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The Best Boomerville Hotel

Published Date: January 28, 2018

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Available as an eBook, paperback and in audio

£1.99

Out now!

320 pages
English
9781912550005

Synopsis

Let the shenanigans begin at the Best Boomerville Hotel …

Jo Docherty and Hattie Contaldo have a vision – a holiday retreat in the heart of the Lake District exclusively for guests of ‘a certain age’ wishing to stimulate both mind and body with new creative experiences. One hotel refurbishment later and the Best Boomerville Hotel is open for business!

Perhaps not surprisingly Boomerville attracts more than its fair share of eccentric clientele: there’s fun-loving Sir Henry Mulberry and his brother Hugo; Lucinda Brown, an impoverished artist with more ego than talent; Andy Mack, a charming Porsche-driving James Bond lookalike, as well as Kate Simmons, a woman who made her fortune from an internet dating agency but still hasn’t found ‘the One’ herself.

With such an array of colourful individuals there’s bound to be laughs aplenty, but could there be tears and heartbreak too and will the residents get more than they bargained for at Boomerville?

Available as a paperback and audio CD from all good bookshops, online stores and libraries. eBook and audio download on all platforms. 


Caroline James

Caroline James has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that features in her novels. She is based in the UK but has a great fondness for travel and escapes whenever she can. A public speaker, consultant and food writer, Caroline is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association and writes articles and short stories and contributes to many publications.
Her debut novel, Coffee, Tea, The Gypsy & Me is set in North West England, at the time of a famous gypsy horse fair. The book went straight to number three on Amazon and was eBook of the Week in The Sun.
In her spare time, Caroline can be found trekking up a mountain or relaxing with her head in a book and hand in a box of chocolates.
The Best Boomerville Hotel is Caroline’s debut with Ruby Fiction.

 

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Reviews (10)

10 Comments

  1. Ruth N
    Ruth N March 13, 2018 at 9:04 am .

    I will never look at another advert for a Country House Hotel in the same way again now I’ve read about the carryings-on at The Best Boomerville Hotel. I want to join the guests at this hotel for at least a fortnight! Whatever your age, have fun and misbehave at the Boomerville Hotel. Excellent escapism, full of humour and romance.

  2. Gill L.
    Gill L. March 13, 2018 at 10:15 am .

    The Boomerville Hotel is a new venture in the Lake District – owned by Jo, aided and abetted by her friend Hattie. Their target guest list is the baby boomer generation and they offer different ‘classes’ for the guests to participate in if they wish – pottery, art, healing with the Shaman, writing classes etc. The guest list for their opening week is eclectic – Sir Henry (a relic of the past from when the hotel was open to anyone), Lucinda, an artist with strange tendencies, Kate, single and newly free to enjoy her life after caring for her elderly father till he died, Andy, a single widower who earns the nickname ‘James Bond’ for his looks, and so on. But all is not quite as it seems ….

    I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for a good read – I got involved with the characters to the extent that I was talking aloud to Kate (well, muttering instructions!) It did end satisfactorily (through a few hiccups and meanders). Mainly however, I want to go and stay at Boomerville myself! I look forward to the next offering from Ms James.

  3. Barbara J
    Barbara J March 13, 2018 at 3:33 pm .

    This is one great hotel! When can I book a stay? I am not certain, but with such a wonderful idea like this for the book, perhaps she should also open the hotel! I am sure it would go down a storm! The story kept me enthralled to the very end. I was totally at the hotel and enjoyed the way Jo and Hattie ran the hotel, the interaction between them, and with the guests was very believable. My heart went out to Kate and loved the way her romance progressed through the book. The range of guests portrayed, and the interplay between them, Jo and Hattie was gripping. The crime was unsuspected and added another layer to an already excellent read. Read this and join me at the Boomerville Hotel. This is the first of a range of books from Choc Lit under the Ruby Fiction banner – can’t wait to read some more.

  4. Yvonne Greene
    Yvonne Greene March 13, 2018 at 9:47 pm .

    Such great characters, that you just don’t want to stop reading. Thoroughly enjoyed every page of it. The hotel is run by a lovely, caring owner who wants to set up something different for the baby boomers. Laughter and adventure follows. Highly recommend!

  5. Anne
    Anne March 16, 2018 at 1:34 pm .

    This book had everything a girl could want, humour, tragedy, romance, mystery, a great plot and beautifully drawn characters – in spadesful. The hotel in the Lake District offers activity holidays for its ‘baby-boomer’ clientele and attracts lovely eccentric types who are looking for something special. Whether this is a new experience or romance, there is something or somebody for everyone at the Best Boomerville Hotel, only nothing is as straightforward as it seems and there a number of great twists along the way. I laughed out loud at times and felt sad at others, but nothing was going to stop me reading and I challenge you to not want to book your next holiday there. The book was beautifully written, I loved it. A wonderful start for the Ruby Fiction imprint and I can’t wait to read from both imprint and author.

