Review: The Little Bakery on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry

Buy here from Amazon.co.uk

Prepare to fall in love with beautiful village of Burley Bridge.

Growing up in a quiet Yorkshire village, Roxanne couldn’t wait to escape and find her place in the world in London. As a high-powered fashion editor she lives a glamorous life of perennial singlehood – or so it seems to her sister Della. But when Roxanne gets her heart broken by a fashion photographer, she runs away, back to Della’s welcoming home above her bookshop in Burley Bridge.

But Burley Bridge, Roxanne discovers, is even quieter than she remembered. There’s nothing to do, so Roxanne agrees to walk Della’s dog Stanley. It’s on these walks that Roxanne makes a startling discovery: the people who live in Burley Bridge are, well, just people – different from the fashion set she’s used to, but kind and even interesting. Michael, a widower trying to make a go of a small bakery, particularly so. Little by little, cupcake by cupcake, Roxanne and Michael fall into a comforting friendship.

Could there be a life for Roxanne after all, in the place she’s spent 46 years trying to escape?

Roxanne Cartwright, fashion editor for a glossy London magazine appears to have a perfect life. If you fancy single(ish), child free and living in central London mixing with glamorous models and styling dazzling fashion shoots (you may guess this was once my dream...) but changes being implemented within the magazine by a know-nothing editor start to crumble Roxanne's perfect job and make her seek refuge with older sister, Della, who runs a cook book shop in her home town of Burley Bridge in rural Yorkshire. Somewhere that Roxanne had been trying to run from all her adult life.

We first met Roxanne, but mainly Della, in Berry's first book (one of my favourites, Fiona Gibson writes under Ellen Berry for these Burley Bridge novels). We didn't get to know too much about Roxanne but she did come across a bit selfish and caught up in her glamorous London life to help Della when their mother died. I must admit I wasn't keen on her character when we met her in The Little Bookshop on Rosemary Lane, but getting to know her properly I really did like her in this book.

So with her sabbatical in the country well underway she begins slowly to reacquaint herself with the village and the natives, and begins to realise they're not all Cath Kidston wellies and pots of homemade jam (although IMHO nothing is wrong with either of these), and friendships begin to blossom.

Her relationship slightly cool - on/off boyfriend Sean (a bit of a creep) plays on her mind a lot while in Burley, she knows something is amiss but still tries her hardest to make it work, so keeps the lovely Michael from the quaint and gorgeous sounding bakery at arms length when it's clear they both like each other, and the friendship that is sparked between Roxanne and Michael's teenage daughter, Ella is charming and probably my favourite aspect of the book.

The book itself is beautiful, the writing superb and the descriptions charming, how I'd love to live in Burley Bridge, I quite fancy opening up my own boutique there, or perhaps a chocolate shop? Anyway, I did love the book but it fell slightly away from getting 5* as I would have liked it to have been a little bit more about the bakery - which really did play quite a small part? I seemed to be waiting throughout a lot of the story, then realised by 90% it wasn't coming. But don't let this put you off unless you want a blow-by-blow account of how many cream horns Michael sells throughout the week, because it really is a lovely, charming, witty and well written book. I'd love to see, and am sure there will be, another Burley Bridge outing to come.

Review copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Trouble With Words by Suzie Tullett - Blog Tour

Buy here at Amazon.co.uk

Annabel is desperate to have a baby – there’s just one problem. She’s single and after losing her husband in a hit and run accident, she’s just not ready for another relationship. 

Dan is on the hunt for the perfect woman but when his mother drops a bombshell, he starts to feel the pressure.

When Dan and Annabel’s worlds collide, both start to think that maybe they’ve found the solution to their problems. But things are about to get messy.

Can Dan and Annabel get what they want?

The story opens with Annabel breaking the news to her husband that is going to have a baby.

It's not the most conventional as it's at his graveside, and he's, well, dead. And another problem she has is at that moment she has not found someone to be the father.

I really felt for her as soon as I began reading and was drawn instantly to her character.

As the story progresses we meet Dan and his mum Gerry. She is desperate for Dan to find himself a wife and she needs to be sure it's the right woman for him, she has plenty of candidates lined up!

Dan and Annabel seem perfect for each other - if only they would realise it! With both of them having their own trials that seem more important than the dating game, things seem that they will pass them by, until fate intervenes...

There are some really sad, properly tear jerking moments throughout the book, all beautifully written and sincere enough to make you think you are in the room with the characters, to offset this there are plenty of laugh out loud moments to lighten the mood along the way.

The ending was poignant, satisfying and well written, as was the whole book. I find Tullett a master of writing believable dialogue that is read in your mind just as you would hear someone speaking it. The characters are well developed and seem to really grow in strength throughout the story, Gerry being my favourite - she definitely deserves Fictional Mother of the Year!

Congratulations to Tullett on providing another well written, perfectly researched and entertaining tale.

