I thoroughly enjoyed auther VM Karren’s true travel tales – if you remember, I described his Tales of a Fly By Night as ‘some of the most beautiful travel writing you will ever read’ and said I would award it six stars if I could! You can read my full review here: Travel Book Review – Tales of a Fly By Night: And other stories I never told my mother.
I prefer fact to fiction, but I wanted to explore some more of this author’s captivating writing.
It did not disappoint. Val is a born storyteller, and has an exceptional talent for bringing a location alive. He has lived abroad and travelled widely, so I suspect he knows his story settings intimately, and he captures and showcases the intricacies of the local culture masterfully.
Here’s my review:
“A wonderfully warm short fictional read, very grounded in place.”
I absolutely loved Fate and Longing in Lisbon. I’m not a big fiction reader, but this book completely won me over.
It reminded me of the Don Camillo stories I adored years ago – that same gentle humour, warmth, and deep affection for a place and its people. What really shines is the sense of Lisbon itself: not the postcard version, but the lived-in neighbourhoods, the rhythms of daily life, the traditions, and the quiet connections that bind a community together.
This book is wonderfully human. The characters feel rooted and real, and the storytelling has a comforting, unhurried quality that makes you want to linger rather than rush to the end. It’s a story about fate, belonging, and the small moments that shape us, told with great sensitivity and charm.
If you enjoy fiction that’s rich in atmosphere, full of heart, and grounded in a strong sense of place, this is a real treat. A warm, thoughtful, and very human short read that will stay with me.
Blurb and Links
Fate and Longing in Lisbon (Armchair Travel Book 1)
He is a helpless romantic but unlucky in love. She is a rising star with a golden voice. Fate will bring them together in surprising ways.
Life’s cruelty is about to drive the postman, Afonso Riqués, to despair. On the verge of losing the only job and home he has ever known, he grabs Fate’s outstretched hand for his last chance to save his job and home, and finally find the love he has been longing for.
Inspired by the melancholic poetry and sweet sadness in Lisbon’s traditional music, Fate and Longing in Lisbon will carry you away to Portugal’s colorful streets and cozy taverns, where Love’s melodies will drag your heart over the cobblestones before making its secret wishes come true.
For Afonso, everything that needs to go wrong is about to go wrong, so that Fate can take over and make everything better than ever before!
BuyFate and Longing in Lisbon on Amazon UK
Buy Fate and Longing in Lisbon on your local Amazon store or read FREE with Kindle Unlimited.
(Note: This story is included in the short anthology Armchair Travel: Cultural Fiction for the Restless Wanderer, also available in paperback format.)
Find My Books On Amazon
I too am a travel writer, and my road trip memoir, Dogs ‘n’ Dracula: A Road Trip Through Romania has been selected for a Kindle Deal, so the e book is available for 99p on Amazon.co.uk.
Although Dracula is the third book in my Adventure Caravanning With Dogs series, it is a standalone tale of a trip we intended to take around Spain, but decided to turn left…
Described as ‘Armchair Travel Delight’, Dracula won the Chill With A Book PREMIER Readers’ Award – which means every judge rated it 5*, and was a finalist in the Romania Insider Awards for Best Promotion of Romania Abroad.
About Jacqueline Lambert
Jacqueline (Jackie) Lambert is an award-winning travel writer and blogger. A dedicated adventurer, B.C. (Before Canines) she rafted, rock climbed, and backpacked around six of the seven continents. A passionate windsurfer and skier, she can fly a plane, has been bitten by a lion, and appeared as a fire eater on Japanese TV.
A.D. (After Dog), she quit work in 2016 to hit the road permanently with her husband and four pooches.
To date, they have toured more than 20 countries.
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The Fab Four at Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Stratford Upon Avon
Jacqueline Lambert 