishing

T: @MrsAmandaProwse @AmazonPub

#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #romance

THE AUTHOR: Amanda Prowse was a management consultant for ten years before realising that she was born to write. Amanda lives in the West Country with her husband and their two teenage sons.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse 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

A comforting read, although at times I did find the pace a little slow. The writing style kept me going though, as just as you were getting to a ‘good’ bit, the author changed to another character’s point of view and that was part of the appeal of the book, wanting to find out what happened next…
I enjoyed being immersed in the Cornish way of life and the setting descriptions of Port Charles, the Cornish village really made me feel like I was there. The narrative was brilliant as it described exactly how living in a small village, where everyone knows everything about everyone, can have such devastating after-shocks when things go wrong in your life.
I found myself being taken in by Merrin’s charms, even though she was a very self-willed and at times, selfish character and didn’t always consider how her actions were affecting those around her. Although there were times when I did feel that the book was slightly overwritten as poor Merrin seemed to go through so many emotional / life-changing events at such a very young age, but in saying that, the author did give us all hope, that even after going through so much, and having to make far too many difficult decisions in her early twenties, Merrin showed us all that things can change, and that we just need to be patient.
I highly recommend this book; it is a beautiful book about love and friendship. It deals, empathetically, with love in its various forms, be it a long term married love, past and present love between couples which is affected by family disapproval and interference, a short-term affair that produces a pregnancy, and a love that upon maturity changes its attention from one person to another. Each of these threads work well together.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and the author for an eARC of To love and be loved in exchange for an honest review.

A tender story told in Amanda Prowse’s unique voice. This one looks at how beautiful and messy love can be. From romantic love to the love of family and loving where you are in your life. These characters are sweet and relatable with a captivating setting. 4.5 stars.

Yet again Amanda hasn’t let me down. I absolutely love this author, the way she writes you feel like you could be there. It is a romance book but with a difference. This isn’t just a boy meets girl falls in love and lives happily ever after like some romance ones can be. This book is hard hitting in places and true to life.
Merrin Mercy Kellow is the main character in this book, but there are some fab other characters too. Merrin’s sister Ruby, her best friend Bella, her first boyfriend Jarvis and also her parents. They live in Cornwall and having spent a lot of lovely holidays there I really enjoyed the setting. Amanda is so descriptive that you can imagine looking out to sea and feeling the sand between your toes.
After disaster strikes on her wedding day Merrin can’t face the town that she loves with the people that she grew up with thinking that they were all talking about her. Packing up her car she leaves to start a new life away from the gossip. Over the course of six years Merrin avoids home and gets on with life away from those she loves. When tragedy strikes all that changes. How will Merrin cope facing the life she left behind.
I highly recommend this book it’s a great read.

Overall this book was about love. being in love and the consequences of love breaking down. The absolute heartbreak of a breakup was so well portrayed it brought tears to my eyes. I felt so much for the main character Merrin. I was hoping she would find her happy ending. How our roots and upbringing impact on our lives and choices were also beautifully explored.

I really loved the Cornish setting and I could imagine the sea breeze on my face as I turned the pages. I was sad to finish this book and can only say Amanda you have done it again, I don’t know how you manage to write books each one unique but each one equally brilliant.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To love and be loved by Amanda Prowse.
Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.
A lovely read. Great story and characters. 4*.

As always Amanda Prowse writes a great story.
The narrative was descriptive and made it easy to imagine the locations. The characters are so credible and interesting. Their feelings are real and honest.
I loved the way the story evolved over the duration of the book. Family, friendship and love at the heart of this.
This author’s books always make me feel involved, like I am looking into a window and watching people.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Quite simply, I loved it.

I am a huge Amanda Prowse fan. That being said I was disappointed in this book. I didn't much like Merrin and found her to be to self centered. I am anxiously waiting for Amanda's next book..

Do you sometimes find you need a good cry? If you do, check out the new book To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse. I really loved this book. I laughed and I cried many times. This book will require a box of tissues next to you as you read because you will find you can’t see the page any longer through the tears. There were so many things to love about this book. Let me tell you about some of them.

The characters were absolutely fabulous! I wanted to know everyone. Heather and Ben are Merrin’s parents. They are salt of the earth. Her older sister is Ruby and her best friend is Bella. Her Gran lives next door. They are such a lovely family. There is great love between the parents and something we all strive for in our lives. There is a little sibling rivalry between the sisters but, Ruby will stand up for little sister Merrin. For the most part this family is pretty near perfect.

They live near the sea in Port Charles in Cornwall, England. Who wouldn’t want to live right on the beach. This is family property and the Kellow’s have been a part of the community for years. The description of the area will take your breath away. I want to live there! It sounds like perfection. At least perfection for a small town. As you know, in a small town everybody knows your business.

The wisdom imparted in this book is something I never want to forget. All of us have been quoted little sayings and quips from our parents and Grandparents. With this family being from Cornwall, they have some unique words of wisdom.

I have loved every book I’ve picked up to read by Amanda Prowse and this one is not any different. She has a way with words and promotes love the way it should be. It is probably the best one I’ve read by her. If you are a fan or you have never read one of her books, I urge you to read this one and see if you love it as much as I do. Let me know what you think. I’d love to discuss it with you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #LakeUnionPublishing via #Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another absolutely wonderful book by Amanda Prowse, with her trademark beautiful covers.

As soon as I met Merrin in Cornwall, where she loved to slip her shoes off and walk barefoot on the uneven cobbles outside her front door, I knew I was going to connect with her, as I love to do this too so that I can feel connected to the cobbles, grass, or sand and feel the earth. I was sure, from getting to know Merry by half way through the book, that although she had been knocked down and weathered storms, she would surface stronger than ever and find a new life for herself.

Reading the book from when she moved to Bristol (my home town) and worked at a castle, in my head I pictured a local castle hotel near me called Thornbury Castle (where I have treated myself to a birthday afternoon tea), imagine my surprise when I was right!! I was so pleased Merry met Miguel and found someone to love her again.

Amanda's writing is so full of characters, emotions, love and heartache, family and friends and my favourite line from the book is "Merrin was filled with such deep sadness, she was blank, raw and floundering, gasping for air like a fish in the net". I am sure we have all been hurt this badly at some point in our lives, but I have never been able to express is so beautifully. Thank you Mandy.

Another great book by this author. Merrin is a great main character and you really feel for her and her need to leave Cornwall so throughout the book you are rooting for her to have her happy ending, great characters and storyline as well as being set in my favourite part of the country makes this a book that I couldn't put down

Amanda Prowse has a beautiful way of bringing life to her books with emotion, real characters, and stories that I get invested in!

After a wedding day that didn’t go as planned, Merry leaves her small hometown and family to restart in a bigger city. But like many stories go, her hometown draws her back. She is forced to face her fears of how people will react to her and her situation. The story explores the emotional journey after a traumatic experience, and it brings the reader into the intimate moments of Merry’s life. This is a slow-burn that will wrap you up in its words and refuse to let go until the end!