  6. Debbie Southwell
    Debbie Southwell March 17, 2018 at 3:05 pm .

    This was an enjoyable and very easy read. I found the characters endearing and the bad guy Andy Mack was a nasty piece of work who I detested. It was easy to imagine the Hotel and the characters due to the descriptive writing, which I thought was very good.

    I enjoyed the way that I got a good understanding of the background of the characters which in turn made me empathise with Kate and was rooting for her to get her happy ever after with James.

    I did want to keep reading this novel although I did feel that the ending seemed a bit rushed.

    Thanks to Choc-Lit for providing me with a review copy of this book in return for an honest review which is completely my own opinion.

  7. LostinbooksSam / Mummy Sam
    LostinbooksSam / Mummy Sam March 22, 2018 at 3:59 pm .

    What a refreshing and fantastic read.

    I can’t describe how much I loved reading this.

    The Best Boomerville Hotel is proof that it is never too late to begin again.

    I completely lost myself in this book. Felt like I was there at the hotel.

    What a brilliant concept for a hotel. It’s a newly refurbished hotel with a difference open only for people of a certain age.

    During your stay you are offered all sorts of classes to choose from. You can learn pottery, sharing with the resident Sharman / clairvoyance in midlife / write a best seller and curry in a hurry – plus many many more.

    We meet a fantastic group of people who form lasting friendships.

    The storyline is gripping, funny and entertaining. It’s brilliant.

    I can’t recommend this enough.

    I’d love to go there myself this ( I’m not quite old enough though😍 )

  8. Jo Lambert
    Jo Lambert March 27, 2018 at 6:57 pm .

    Well, what a wonderful way for Choc Lit to launch their Ruby fiction imprint. The Best Boomerville Hotel kept me entertained from the very first page to the last.
    After her husband’s death Jo Docherty closed their hotel, the Kirkton House for a year. But now she’s back and with the help of her friend, the larger than life Hattie Contraldo, has reopened as The Boomerville Hotel. The object of their new business is, and I quote, ‘for midlife singles to learn new things and take up fresh challenges’. The hotel offers everything, from spa treats and yoga, to more cerebrally challenging things like creative writing, cookery and art courses. There’s something for everyone, together with a resident fortune teller and shaman.
    As Jo opens for business and guests arrive, the reader is introduced to a great group of very different people. One of the central characters is Kate, someone who has spent a good part of her time bringing couples together with her on line dating business. But after selling her company it’s now an opportunity for some ‘me’ time and maybe finding Mr Right? He appears early on as the Porsche driving affluent Andy Mack who Jo and Hattie are quick to nickname James Bond. Could there be romance in the air? Could The Boomerville actually be responsible for two people finding happy ever after?
    This is such an entertaining read. OK there are quite a few characters to get your head around but they’re introduced in such a way you have no problem distinguishing who’s who. The story dips in and out of their lives giving a great mixture of drama and comedy during their stay. Caroline keeps the pot boiling so the reader is constantly wondering what’s going to happen next. A first class read, I absolutely loved it!

  9. Els Ebraert
    Els Ebraert May 2, 2018 at 6:46 pm .

    Boekenfans reading panel

    By Just Jessica

    Summary:
    Jo Docherty and Hattie Contaldo have a vision – a holiday retreat in the heart of the Lake District exclusively for guests of ‘a certain age’ wishing to stimulate both mind and body with new creative experiences. One hotel refurbishment later and the Best Boomerville Hotel is open for business!

    Perhaps not surprisingly Boomerville attracts more than its fair share of eccentric clientele: there’s fun-loving Sir Henry Mulberry and his brother Hugo; Lucinda Brown, an impoverished artist with more ego than talent; Andy Mack, a charming Porsche-driving James Bond lookalike, as well as Kate Simmons, a woman who made her fortune from an internet dating agency but still hasn’t found ‘the One’ herself.

    With such an array of colourful individuals there’s bound to be laughs aplenty, but could there be tears and heartbreak too and will the residents get more than they bargained for at Boomerville?

    Opinion:

    I loved reading the book! When they introduced it to me, I knew directly that I wanted to read it, i was already fan of the cover and haven’t read the summary yet.
    It’s a really fun book, with romance, intriges and of course adorable characters. I must say that I got to get used of romance at a ‘certain age’. Don’t usually read those kind of books, but I really was surprised by it. An other genre discovered and thank you for that!

