The Love Note by Kate G. Smith #SummerofLove

 It might be near the end of summer but why not see it out with a bit of love in the air?

This month has been Dash Club's Summer of Love, with a gorgeous array of books to get you in the mood for happier times. 

Books and sunshine, what more could we want.

You still have a day left to grab a 99p bargain with titles including The Spanish Girl, Summer at the Vineyard and Sleepless in Sicily and if you need something to help make your mind up I have a little excerpt and a review for one of the other amazing titles on sale, The Love Note by Kate G Smith.

A wedding dress. A love letter. A secret that will change everything...

When Maggie Burnett discovers her mother's beautiful wedding dress just days after she passes away, she wonders why she'd been told it was missing...

Pinned to the waistband is a note that reads: 'E, je t'aime. LS x' . 'E' must be Elizabeth, her mother, but who is 'LS'? Could he be the father she's never known?

As Maggie's seemingly happy life in London unravels, she decides it's time to go home to Norfolk and figure out the truth once and for all. Even if it means running into Nick Forster, her secret childhood crush. What if this journey to the past is the key to a new beginning?

Here is an excerpt to wet your appetite:

Chapter One

‘Is it bad form to flirt at a funeral?’ 

I vaguely recognise the loud voice as I lean against the wall away from all the mourners. I watch the man at work and see a head of dark curls, familiar long ago, looking as unruly now as they were when he was a cute fifteen-year-old. My stomach drops.

 Surely not! Why is he here? 

The last time I saw the back of that head was as I was dragged away from it almost seventeen years ago at Sally Morton’s summer party. Now he has the gentle, confident swagger of a football captain, the way he is leaning with one arm on the mantelpiece, trapping his prey who looks more than happy to be there. It’s the swagger of an alpha male who should come with a neon sign saying ‘lock up your daughters’. His target hasn’t noticed the swagger or the bright lights; either that or she is caught in them like a rabbit and is blissfully unaware of her impending doom. 

‘Oh, Nick, stop it,’ the girl giggles, obviously not wanting him to stop. 

Nick? It is you! 

Nick Forster. My not-so-secret crush. A boy who used to stay behind in class because he enjoyed being there, certainly not this neighbourhood Tom who is purring so loudly I think he might self-combust.

When did he become the cool cat of Haverley, the small town in Norfolk I had escaped from as soon as I could – and want to again right now. I feel as if I don’t know anyone in the room, and I can’t exactly go up to people and ask them who they are. A funeral is not the time or place for mingling. And it is certainly not the place to be flirting. 

I roll my eyes at Nick’s persistence, shuddering at the thought of being single, let alone being single and hit on at a funeral of all places. As if the thought of cold, prone bodies, teary spoken poems, and ‘Abide With Me’ could make anyone feel randy! 

My sister, Gwen, is doing the rounds amongst the mourners, thanking people for being here, crying real tears when the guests offer their condolences for our mum who drank herself into an early grave. I knew my mum, which means I also know their condolences must be as real as the champagne Gwen is offering them.

‘What do you mean, you want to pass around the Buck Fizz? Like at a wedding?’ I had asked her. ‘What are you celebrating, Gwen? She liked you!’ 

She had hissed in my face and cried some more. I had drawn the line at a buffet. 

Gwen has the room covered. No one will notice if I sneak off. As the younger daughter, I’ve always been good at keeping a low profile and I really don’t want Nick to spot me and come and talk to me. Today is not the day I want to be reminded that I am a heartbreaker as well as the black sheep of the family.

This is the perfect sunny day read.

Heartwarming and uplifting, a story what I'd describe as perfect escapism.

Maggie (our main character) is down on her luck. She loses her mum, her long-term boyfriend and her job all in quick concession.

Can't a girl catch a break?

Moving back into her family home, she happens upon a series of love notes - hence the title - sewn into what she believes to be her mum's wedding dress.

What happens after is not what Maggie ever expected to happen.

ALL THE FEELS

I just adored this story. Romance at it's best. The blossoming love was adorable and the support offered from friends (Perdita cracked me up) really made the story for me.

An undercurrent of humour was flowing through the pages so even in more serious moments I couldn't help but smile.

Family secrets and lasting friendships. Add to that the fact that Kate has managed to find a brilliant balance between emotions and all that combined make this story a quick, fun read.

If you want summer to last a little bit longer I recommend that you read this story.