New Year, New Guy - Angela Britnell (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 07/04/2020

Author: Angela Britnell

Publisher: Choc Lit

Publication Date: February 25, 2020

Rating: 4/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources)

About the book:

Out with the old life, in with the new …

When Laura’s bride-to-be sister, Polly, organises a surprise reunion for her fiancé and his long lost American friend, Laura grudgingly agrees to help keep the secret. And when the plain-spoken, larger-than-life Hunter McQueen steps off the bus in her rainy Devon town and only just squeezes into her tiny car, it confirms that Laura has made a big mistake in going along with her sister's crazy plan. 

But could the tall, handsome man with the Nashville drawl be just what reserved Laura Williams needs to shake up her life and start something new?

Review:

      Angela Britnell's stories are always a pleasure to read: easy to finish, unputdownable and full of wit and laughter. 'New Year, New Guy' is no different. What we have here is a transatlantic love story involving a devilishly handsome American named Hunter McQueen (alright, I confess; whenever his name popped up, the image that came to my mind was that of Lightning McQueen, huh . . . weird?). So Hunter it is.

      Now to the bits I loved. If you think this is just a girl meets boy, falls in love and then the happily after story, you are absolutely right. But what makes it different is the complex layers lurking underneath. Britnell has packed the story with some burning issues; marital abuse and unresolved trauma. And the way both Laura and Hunter tackle these issues creates enough tension  for a blossoming romance.

      The characters are well defined and easy to connect. Laura is a no-nonsense heroine and without a doubt lives up to her nick name, 'Enforcer'. Yup, the girl can take care of herself, she is no Cinderella as her ex-husband can vouch for by the end of the story. Hunter, with his mysterious and guilt filled past could not have hoped for a better ally.

       Being a short read, this novel can easily be finished in one sitting. The easy banter had me giggling throughout. Overall, the perfect quarantine read to relax and unwind.

Meet the author:

I was born in the beautiful county of Cornwall in southwestern England and grew up in a small village there. I return frequently to visit family and friends but especially to savor the cool rainy weather and hot tea. After school I joined the Royal Navy and served for nearly six years. I held varying jobs from being the only woman in the staff of a sports center to arranging social engagements for the Captain of the base. My last assignment was to Denmark where I thought I would spend a wild two years in Copenhagen only to discover I was being sent to a NATO Headquarters in a quiet town on the Jutland Peninsula. I was only disappointed for a while as I met my own tall, dark, handsome stranger there - a US Naval Officer named Richard who became my husband.

That was the beginning of an itinerant life as from Denmark we went to Sicily where we had our first son. Then it was on to Monterey, California and the birth of our second son. From there we headed to Patuxent River, Maryland where we had our third son. Richard's last assignment was to London where we spent a wonderful three years. Retiring from the Navy he took a job in Brentwood, Tennessee near where he grew up. Since 2008 we are empty nesters which allows more time for my writing.

I have always been a voracious reader, even at 5 years old my school reports show a keen interest in English and very little in math - some things never change! Although I enjoyed writing in school it wasn't until 2001 that I was tempted to take a creative writing class at a local recreation center which has sparked my new career.

When I'm not busy writing I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I try to grow English flowers in the Tennessee heat and succeed some of the time. I belong to the wonderful Red Bandanas Writing Group, Jubilee Readers Book Club, and volunteer at my local library so you can see that words are important to me.

I hope you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoy writing it so sit back, make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy a break from everyday life.