Merry is what this story is all about. I loved her character development, and how much I connected with her! The small town atmosphere felt perfect for the story, and I loved how the descriptions brought the place and the people to life!

I would highly recommend this one for readers that enjoy stories focused on character growth and emotional journeys!

Amanda Prowse has once again woven her magic and created a spellbinding character and a village I just wanted to live in myself.

When Merrin’s life does not turn out how she was expecting, she runs away from the family that she loves, leaving behind her childhood friends and the place she she thought she would always call home.

Merrin stole into my heart. I felt her pain and her anguish at the cards she had been dealt. I also felt a sneaking admiration for her sister, Ruby, because she was the one left to pick up the pieces.

The author provides a real gem of a twist to this story, but I am not going to spoil it for you. What I will say is that you never really know what someone else is going through.

I must mention one sentence in this book which really brought home to me what a prolific writer Amanda Prowse is –
“Telephone calls that spilt love down the wire as if it were liquid gave her some reassurance”

No one says it more movingly or succinctly than Amanda Prowse!

Merrin was all set to marry Digby the love of her life but he stands her up at the alter. Humiliated and ashamed she makes the decision to leave the Cornish village she was born and brought up in as she knows she will be the talk of the village and can't bear the shame.
Merrin only returns for her sisters wedding 6 years later and finds that people are still pitying her so leaves as soon as she can. It's only when her beloved dad passes away that she returns again but this time the longing to stay wins and she finally goes back home to stay
A heartwarming story of a family's love and forgiveness

This story follows Merrin after the devastating fall out of being left at the alter. Merrin can't stay in her small town so moves away, leaving her family and everything she loves behind. We follow Merrin as she deals with loss far away from home, and watch her long slow recovery towards acceptance.

This was a really beautiful story about learning to love yourself again. It was a really easy read and really made me want to visit Cornwall. I've read a few Amanda Prowse books now and always go for them when I'm wanting a romance read. They are really easy to read but she makes you feel intensely for the characters.

One particular quote of the book I loved was 'Drink Tea. Sit in the sunshine. Celebrate the good. Don't dwell on the bad'

With thanks to #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishingUk for a digital arc of #ToLoveAndBeLoved by #AmandaProwse.

I always get a bit excited when a new Amanda Prowse book is released. So I was keen to dive into this beauty and once more lose myself in Amanda’s charming and alluring writing.

Merrin fled her hometown
and her close knit family, after her wedding day went disastrously wrong.
Some years later, and having built herself a successful life far away from home, tragedy strikes and Merrin is forced to return to the place that broke her.
Once home, Merrin realises what she has been missing, but before she can truly come home and rebuild her life, she needs to come to terms with the past and make peace with the ghosts that haunt her.

This is a wonderful story of love, family, friendship, loss, strength, second chances, forgiveness and finding home.
As always Amanda writes with such beautiful words, that flow effortlessly through the pages.

An utterly captivating read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just love all Amanda's books so when her latest one came out I had to find a quiet spot in my house and open my kindle! All housework etc goes out of the window......Take away leaflets come out of their drawers! I am not cooking!!!

To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse was just an amazing emotional book. I loved it.........Amanda has always written her books with so much love and they're always beautifully written from beginning till the end that will have you gripped from the first page till the end. You may need tissues!

This latest book is set in a small fishing village in Cornwall where Merrin's family is very well known. as they own a biscuit factory family and live in the Palladian Clifton.. Merrin feels she has to get away form everything around her and she decides to leave the village. However, six years has passed and she has a new life away from everyone, When, tragedy struck's and she needs to go back and she has no choice. Merrin realises when she is back that she missed the madness of her family and the closeness of the village. She needs to make a big decision and decide who she is and what she wants from life!!

What does her future hold and where?

Is she willing to move on and be truly happy or stay?

Only Merrin can decide this!!!!

WoW, this book is a big roller coaster and will have you sitting on the edge of your chair, it did me! I loved it. This latest book made me think of my past, then again..........only You can change it!!!

I highly recommend all Amanda's books they are superb reads and she has become one of my favourite authors.

Big Thanks you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew I would and I did! Love it that is! My goto author when I want a good contemporary read; this one was a lovely family drama set in the fishing village of Port Charles, Cornwall and Thornbury, a market town Nr. Bristol. In the interest of full disclosure I actually live in Thornbury so I was glued to the book. The descriptions by Amanda Prowse are so good you can see the places she is describing and the characters come to life on the pages. I particularly loved Merrin’s family. Proper salt of the earth people for whom family and loyalty means more than anything.

Briefly, Merrin has spent all her life in Port Charles. When she meets the man of her dreams she has her future planned until it is cruelty taken away from her. To escape the gossips she leaves and goes to work in a hotel in Thornbury. But she is still struggling to put the man she loved behind her. Years later, she returns to Cornwall for a funeral and her happiness at being back home makes her question her life choices.

It’s not a short book but it finished all too quickly for me. I wanted more. The full gamut of emotions are on display here love and hate, truth and deception, trust and mistrust, laughter and tears, life and death. I’m not a weeper when it comes to books but I’ll admit to a tiny tear at one point in this one. It was just a lovely read. If you like a good family saga then this is definitely one for you ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse is a lovely romance that begins with tow young people in love. The rich family's son and a fisherman's daughter. They decide to marry. His mother insists on a wedding her parents cannot possibly afford so she pays. It is uncomfortable, but Digby is the prize and Merrin keeps her eyes firmly on him. Getting to the church is a party with half the community participating, the rest waving her on. When she gets there, tragedy strikes: the vicar comes to tell her that her groom is not coming, the wedding is off. She cannot believe it. She calls his house, where his mother won't let her speak to Digby, but reassures her he has changed his mind and the wedding is off. She can't stand knowing that everyone is looking at her, talking about her. She leaves town and begins work at an inn, only about three hours away. She works hard and gets promoted. One day even meets a man . . . Miguel, the best looking man she has ever seen. She likes him but she knows it is not love. It is good for now though. It's been several years, but she takes him home when her sister is to marry. Everyone loves him. Everyone but her. Life goes on . . .

Families are so complicated; no one knows this better than Amanda Prowse, and she can get it onto paper. Relationships between siblings, between parents, between lovers . . . Lies are told, some of them turn out not be lies, just secrets. Villains turn out to be not so bad. She has them all in this wonderful story. The romance, actually takes up little space, just the important space. The relationships, the deep hurt that Mirrin felt. These things are the story. It reflects all of us, our lives, out relationships. Our stories. I was a lovely book.

