Book-Mad-Mum

    Fran Cooper’s life is at a crossroads. Leaving her job as a personal assistant to relocate to Sheffield when her boyfriend inherits his grandma’s house, life isn’t panning out exactly how she thought it would. Fran now works as a temp but when she’s offered a seven-day booking acting as an assistant to a celebrity she accepts it. However, the booking isn’t in London, it’s on a private yacht in the Mediterranean en route to a tiny Italian island and the glittering Crystal Ball, along with the world’s rich and famous. When Fran is left behind on the island of Panarea she is talked into gate-crashing the ball, where she literally bumps into “All American” guy Evan, who promises to be her guide for the evening, as long as there are no life stories, no last names or personal details. This was like a modern-day retelling of the Cinderella story - an enthralling and captivating grown up fairy tale. I loved Fran’s chara...

  It’s 1941 and the bombs are still falling when we return to St Ives to celebrate Christmas with the Cornish Girls. With the war ongoing,  Lily  is feeling anything but festive. That is, until Eva asks if she’ll join her in working at an officers’ convalescent home, lifting her spirits no end. Eva  came to St. Ives to be near the man who almost gave his life to protect hers. But will the wounded pilot ever help to heal himself by opening his heart to love? Rose  suspects the local orphanage is mistreating its charges – and it’s her job to uncover the truth before it’s too late… This is the second time that we meet the Cornish Girls – we first meet them in “Wartime With The Cornish Girls” and it was fantastic to be reunited with them again in this book. If I’m completely honest, it took me a little while to remember who was who, and what their relationships/friendships were with each other but once I did it was another glorious read and lovely and festive...

  Christy and Alix have been friends since childhood, and Christy has planned her  perfect Christmas getaway—a trip to Lapland with her family and best friend, Alix. But facing a make-or-break marriage crisis, Christy desperately needs time alone with her husband. Her solution? Alix can take Christy’s little daughter to Lapland, and they will reunite there for Christmas Day. It’s a big ask, but what else are friends for? There’s nothing Alix won’t do for Christy. But Christy’s request to save Christmas is giving Alix sleepless nights. She knows something is wrong, but for the first time ever, Christy isn’t talking. And even the Arctic temperatures in Lapland aren’t enough to dampen the seriously inconvenient sizzle Alix is developing for Zac, a fellow guest and nemesis from her past.   Who doesn’t dream of spending Christmas in Lapland with endless supplies of hot chocolate,   sledge rides and views of the Northern lights? Well, if you can’t get to the Arctic t...

  Widow Sabine knows this will be her last Christmas in her beloved home, Mitras Castle. Determined to make it just like the ones she remembers as a child, she employs Dido and Henry of  Heavenly Houseparties  to help organise the big day. As Christmas day approaches, Dido feels that her connection to the old house runs deeper than she first thought. But when the snow begins to fall, and Sabine's family arrive at the house - including Dido's teenage crush Xan - tensions rise around the castle's future and long-buried mysteries begin to unravel. Writing this review has been really difficult because although I absolutely loved the story and the characters,   however, at times it felt much too long and a lot of the story felt like padding. I always hate saying things like that, as I know that an author invests so much of themselves into a story and it’s easy for me to sit here and judge when I’ve never written a book in my life, but I have to be honest, and at ti...

  Recently divorced artist Laurel returns to her childhood village of Middledip, to help her sister Rea overcome her agoraphobia and to spend some time getting back on her feet. Middledip holds some dark secrets for Laurel…secrets she hasn’t even told her sister, but now she’s back in the village she has to face these demons head on. However, time stands still when she sees her old flame, Grady Cassidy – and soon it’s as if they’ve never been apart. But through her happiness, Laurel is drawn back to the memory of why she left the village all those years ago…because of Grady’s brother Mac. Can Laurel learn to forgive and forget? Or will her chances of Christmas under the mistletoe with Grady remain a dream? This is a lovely, but sometimes hard hitting story of love and tales of the past. Sue Moorcroft never fails with her books, and although this is another visit to the village of Middledip, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t read the other books – you really won’t feel as if ...

  When their beloved grandfather dies, Fliss and her sisters are astonished to inherit a French chateau! Travelling to Normandy to visit the beautiful if faded house, they soon discover the chateau is a money pit. It requires major work, a huge tax bill is due . . . and there's a sitting tenant to whom they owe a monthly allowance. Unable to sell but strapped for cash, Fliss decides to spruce up the elegant old rooms and open a B&B. But, why is Jacques, the neighbouring farmer and also local mayor, so hostile, and how did their grandfather come to own the place anyway? I have had this book on my TBR shelf for a little while, but I was so excited to read it, that I pushed it up my list and I am so glad I did as I devoured it immediately. It was absolutely fantastic and I promise you won’t be disappointed when you read it. It has love, food, jeopardy and characters that you will want to befriend! I have read most of Jo’s books now and believe me, this is by far the best, th...