Many thanks to Bombshell Books for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About the author:

Suzie Tullett is an author of contemporary humorous fiction and romantic comedy. She has a Masters Degree in Television & Radio Scriptwriting and worked as a scriptwriter before becoming a full-time novelist. Her motto is to 'live, laugh, love' and when she's not busy creating her own literary masterpieces, she usually has her head in someone else's.

Suzie lives in a tiny hamlet in the middle of the French countryside, along with her husband and two Greek rescue dogs.

My Facebook Author page https://www.facebook.com/Suzie-Tullett-Author-221204154583599/

Twitter @SuzieTullett

My website Suzie Tullett

Instagram suzie_tullett 

5* review - Comfort and Joy by Cathy Bramley

Available here at Amazon.co.uk

Curl up with this feel-good short story, full of romance, surprises and a sprinkling of Christmas magic…!

It’s been a busy year for Verity Bloom at the Plumberry School of Comfort Food, but Christmas Eve is finally here. With delicious treats all wrapped up and the ingredients packed away, Verity is looking forward to a relaxing few days with her new boyfriend.

Good food, family and friends – it’s a simple recipe for true comfort and joy, and all Verity’s friends in the village are full of excitement about the holidays too.

But the weather has other plans in store… Relentless rain leads to a power cut that spells disaster for many of Plumberry’s residents. It’s starting to look like this year’s celebrations could be a total washout.

With dreams of a perfect Christmas dashed, will the last of the festive cheer be swept away in the downpour? Or can the cookery school create a Christmas miracle for everyone Verity holds dear?

I was so pleased to be back in the village of Plumberry and it was extra special to celebrate Christmas with them, and what a Christmas it was!

Everyone's plans were affected as a huge rainfall fell in and around Plumberry, making travel impossible and unsafe. There was huge disappointment and none more so than when the power was interrupted meaning no one in Plumberry was to be fed and watered.

Verity and Tom are looking forward to a quiet Christmas, their first together, but Verity is feeling a little melancholy as she misses her family and the hustle and bustle of a normal family Christmas. 

Who will step in and save Christmas for the residents of Plumberry? Maybe Santa Claus himself?

How wonderful to sink into a Cathy Bramley book filled with humour and warmth at Christmas time - Comfort and Joy indeed. It is a wonderful treat if you have read The Plumberry School of Comfort Food but will be equally as enjoyable as a standalone read.

I made me feel squishy, warm and ready to face the festive season with cheer!

5* review: The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry

Buy HERE from Amazon.co.uk

Take a trip to the Yorkshire village of Burley Bridge, where a very special little cookbook shop is about to open its doors…

In the beginning…

Kitty Cartwright has always solved her problems in the kitchen. Her cookbooks are her life, and there isn’t an issue that ‘Cooking with Aspic’ can’t fix. Her only wish is that she had a book entitled ‘Rustling Up Dinner When Your Husband Has Left You’.

Forty years later…

On Rosemary Lane, Della Cartwright plans to open a very special little bookshop. Not knowing what to do with the hundreds of cookbooks her mother left her, she now wants to share their recipes with the world – and no amount of aspic will stand in her way.

But with her family convinced it’s a hare-brained scheme, Della starts to wonder if she’s made a terrible decision. One thing’s for sure: she’s about to find out…

The book opens with a snippet of Della's childhood; her father had left and Della clearly needed to take the reigns to feed their family. It was okay though as her mother had an extraordinary amount of cookery books to choose from, so she knew just where to begin.

Forward forty years and Della's mother is about to take her last breath, and Della feels she'll even mess that up by missing it. She's hitting mid life, her daughter is growing up fast and on the verge of starting uni and her husband, Mark, seems far more interested in his job caring for other people's scabby feet than her.

Things in Della's mind seem to change though when she inherits her mother's seemingly endless supply of cookbooks and it causes tension around the home, with the question keeping cropping up - 'Just what was she going to do with them?'

She decides to inject some purpose into her life and transform a little shop in the village she grew up in into a specialist shop for cookery books, and she has all the romantic notions of how it will look, and who will shop there - just not that much idea how to run it!

But in seemingly the style of capable Della, she formulates a plan and does not let the way her life is panning out get in her way.

I found Mark deplorable from the off - bad husband he was, and the rest of her family didn't offer much support to her but that just went to illuminate what a strong woman Della was. I was so pleased the way her life worked out and was surprised by the curve ball that delving into her mother's past threw her.

I loved the characters, especially Della (of course) and Monica, the older lady Della befriended in unusual circumstances.

All in all I found this first offering from Ellen Berry a lovely, feel good story and I really can't wait for the next two books out in this series.

A well deserved 5/5!

5* Review: B-Side (Arielle Lockley series book 2.5) by Elle Field

Buy HERE from Amazon.co.uk

"What do I honestly know about the music industry? I'm just another idiot with a dream who is naive enough to hope that I might be the next big star."

Etta Millhouse has always had big musical ambitions to match her big voice, but she's also got three very big problems - the addiction she won't admit to, her godmother's illness that she can no longer ignore, and her godmother's useless business partner (who she wishes she could ignore).

