The Little Paris Patisserie - Julie Caplin

Description

In a cosy corner of Paris, a delicious little patisserie is just waiting to be discovered. And romance might just be on the menu…

As the youngest of four, Nina Hadley has always had her big brothers telling her what to do. So, when she’s given the chance to move to Paris and help run a patisserie course, she can’t say au revoir quick enough!

There’s just one problem: high-flying chef Sebastian Finlay is the owner of the patisserie. He’s also her brother Nick’s best friend – and the man she has secretly been in love with since forever.

Amongst the mouth-wateringly delicious eclairs and delicate macarons, Nina’s culinary creations aren’t the only tempting thing she’s working with…

Review

Once I got this book for review it leapfrogged over many books on my TBR pile. Julie Caplin is I have to say now one of my favourite authors. This is the third book of hers I have read and it was just as wonderful as the previous two. It's a standalone book so you don't need to have read the other two first.

Nina finds herself in Paris organising a patisserie course at a run down patisserie. The course is to be run by an old crush of hers called Sebastian. He's made it clear he could do without her being there, but as he's broken his leg she is his only hope.

I really didn't want this book to end - it was just so lovely to come back to each time and read all about the people and the course they are on. The references to Paris and the streets, the visits to Laudree made me feel I was back in Paris myself.  I also loved all the vintage finds in the Patisserie - it just felt like I discovering everything with them. Of course there is some romance but it seems as if it will never work out, the cliff hangers were great.

If you want to lose yourself in a world of patisserie, Paris and old world charm then this is the book for you. If you are on a diet - maybe not!

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley for an ARC to review.

One day in December - Josie Silver

Description

Two people.

Ten chances.

One unforgettable love story.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist. After all, life isn't a scene from the movies, is it? But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away.

Laurie thinks she'll never see the boy from the bus again. But at their Christmas party a year later, her best friend Sarah introduces her to the new love of her life. Who is, of course, the boy from the bus.

Determined to let him go, Laurie gets on with her life. But what if fate has other plans?

Following Laurie, Sarah and Jack through ten years of love, heartbreak and friendship, One Day in December is a joyous, heart-warming and immensely moving love story that you'll want to escape into forever, for fans of Jojo Moyes, Lucy Diamond and Nicholas Sparks. 

Review

Laurie is sitting on a bus when she first sees a man who she decides is "the one" but the bus moves on, the guy doesn't get on the bus and that's it - except she can't stop thinking about him. For one year she tries to track him down without success, until she meets him again. Only this time he's now the boyfriend of her best friend and he's called Jack.

She doesn't let on that he is "the one" she has been raving about for a year to her best friend and so begins a journey 10 years of being Jack's friend.  With the story being told through both the eyes of Laurie and Jack so we get what's running through both of their thoughts as we progress through the story.

To begin with I felt this book was a little slow - I didn't connect with the characters and also couldn't see that Laurie and Jack were that connected either. I'm not a big one for romance per se - I do like there to be some sort of a back story and eventually that is what happened in the book. There was a story other than just Laurie and Jack and slowly I began to care about the characters in this book and felt a bond with them. Each new chapter brought changes in their lives and how the bond between Jack and Laurie evolved and grew with some very poignant scenes between them - still friends. 

I devoured this book over a couple of days because once it took hold of me I had to know what was going to happen to everyone.There were also some great supporting characters in her best friend Sarah, Oscar and the MIL aka HRH Lucille. Great writing that was so easy to read.

The end of the book has to be up there with some all time great love scenes - I did shed a few tears and it was a corker of an ending. This has got to be made into a film, I think I would watch it again and again and of course my impatience for the story to get going would be easily resolved!

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars and my thanks to netgalley for an ARC to review.

The Woman at 72 Derry Lane - Carmel Harrington

Description

On a leafy suburban street in Dublin, beautiful, poised Stella Greene lives with her successful husband, Matt. The perfect couple in every way, Stella appears to have it all. Next door, at number 72 however, lives Rea Brady. Gruff, bad-tempered and rarely seen besides the twitching of her net curtains, rumour has it she’s lost it all…including her marbles if you believe the neighbourhood gossip.

But appearances can be deceiving and when Stella and Rea’s worlds collide they realise they have much in common. Both are trapped in a prison of their own making.

Has help been next door without them realising it?

Review

I haven't read any of the author's books before and was settling in for rather more of a cosy read than some of the dark stuff that the pages contained. To begin with I really wanted to read something else as it was a little too realistic in places to enjoy.

There are three stories told  - Rea, Stella and Skye. I wasn't sure where the story of Skye fitted in and kept trying to second guess it. I think on balance I enjoyed this part of the book the most, although again it had a gritty true to life side to it I thought it was very well written and truly conveyed the horror of the situation that developed.

Towards the end the stories all come together in a surprising way - one I thought I had partly guessed. After lots of outloud "oh no's" from me and cheering on the supporting characters, I was pleased with the ending, which was delayed slightly from where I would have thought it might have been. 

Such realistic writing, which at times I found hard to read so I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC to review.

I feel bad about my neck - Nora Ephron

Description

Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Heartburn, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail) turns her sharp wit on to her own life.
* Never marry a man you wouldn't want to be divorced from
*If the shoe doesn't fit in the shoe store, it's never going to fit
*When your children are teenagers, it's important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you
*Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for by the age of forty-five
*The empty nest is underrated
*If only one third of your clothes are mistakes, you're ahead of the game

Review

I love Nora Ephron films and thought that I should read this book - it's been on my tbr list for so many years. I guess I was putting it off in case it wasn't as good as the films - sometimes writers just aren't as funny. I'm pleased to say it did not disappoint me, I really liked this collection of essays and the subject matter. I would say that don't read it unless you are at least over 50, you just won't get it.

There were lots of ah ha, moments for me and her droll sense of humour was wonderful. However also as I was reading it I felt sad - as she talks about her legacies and what they might be especially that now Nora is no longer with us.

Near the end is a chapter "What I wish I'd known" with some great bits of advice. My favourite has got to be "you can order more than on dessert" - who knew!