I was invited to read a free a-ARC of To Love and Be Loved by Lake Union Publishing, through Net galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #lakeunionpublishing #amandaprowse #toloveandbeloved

Amanda Prowse’s books have seen me through life changes, job changes, trials and tribulations. This was a comforting read during the turn of the year with lots of changes going on and it was so nice to have a familiar writing style at the end of a long day to get lost in.

This is a family drama set against the beautiful backdrop of Cornwall (Port Charles) and Thornbury, near Bristol. Amanda uses careful research and her own knowledge to create stunning realistic settings that will make you want to explore them. She creates characters that you are compelled to love (and sometimes hate!) and brings unique and refreshing storylines into their lives to create the contemporary domestic dramas that we’ve all become quite hooked upon.

There are bittersweet moments, incredible emotional chapters and scenes, and just the right amount of humour injected in at various points to balance this book into the well known style that we have come to know and love from Amanda.

4.5 ⭐ Raw, emotional journey.

Gosh, I loved this cast of characters so much, and the complicated situations they lived and loved through.

Merrin was the main focus of the book, although several chapters are spattered throughout from another person's POV. Anyway, I loved her (most of the time!), and felt her pain as her grief dredged up some old emotions of my own. It sucks when you relate with a character because of her tragic circumstances. 😑

Bravo to Ms Prowse for giving her readers a kaleidoscope of feelings to trawl through. The bitter with the sweet, and hilarious moments alongside profound heartache. Although I wished so many parts of the story didn't play out the way they did, that's not a true reflection of life, is it? At just Merrin found closure in most avenues of her life because many of us don't.

NB I received an ARC of this novel (thanks, NetGalley!).

Amanda is one of my favourite authors & i absolutely loved this book. She is such a lovely lady too.

Simply one of the most beautiful pieces of art I’ve ever read. The attention to detail in very sentence made my heart swell with love for the little Cornish village where the Kellow girls live. Every village has to have gossip but when poor gorgeous Merrin becomes that gossip she runs for the hills with us as the reader following her along the way.
I am a huge fan of Amanda’s stories and her heart pours into each of them. The love Amanda has for her stories is evident throughout her latest master piece. I could not put it down. Thank you

Amanda Prowse is one of my favourite authors, and I automatically pick up and read her books without reading the blurb first because I just enjoy the way she writes and this latest book is no exception.

This is a lovely story about family, love, revenge, heartbreak and acceptance, with likeable characters and a beautiful setting.

Recommended for romance and women's fiction lovers.

Lovely book based upon a girl and her family who have grown up in a small Cornish village. The characters are developed really well with the main character being endearing. Little slow to begin with but moves into a great story

Merrin loves her life in the little fishing village of Port Charles in Cornwall with her mum, dad and sister. She thought she had the world at her feet, but was dealt a terrible blow on what should have been the happiest day of her life.. She flees from all she has ever known, to heal her wounds and try to forget.

Can she ever forget, and leave all that she holds dear? All she has ever known and loved?

Once again, Amanda Prowse draws the reader into the book, so much so, that you feel you are actually there in the village in Cornwall. Her descriptive writing has you sitting on the cliff overlooking the sea, and knowing every nook and cranny of the village.

It's another masterpiece from the author!

Thanks to Netgalley, and the author for the Arc copy, in return for a true review.

This is a wonderful love story about Merrin and Digby and I was cheering for Merrin all the way!! This latest book by Amanda Prowse was one of her best yet! You’ll need Kleenex! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a slow burn. I enjoyed the characters, and how they are portrayed. The story moved quite slowly for me, although at times I was confused by the timeline. There were too many POVs, fewer would have been better. Not a fantastic book but also not awful. If you love this author, definitely give this a go.

I will never pass up an opportunity to read a book by Amanda Prowse.
Her writing touches a chord with me and as I read the words I see the images and scenes before my eyes. This has got to be one of her best novels so far. The town of Port Charles is alongside Merrin and the Kellow family one of the lead characters. The final chapters brought the book full circle and explained the actions of Loretta Montgomery so clearly that you found yourself agreeing with the awful events she put in motion in the beginning.
A wonderful book that you can snuggle down with and forget about the rest of the world, that is until someone child comes looking for you to feed them.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

I have loved every book I have read by Amanda Prowse. She writes with so much passion that I can't help becoming a part of her stories. She is my go-to author when it comes to contemporary fiction, family drama, and emotional portrayal. When I saw that this wonderful author had written To Love and Be Loved I just had to read her book. Wow, she did not disappoint!
Merrin loves her fantastic life, surrounded by her family. She’s about to marry her true love, Digby but on her wedding day events do not go as planned. Heartbroken, Merrin moves away from her beloved family to make a new life for herself, returning only when circumstances require it.
Set in the fishing village of Port Charles, a small coastal place in Cornwall, England and told through alternating time periods, this is another brilliant novel that I can relate to and it is also deeply moving. It is a beautifully written story and I enjoyed the drama of a group of relatives - there is anger, happiness love, and sadness by the bucketload. The storyline is gripping and the characters are extremely credible, likeable and so well-drawn by Amanda Prowse. To Love and Be Loved certainly ranks very highly with me and I recommend it to fans and new readers alike. I know that books like this one make my reading days quite perfect.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Amazon Publishing UK/ Lake Union Publishing UK via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Merrin grew up in the small fishing village of Port Charles, and then on her wedding day life as she knows it is shattered. She flees from the comfort of her family to escape small town gossips. After six years Merrin has to return home and come to terms with things left unfinished in the past. The storyline does move between different time periods which isn't always one of my favorite things in a book. I would recommend this book to others.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

I am reading this as part of a blog tour and my review date for the tour is Wednesday 2nd March so my review will be posted after that date

This beautiful book gave me all the feels! I quickly fell in love with the Kellow family - - such a sweet family and their close special bond really touched my heart. The writing is so wonderfully descriptive that I could picture the luscious scenery, the charming town of Cornwall and Kellow Cottages. I always enjoy a story about second chances and this one was exceptional.

𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭.

A fantastic setting, a small town, a scandal, second chances and beautifully writen. Even though it started a little slow I was fully engaged since the first chapters and by the end it left me with a warm feeling, a lovely story about second chances.

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours Lake Union Authors and NetGalley for this gifted copy.

To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse released January 11, 2022.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢, 𝘌𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

Perfect slowly evolving story, which I read on a full scale of emotions (from sentimental to laughing) and I am very happy that even the main heroine Merrin and her supportive family had life challenges, but the end was positive.
After reading, I thought I wouldn't find a better title for this book - it perfectly reflects what was told 👍
Many thanks to Netgalley and Amanda Prowse for the opportunity to read this book 💞

Another great book by Amanda which had me totally enthralled from the beginning and I would totally recommend this to all my friends.

A very worthy five stars.

4.5 🌟

Sometimes an author plops you down in an idyllic setting and surrounds you with a great cast of characters and it just feels right. In 𝐓𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 there isn’t a lot of action or steamy scenes, but once you meet Merrin and the Kellow family, you won’t want to leave the seaside village of Port Charles.

