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  Description Marsaili and Will's happily ever after isn't turning out exactly like they planned... Eighteen months after getting back together, and struggling to find a forever home in their small Highland community, they're still living in the upstairs bedroom of Marsaili's parents' croft. A chance to get away from it all for a romantic Christmas break is just what they need - Marsaili's brother is getting married, and they're going to spend two weeks in Edinburgh for the celebrations. But when wedding mishaps, a flirtatious bridesmaid and past insecurities threaten to derail their plans, the idyllic festive getaway Marsaili and Will have been dreaming of could make them... or break them. Reunite with all your favourite characters for a Christmas holiday they’ll never forget, in this fun, feel-good, festive sequel to The Back Up Plan Review Although this is a standalone novel, you would probably enjoy it more if you read The Back Up Plan first. The story b

Description *Preorder the new book in Julie’s bestselling series for a slice of escapism at the turn of a page!* ‘Up there with the best of them… A big, fat five stars from me ’ Sue Moorcroft ‘An  irresistible slice of escapism ’ Phillipa Ashley It’s time to pack your bags and head to the breathtaking, snow-covered peaks of the Swiss Alps for velvety hot chocolates, delicious cheeses and a gorgeous love story… Food technician Mina has always believed that chocolate will solve everything – and it’s just what she needs when her latest relationship mishap goes viral! So with her bags packed and a new determination to sort her life out, Minna decides to drown her sorrows with the best hot chocolate in the world at her godmother’s cosy Swiss chalet. Chocolate: yes. Romance: no. Until she has a run in on an Alpine train with a mysterious but oh-so-gorgeous stranger… Review What's not to love? Julie Caplin + new book in the "Romantic escapes" series + chocolate - it's a matc

  Description Will all three women have their Christmas wishes come true? Christmas is coming and best friends  Chloe ,  Jules , and  Lucy  are needing change… so swapping homes for the holidays could be the perfect present for all of them! Australian  Chloe  spends her Christmas in a sleepy village in Oxfordshire, England. She is totally star-struck when she discovers who lives across the road. Lucy , who has jetted off to snowy Colorado for her dream-come-true white Christmas, is taken into the fold of Jules’s loud and brash family, discovering more about herself in a few short days than she has in years. And  Jules  leaves the cold climes of Colorado to spend her Christmas on a beach with Chloe’s friends in Melbourne, finding that time away is just what she needed. The only thing better than one Christmas romance is three, and this wonderful festive novel is perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Holly Martin and Karen Swan. Review If you are looking for a little Christmas escapism with

  Description Claire Wilcox has been a curator of fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum for most of her working life. In  Patch Work , she steps into the archive of memory, deftly stitching together her dedicated study of fashion with the story of her own life lived in and through clothes. From her mother's black wedding suit to the swirling patterns of her own silk kimono, her memoir unfolds in spare, luminous prose the spellbinding power of the things we wear. In a series of intimate and compelling close-ups, Wilcox tugs on the threads that make up the fabric of our lives: a cardigan worn by a child, a mother's button box, the draping of a curtain, a pair of cycling shorts, a roll of lace, a pin hidden in a seam. Through the eye of a curator, we see how the stories and the secrets of clothes measure out the passage of time, our gains and losses, and the way we use them to unravel and write our histories. Review I love fashion, sewing and the V&A - so I was delighted t

Description After the break-up of her marriage, Imogen escapes to her aunt's converted lighthouse on Beachy Head. Writing for a tedious online magazine but hoping to start a novel, she wants to be alone until she finds an entrancing flamenco CD in her borrowed car and contacts the artist via Twitter. It turns out that actor-musician Santiago needs help with English, and is soon calling her profesora. Through her window, the other lighthouse winks at her across the sea. The one where her father was a keeper until he mysteriously drowned there in 1982. Her aunt is sending extracts from his diary, and Imogen is intrigued to learn that, like her and Santi, her father had a penfriend. Meanwhile, despite their differences, Imogen is surrounded by emotional and geographical barriers, Santi surrounded by family and land-locked Madrid their friendship develops. So, she reads, did her father's but shocking revelations cause Imogen to question whether she ever really knew him. Two stories

  Description After a spate of terrible boyfriends, Jess is sure she’s found her perfect man in dependable – but occasionally dull – Tim. But when her grandmother, tasks her with retrieving a family heirloom from a local auction she finds herself face to face with a charming stranger, Guy. Guy has already bought her grandmother's precious necklace and whilst Jess desperately tries to buy it back from him, he somehow convinces her to go out on a date instead. Ridiculous. But Guy has the necklace and Jess’s grandmother’s health is declining rapidly. Jess has no choice but to indulge Guy and go on a date with – if only to get the necklace back. But when she and Guy hit it off on their date Jess’s dependable happily-ever-after is thrown off track… Review This is the second book by Louisa Leaman I've read and loved - the first was  The Perfect Dress . Louisa seems to be able to create a world I instantly want to fall headlong into and what's more contains all my own interests. I

