The Tanglewood Tea Shop- Lilac Mills

When Stevie is left some money by her great aunt, whilst she is in a sorry state of her life she decides to buy a tea shop.
When she struggles with even the journey to the picturesque sounding village, you begin to wonder whether she may have bitten off more than she can chew. But her plans for the tea shop are wonderful and she soon picks up pretty mismatched crockery for the delicious cakes she is going to serve.
Her introduction to the village community doesn’t go that smoothly, but she’s soon making friends with some wonderful characters who put themselves behind her.
It has everything- a lovely village, the ‘folk’ at the manor house, a tempting teashop, warm friendships and a hint of romance in the air.
I do wonder whether we might return to Tanglewood and possibly follow other characters in new ventures! I would be keen to read more.

Something to Tell You- Lucy Diamond

Frankie was left a note from her mother telling her who her father was. When she decides to seek him out she couldn’t have picked a worse time. She walks in on her fathers 50th wedding anniversary party. Family secrets and troubles are released throughout the book along with the hurt and mixed emotions on all sides.

it gives you plenty to think about- a long lost daughter, new siblings to introduce and the feelings of the poor wife, who deals with the fallout in her own way!

I loved all the threads of the different family members and how they all deal with the news and also how it affects Frankie.

A new book from Lucy Diamond is always a treat and I enjoyed every page.

The Hidden Women- Kerry Barrett

What a wonderful read set in two timescales.
Lillian flew airplanes to their delivery destination in the war and with friends also set up a network of help near the airbases. She’s a wonderful character and she’s related to the other main female character in the modern part of the book.

Helena works for a tv company that researches celebrities history and one of her cases unearths her aunts name. That sparks curiosity and it is fascinating to read both sides of the story and see how the story weaves together.

I am keen to read more by Kerry Barrett.

Love Heart Lane- Christie Barlow

I’m absolutely over the moon to find a new series with all the ingredients you need to totally fall in love with the story and the characters. Love Heart Lane is such an idyllic setting, in the highlands of Scotland. Totally remote in snowstorms but with a wonderful community spirit when they need to pull together.

Felicity has returned after a long spell and we are left to wonder what happened between her and Fergus when they were younger. She feels a bit left out with all her old friends, but the lure of Love Heart Lane soon has her wanting to belong all over again.

She weaves her way into everyone’s hearts again when she finds herself in charge of overcoming adversity when the snow starts to thaw.

A beautifully woven story that has me hoping the next book in the series is going to be released very soon.

Tell Me A Secret- Jane Fallon

When Holly lands a great promotion at work, someone seems to be less than happy that she got the job. The book deals with professional rivalry, friendships and jealousy in equal measures. When her future is put in doubt during her probation there seems to be an obvious suspect, but as events unfurl you begin to wonder whether any number of her friends or colleagues could be behind the activities.

She’s a single mum with a grown up daughter and after getting an empty nest she is looking for a lodger to help her carry on supporting her daughter. The selection process was quite funny, where she called on her best friend for support.

I loved the twists in the book and couldn’t wait to see what might happen next to poor Holly. I love picking up a new Jane Fallon book and this one was a pure delight to read.

The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker- Jenni Keer

This was a lovely read and I will be keen to look out for Jenni Keers next book.
The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker has some wonderful characters and is full of humour, great friendships and deals with the difficult subject of dementia in a very sensitive manner.
Lucy has a job with a toy company and is trying to ooze more confidence so that she can progress up the career ladder. Her neighbour Brenda provides some wonderful moments. She’s keen to see her get together with the new man who has moved in, even though he appears very taciturn. She sprinkles magic stardust into the mix and hopes to see Lucy sort out all aspects of her life.
She enjoys knitting and you can just imagine the glorious clutter and charm of her flat alongside the clean, stark lines of her new neighbour.
I enjoyed every page.

Five Ladies Go Ski-ing – Karen Aldous

This was such a lovely read about a group of nearly 60 year old friends. They have agreed to go on a ski-ing holiday together and have been following a fitness regime in preparation.

I loved the description of the ski resort and the nerves of the friends, most who have never been ski-ing before. It sounds such a perfect festive holiday. Ginny will be marking the first anniversary of losing her husband and the other friends are also going through some troubled times of their own.

It was lovely to read a book about mature friendships and the different outlooks they have. I felt as though I was learning to ski myself and almost tempted me to think about booking!

The Yorkshire Vet- Peter Wright

I loved reading this book. Peter was taken on by the real life characters behind the James Herriot books. It bought many happy memories of reading those books and also getting an insight into Alf Wright and the real life Siegfried.
Peter describes his work experience there as a boy and then his years training and then his working life as a Yorkshire Vet alongside the tv series he agreed to do.
There is a lot of humour and sadness in the book as we hear all about his friends and his colleagues.
It has made me really want to visit the James Herriot centre and The Yorkshire vet series is now on a series link on my tv!

The Rhythm of the Tide- Ruth Saberton

I love Polwenna Bay. I feel as though I am amongst friends whilst I am reading. It is set in my favourite place- Cornwall. I can jut imagine the tide crashing on the shore whilst everyone goes along their way and making their way up the steep hill to see family and friends.
Alice and Jonny’s wedding is growing closer and they ask family and friends for help. Zak is back with his grandma after a troubled time in the music industry and is wanting to hide away and heal his wounds. Tess is also harbouring a troubled past. Can they work together to ensure the magic comes together for the wedding?
I loved the warm family relationships where everyone is looking out for each other, the romance of the wedding and between other characters and the whole village community pulling together to ensure that Alice and Jonny enjoy the day of their dreams amongst good friends.
The carnival plans sound fun , if a little stressful and really makes you imagine that you live in Polwenna and have been roped in to help organise a bake sale for the carnival.
I can’t wait to return to Polwenna.

Mistletoe and Mystery- Daisy James

I loved the return to the Paradise Cookery school which was set in Claudia’s home in the Cotswolds. They are holding a Christmas cookery course which sounds wonderful fun. I’d love to have stayed in the house alongside the other ‘students’ having a lovely build up to the festive season in the snow.

This book was full of friendships and romance and was such a lovely read. There is an air of mystery surrounding Claudia’s home. I loved meeting her husband and his delightfully chaotic approach to life- but displaying his heart of gold.I am really hoping that we might get to return again! The cover is so inviting that I hope lots of people are drawn to buy it and enjoy a lovely festive read.