Title: The Little Cafe in Copenhagen by Julie Caplin
Rating: 4 stars (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Publisher: HarperImpulse
It's 2020 and I just needed a comfort read so what better way than to take a dip into hygge by way of some chick-lit.
Showing posts with label brit chick-lit. Show all posts
Book Review: A Year at Castle Court by Holly Hepburn
July 2, 2019
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟(4 stars)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
This was a good choice for my Brit chick-lit craving. Cat & Sadie best friends opening a cookie shop in castle court. Lissy is Sadie's little daughter & she's divorced from Sadie's father, Daniel. Cat's big secret played as something awful but perhaps I read too many novels where characters pull some truly dark, craven deeds, that I didn't see what was the big deal here.
Book Review: The Weekend Spa Break by Anne John-Ligali
May 6, 2019
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟 (3 stars)
A quick and cute story that continues with the two friends readers met in The Big Event. Constance and Estelle finally go on the weekend spa break using the voucher that Estelle gifted Constance and it's the getaway they both need. The posh resort is all things plush and pampering and that's a good thing because both ladies have some of their home life concerns on their minds and Constance has an actual intrusion connected to her now ex-fiancee, Maxwell (though I'm not yet convinced the intrusion isn't just an unhinged, online stalker). It's a good read and I was incorrect that this was a duology, it's a trilogy and I definitely will be reading that one.
Book ReviewL The Big Event by Anne John-Ligali
May 2, 2019
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟(4 stars)
I was in the mood for a frothy British chick-lit book so this is one I've recently grabbed. This felt more like the opening chapter to the real story in this duology. I thought it was cute, insightful and it made me want to read what happens next.
Book Review: The Brazilian by Rosie Millard
June 21, 2017
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Legend Times Group
Summary: Following a sensational scandal at one of London's most desired post codes, Jane and Patrick decide to escape the gossip with a family holiday to Ibiza, their eight-year-old George in tow. Also on the island that week is a TV reality show involving an eccentric artist, a horny It Girl, a Brazilian soccer player, and a famous musician. As hapless celebrities are picked off one by one, Jane is desperate to be on the program, leaving childcare in the not so capable hands of a teenager. One lesbian escapade and an explosive row over hair removal later, the contestants of Ibiza or Bust leave the island with more than sand in places they never knew existed.
Book Review: The Little Teashop of Broken Hearts by Jennifer Joyce
May 24, 2017
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: HQ Digital
Summary: From fairy cakes to first dates!
Maddie Lamington’s dreams are crumbling around her. If she doesn’t come up with a plan to save her little teashop on Sweet Street soon, it might be too late…
So when she sees how the perfect apple crumble brings together her lonely father and faithful customer Birdie, inspiration strikes: she’ll set up a dating night involving all her sweetest bakes.
Luckily, seriously gorgeous Caleb is on hand to help sprinkle a little magic – and a lot of sugar! Could one night of scrumptious first dates fix Maddie’s heartbreak and save her beloved teashop, too?
Book Review: Rome Is Where the Heart Is (From Italy With Love #1) by Tilly Tennant
May 8, 2017
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher: Bookouture
Summary: Can a holiday romance ever have a happy ending? Escape with Kate to the sun-drenched city of Rome where a love affair is just about to begin …
When Kate’s husband Matt dumps her on Friday 13th she decides enough is enough – it’s time for her to have some fun and so she hops on a plane to Rome. A week of grappa and gelato in pavement cafes under azure blue skies will be just what the doctor ordered.
What she doesn’t count on is meeting and falling for sexy policeman Alessandro. But the course of true love doesn’t run smoothly – Alessandro has five meddling sisters, a fearsome mama and a beautiful ex Orazia. They’re all certain that Kate is not the girl for him.
Book Review: Little Teashop of Horrors by Jane Lovering
April 24, 2017
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Choc Lit
Summary: Secrets, lies, carrot cake – and an owl called Skrillex!
Amy Knowles has always been the plain sidekick to her pretty best friend Jules. And whilst the tearoom they both work in on the Monkpark Hall estate in Yorkshire is not exactly awash with eligible bachelors, it’s obvious where the male attention is concentrated – and it’s not just on the cakes!
Book Review: The Cavendon Luck: A Novel (Cavendon Hall #3) by Barbara Taylor Bradford
June 7, 2016
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Summary: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a captivating epic saga of courage and honor, following the aristocratic Inghams and the loyal Swann family who have served them for centuries.
