BOOKSIMO

Description The Cotswolds: the perfect retreat for a stressed-out teacher. And Lucy has found just the right cottage for a bargain rent. All she has to do is keep an eye on Bunty, her extremely feisty ninety-something neighbour . . . With her West Highland terrier Hamish at her side, Lucy plans to relax and read up on the women of nearby Bletchley Park. But the villagers of Little Maudley have other ideas, and she finds herself caught up in the campaign to turn a dilapidated telephone box into a volunteer-run library. Along the way, she makes friends with treehouse designer Sam, and finds herself falling for the charms of village life. And it seems Bunty has a special connection to Bletchley and the telephone box, one that she's kept secret for decades . .  Review I was in seventh heaven reading this book! I just can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed it. Probably aided by the fact that Lucy has a West Highland Terrier and I loved how very true to life all of

Description It’s Livia’s 40th birthday and she’s having the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding she never had. Everyone she loves will be there except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But although Livia loves Marnie, she’s secretly glad she won’t be at the party. She needs to tell Adam something about their daughter but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together. Adam wants everything to be perfect for Livia so he’s secretly arranged for Marnie to come home and surprise her on her birthday. During the day, he hears some terrible news. He needs to tell Livia, because how can the party go on? But she’s so happy, so excited – and the guests are about to arrive. The Dilemma – how far would you go to give someone you love a last few hours of happiness? Review I found this book to be a very different read to previous B A Paris books which I loved so much. It wasn't a psychological  thriller to my way of thinkin

Description At sixteen years old, Irene ‘Reenie’ Calder is leaving school with little in the way of qualifications. She is delighted to land a seasonal job at Mackintosh’s Quality Street factory. Reenie feels like a kid let loose in a sweet shop, but trouble seems to follow her around and it isn’t long before she falls foul of the strict rules. Diana Moore runs the Toffee Penny line and has worked hard to secure her position. Beautiful and smart, the other girls in the factory are in awe of her, but Diana has a dark secret which if exposed, could cost her not only her job at the factory but her reputation as well. When a terrible accident puts supply of Quality Street at risk, Reenie has a chance to prove herself. The shops are full of Quality Street lovers who have saved up all year for their must-have Christmas treat. Reenie and Diana know that everything rests on them, if they are to give everyone a Christmas to remember… Review I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cov

Description In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time. In  Before the Coffee Gets Cold , we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know. But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . . Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving story – translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot – explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back i

Description The New York Times #1 Bestseller 'Millions of young women look to Marie Forleo as their inspiration for empowerment and achievement' Oprah Winfrey 'This book delivers a knockout punch to whatever is holding you back' Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild Do you ever have trouble finishing what you start? Do amazing ideas come to you all the time but after the initial excitement wanes you struggle to follow through? If you're creative and ambitious, the answer is likely yes. The problem isn't you. It's not that you're not hardworking, intelligent or deserving, but that you haven't yet installed the one key belief that will change everything: Everything is figureoutable. Whether you want to leave a dead-end job, heal a relationship, grow a business, master your money, or just find two free hours in your day, Everything is Figureoutable will train your brain to think more positively and help you break down any dream into manageable

Description Meet Ginny, 34, and Cassie, 55. Neighbours, and (very) unlikely friends. Some women have it all. Others are thirty-four and rent a tiny flat alone because they recently found their long-term boyfriend in bed with their boss. Ginny Taylor is certain her life can’t get any worse. But then she meets her downstairs neighbour…   Cassie Frost was once a beloved actress, but after a recent mishap she desperately needs a new publicist. And Ginny is a publicist who desperately needs a job – but can she be persuaded to work for the prickly woman who lives below her floorboards?   Ginny and Cassie are two very different women, but they have more in common than they’d care to imagine (or admit). And when their worlds collide, they realise that bad neighbours  could  become good friends… Review After a bit of a slow start to this book it turned out to be a great read.  I'm sure there will be comparisons with Bridget Jones and the narration by Ginny gives it a feel of tha

Description Escape to Notting Hill this Christmas… From the bestselling author of  Covent Garden in the Snow , this is the most romantic and charming book you’ll read this Christmas… A Notting Hill nativity… what could go wrong? Viola Smith plays the viola in an orchestra (yes really!) but this year she's been asked to stretch her musical talents to organising Notting Hill's local nativity. Nate Williams isn't looking forward to Christmas but as his small daughter, Grace, has the starring role in the show, he's forced to stop being a Grinch and volunteer with Viola. With the sparks between them hotter than the chestnuts roasting in Portobello market, Nate and Viola can't deny their feelings. And as the snow starts to fall over London, they find themselves trapped together in more ways than one… This is a gorgeously heartwarming and uplifting Christmas romance, perfect for fans of Sue Moorcroft, Isabelle Broom or any Hugh Grant romcom… From  Four Wedd

Description Rowena’s country is gone, squashed under a tide of tanks, bombs and Pale, immortal soldiers. But when her father returns from war as a hero, she discovers a new meaning of fear.  Join and Die. > Become one of them, take on the gray skin and yellow eyes of the Pale, and live forever in Sanguinia. With the the clock ticking on her family’s decision, Rowena’s forced into close quarters with Vincenzo, the handsome son of a powerful man and trendy social revolutionary, and then ambushed by Luka, a handsome, heavily armed criminal. Both want to recruit her for their causes, and Rowena, attracted to both, fears being discarded on serving her purpose. Can Rowena hold on to her family, her individuality, and even her life in Sanguinia, the city without a sun, or will the darkness of the world’s oldest empire, and the immortal Emperor Dominus, swallow her whole ? Review I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but this one really hooked me and I'm gl