#NoWayBack #KellyFlorentia #BlogTour
NO WAY BACK by KELLY FLORENTIA
*My thanks to the author from whom I received this book as part of the Blog Tour and in return for an unbiased and honest review*
When two eligible and attractive men are vying for your heart, it should be the perfect dilemma...
Audrey Fox has been dumped by her unreliable fiancé Nick Byrne just days before the wedding. Heartbroken and confused, the last thing she expects when she jumps on a plane to convalesce in Cyprus is romance. But a chance meeting with handsome entrepreneur and father-of-one Daniel Taylor weaves her into a dating game she's not sure she's ready for. Audrey's life is thrown into further turmoil when she discovers on her return to London that Nick has been involved in a serious motorcycle accident that's left him in intensive care. Distraught yet determined to look to the future, Audrey must make a decision - follow her heart or listen to well-meaning advice from family and friends? Because sometimes, no matter what, it's the people that we love who can hurt us the most...
Audrey Fox has been dumped by her unreliable fiancé Nick Byrne just days before the wedding. Heartbroken and confused, the last thing she expects when she jumps on a plane to convalesce in Cyprus is romance. But a chance meeting with handsome entrepreneur and father-of-one Daniel Taylor weaves her into a dating game she's not sure she's ready for. Audrey's life is thrown into further turmoil when she discovers on her return to London that Nick has been involved in a serious motorcycle accident that's left him in intensive care. Distraught yet determined to look to the future, Audrey must make a decision - follow her heart or listen to well-meaning advice from family and friends? Because sometimes, no matter what, it's the people that we love who can hurt us the most...
Today I am delighted to be on the Blog Tour for No Way Back by Kelly Florentia. I really didn't know what to expect when I received a copy of this book but sometimes it's exciting to read a book without any preconceptions or much awareness of the blurb. No Way Back certainly has a great cover - who doesn't love a pair of bright red shoes! It certainly suggests a good, upbeat, punchy story is coming!
No Way Back is a good read. It starts of in Cyprus where we find Audrey on holiday with her parents, heartbroken and trying to mend herself after her fiancé left her. Immediately the reader connects with Audrey, develops sympathy for her and begins to form a relationship with her; we quickly decide she's someone we're going to root for and someone who we want to see "fixed" and happy again. The story then shifts back to London and Audrey goes back to her life in Muswell Hill - something I particularly enjoyed having lived there myself for a long time, so the specific references and connection with the location really appealed to me and made it even easier to visualise in my mind!
However when Audrey returns to London, still heartbroken and secretly still wishing Nick - her fiancé - will reappear, proclaiming it was all a mistake and they will get back together, she finds out he has been in a terrible road traffic accident. Florentia throws the reader headlong into the next part of the story; we are transported from one environment and emotional situation into another - one which then leads Audrey to discover all sorts of things she didn't know about Nick, her friends, or herself and forces her to confront some tricky situations.
Some of the scenarios, situations and dilemmas Audrey and her friends then have to navigate their way through are all familiar to us but I liked that. I think we all enjoy watching characters work through situations we can relate to or empathise with and Florentia makes this even more interesting by taking things in a direction we are not always expecting! Her writing is fresh, alive and full of energy which gives the novel a good pace and atmosphere. It's entertaining in places, it's sad and serious in places and it's got drama, making it a rewarding read and as enjoyable as settling down to a good film or TV series on a Sunday night.
There are great contrasts between Nick and Daniel and the dynamics between them and Audrey make for good drama and tension. I liked the love triangle, the constant pull between an old love and a new one, the difficulties and hurt when discovering friends that have lied to you and then the affection and love when friends that need you to navigate tough times. It's a novel about friendship, finding your way in the world, being surprised by what is around the corner and learning to ride out the journey and navigate your way through the ups and downs life throws at you.
Florentine's writing is fluent and very easy to read. The dialogue is authentic and engaging and depicts the characters effectively. To me, this novel works because we like Audrey. Florentia has developed a strong character with a strong voice and the reader is invested in her from the beginning. There is also a good range of characters which keeps the story moving and provides plenty of action, drama, tension and pace. Florentia effortlessly establishes the wide cast of characters and at no point did I feel there were too many, too few or that I didn't know each of them well enough. She captures the friendships between Audrey and Tina realistically, particularly the strong bond between them and this relationship feels very authentic and well captured.
Thank you to Urbane and Kelly Florentia for an advance review copy of No Way Back which was a real pleasure to read and I enjoyed meeting Audrey and sharing her journey through these stage in her life! I'm intrigued to see what Florentia has in store for her next in the sequel!
No Way Back publishes on 21st September 2017 with Urbane Publishers. Click on the link below to buy a copy.
Kelly Florentia was born and bred in north London, where she
continues to live with her husband Joe. No
Way Back, released 21st September, is her second novel.
Kelly has always enjoyed writing and was a bit of a poet
when she was younger. Before penning her debut The Magic Touch (2016), she wrote short stories for women’s
magazines. To Tell a Tale or Two… is
a collection of her short tales.
Kelly has a keen interest in health and fitness and has
written many articles on this subject. Smooth
Operator (published in January 2017) is a collection of twenty of her
favourite smoothie recipes.
As well as writing, Kelly enjoys reading, running, yoga,
drinking coffee, and scoffing cakes. She is currently working on the sequel to
NO WAY BACK.
Website: http://www.kellyflorentia.com
Twitter: @kellyflorentia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyflorentia/
No Way Back Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/11135145039/playlist/0IbxzB3L6ZPdbrFiUY5fAI
For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @KatherineSunde3 or via my blog bibliomaniacuk.blogspot.co.uk or website bibliomaniacuk.co.uk
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