I n 2009, Norah spends a summer in Italy with her girlfriends. Whilst there she meets Andrew from Dublin and after spending a whirlwind week with him seeing the sights of Verona they return to their real lives but make a pact to meet outside Bewley’s in Dublin on Christmas Eve 2019. Fast forward to December 2019 and life has moved on for Norah, after losing her father, and her mother cancelling their Christmas plans, she remembers the pact she made with Andrew and persuades her friend Joe to go with her on the trip to see if what she felt during a holiday romance can be rekindled ten years on. This is a gorgeous romance novel, and I loved the fact that it was mainly set in Dublin during Christmas and the mention of Verona made my heart melt as it is always somewhere that I have wanted to visit. Although you can pretty much guess where the story is going, it is a wonderful book and you won’t be disappointed.

  Kate is a successful interior designer bringing up two children but when it comes to Christmas, she feels that her luck has run out. Grieving for her husband and her father she now worries about renovating her flat, paying the bills and trying to maintain the perfect life.   Her mother, Jean is concerned about Kate but she has her own set of worries to deal with. When sorting through her husband’s things, she discovers a letter informing him that he had inherited a house. A memory from the past comes back to haunt her, but she knows that she now has to face it head on, before she can move on with her own life. This is a story of grief from two different perspectives and the way that two family members handle   it in their own ways is woven into the story nicely, so it doesn’t feel all doom and gloom. I have to say that I absolutely loved this book and devoured it very quickly, I could have got RSI in my wrist from flicking the pages over so fast! When I knew I sho...

    “Award-winning director Clover Phillips is riding high when she encounters Kit Foley; a surfer and snowboarder as well-known for controversy as he is for winning championships. Involved in an accident that had devastating consequences for a bitter rival, Kit has never spoken about what really happened that day. Determined to find out the truth, Clover heads to the snowy wilderness of the Austrian Alps, sharing a romantic winter wonderland with a man who can’t stand her. But as she delves deeper, Clover finds herself both drawn to Kit, and even more convinced he’s hiding something. Is Kit Foley really as cold as he seems? ”   I have read many of Karen Swan’s books before and always loved them – this one is based around the snowboarding and surfing world, neither of which appeal to me if I’m completely honest, however…! Karen obviously does so much research on her subject and sets about creating a story that ...

  Josie literally bumps into Max on her way to post a letter a few days before Christmas. It’s a letter she sends every year knowing it will never be read. Max is stranded in London, but after their chance encounter they spend a few days together, but Max then flies to New York leaving just a note no explanation for Josie.   Oh my word – this book had me sobbing!! It was so wonderful and I truly, truly, truly loved it. Words actually fail me at the moment, as I have literally just finished the last page and I’m still in shock as to what happened. At times in the day when I was working or out shopping, I kept thinking about the characters, what was it that Max wanted to tell Josie, and what part did Erin play in his life? They kept popping into my mind, a bit like when a friend tells you part of a story, but then you get interrupted and you want to know how things worked out!! I couldn’t stop thinking about them, and was itching to carry on reading it. Just be warned thou...

  It’s Darjeeling in 1930 and 18 year old Charlotte Lawrence returns to Sundar, her family’s tea garden after being schooled in England. After learning about her father’s death just days before she arrives home, Charlotte discovers she has been left the family estate. She also learns that it was her father’s wish for her to marry Andrew McAllister, the good-looking younger son from a neighbouring plantation. However, Charlotte wants to learn about the running of the business before she settles down to married life, and convinces Dan Fitzgerald, the assistant manager of the estate, to show her the ropes while she gets to know Andrew. Charlotte’s chaperone and friend, who accompanied her on the journey from England, Ada Eastman, is set to marry Harry who owns a neighbouring tea garden, but Ada has left a secret behind in England and is determined to become a loyal and faithful wife to Harry and friend to Charlotte.   I loved this book- the setting was absolutely beauti...

  Chef Anna moves to Crovie, a tiny fishing village on the Moray Firth, for a fresh start after the breakdown of a long relationship with a “celebrity” chef. When she arrives at her new home that was a bit of an impulse buy, she discovers that her new home is nothing more than a glorified shed, and the village itself sits beneath a cliff right on the edge of the sea, in constant danger of storms and landslides. She feels she has made a terrible mistake and vows to stay just one night before moving on and selling it. Yet as she begins to learn about the Scottish coast and its people, something she thought she’d lost reawakens in her. She rediscovers her love of cooking and turns her kitchen into a pop-up lunch club. But not all the locals are delighted about her arrival, and some are keen to see her plans fail. Will Anna really be able to put down roots in this remote and wild village? Or will her fragile new beginning start to crumble with the cliffs . . .? This book has bee...

