Apologies for being a couple of days late with this review, it has been a fun but busy weekend. Friday was a lunch out with an old colleague, a visit from my Sister and a meal with a group of friends. And Saturday saw a very early children's birthday party and a catch up with Team Yorkshire at my lovely in-laws.

This is the second of my reviews following the excellent evening which saw Milly Johnson in conversation with Lucy Diamond at the White Rose Book Cafe in Thirsk.

Read my review of Milly Johnson's Same Time Next Week

One of the points of discussion was a piece around genres and how important it can be when it comes to book sales, and ensuring that us readers discover the appropriate book. Milly Johnson explained that she had returned from the London Book Fair, and noted a whole new range of genres including romantasy (Romantic Fantasy). When I was a bookseller we had our own categories of fiction. 'Clogs and Shawls' for Catherine Cookson type novels, set in the past with the heroine undergoing a harsh life and struggling through adversity and 'Aga Sagas' (think Joanna Trollope) featuring middle-class women undergoing family issues.

Both Milly and Lucy both felt their novels come under the 'Feel-Good' category, which whilst not containing a romance at the very centre of the novel, is all about female friendships and lifting one another up in some way. I'm not sure if this is reflective of the times that we live in, where we all need a bit of something to cheer, but it is a fast-growing genre and both authors subscribe to this, becoming frustrated if they are placed in romantic fiction bays.

The genre has seen a massive growth, particularly in Scandinavia. Our nordic cousins who often top the happiness indexes, maybe they are onto something? Both authors are bestsellers in Sweden where a publisher, set up by 2 female friends reached out to Lucy and Milly and asked if they could publish their novels. Sales have taken off, with the publisher on the look-out for more of that feel-good fiction.

There was a good natured rivalry between the two authors as we learned that Lucy had been flown out to beautiful Sweden for a publicity tour for her latest book, and Milly, er, hadn't. But they both laughed about it.

And so, I come to today's review of Lucy Diamond's latest novel, which I dutifully got signed.

The Plot (from the inside flap)

On the Sun-Drenched island of Kefalonia, the new arrivals at the Ionian Escape Hotel are all hoping for a break from the everyday life. But some of them are bringing quite a lot of baggage....

Disgraced TV start Miranda Vallance feels like the worst person in the world. Her Sister won't speak to her and her job's on the line. She's desperate to put things right but how?

Eighty-Two Year Old Evelyn Chambers has come to fulfil a promise to the love of her life. If she can steel herself to go through with it, that is....

And when celebrity chef Frank Neale checks in, rumours swirl around the hotel. But is it his wife Leonora who has more of a reason to escape to Greece?

The Island Getaway is a big-hearted novel from the queen of bestselling fiction, celebrating second chances, true love and the life-affirming joy of unlikely friendships.

My Thoughts

I have not read any Lucy Diamond novels before and let me tell you, I will certainly be picking up more books by this author. It was great!

Lucy explained that she was very keen to include an eclectic set of characters and was keen to include the staff working at the hotel, as often we fail to remember that they have lives too. The hotel is just wonderful and I found myself wanting a restorative break there, looked after by the wonderful staff and enjoying a strong cup of coffee on the terrace.

The guests at the hotel, add to the interesting lives of the staff. My favourite being the wonderful Evelyn, who at eighty two is on a pilgrimage to scatter her wife's ashes and wants to find the perfect spot that meant something to them both.

She is helped in this quest by Miranda, who has fled to Kefalonia to escape the reporters writing about her very personal family bust-up and subsequent lashing out at the co-star she blames for leaking this to the press. As she helps Evelyn by driving her round the island, we learn there is more to the story than the press are reporting.

Through flash-back we learn about Leonora's story, and her reason for being on the island, which is not just about accompanying her disgraced TV chef husband. Claudia, the receptionist and Leonora strike up a friendship and ultimately Leonora is encouraged to 'just go for it'.

This would be the perfect book to take on holiday, I could feel the Kefalonian heat on my bones on a cold Spring-like day in Yorkshire. At the end I felt like I had journeyed with this characters, and very much enjoyed watching their stories unfold. My signed copy will now sit proudly on my bookshelves with its signed Milly Johnson Sister book.

The evening of conversation with both authors was immensely enjoyable and provided a rare glimpse behind the curtain of being an author and the strange world they inhabit.

I will be back next week with a Christmas book because, it has been a while. If you have sent an email to me, by the way I must apologise for the lateness in responding. I'm hoping to get on top of my inbox this week and thank you to those who have sent in comments, offers to review and book suggestions. You're all lovely.