Hiya Rosa here. It’s time for one of the treats from my Box of Romances. I love living in Whitby, I truly do but despite the beach, winding cobbled roads and unique shops, it’s not a holiday. Now school holidays are coming to an end and I’ve still need to find Alejo school shoes, I need a break.
As a single mum, living back at home with my lovely but overbearing mother there isn’t a chance to relax and just be. Books are my escape, my five minutes of escapism while in the bath or before I go to sleep. This book Retreat to the Spanish Sun by Jo Thomas leapt out at me from the box. A retreat is what I long to do.
Book Review: Retreat to the Spanish Sun by Jo Thomas
Title: Retreat to the Spanish Sun
Author: Jo Thomas
Publisher: Penguin
Genre: Romance
Release Date: 23rd June 2022
Blurb
Will a summer escape be the answer she’s looking for?
Eliza has a full house! When her three children grew up and moved out, she downsized to a smaller property… but now they’re all back. Every room in the house is taken and Eliza finds herself sharing her bed with her eldest daughter and her daughter’s pug. Combined with the online course she’s trying to finish, plus her job to fit in, there just isn’t the peace and quiet that Eliza needs.
So when an ad pops up on her laptop saying ‘house-sitters wanted’, Eliza can’t resist the chance to escape. She ends up moving to a rural finca in southern Spain, looking after the owner’s Iberico pigs, learning about secret gastronomic societies… and finding a new zest for life and love along the way. From the bestselling author of Escape to the French Farmhouse comes a deliciously feel-good new story…
Rosa’s Thoughts
This refreshing novel was just what I needed, an escape to Spain with laughter, adventure and gastronomic delights.
The retreat Eliza went to was a delight and descriptions were immersive. With the addition of the fun and warm The Spanish Conversation group I felt connected to the place and story.
I’ve never considered pigs as something adorable once they have grown past the cute piglet stage but Banderas changed this. His personality shone and I fell in love with him as much as Eliza did. With the descriptions of food my taste buds tingled and I longed to drink wine and eat the tapas mentioned. This is always a good sign of a good book but usually only happens in Christmas novels so it was a pleasant surprise to fancy salad.
The plot requires you to suspend reality in places but like all good romcoms, it makes you feel that while you’re in their world, anything goes and everything makes sense.
It could easily be adapted to a summer feel good movie and hits all the points for a good, uplifting read.
Author Biography
Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer, first for BBC Radio 5, before moving on to Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Radio 2’s The Steve Wright Show. Jo’s debut novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller and won both the RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the Festival of Romance Best eBook Award. Her recent book Escape to the French Farmhouse was a #1 bestselling eBook and in every one of her novels Jo loves to explore new countries and discover the food produced there, both of which she thoroughly enjoys researching. Jo lives in Pembrokeshire with her husband and three children, where cooking and gathering around the kitchen table are a hugely important and fun part of their family life
The Enchanted Emporium Bookshelf 