Merrin believed she had found her happily-ever-after in Digby, that is, until he abandoned her on their wedding day.

Not able to face the humiliation, Merrin takes a job away from her beloved home and family. Merrin knows she is hurting her parents, sister, and best friend being away, but she just needs time to heal. Years go by, and Merrin meets Miguel, a perfectly kind and handsome man, but Merrin’s still not ready or able to love or be loved. It takes the loss of someone very dear to Merrin, to make her open up to love once again.

I loved this family, and Bella, Merrin’s best friend, is one of my favorite characters - a peacekeeper, yet she tells it like it is. This story has humor, heartbreak, warmth, and a family secret too.

Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours and @MrsAmandaProwse for a spot on tour and a gifted ebook.

To Love and Be Loved tells the story of Merrin. Young and in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her life was about the start, things go devastatingly wrong. Humiliated, Merrin runs far away from her hometown, a beloved fishing village, to escape her gossiping friends and neighbours. Six years later Merrin has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again. Back home, Merrin begins to realise what she’s been missing out on all these years. She remembers the person she used to be and is forced to make choices about her future by facing the past.

This is such a beautiful story! This is my second book written by Prowse and I love how she writes genuine stories with well-developed characters. This one explored many themes of family, friendship, love and happiness. It was bittersweet; at times heart wrenching but also filled with so much love and hope.

There were times where I felt like I knew how the story would end and I’m glad I was mistaken because at times I find predictability disappointing. I loved the ending of this one! I highly recommend. A huge thank you to @amazonpublishing for gifting me a copy of this book to read.

To Love and and Loved is the story of Merrin (love that name!), who has to learn to live and love again after a heartbreaking event. Afraid to embrace life too fully, Merrin flees the small town on the coast that she has always called home, only to find out that the space she thinks she needs might not be the answer to her troubles.

Merrin is a terrific main character, but the rest of the side characters are equally wonderful! I loved the sister relationship between Merrin and Ruby, and their best friend Bella was hilarious.

I adore reading books set in England and this one had a truly gorgeous Cornish coast setting that was described so well. I felt like I was visiting the small town in person, and also Cornwall is definitely on my bucket list now!

The dialogue was fantastic! Thank you to Amanda Prowse for introducing me to some really fun new-to-me words! I've been laughing over "tuppence" ever since I read the book. 😆

This is a great women's fiction book that I enjoyed and I highly recommend!

The opening pages of this story set the scene for Merrin’s humiliation. Filled with love and hope, surrounded by her family and closest friends, it was devastating to read on, knowing that her joy was to be short lived. Amanda Prowse beautifully conveyed the feeling of utter desperation that Merrin would have felt and, as a reader, I could completely understand her need to flee from the place and people that she loved.
As she begins to start a new life, safely away from her memories and from the wagging tongues of villagers, she soon blossoms, and her healing starts. Pushing her heartache to the back of her mind, she soon forges new friendships and finds herself excelling in her new home. I particularly enjoyed reading this part of the story, seeing Merrin’s strength come to the fore. Her transformation was gently interpreted, as her ability to consider exploring a new relationship was hinted at. Coming face to face with the cause of her devastation was a pivotal moment, and I just knew that her recovery was almost complete.
Of course, I underestimated how Amanda Prowse takes her characters on a journey, and it was too soon to assume that Merrin could begin to heal, and all would be well. A new heartbreak brings her home to her family and the village that she has turned her back on. As she starts to find her strength amongst those that she knows and loves, she must discover a peace that is achingly missing from her life.
As I hate spoilers, I have been careful to stick within the guidelines of the synopsis. I can assure you that this is a story that will stay with you, long after you have reached the final pages. It is a challenge, for me, to pick out a favourite character. Each one is so perfectly developed that narrowing them down to a single one is mostly impossible. That said, I developed a soft spot for Miguel, the devoted and loving chef who wanted nothing but happiness for Merrin. I also adored the relationship between Merrin, her sister Ruby and best friend, Bella. They shared and love for each other with a healthy helping of loathing when one of them made a mistake. No matter how disappointed they were in each other, their love was instinctive and stubbornly fierce.
I thoroughly recommend this beautiful book, but also suggest that you keep a box of hankies nearby. Enjoy some cathartic crying, it’s good for us all.

This book is absolutely fabulous. I have never cried so much at a book ever. I really loved the familial relationships throughout this book so much it's definitely something I think a lot of people can relate to.

This tells the story of Merrin who grows up in rural Cornwall and gets jilted at the alter and the relationships of her family when she moves to Bristol in order to save face in her hometown and the journey back to the place and people she loves.

Thank you, Lake Union Publishing and Amazon Publishing UK, for the advance reading copy.

This is my second book by the author which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I took my own sweet time because I wasn't ready to let go of the characters and their memories too soon.

I find the writing really good as I did when I first pick up her other book The Day She Came Back.

I find the character of Merrin quite daring and brave as opposed to what other characters feel about her when the story started.

I find the character development so well done. This is one of those stories that would make the reader think about their lives and make them want to leave the toxic things, including toxic people and relationship, out of their lives and start living again amidst heartbreak and fears.

The ending made me feel so many things. I would have thought there were other ways Merrin could have ended in better but do I know more? I don't think so.

Totally recommending this book for the strong female leads readers.

Amanda Prowse books are always winners for me so I was excited to read her newest book that came out on 1/11/22.

I really liked this book because it was not your typical romance read. After the first three chapters, I had in my mind exactly how I thought the plot of this one would play out. I predicted incorrectly and I loved the way Amanda made this plot unpredictable for me.

I also enjoyed the characters in this book. These felt like authentic people with real problems. I also loved the concept of strength from family but also realistic family dynamics like sibling rivalry.

I enjoyed the fact that there were multiple view points telling the story but that the main character, Merrin was the predominant narrator.

This was an easy afternoon read that I would recommend for all those that like your happily ever after mixed with a nice dose of drama.

About the Book

Merrin has wanted nothing more in life than to get married and raise a family in Port Charles near her parents, grandmother, sister, Ruby, and best friend, Belle.

In a blink of an eye, what she thought was a dream come true becomes an uncomfortable situation for Merrin and she chooses to leave the family and town she loves.

Merrin establishes a manageable life with a good job and loving boyfriend three hours away from Port Charles.

Six years after leaving Port Charles, a pivotal event happens that brings Merrin back. Will she be able to find that sense of home she once felt?

Perfect book to curl up with. Love, betrayal, anger, family, friends, and escape are some of the topics this book explores. A great story about growing up and finding oneself.

