3 Friends, 3 wishes = If Only by Angela Marsons . . . delightful #RomCom

Title: If Only

Author:  Angela Marsons

Publisher: Bookouture

Pub Date: 06 July 2021 

Pages: 325

Rating:  4*  

My Review:

What a change! I thoroughly enjoy reading the DI Kim Stone series by this author and always eagerly anticipate a new addition to the series so was quite surprised to see her latest release, ‘If Only’, is actually a romantic comedy. I just had to find out how I felt about this change of genre, but I needn’t have worried, the author is skilled at bringing her characters to life, whatever the genre!

This story takes three best friends, wine, dreams and wishes, add in some surprises, lots of laughter and, of course, romance, mixes them together with their lives and comes out with a fun read that kept me turning the pages. Sometimes, you really need to be careful what you wish for as fate has a habit of twisting things round in unexpected ways . . . and the grass isn’t always greener on the other side!

I really enjoyed the supportive relationship between the friends but admit that I also wanted to (figuratively, only, I promise) knock some sense into them at times! My favourite of the three is definitely Deb who has some serious issues with her manipulative, interfering soon-to-be Mother in law who is so insensitive and nasty for most of the story. I wanted Deb to stand up for herself and stop letting her interfere and changing the wedding plans . . . . Cher is crushing on her boss and hopes he’ll fall in love with her, despite warnings from everyone else about what he’s really like . . . Sarah is having an affair with a married man who she hopes will leave his wife and daughter for her as she assumes then her life will be idyllic. As the three make their wishes, you’ll need to read it for yourself to discover just how things turn out!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Synopsis:

“I want Michael Hunter to fall so deeply in love with me that he can’t bear to be more than fifty feet away,” Cher declares to her best friends over cheesecake and wine. But what if she’s searching for happiness in the wrong place?

As Cher types up letters about overflowing rubbish bins in a job she hates, she dreams of Michael Hunter. He’s gorgeous, smart, funny and he’s about to become her new boss. But he barely looks at Cher except to ask for a coffee refill. How can she get him to notice she’s the perfect girl for him?

While Cher ignores the warning from workmate Dan that Michael is bad news, her friends have their own problems to fix. Sarah is longing to start a new life with a man who won’t commit, and bride-to-be Deb should be looking forward to her wedding, but her future mother-in-law is turning it into a nightmare from hell… If only her fiancé could see it that way.

So, when one summer evening, over several glasses of wine, Cher, Sarah and Deb stumble across an old book and decide to cast a wishing spell, they don’t think for one minute that it will come true. It’s just three best friends having a laugh and throwing some herbs around the garden. Or is it?

Totally unputdownable, absolutely full of laugh-out-loud ‘I’ve so done that’ moments, and plenty of emotional twists and turns that will keep you refilling your wine and racing through to the end. The perfect romantic comedy for fans of Shari Low and Sophie Kinsella.

Buy Links

AMZ: https://geni.us/B091TZ5GZJcover

Apple: https://buff.ly/3wyTXab

Kobo: https://buff.ly/39Rcu7T

Google: https://buff.ly/2Q67mWh

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 4 million in 5 years.

She lives in Worcestershire with her partner and their 2 cheeky Golden Retrievers.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 28 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone and the translation of Dead Souls, La Verita Sepolte, recently won the prestigious Primo Bancarella award.