  Description Convenience Store Woman  meets  My Year of Rest and Relaxation  in this strange, compelling, darkly funny tale of one woman’s search for meaning in the modern workplace A young woman walks into an employment agency and requests a job that has the following traits: it is close to her home, and it requires no reading, no writing – and ideally, very little thinking. She is sent to a nondescript office building where she is tasked with watching the hidden-camera feed of an author suspected of storing contraband goods. But observing someone for hours on end can be so inconvenient and tiresome. How will she stay awake? When can she take delivery of her favourite brand of tea? And, perhaps more importantly – how did she find herself in this situation in the first place? As she moves from job to job, writing bus adverts for shops that mysteriously disappear, and composing advice for rice cracker wrappers that generate thousands of devoted followers, it becomes increasingly appare

  All profits from the sale of this anthology will be donated to frontline domestic abuse charities DESCRIPTION IT WOULDN’T BE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT A LITTLE CRIME… A Christmas dinner takes a murderous turn, a friendship group loses the festive spirit, and a young girl goes to extreme measures to keep a beloved dog . Afraid Of The Christmas Lights  is a collection of gripping, sometimes funny, and always festive short stories from a group of bestselling crime writers. From the hilarious to the macabre, there’s something for everyone – whether you’re a Christmas convert or a bit of a Grinch. From a detective tracking down missing Christmas geese, to a cat lady who goes on a date in order to keep Santa Paws well fed, this anthology is the perfect gift to cosy up with this year. REVIEW I read this anthology of short crime stories all with a Christmas theme courtesy of Pigeonhole. All the profits from the sale go to frontline domestic abuse charities, so well worth buying. Some of the authors

  Description Come home to 59 Memory Lane with a new novel from the Kindle Top Ten bestselling author Celia Anderson! ’A brilliantly original and enchanting tale’  Sun ‘Wonderful characters make this a great read’  Good Housekeeping ‘One of the most charming books I’ve ever read’ bestselling Cathy Mansell ‘Clever storytelling with a dusting of magic’ bestselling author Jenni Keer Tucked away amongst the winding, cobbled streets of Pengelly, the old stone cottage on Memory Lane is full of secrets. Brimming with trinkets and treasures, there are thousands of stories hidden within its walls. Fifty-four-year-old Grace Clarke arrives in Pengelly determined to uncover the secrets of her past. Standing outside the little cottage, she feels sure that the answers she craves lie inside. The truth about her mysterious long-lost mother and the even more mysterious gifts she was born with… Review I listened to the audio version of this book. I didn't like the narrators voice for some of the cha

  Please note the double-ended upside-down opening for this book is available in books ordered in hard copy from UK booksellers only. 337 follows the life of Samuel Darte whose mother vanished when he was in his teens. It was his brother, Tom who found her wedding ring on the kitchen table along with the note. While their father pays the price of his mother’s disappearance, Sam learns that his long-estranged Gramma is living out her last days in a nursing home nearby. Keen to learn about what really happened that day and realising the importance of how little time there is, he visits her to finally get the truth. Soon it’ll be too late and the family secrets will be lost forever. Reduced to ashes. But in a story like this, nothing is as it seems.  I'm delighted to be able to share an excerpt from 337 with you today... “I suggest you do,” he says in a voice which suggests there may be ramifications if I choose not to. My only remaining thread of control is severed when he hangs up t

  Description August 30, 1975. The day of the disappearance. The day Somerset, New Hampshire, lost its innocence. That summer, struggling author Harry Quebert fell in love with fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan. Thirty-three years later, her body is dug up from his yard, along with a manuscript copy of the novel that made him a household name. Quebert is the only suspect. Marcus Goldman - Quebert's most gifted protégé - throws off his writer's block to clear his mentor's name. Solving the case and penning a new bestseller soon merge into one. As his book begins to take on a life of its own, the nation is gripped by the mystery of 'The Girl Who Touched the Heart of America'. But with Nola, in death as in life, nothing is ever as it seems. Review I'm not sure how I missed reading this book when it came out. I may still not have read it until I saw a really strong recommendation. This is a very long book at 600+ pages so it was a commitment to read it, but I am so gl

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I'm so pleased to be on the Book Tour today. Description An emotionally charged and captivating novel about the complexities of female friendship and motherhood Lizzie Thomson has landed her first job as a music teacher, and after a whirlwind romance with Markus, the newlywed couple move into a beautiful new home in the outskirts of Edinburgh. Lizzie quickly befriends their neighbour Morag, an elderly, resourceful yet lonely widow, whose own children rarely visit her. Everything seems perfect in Lizzie’s life until she finds out she is pregnant and her relationship with both Morag and Markus change beyond her control. Can Lizzie really trust Morag and why is Markus keeping secrets from her? In The Memories We Bury the author explores the dangerous bonds we can create with strangers and how past memories can cast long shadows over the present. Review This book on the surface appears to be a tale of complete domesticity. A young married couple with no close support and a neighbour w

  Description Two strangers. Two very different lives. A chance to escape…or is it? Her life isn’t as perfect as you think… Former actress Madi needs to escape from her lonely London life.  She’s started to forget things and has the strongest sense she is being watched… Prue feels suffocated by her claustrophobic village life, especially when she is humiliated in the most public way.  Now Prue is desperate for anonymity – whatever the cost. Review This book had two distinct threads to it. One was a seemingly cosy feel plot of two strangers who swop residences with one another. The Londoner goes to the countryside and into a village where she feels out of place. In return the country girl goes to London and experiences a big city for the first time.  Then begins a rather creepy dialogue interspersed within these two tales. It's of someone who is entering the London property and seems to have a vendetta against the original occupant.  To me this switching between the two genres felt