  Thirty-nine-year-old Jane Osborne appears to have everything and is living the best life. Her daughter Avery attends private school, Jane chairs the PTA and sits on many fundraising committees and all her friends envies her marriage to Dan, the handsome, prominent surgeon, but… it’s all a ruse. After eighteen years of marriage, Dan’s revealed that he’s been living a double life and is in love with a man. But for the sake of his career, Jane must keep his secret and live a lie. Jane agrees to maintain appearances. But soon the weight of Dan’s deception and the pain of his betrayal get the better of her. Something’s got to give. See Jane snap. Quite publicly. And a bit unlawfully. With brutal honesty, Jane must confront her choices head-on and determine—for herself—if the facade of stability she’s been protecting is worth the price of her own sanity and happiness. I wasn’t sure what to think of this book – I truly felt sorry for Jane having to live the lie and maintain appear...

  “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This is an insult that is thrown at Dublin traffic warden Allegra Bird by a yellow Ferrari owner called Rooster. For some reason, this gets under her skin, and she spends her time evaluating her life and the people in it. Growing up without a mother and what appears to be an eccentric father – Allegra, whose nickname is Freckles, goes to boarding school at a young age where each evening after lights out, she scratches Star Constellations on the freckles on her arms. Leaving school with ideas of becoming a Garda, she fails the entry requirements and instead becomes a Traffic Warden, but always hankers after the law enforcing lifestyle, knowing that this is the closest she’ll get.   Allegra had a warm, but troubled personality, she appeared socially awkward at times along the lines of Eleanor Oliphant there something a bit quirky about her, but I couldn’t exactly put my finger on what it was, but ...

  Lottie is tired – tired with her family, tired of trying to make ends meet and tired in general. Mum to three child, she has to stretch the family budget as far as it will go but still things are difficult and the prospect of their house extension grows further and further away, Lottie starts reworking broken household items and selling them on. Husband Henry has been made redundant and can’t bear to break the news to Lottie just before Christmas. Instead, he pretends to go to work as usual while frantically job hunting. The race is on to find another job before Lottie finds out. What a lovely story this was, and I whizzed through it in just a few days as I really adored the writing style and the characters felt real and believable although there were times when I wanted to shout at Henry!! Since reading the book I have discovered it is the second book in a series, which was a complete surprise as it is a lovely stand alone, heart warming tale and I will definitely be addin...

  Connie McCabe is married to GP Devan and she works during the summer months as a guide, conducting tours across Europe. Connie’s marriage to Devan has gone a bit stale, and when he struggles with adapting to retirement, she seeks solace in her time away from home. On the shores of Lake Como she is swept off her feet by Jared, a younger man who is on a tour with his elderly godmother Dinah.   And so begins a long, hot, intoxicating summer where Connie succumbs to temptation - breaking her marriage vows. When she returns home to Devan, she tries to put the affair behind her, but everything starts to unravel, and Jared has other ideas.   This is a story of utter obsession! At the start I felt it moved along quite slowly, but it gather momentum and by the end I was left gasping as I was so surprised with how it finished! There were times when I wanted to shout at Connie as there were so many red flags that she didn’t see, but perhaps she was caught up in the mome...

  Laura Morrison's life is far from perfect. She is currently sleeping on a blow up bed in her sister’s house and her job as a journalist hangs in the balance as the magazine is being restructured. When Laura is given the assignment of trialling a new high tech dating service called Cupid she is a little apprehensive but she decides to give it a go. On paper her match Adam is perfect…or is he? I’ll be honest from the outset here – I’m not sure if this was the book for me. I was completely captured at the start and it seemed to gather speed but then about half way through it felt like I hit a reading brick wall and the momentum ground to a halt. I absolutely hated Laura’s sister, thought she had such a cold personality and didn’t seem suited to her husband who came across as a little dim, but lovely! Sadly this book didn’t hold my attention enough and felt long and drawn out (sorry!)

  Vanessa has always found it easy to pretend to be somebody different, somebody better. When things get tough in her real life, all she has to do is throw on some nicer clothes, adopt a new accent and she can escape. Her method of escape is to become a different character and go and view houses which are for sale – houses which she can’t afford. After all, we’ve all done it, gone for a nosy around a show home, it’s all harmless fun isn’t it? Well it is until Vanessa is seen running from a house viewing and the police find a dead body inside.   I loved this story to begin with, it was a real page turner and I quickly became involved in the story of Vanessa, the main character who is living under an umbrella of grief, having lost her mother tragically when she was a child. She was extremely vulnerable and when she got involved in a relationship with Connor I was rooting for her and really wanted things to work out. Then about 80% of the way through the book it all cha...