Amanda Prowse is a master at writing stories that will touch your heart! Just when Merrin thought she had her whole wonderful life ahead of her, her world fell apart. Hurt and devastated, she leaves the only home & town she's ever known to start over. Merrin spends the next 6 years rebuilding her life with a successful career and new friends. But rebuilding isn't really living and everything comes crashing down on Valentine's Day. Merrin rushes back home to be with her family but can Merrin and her sister find a way back to one another again? Can they offer comfort to one another? And can Merrin come full circle & have the courage to really begin living again? A story of family, friends, forgiveness, & strength, set in a charming Cornwall village. I was literally sobbing, and then smiling through my tears at the end!

To love and be loved is another smashing book from Amanda Prowse. I don’t think she can write a bad book!
Anyway this is set beautifully in a Cornish village with Merrin so excited for her wedding day. Heartbreakingly she is jilted at the alter and instantly her life changes. It’s great to see how she evolves. I loved Merrin along with her sister Ruby and best friend Bella - they were all so much fun together. A great read - get ready to laugh and cry

I only came across Amanda's books through this tour and can say I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more of them. It was easy enough to keep up with the characters in this book and Amanda's writing style made it easy for me to keep reading without any problems. (being dyslexic I sometimes struggle with some books and this is one book I didn't struggle with)

“I believed you, I thought we were on the same page, but turns out we weren’t even reading the same book.” – Amanda Prowse (To Love and Be Loved)

I think this line sums up this novel in one sentence, and I love it. Merrin is about to start a new life, it is almost every little girls dream to get married and feel like a princess for one day but that quickly goes from dream to nightmare for her and now she is left to pick up all of the shattered little pieces of what someone else did.

Starting life anew Merrin knows she has to leave Port Charles, this story then follows her struggle to pick herself back up and get on with her life. But life seems to always have a different idea in mind, and that day seems to haunt every aspect of her life whether it is her allowing it or not. As she struggles to find herself and where she belongs, home always seems to be beckoning her back and after some unfortunate events long past truths come to light and Merrin in a way now understands herself and home.

I really enjoyed this novel, Amanda has a different way of writing that is lyrical, emotional and yet there’s an underlying lesson to be learned. Thank you to the author for the free book, and Suzy Approved Book Tours for an invite to another of Amanda’s tours.

This is the first novel I have read by Amanda Prowse, and the hype is real. This book is truly a beautiful contemporary romance that exceeded my expectations.

To Love and Be Loved explores the meaning of love, family and forgiveness to move forward. Merrin lives in a small sea-side town that is in every sense her "HOME." Jilted at the alter, she runs aways to escape the whispers of the community. She goes through the motions of living and relationships until an unfortunate event forces her back to those she missed for many years.

There's something about walking on the sand or the grass or dirt in your barefoot that connects you back to this place, your HOME. There is a memory behind every pebble and every grain of sand to help her heal.

Prowse excels at the building a story with realistic characters with the perfect amount of emotion and drama for a collective sigh at its conclusion. To Love and Be Loved is truly heartwarming.

Thank you, Partner Amanda Prowse, Love Books Tours and IGBook Tours
#Ad #Gifted #LoveBooksTours

I loved both the setting and the story. Merrin’s town was beautiful and I really connected with her. I’ve been in a situation where I’ve felt the same emotions. It really shows how we respond to situations shapes us as a person. All the characters were well developed and I loved seeing the multiple POV. I also like that it wasn’t predictable, a couple things happened that I wasn’t expecting and I think it just added tot be story. A heartwarming story about family, self-discovery, and overcoming fears.

I am not one to write down quotes, but Amanda Prowse makes me want to start. To Love and Be Loved had so many “quotable” moments, I just love her writing style.

Thank you @mrsamandaprowse @netgalley and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

Another other amazing read from Amanda Prowse. You just know you’re going to get a deep family drama with community and love at the heart of everything.

Slowly does it. The story of Merrin Kellow builds slowly but surely, and is a tale of heartbreak intertwined with hope, families, friendship and self acceptance.

I’ve read and enjoyed a few books by Amanda and this one is no different. I find her writing style comforting and I loved the fact that part of the story was set in a village around the corner from me, and the other half in beautiful Cornwall.

The story is believable and the characters authentic. I sympathised with Merrin and I have no doubt that many people would find this story relatable, most of us have had our heart broken at least once before.

The underlying theme of the book and title is pretty heartwarming. Everyone deserves to love and be loved in return. An emotional and moving read!

Amanda Prowse's books are like a comforting mug of hot chocolate. Having read several now, she never fails to stir the emotions and challenge perceptions.

This latest novel is about a Cornish family, in particular Merrin Kellow, who is in love with rich boy Digby Mortimer. Then, on what should be the happiest day of her life, Merrin's world collapses and she flees her beloved home town to escape being the subject of local gossip.

Of course, nothing is as straightforward as it seems and the story unwraps a series of revelations, not least the spiky relationship Merrin has with her elder sister, Ruby. The two sisters are finally able to put their differences aside, but it takes a tragic turn of events to bring this about.

I loved the family and especially Merrin's parents. The sisters' best friend Bella was a real tonic and had me laughing out loud in places - irreverent but caring, with a heart of gold. I also liked Miguel, who is instrumental in helping Merrin mend her broken heart.

The Mortimer family are aloof, in particular the matriarch Loretta, who Merrin blames for what happened, although it is really Digby who is to blame because of his immaturity. Loretta sees this but Merrin does not until much later.

I enjoyed seeing how the various storylines came together and resolved. The characters are relatable and human, and Amanda allows us to see their flaws as much as their strengths.

The only criticisms I would make - minor ones - are that Miguel deserves a happier ending than he gets and also the introduction of a new and significant character in the last couple of chapters. It seems right for Merrin to fall in love again, but it does seem to happen rather suddenly. Saying that, Merrin is ready by then to make the final step away from her grief and embrace a future in which she is free to love and be loved, so maybe it is the right ending after all.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Amazon Publishing UK, in return for an honest appraisal.

TITLE: To Love and Be Loved
AUTHOR: Amanda Prowse
PUB DATE: 01.11.2022

Reading Amanda Prowse’s books always leaves me better than when I started. It leaves me with a sense of hope, and just a little more loved. This is how I felt reading TO LOVE AND BE LOVED.

Looking back, we all probably have experienced something in the past we want Med to forget about, something humiliating and begged for a new start. I certainly have and let me tell you, it was rough. And if you are like Merrin, avoiding the gossiping townsfolk only means moving away - Far, far away. But as life would have it, we have to face our fears somehow. It will always be there to haunt us, but through that journey, we hope to find forgiveness and inevitably find our true self in the process too.

I loved the authentic characters, the immersive storyline, the family drama, the multiple POVs and the beautiful writing and pace of the story.

TW: This was an emotional read so please keep tissues with you.

I loved this book! I just gave this book a very tight hug after I finished it.

Another amazing and heart warming novel from one of my favourite authors!!

Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.