    By Fany van Hemelen

    This is a heartwarming and funny read! In earlier days the Boomerville hotel was an impressionant hotel with an other name and now it is opened again with a special reason . At one day the idea comes to give the hotel his old charm back. The manager Jo Docherty and her best friend Hattie Contaldo decide to reinvent the hotel. In an add they search for “boomers”. This are people off 50-69 year old. The hotel is looking for “boomers” they want to celebrate life. This group are often people who think life is ending at their age or they will never found love again. So Jo and Hattie will be their guardian angel. They will offer the hotel as a house to stay and will have several courses they can follow for body and mind. Kate is 50, alone and a bit lonely so she decides to take a break at the hotel. She wants to forget the death of her father and to get to know some new people. When she arrives she got to know the other residents. Lucinda is an eccentric artist who wants to give her own lesson at the hotel and is looking for new opportunities.. Hugo and Henry are guests from the beginning and quite a pair off fellows. Andy is a handsome and charming James Bond lookalike. The characters in this read are sometimes a bit special but always funny and quirky. They are well worked out and described in a lively way. The adventures at the hotel are hilarious and the book has besides romance a bit of drama.

    The Best Boomerville hotel is a trip to the way love and live can be in the middle age.. The people in the book are not the youngest but their adventures are great to read. It’s nice to read a funny and dynamic book about this ages and not a dull story.
    When I read you can have “a date” with the “ mystery Shaman” in his teepee or go to creative writing this sounds interesting to me. At the evenings they have nice diners or events so I think this boomers are having a good time! The Best Boomerville hotel is like chocolate: “ What a nice treat with surprising flavors”!

    By Silke Gorremans

    The Best Boomerville Hotel is an enjoyable read that made me chuckle a couple of times while reading.

    When I started reading the book I felt like I was missing out on some important details. After some quick research I found out that The Best Boomerville hotel is a continuation from an earlier series by the same author. I think you might actually enjoy this book more if you are on to all the inside jokes and the history that some of the characters have with each other. On the other hand when you get further into the book you won’t be missing out on anything.

    Something that irritated my while reading was the way Caroline James described the “boomer-generation”. I was quite surprised when I saw she was from that same generation. She actually made the guests sound much older than they actually were. Constantly talking about hip problems, bladder problems,… I will admit that de earliest baby boomers born right after the war might have such problems, but the younger boomers certainly have not. I missed some respect towards that age group. I also found that reality was lacking. As I have said lots of talk about hip problems, bladder problems etc.. but suddenly Kate is a sex goddess? Why wasn’t that put down more realistic, everybody know that women experience some problems there as well when growing older. At least I should be pleased that Andy needed to take Viagra to keep up, else it would have been really unrealistic.

    But overall I quite enjoyed the story. I loved how very British it was! Of course it was predictable, like almost all books in this genre are. But it was just so much fun! And I absolutely loved the friendship between Hattie and Jo! All the little interactions between the different characters. But sometimes it felt like it was all moving a little bit too fast. Especially in the end. It felt like the author just wanted to tie all the loose ends together and give everybody a happy ending. Not caring if it made any sense or not….

    An enjoyable light little read… comparable to a good candy bar. It sweet, it’s fun, but nothing notorious about it. And sometimes that is just all you need. A little guilty pleasure.

    By Lie Frooninckx

    Jo and her best friend Hattie have completely renovated their hotel and reopen it as “The Boomerville Hotel”. Their favourite customers are between the age of 50 and 69, are singles and need companionship. This hotel revolves around offering various workshops, ranging from pottery and clairvoyance to writer’s art. Kate is one of the first guests of the Boomerville Hotel. She put her job on hold to take care of her heavily-demented father. After his death, she falls into the “black hole”, sees the ad for Bloomerville and decides open up to new experiences for a couple of weeks. At about the same time, Andy “James Bond”, a widower and a pensioner, also arrives …. After a lot of drama and a lot of romance, we get to know Andy as a master scammer who could be exposed by his “fiancé” Kate after she became a victim of his sweet-talk …. All ends well for Kate and her friends. Wonderful story, beautifully constructed, never boring.

    By Melody Weemaels

    As a former hotel receptionist, i was really looking forward to Reading this one. It also has Such an adorable cover! Getting started i thought is was just one cliché piled on top of another. You have your busty, loud mouth best friend, your English rose who likes to garden and has a labrador Dog. An eccentric artist, an attractive conman and a couple of elderly brothers who kept reminding me of the muppets, you know those two on the balcony. The plot is not hard to figure out, because it follows all the traditional paths. BUT, and i write this in all caps because it is indeed a big but and you know those cannot lie, i never got bored Reading this book. There’s so much happening, so much fun to enjoy. I had some really good laughs! The level of fun in this book is so high (Thanks to hattie, oh how i loved hattie!) that those clichés are just some small side effects that you are most happy to endure. If you like some light Reading and an incredably likeable cast of characters this is the book for you.

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