It is 1938 in England, and Miles and Cecily Ingham have lead the family in bringing the Cavendon estate back from the brink of disaster. But now, with the arrival of World War II, Cavendon Hall will face its biggest challenge yet. It is a challenge that will push the Inghams and Swanns to protect each other and the villagers, and reveal their true capacity for survival and rebirth.
Book Review: The Cavendon Women (Cavendon Hall #2) by Barbara Taylor Bradford
June 6, 2016
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Summary: Cavendon Women, the stunning sequel to Barbara Taylor Bradford’s Cavendon Hall follows the Inghams’ and the Swanns’ journey from a family weekend in the summer of 1926 through to the devastation of the Wall Street crash of 1929. It all begins on a summer weekend in July of 1926 when, for the first time in years, the earl has planned a family weekend. As the family members come together, secrets, problems, joys, and sorrows are revealed. As old enemies come out of the shadows and the Swanns’ loyalty to the Ingham gets tested in ways none of them could have predicted, it’s up to the Cavendon women to band together and bring their family into a new decade, and a new way of life.
Book Review: Cavendon Hall by Barbara Taylor Bradford
June 3, 2016
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Summary: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an epic saga of intrigue and mystique set in Edwardian England. Cavendon Hall is home to two families, the aristocratic Inghams and the Swanns who serve them. Charles Ingham, the sixth Earl of Mowbray, lives there with his wife Felicity and their six children. Walter Swann, the premier male of the Swann family, is valet to the earl. His wife Alice, a clever seamstress who is in charge of the countess's wardrobe, also makes clothes for the four daughters. For centuries, these two families have lived side-by-side, beneath the backdrop of the imposing Yorkshire manor. Lady Daphne, the most beautiful of the Earl's daughters, is about to be presented at court when a devastating event changes her life and threatens the Ingham name. With World War I looming, both families will find themselves tested in ways they never thought possible. Loyalties will be challenged and betrayals will be set into motion. In this time of uncertainty, one thing is sure: these two families will never be the same again.
Book Review: Doubting Abbey by Samantha Tonge
April 20, 2016
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher: CarinaUK Harlequin
Summary: Look up the phrase ordinary girl and you’ll see a picture of me, Gemma Goodwin – I only look half-decent after applying the entire contents of my make-up bag, and my dating track-record includes a man who treated me to dinner…at a kebab shop. No joke!
The only extraordinary thing about me is that I look EXACTLY like my BFF, Abbey Croxley. Oh, and that for reasons I can’t explain, I’ve agreed to swap identities and pretend be her to star in the TV show about her aristocratic family’s country estate, Million Dollar Mansion.
So now it’s not just my tan I’m faking – it’s Kate Middleton style demure hemlines and lady-like manners too. And amongst the hundreds of fusty etiquette rules I’m trying to cram into my head, there are two I really must remember; 1) No-one can ever find out that I’m just Gemma, who’d be more at home in the servants quarters. And 2) There can be absolutely no flirting with Abbey’s dishy but buttoned-up cousin, Lord Edward.
Book Review: The Square by Rosie Millard
July 27, 2015
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Legend Press
Summary: Jane has the ideal life: loving husband, beautiful house and delightful son. Her fashionable dinner parties are perfect - and so are her secret assignations with her neighbour's husband, Jay.
From Tracey and her ‘New Money’ lottery winnings to eccentric artist Philip and his pornographic portraits, the residents of North London's most privileged enclave The Square are a very satisfied bunch.
To raise money for communal fencing, the Residents' Association decides to hold a Talent Show, produced by Jane and hosted by TV celebrity Alan Makin. But when the show lurches into public disarray, reputations are shattered and everyone has to learn to live with a far less glossy reality than before.
Book Review: The Time of Our Lives by Jane Costello
May 15, 2015
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Summary: Imogen and her friends have had their fill of budget holidays, cattle-class flights and 6 a.m. offensives for a space by the pool.
So when one of the group wins a VIP holiday at Barcelona's hippest new hotel, they plan to sip champagne with the jet set, party with the glitterati and switch off in surroundings of unapologetic luxury.
But as they mingle with movie stars, mafia bosses and millionaires, it becomes clear - with riotous consequences - that even in the most glamorous of locations, things can go wrong. Very wrong . . .