It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again. And she is forced to relook at the questions that she has been avoiding for all those years.

Will Merrin get the answers for : what does she want from her life? Who is important to her? Who is to blame for everything that went wrong? And can she forgive them, let old wounds heal and finally be her true self again?

I loved the plot right from the first page. I felt connected with Merrin, and I loved her character. Her emotions and relationships with her family are so real. And through her, the author has been able to highlight the journey and emotions a person goes through after being humiliated. The struggle of being able to let go of the hurt, finding hope through forgiveness as well as being able to discover a new you!

Thank You NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC!!

This book is such a gem, Amanda Prowse never fails to deliver!
I love the warmth that oozes from the characters and pages! The connection between Merrin and the Kellow clan is special, the bond with friends and all who live in Port Charles flows through many generations.
Readers will feel the character’s emotions, the pain, loss, joy and definitely travel along their life journey. It’s not difficult to find yourself understanding the circumstances!
A truly fantastic read!

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley and a huge congratulations to the fabulous Amanda Prowse on another wonderful book to enjoy!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to @lovebookstours and @mrsamandaprowse for my copy of this book.

What an emotional roller coaster of a book! Even though, at times, it felt like there were more downs than ups, it was amazing.

This is the first Amanda Prowse book I’ve read, and it won’t be the last. It was so incredibly written - everything described so well you could picture yourself walking the streets of Port Charles, waving at the locals as if they were your own friends and neighbours. The characters are great, Gran especially, though I have to say I wasn’t a fan of the sister, Ruby! What a cow!!

The timeline throughout the book did get a little confusing at the start, it felt like it was set in maybe the 50’s to start then switched to modern and took me a little while to get used to. The whole book spans 6 years, I think maybe a date or year on some chapters would have been helpful, but if this is the style of Amanda’s books, I’m sure I’ll get used to it as I read more 😊

Overall, an amazing read that flowed and kept my interest wanting a good outcome for all.

I loved this book I read it in three days couldn’t put it down it a heart warming feel good book that make you smile and cry and laugh. I loved all the characters my heart went out to them. I love the writing style easy to read fast paced you love this book

Such a cute and easy read! Amanda Prowse is one of my favorites because of her ability to draw you in with her characters. This book is the perfect combination of sadness, forgiveness and hope. This is the type of story that’s itching for a sequel!

This is another wonderful story of love, loss, life, and family by the amazing Amanda Prowse. I adore the fluidity of her writing and her well-rounded characters. I was feeling all of the emotions including surprise as there was a bit of an unexpected mystery revealed that really emphasized how our choices can have far-reaching effects, both good and bad, on our loved ones and those around us. The descriptions of grief were beautifully written and very relatable for me, as well as the love of family and the joy of finding your place in this world. I always feel like I'm experiencing her books not just reading them.

As always, Amanda Prowse does it again with this wonderful heart stopping novel. I read it on a plane journey and didn’t look up for the whole time! Such a beautiful story, sad, heartwarming, emotional, yet happy at the same time. The journey of life it tells makes you think, what is meant to be will be. So many of life’s ups and downs happen in this novel and I loved following Merrins life story, it truly was a pleasure. Can’t wait for the next Amanda Prowse novel ☺️

Another fabulous book from Amanda Prowse. A story of family, love, loss, scandals and its also about letting go and forgiving people. Beautifully written and highly recommend!

Merrin is getting ready to start a new chapter of her young life - she was getting ready to walk down the aisle and marry the love of her life, and live happily ever after. But there was no wedding, no happy - after a disaster leaves her humiliated, alone, and heartbroken she flees the small town she's always called home and never looked back.

Until now. It's been six years, and she did start a new chapter of her life after all - one far away from the sleepy seaside village of her past away from her family and friends, away from the reminders of everything bad that had happened to her. She has a stable job, she hasn't gotten her heart broken in years, and things are fine. But when she receives tragic news, she has to finally return to the place she once knew as home and face it once more time.

Being back reminds her of who she was - young, impulsive, hopeful, confident. And she can't help but wonder if she could be that person again if she just finds the courage to move on, and let herself be open to love again.

As usual, Amanda Prowse has created a story so intense in emotion that invokes feelings so deep and visceral you can't help but shed a tear or laugh out loud. The setting, nestled in a remote part of Cornwall, was beautifully crafted so it's easy for the reader to imagine clearly exactly where everything is happening and set the scene brilliantly.

We jump between multiple point of views, learning more about the past and the people Merrin left behind when she ran away, but there were definitely some key perspectives that I felt weren't touched upon and it wasn't always clear when the time and setting changed during the chapters.

This wasn't a story where a lot of plot happens, it's about people, about their relationships and how they grow and evolve over time. There was stunning and complex family relationships, confusing romances and of course the most important of all - Merrins relationship with herself. Another moving, glittering story with that trademark Prowse prowess.

To love and be loved book tour by @mrsamandaprowse
👰 Merrin's world is turned upside down when she is jilted at the alter by the love of her life Jarvis.
👰 She can't cope with being centre of attention and the focus of gossiping neighbours in the beautiful little fishing town in Cornwall where she lives. So she has no choice, she has to move away from the family, friends and the place she loves and make a new start.
👰 After a good few years she meets a lovely new man who she can't commit to properly due to her past relationship trauma.
👰 This is a story of heartbreak, learning to love again, family disputes, regrets and overcoming them, growing and moving forward from upsetting life events.
👰 I couldn't put this book down, it's so beautifully written and tugs at the heart strings. Merrin is a protagonist who you really sympathise with and become invested in, you really want to see her sort her life out and find happiness again

This story is an emotional insight into family life, friendships, loss, and love in a Cornish fishing village. Merrin is in love, but she runs away from her family, friends, and the fishing village she loves when it goes wrong. The story charts her gradual healing. Merrin returns home after a tragic loss that makes her examine who she is, as she comes to terms with the past and defines the life she wants.

The sense of community and family is strong, the characters vibrant, and the conflicts believable. The lyrical writing is immersive, and the vivid characterisation invests the reader in Merrin and the excellent supporting characters' lives. It's an addictive read about ordinary people.

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A heartwarming story about family, friendship and love in all its forms, and about finding yourself, To Love And Be Loved is a beautifully written book, perfect for a few hours of escapism.

Merrin lives in Port Charles, a village in Cornwall and she can’t imagine living anywhere else – until she is dealt a devastating blow on her wedding day, and, unable to face the humiliation, decides to leave her friends and family and move away. Whilst she makes a new life for herself, she struggles to move on and six years later, when tragedy strikes her family and she returns to Port Charles, her joy at being back in her home village leads her to re-evaluate her life choices.

