Thank you for joining me today for my stop on the tour and for checking out my review of Chalet Girls. I also want to say thank you to Lorraine Wilson for kindly sending a guest post over to include with my review. You can find out in the guest post where Lorraine got her inspiration from for Chalet Girls.
First things first lets take a look at the book...
About the book
What happens when life in Verbier suddenly goes off-piste?
Lucy’s been bowled over by the sexy extreme skier who’s hurtled into her life. But can she accept Seb’s commitment to his adrenaline-filled career?
Trusting any man is out of the question after what’s happened to Beth. So why is she so drawn to twinkly-eyed Dan when he’s leaving at the end of the season?
Sophie’s madly in love with her gorgeous fiancé, Luc. Only instead of gleefully planning the winter wedding of her dreams, all she wants is to run and hide…
Three Chalet Girls are about to strap on their skis and find out!
Find out more - Amazon UK
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Guest post by Lorraine Wilson
I'm often asked where I get the inspiration for my books. Initially I started the Chalet Girl series because I love Switzerland and I thought the seasonnaire scene was positively teeming with story possibilities.
With my new release 'Chalet Girls' some of the inspiration came from characters already created in previous books although this doesn't stop it being read as a standalone novel.
'Chalet Girls' features the stories of three main characters - Sophie, Lucy and Beth. Sophie's story started in 'Secret Crush of a Chalet Girl' but I felt there was more to tell and a full length novel gave me the space to dig deeper into what really happens next - after the happy ending that is in fact a beginning.
Lucy has been a secondary character in some of the novellas and the inspiration for her story was sparked when I read the real life story of Jenny Jones - a chalet girl from the UK who became an Olympic medal winner:
From there it was a short hop to delve into the world of extreme skiing. Watching videos on YouTube of pro snowboarder Xavier de le Rue being dropped by helicopter onto perilously high mountain ridges gave me the inspiration for the character of Seb. You can watch one of Xavier's jaw dropping mountain descents here: https://youtu.be/
With Beth's story the inspiration was more personal. I like to write escapist, fun stories but I also try to tackle some of the hard, painful things a lot of us carry around but rarely talk about.
In a way it's a story of perseverance and hope.
That's a theme of especial importance to me because a neurosurgeon told me eight years ago, after a severe brain injury, that I'd never be able to write a book. Finishing my first novella Confessions of a Chalet Girl - http://amzn.to/2kC7FH5 ) using speech to text technology felt like a real triumph but as 'Chalet Girls' is my first full length novel its publication is yet another milestone in my own story.
On a lighter note, animal loving readers might like to know that the dog called Pip who features both in Chalet Girls and on the book's cover is actually one of my own rescue dogs. He has his own story of perseverance and you can read about how he made his way from my lap into the book on the Harper Impulse blog -
Many thanks to Lorraine for this lovely guest post!
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My Review
Even though the story follows three characters you quickly get to know them as individuals with their own personalities. If I had to pick a favourite I can honestly say that I would struggle. However I guess if I had to choose I would have to go with Beth. She is courageous and has hope which I thought were great qualities to have. Although saying that I did enjoy reading the book from all three perspectives as the characters stories were so different but each going through a tricky situation.
Lucy and Seb's first meeting was great it definitely made me smile to see Lucy's reaction to meeting her idol. Lucy and Seb have brilliant chemistry, very sizzling! I loved Beth's strength and determination even after her horrific past as she tries to live her life and move on. The connection that Dan and Beth share is lovely, it was great seeing them get to know each other. Another thing I liked about Beth is that I'm pretty sure I would be exactly the same as her when she learns to ski and be no good at all! Sophie was definitely intriguing I wanted to know what her back story was and I really enjoyed seeing her story unfold.
Some of the characters from the Ski Season novellas are mentioned so I'm pretty sure if you enjoyed those series of books you will enjoy Chalet Girls. However it is definitely a standalone book as I never felt like I had to read the novellas first or anything. The story flows smoothly even when transitioning from one characters point of view to another. Even though there are plenty of light hearted moments there is also depth to the characters as their lives aren't 100% perfect this definitely made me more invested in their stories.
I am so glad that I picked Chalet Girls up, the characters that Lorraine Wilson has created are interesting, engaging and full of life but they are also realistic with complicated lives and pasts. Along with a story that whisked me away to Switzerland and made me feel as if I was right there. I have never really been interested in learning to ski and if I'm honest I am not the biggest fan of snow. However after reading Chalet Girls I can honestly say I could be tempted to try it!
Flirty and sizzling at times but with plenty of heart warming moments!
Five stars from me!
Thank you to Harper Impulse & Netgalley for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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I live in Wiltshire, England, with my husband but love to travel and have lived in four continents. I write fun, flirty romance with emotional punch. When I’m not writing you’ll find me listening to audiobooks while I sew or design handbags, usually with a rescue terrier or two curled up on my feet!
To keep up to date with new releases follow my author page on Facebook https://www.facebook.
Also you can check out my website www.lorraine-wilson.
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