A Place of Secrets

The central character in this book is Jude who is an auctioneer specialising  in historical books. A new work assignment takes her to Starbrough Hall in Norfolk to value a collection of astronomical manuscrips and instruments. Whilst in Norfolk Jude finds herself unravelling the mystery of Starbrough Hall & coincidentally solving a mystery which has passed down through many generations of her own family.

I really liked Judes character and felt it was a lovely engrossing read. Perhaps there were a few too many coincidences in tying up all of the loose ends but I was not disappointed with the ending.This book would appeal to anyone who likes historical dramas splashed with a little romance. Fans of Kate Morton will love this.

Hello Heartbreak

This is the first novel by Amy Huberman wife of Irish rugby star Brian O'Driscoll. I have wanted to read this for quite a while and I remember hearing an interview with Amy where she said that if Mary sitting on the top deck of the bus was reading her book and enjoying it she would be happy. Well, I read this book on the bus, in the bath, in my bed - pretty much everywhere and I have to say I really enjoyed it.

The main character is Izzy Keegan who is a bit of a loveable if slightly ditzy blonde. When we first meet Izzy she has just been dumped by her boyfriend and is heartbroken. However this is not a novel about heartbreak. It is about fun, friendship, and a little bit of fashion. It would be a great novel for anyone going through a breakup or for anyone at all looking for a bit of escapism.

The book has been described as being like 'Jane Austen on ecstacy' and 'Bridget Jones' on viagra. I loved both and I also love this.

Amy has a new book coming out in June this year called 'I wished for you'. I am looking forward to it already.

Love in the Making

How adoreable is the cover of this book? During the time I was reading it I was craving cupcakes every day. So if you are on a diet maybe this is not the book for you!

Hannah is due to celebrate the openening of her little shop 'Cupcakes on the Corner' on the same evening that her boyfriend tells her their relationship is over and he is moving out. This is how the book begins and I was pulled into Hannahs world right from the beginning. But this book is not just about Hannah. It is about the lives and loves of many of the pople living in the little town with the yellow cupcake shop. This story is lovely, sometimes sad but always hopeful. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is the first book I have read by Roisin Meaney and I really hope it will not be the last. 

Welcome To My World

I recently read this book by Miranda Dickinson. It tells the story of Harri who works as a travel agent but has never been outside of the UK. She dreams of a life full of travel and excitement with her true love(romantic Venice is her ideal destination) but in reality her life is quite lonely and boring. Her boyfriend is obesessed with work  and the highlight of her week is when she meets her friend Alex to hear all about his travels. The book is filled with lovely characters and Harri herself is someone I really warmed to. The village of Stone Yardley where Harri lives sounds idyllic. It was really nice to read a book set in England for a change (usually the books I read are set in Ireland as there are many chick lit writers here!)

A little suspense is added to the book as each chapter begins with a short aside where Harri is locked in a toilet cubicle extermely upset. Therefore while reading the book we are curious as to how she got into that situation and if she will ever achieve her dream.

This is a lovely enjoyable book, the story unravels well and I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a nice easy read.

November Secret Post Club

This month I recieved a wonderful gift from Lise as part of the Secret Post Club. Lise noticed from reading my blog that I like tea and she is certainly correct. I recieved an absoutley lovely tea cosy, some loose tea from the Royal Air Force and a tea strainer.

I sampled the tea this morning and it was really lovely. It was such a nice surprise to recieve this in the post and the tea cosy has pride of place in my kitchen now. Thanks Lise xx