Prowse sets the scene beautifully and it is easy to imagine yourself transported to the Cornish village. The characters are well-developed and relatable and I enjoyed the multiple points of view which enabled the reader to really feel they get to know not just Merrin and her journey of self-discovery, but also those around her. Whilst the pace of the book is relatively gentle, its strength lies in the face that it is full of emotion, heart-breaking at times but ultimately a book full of love and hope that will leave you with a smile on your face.

This is a book packed with emotion and heartbreak which had me captivated from the start. Amanda Prowse writes with so much depth and passion, that this was so much more than “just a love story”. Everything from the characters to the settings was so well written and painted a clear picture in my mind. I’ll even admit that I think I’m a little bit in love with The Kellow family.

The chapters are written in third person POV, with each focusing on a different character. This is one of my favourite writing styles as I feel it gives the reader multiple view points, which can often vary quite dramatically.

The story of Merrin is one that will stay with me – it had such a strong message of how our greatest fears are only what we think might happen and the importance of being able to overcome them to allow yourself to love and be loved.

To sum up, To Love and Be Loved has its merits but hasn’t been a noteworthy read for me. Pick it up if you want something slow and sedate with bursts of emotions sprinkled throughout.

Amanda Prowse books never dissapoint and this is no different. Beautiful characters, beautiful take on family life, stunning scenery set by the language she uses and a heart to every story. Eagerly awaiting her next

The groom, Digby decides not to show up for his wedding to Merrin, leaving her torn to pieces. Immediately she's humiliated and the gossip of the small Cornish Coastal fishing village her family has lived in for generations. In Amanda Prowse novel, TO LOVE AND BE LOVED (LakeUnionPublishing), Merrin takes a drastic step to leave behind her shame and hopefully find happiness.

Merrin creates a new life by putting a hundred plus miles between her and the family and small village she loves. She misses her family and the town, but the hurt is too raw, so she can't return. She gets a good job, starts healing and forgetting about what happened to her. Six years later, tragedy strikes at home and she's forced to return.

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED is all about finding one's true self. Merrin is forced to make choices about her future and to take a good look at her past. What does she want for her life? Who does she want in her life? Can she forgive the people guilty of turning her life upside down? Is it possible for her old wounds to completely heal?

Families are complicated and emotions are difficult to deal with. This story is all about family, self-discovery and forgiveness. To be honest, I needed a couple of tissues to get through this book. I'm sure readers will find it a treasure.

Another fantastic book by Amanda,
This is a great life affirming story with a fabulous character in Merrin, It has me gripped from the start.

As is usually the case with Prowse's novels, this book is gorgeously written and focused on the fragility and beauty of human relationships. She writes characters that are so realistic that they could be your friends or next door neighbours. It is this relatability that draws many of us to her tales. We can emphasise and feel for the people she portrays and become immersed in their worlds and problems.

To love and be loved is no different. Merrin is such a likable character and everyone who has loved and lost will relate to her dilemma and heartbreak. I so felt her pain and perceived humiliation. At times, I even cried alongside her. But I so wanted her to come out of hiding.

I also enjoyed the sisterly rivalry and childish antics that follow us into adulthood. She writes these with such insight and understanding. And the vivid descriptions of Cornwell were perfectly executed. They made me want to book a holiday and enjoy all the sights and senses for myself.

A heart-breaking yet uplifting story of family and love. Of the importance of seeking romance in the right places and being true to one self.

Thanks to NetGalley, got to read this book by Amanda Prowse. Amanda's books are about relationships, how one copes through difficult situations and is very beautifully written, I have enjoyed Amanda's earlier book (Waiting to Begin). However this book didn't seem to touch my heart likewise. There was a lot of repeated statements on the beauty of the place where Merrin stayed, which was getting a bit boring.

The main twist which came almost towards the end of the book was when Madam Mortimer visited Merrin, when the reader gets to know the story over generations and in totality, and the reason why what happened was for Merrin's best.

I always know I’m in safe hands when I read a book by Amanda Prowse and her heartwarming and emotional new book To Love and Be Loved is no exception. Warm and moving, it’s a story with family at its heart that tugged at my heartstrings, taking me through a rollercoaster of emotions as I read.

The book starts as Merrin is about to marry the love of her life. But then something happens to turn Merrin’s life upside down, causing her to leave everything and everyone she loves behind her. Now, six years later, a tragedy brings her home and she begins to realise just how much she’s missed her family and the small Cornish town she’s always called home.

But will Merrin be able to forgive those who hurt her and find the strength to put the past behind her at last? Or are some wounds too deep for her to ever be fully healed? As she tries to come to terms with what happened to make her run away all those years ago, can Merrin finally become the person she was always meant to be?

I loved this book so much! Merrin is a character I couldn’t help but fall in love with from the outset, her pain and humiliation palpable as her young love filled heart is torn to shreds. Amanda Prowse’s writing is beautiful, capturing my imagination from the very first page as I was instantly captivated by, not only Merrin’s story, but the story of her family and the larger than life, close knit community, of the small fishing town she calls home.

There’s a warmth to Amanda’s writing that brings her characters to life so vividly that you can’t help but live and breathe every emotion right alongside them. To Love and Be Loved is a story with family at its heart that is filled to the brim with heartache, love, loss and new beginnings.

To Love and Be Loved is a gorgeous read that brings Cornwall vividly to life. With a heartwarming sense of small town community spirit, it is a beautifully written family drama that I know will stay with me for a long time to come. Amanda Prowse’s writing keeps on going from strength to strength and To Love and Be Loved is quite possibly my favourite book so far!

A lovely but emotional read that I would highly recommend.

Unfortunately this book didn't quite live up to the authors previous works that I have thoroughly enjoyed. This particular story is a very slow burner and quite simplistic at times. A nice read but not my favourite.

Straight away the beautiful book cover and Cornish setting appealed to me. I think one of my favourite things about the book was getting lost in the description of Cornwall and it's stunning coastline.

In the book we follow Merrin's story through heartbreak and loss, be prepared for all the emotions and have tissues at the ready! Amanda writes with such a beautiful gentleness, I found myself at times holding my breath, angry and heartbroken but unable to put it down for long without rushing back to it.

The richness of the characters around Merrin, her family and the community in the little Cornish town made it a joy to read. I've found myself thinking of them a while after reading it, I would love to see a sequel following on with the characters lives.

Without wanting to give anything away, I just loved the ending! It was exactly the way it needed to end.

This book is excellently written and described but I just couldn't get into it when reading. I normally like this genre however it is not my favourite. For someone who loves this genre, you would love this book without a doubt.

I really liked this a lot, so 4.5 stars.

Merrin and Digby have this great love. She can't imagine life without him but on the day of their wedding something tragic happens. Merrin is so humiliated and can't stand the idea of everyone talking about her she packs up her car and moves 160 miles away to work in a castle/hotel. It's a romance so, of course, I knew there were be a happy ending but the getting their was enjoyable. I thought the characters were richly developed, everyone needs a friend like Bella and personally, I could do without Merrin's sister, Ruby. She was too quick to argue and take offense and she never grew on me.

