‘Sunrise over Pebble Bay’ by Della Galton is a contemporary romance that is set in a place I have spent many a summer holiday in. Dorset with Chesil Beach and Durdle Door not far away from where we stayed every year just took me right back to my teenage years! I adored this book which is a standalone but does feature characters from other books by Della Galton.

We meet Olivia, a woman who is holding two jobs down. One as a cake maker and the other being her attempting to make her name as an actress. All the time just wishing she could be a mum. Her previous ten-year relationship broke down when her ex, Tom, decided he didn’t want children. She is in a pretty new relationship now, with Phil, the Maitre’D of the Bluebell Hotel. The one thing she doesn’t want is to repeat her last relationship, but does he want the same?

As soon as I realised where this book was set I felt like I was in my happy place reading this. Della Galton’s descriptive writing had me from the first chapter. Her description of the smell of a cake almost had me dribbling! I haven’t read any of the other books that are connected to this one but, now I know where they are set and after reading this, I would love to read the others…if only to revisit one of my favourite places in the U.K and see what Phil got up to before Olivia came along!

Such a warm, feel-good story with characters that I really found relatable. Even Olivia’s need for a child, to me, was normal for her age too. They are all very well drawn and feel real. The sense of place is excellent, and I could recall Chesil Beach from memory with Della’s description making it crystal clear for me.

I did find that I enjoyed the fact that the serious issues were very well balanced with the humour and lighthearted parts of the story. We see Olivia having to deal with her sister dropping her bombshell that she has to try to get a handle on for her sanity, but we do see their relationship develop throughout the story too.

A story of family drama, relationships and even romance with Dorset as the setting creates a book I revelled in. I was so eager to discover how Olivia and Phil got through with Olivia’s uncertainty of Phil’s viewpoint on children. I didn’t want to stop reading until I had to do something else..it was a glorious escapist read for me.

Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood Books for the copy of the book.