  Anna Wilson travels the world as a professional housesitter – stepping into other people’s lives - caring for their homes, pets and sometimes even neighbours. Living vicariously.   All Anna has ever really wanted is a home of her own – a proper one, filled with family and love and happy memories. If only she knew where to start.   Growing up in foster care, she always envied her friends their secure and carefree lives, their certainty and confidence. And, while those same friends may have become her family of choice, Anna is still stuck in that nomadic cycle, looking for answers, trying to find the courage to put down roots and find a place to call home.   I will be completely honest here – I originally started this book a few weeks ago and put it aside as I didn’t think it was for me. Then I read some of the reviews with people saying how great it was, and so I picked it up and started again, and am I glad I did!! This book tells the story of Anna, a woman...

  Tara Tremain has worked hard to leave the controlling grasp of her extremely affluent family far behind. Building a life in medicine as a junior doctor she meets Alex Carter and together they build an intense relationship. However Alex isn’t all that he seems. Fast forward ten years and Tara is now an Intensive Care Consultant and together with her friends and family she travels to Costa Rica where she is called upon to help a local boy who is desperately ill. His treatment will mean that Tara has to travel deep in the perilous jungle in order to help him, but then she discovers that she needs the help of the man who betrayed her and destroyed her life ten years ago. I loved this book, although Tara was a very wealthy young woman (I’m not!) I could still relate to her and I loved her friend Holly who kept her grounded although they were from completely different backgrounds. The book is set amongst the hustle and bustle of London, but also the more laid back, tranquil, white ...

  The day before Izzie’s 13 th birthday, her mother walks out on the family following an argument with their father, and so it falls to Izzy then take responsibility for her younger sister Linda.     But when a handsome Italian chef moves to Worthing and offers Izzie a job in his cafe, she is forced to choose between her responsibilities and her desires. Then her mother resurfaces, and Izzie discovers there’s more to her abandonment than meets the eye.     Will Izzie be able to come to terms with the past in order to pursue the future she deserves? This was a lovely story, and although I’ve never been to Worthing the places were described in such a way that I can imagine myself walking through the streets, along onto the sea front and sipping coffee in Giacomo’s café that Giacomo. With regards to the characters, Izzy seemed to take the weight of the world on her shoulders, whereas Linda was a wily little minx who needed someone to tell her a f...

  Annie is all ready to marry her university sweetheart Alexander…the dress is on, hair and makeup done and when she arrives at the church with her little sister and dad at her side, the last thing she expects is to be left standing at the altar. Alexander has done a runner and instead of speaking to Annie, he texted the wedding planner asking her to break the news. Annie is left wondering how could life have taken such a cruel turn? Grieving for her relationship, Annie decides to channel her sorrow into Boot Camp classes and it was there that she bumped into Patrick, an old friend who she used to attend summer camp with -   and he is a reminder of happier days. So when Alexander’s parents insist that Annie still goes on the honeymoon to Australia that they arranged and paid for – she reluctantly agrees but spontaneously Patrick says he’ll go as her friend and companion, but what is it like to go on honeymoon with a man who isn’t your husband? I loved, loved, loved this bo...

  The Carey family call Rockwood home until their flighty mother goes off to London to seek fame and fortune as an opera singer, a successful career she gave up when she married their father, a botanist who also goes off to locate some lost plants up a remote mountain in Asia. Abandoned by their parents and left to fight for themselves, the children comprising of headstrong Rosalind Carey, sister Patricia, brother Bertie who stands to inherit the castle, bookworm Walter and their grandfather Sir Lucien who is suffering with dementia after a long career in the Navy. But their once much-loved home is crumbling like the family that lives within it.  Living hand to mouth and desperate to provide for the estate that depends on them, the Carey family are one debt away from ruin. Until the day comes when the dashing Piers Blanchard appears on their doorstep from Cornwall, claiming he is Rosalind’s distant cousin and that Rockwood Castle is his. Piers says he wants to help p...

  At her 30 th birthday party Kate decides to take the bull by the horns and pop the question to her long term boyfriend James, but when silence surrounds her proposal she realises she’s made a massive mistake. Overnight, the video of her popping the question has gone viral and she’s an internet hit for all the wrong reasons. So distraught Kate hops on a plane to getaway from the embarrassing situation she’s found herself in. Seeking solace in Croatia with her brother Toby and his husband Fillipo who are renovating a hostel, Kate discovers a hidden talent for interior design. Working alongside dreadlocked, bearded handyman Alex, Kate discovers that his laid back attitude to life is not only   refreshing but is also catching!   Kate was a lovely character, but felt so vulnerable that you just wanted to scoop her in your arms and hug her – I was so glad that she had a good friend in Robyn who had her back and looked after her. James on the other side was a real panto...