The main setting is Port Charles in Cornwall. In my mind I kept seeing Port Wen from Doc Martin and it really did sound idyllic. I can certainly understand why Merrin missed it so much.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me the opportunity to read this lovely story.

Merrin thinks she is living her best life. As she is dressed and ready for her wedding she is left alone at the altar because the man she is to marry is a horrible mamas boy heartless coward. In their small village Merrin feels such embarrassment and shame that she packs up and leaves with no plans to ever return. Flash forward and six years later she has no choice, but to go home for a visit. She wants nothing to do with the town, the stigma (not her fault and yet they stare at and talk about her as if it is all her fault and how could she have dared to believe that someone so above her station would marry her) and the uncaring obnoxious sister who blames Merrin for mostly anything she can think of. I didn’t find anyone in this book terribly likable so it was truly hard to connect or care all that much for them. It was an okay family drama. Not my favorite by this wonderful author.

Amanda Prowse is one of the authors that I have to read all of her books. Her characters are full of depth and emotion and pull you in from the beginning. You become immersed in the lives of the characters and can easily relate to them and feel their emotions. To start this book, Merrin is young and in love. Her future is bright and full of hopes and dreams. It all comes crashing down and she is humiliated. She feels like she has to escape her small fishing village, or she will never be able to get past the pain. She leaves her family, friends, and life as she knows it, but can she escape her past? Will she ever heal? When tragedy strikes, she must return to the village. Will she be strong enough to face the gossiping? She begins to remember what life was like before she fled the village. She begins to find herself again and face her fears. She finds out that not everything was what she thought it once was. People are not always what they seem to be. Can she make peace with her past and finally find the happiness that she so desperately wants?

Authentic characters and setting….a very moving story.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the story of Merrin Kellow and her family. They live in Port Charles, in Cornwall and the Kellow family are always drinking tea!

The Kellow family are the backbone of Port Charles, where everyone knows everyone else’s business and as her wedding day approaches Merrin dreams of raising her family there, in the bosom of her family, where there is a “photo opportunity at every narrow twist of cobbled street”. Merrin’s relationship with Digby Mortimer isn’t quite as it seems though, and we see Merrin fleeing her favourite corner of Cornwall. Amanda Prowse has a wonderful ability of making her readers feel that we too are invested in Merrin’s story whether it is the description of the wonderful Port Charles or the way Amanda illustrates her characters with her words. I loved To Love and Be Loved and and I would love to know what happens next - to Merrin, her family and her friends!

This was the loveliest escapist romance that I have read in a long time. Now I can't wait to read Amanda Prowse's other novels!
Merrin loves Digby, the wealthy son of a snobbish upper-class family but there is a huge class difference because Merrin's Mum cleans for the family. This comes to a head and Merrin is left humiliated with the small, beautiful village people of St Charles in Cornwall gossiping about her. She adores her village (and the descriptions are idyllic) but she feels that she has to leave. This involves reinventing herself with a new career - but can she find love again?

Merrin finally discovers that you can run away from home, but you can never run away from yourself. She returns to her beloved village but she suffers a lot before she can find peace and understanding. There is a lot of sorrow in this novel, but it's ultimately uplifting, and the characters even stay with you.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781542024785
PRICE £8.99 (GBP

This is another thoroughly enjoyable read from Amanda Prowse, she never fails to disappoint. Merrin loved Digby, He is wealthy, she is not. They're young and smitten. All she wants and has ever wanted is to marry him and become the mother to his children, but on their wedding day, when she'd on the cusp of saying 'I Do'!, she learns that he is not coming, and her world falls apart. The tale progressed then with Merrin's struggle to pick her life back up again and move on. She find work and moves away, only to have to return again, with a very handsome man on her arm, when he sister's wedding comes around. Amanda is so talented in displaying human emotion that it's impossible not to feel all of Merrin's turmoil. This was a really enjoyable read that I highly recommend.

Another good read by Amanda
Read in two days was that good
This lady doesn’t disappoint
Can’t wait for her next book
Thanks NetGalley

Another great story from the wonderful Amanda Prowse. She has created characters and places that are so believable that you feel like you know them and would love to visit.

I liked this but parts didn't ring true. Well written and easy read but just hard to believe parts. No spoilers but if that was my daughter.....!!!

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED - Amanda Prowse

SLOW - 2.5 stars

Plot - 3 stars - After being jilted at the altar, Merrin leaves town to begin life again, despite the fact that she loves her hometown and would rather remain there.

Writing - 2.5 stars - Prowse usually builds a story that shows people's underlying personality and how they grow and learn to handle problems. But this book simply felt as though the characters had lost hope and weren't able to figure out how to work together. I found lots of repetition and simply wanted things to move forward.

Characters - 2.5 stars - There is clear familiar camaraderie between the members of Merrin's family and friends. They joke around together and clearly enjoy each other's company. However, in the small town in which they live, there is plenty of gossip, which Merrin might understandably want to leave behind. I don't have a sister, but Merrin and Ruby's relationship seems uncomfortably antagonistic. And Bella has a sarcastic humor that didn't appeal to me. We don't really get to know Digby all that well, even after the disaster at the wedding. He's more of a catalyst rather than a main character, creating the situation that caused Merrin to change her life. I just couldn't warm up to anyone. They all felt like a clique that I wasn't part of, and I didn't think they worked together well despite the fact that they thought they were so close.

Title - 3 stars - This book is about love, of all kinds, I suppose--Merrin loves Digby, she loves her hometown, the family all loves each other. The title is part of her father's letter and really made things clear to Merrin.

Cover - 2.5 stars - An unattractive cover with dark colors, which is surprising since Merrin seems to love her hometown and would naturally think of it as more attractive than that.

Overall - 3 stars - Generally, I'm a fan of Prowse, but this one was a miss for me. There is lots of repetition, with Merrin being sad about leaving home, but worried about coming back. She misses her family desperately and purposely didn't return for her grandmother's funeral, but it all seems unnecessary. Despite her being nervous about being talked about, it's not all about her, so I didn't understand her overreaction. This book is built around a difficult situation, and I think it's meant to show how Merrin and her family overcome adversity by working together, but it was depressingly sad throughout and felt more discouraging than hopeful to me.

i usually love the author but I was a little disappointed with this one. It's not that it was a bad read - far from it. I just have incredibly high standards from previous books and I felt this wasn't quite up to her own high standards.

Merrin is left at the alter in a small village and leaves to build an entire new life. She was humiliated and heart broken. 6 years later death brings her back and she remembers why she loved this coastal town. She's reverting into who she used to be but can she stay and weather the looks and gossip. A nice story that is slightly predictable. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This story was very well written and so descriptive that I could picture the scenery and the setting entirely. That being said, it just is not my type of book. I loved the twist at the end, though!