Book Review: The Nature of Cruelty by L.H. Cosway
March 1, 2015
The Nature of Cruelty by L.H. Cosway
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Summary: A standalone contemporary romance novel about love, hate, cruelty and forgiveness.
Her name is Lana. She wasn’t dealt the easiest cards in life. She wasn’t dealt the hardest. She has an illness, but she doesn’t let it rule her. The first time she laid eyes on her best friend’s twin brother she fell in love at first sight. It didn’t last very long. He was a hateful boy who made her miserable. The happiest day of her life was when he moved away to London six years ago.
Book Review: Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
February 15, 2015
Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Sphere
Summary: Amid the ruins of her latest relationship, Polly Waterford moves far away to the sleepy seaside resort of Polbearne, where she lives in a small, lonely flat above an abandoned shop.
To distract her from her troubles, Polly throws herself into her favorite hobby: making bread. But her relaxing weekend diversion quickly develops into a passion. As she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, each loaf becomes better than the last. Soon, Polly is working her magic with nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, and the local honey-courtesy of a handsome local beekeeper. Drawing on reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes . . . and discovers a bright new life where she least expected it.
Book Review: A Place To Call Home by Carole Matthews
October 27, 2014
A Place To Call Home by Carole Matthews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Sphere
Summary: In the dead of night, Ayesha takes her daughter, Sabina, and slips quietly from her home, leaving behind a life of full of pain. Boarding a coach to London, all Ayesha wants is a fresh start.
Hayden, a former popstar, has kept himself hidden away for years. He's only opened up his home to two people - Crystal, a professional dancer with a heart of gold, and Joy, an ill-tempered retiree with a soft spot for waifs and strays.
Book Review: Stable Mates (Tippermore #1) by Zara Stoneley
September 14, 2014
Stable Mates by Zara Stoneley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher: Harper Impulse
Summary: Welcome to tranquil Tippermere, an idyllic village nestled deep in the Cheshire countryside. Home to lords and ladies, horsemen and farmers, and plenty of secrets and scandals…
Leaving a scumbag ex behind her, Lottie Brinkley has hotfooted it out of Spain and back home to the country in serious need of some flirtatious fun to soothe her aching heart.
Luckily for her she’s spoilt for choice with not one but three eligible bachelors offering a steamy romp in the hay! But faced with the attentions of roguish eventer Rory Steel, the smiling Irish eyes of hunky farrier Mick O’Neal, and mysterious newcomer Tom Strachan, how can she possibly choose?
Book Review: Hopelessly Devoted to You by Jill Steeples
September 2, 2014
Hopelessly Devoted to You by Jill Steeples
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Carina UK
Summary: Meet Ruby’s fiancé, Finn. He’s gorgeous, thoughtful, successful and adoring – pretty much everything anyone could ever want in a man. In fact, he’s perfect. The catch? He’s just not perfect for her. But when Ruby finally plucks up the courage to come clean, Finn’s so furious that he misses his footing as he runs down the stairs – and suddenly, it’s not just his heart that’s broken!
When Finn wakes up, he can’t remember a thing. Not that Ruby dumped him – not even that they were ever engaged! It’s on the tip of Ruby’s tongue to come clean, but somehow, it never seems to be the right time... And as the weeks pass, she sees a new side to Finn. Arrogant and a shameless flirt, he’s irresistibly bad, and the chemistry between them is explosive!
Book Review: Young Wives Tales by Adele Parks
March 16, 2014
Young Wives' Tales by Adele Parks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Michael Joseph Ltd
Summary: Lucy stole her friend Rose's 'happily ever after' because she wanted Rose's husband, Peter, and Lucy always gets what she wants. Big mistake. Rose was the ideal wife and is the ideal mother; Lucy was the perfect mistress.
Connie - good friend to both Lucy and Rose - is stuck in the middle. She listens to Lucy as she struggles to be a wife, mother and career bitch with one ear and hears about Rose's pain at being a lonely single mum with the other. But Connie has troubles too: she's just got the hang of her own family life when an old flame pops up to rekindle a dangerous passion ... will the whispers from the past blast out all the other noise?
All three women need more than a belief in happily ever after if they are to negotiate their way through messy modern life. Especially as there are many more twists in the tale still to come ...
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