Keeping an eye on Arielle's poor business decisions is the last thing Etta wants to do when she's offered the chance to record a demo with a top producer. But, a promise is a promise, even if it has her reaching for another pick-me-up... And then another. And then one more.

When the secret she must keep for her dying godmother, Felicity, sends her drug habit spiralling out of control, can Etta battle her demons in time and make her dream happen? Or, will her music career be over before it's even begun?

We meet Etta in Lost, book 2 in the fabulous Arielle Lockley series, and quickly into it are introduced to new character, Etta. I really, REALLY did not like Etta. Her character comes across as extremely bad tempered, spoilt and melodramatic; taking an instant dislike to the lovely Arielle and being as utterly loathsome to her as possible, taking her for a money grabbing, lazy rich girl. She thinks she is pulling the wool over godmother, Felicity's eyes and ruining her business, which is far from the truth.

I did not think a book devoted purely to her would endear me, but I was hoping I would at least understand a little more about her, and as the author promised - there is two sides to every story.

What a remarkable character, it turns out, that Field has crafted! I did not like her any better when I had finished the book, but certainly understood what drove the extremely downtrodden, wary young girl who had suffered dreadful tragedy and a life-changing abusive betrayal by a member of her family which drives Etta's future down a very dark and dangerous path, and could see why she reacted with so much jealousy and protectiveness over Felicity.

I was shocked while reading B-Side how Field could go from writing fun, witty novels to writing something powerful and showing a whole new side to her writing which is already clever, well written and great to read. It really opened my eyes to what a versatile writing talent she really is. I enjoyed B-Side, it really is fast paced and keeps you turning the pages as you watch the story unfold.

The story mainly looks at the sad deterioration of Felicity's health and how both characters handle it, another issue sensitively written. Arielle has her wedding to Piers to plan while trying to prove herself with a new business venture and Etta has a promising music career to handle, while trying to keep her life in general on track, dealing with issues that threaten to ruin it all.

It whets the appetite beautifully to the finale of this wonderful series, in Found (out August 2016).

Would work as a standalone novel but far more enjoyable when read in order as part of the series.

Many thanks to the author for providing an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Girl Who Came Back by Susan Lewis

Available at Amazon.co.uk

When Jules Bright hears a knock on the door, the last person she expects to find is a detective bringing her the news she’s feared for the last three years.

Amelia Quentin is being released from prison.

Jules’s life is very different now to the one she’d known before Amelia shattered it completely. Knowing the girl is coming back she needs to decide what to do. Friends and family gather round, fearing for Jules’s safety. They know that justice was never served; every one of them wants to make the Quentin girl pay. 

The question is, what will Jules do; and which of them – her or Amelia - has the most to fear?

Susan Lewis has a knack of writing the most hard hitting of subjects in a very realistic way, just like you are privy to a behind the scenes look at a news report - ordinary families suffering very extraordinary things. 

In The Girl Who Came Back we see the Bright family; popular, hard working and with a huge family ethos, hit to their very core when the girl that they had befriended, Amelia Quentin does something so shocking that it will destroy them forever, as Jules Bright narrates the story of their life.

The tale of their family, and life as it came to be is woven subtly, drawing you deep into their world, as the reader, I saw roughly what was coming - but not the exact, awful details of how it came to be. For what happened to them Jules Bright wants revenge, justice, but knows she can get neither - until ex detective Andee Lawrence turns up at her door to inform her that Amelia Quentin is due to be released from jail early, and is coming back to re-make her home in Kesterly. 

The characters are extremely well developed, instantly there is something so sinister about the Quentin family, Amelia especially, she really is the stuff of horror movies, in fact I'm sure there could be a spin off book about her alone, and the Bright family are equally as well and realistically constructed. 

To me the plot was seamless and so compelling I found it near impossible to put down until I'd read to the end to discover whether Jules eventually finds peace. I found the ending satisfying and poignant. 

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

5* Review - Wickham Hall by Cathy Bramley

Available on Kindle/Paperbook from Amazon.co.uk

Holly Swift has just landed the job of her dreams: events co-ordinator at Wickham Hall, the beautiful manor home that sits proudly at the heart of the village where she grew up. Not only does she get to organise for a living and work in stunning surroundings, but it will also put a bit of distance between Holly and her problems at home.

As Holly falls in love with the busy world of Wickham Hall - from family weddings to summer festivals, firework displays and Christmas grottos - she also finds a place in her heart for her friendly (if unusual) colleagues.

But life isn’t as easily organised as an event at Wickham Hall (and even those have their complications…). Can Holly learn to let go and live in the moment? After all, that’s when the magic happens…

The beautiful full length version - all four parts of the wonderful Wickham Hall is finally here! I loved this series from Cathy Bramley and it is a treasure to read it with no interruptions and waiting in between!

Holly Swift gets the job of her dreams as events co-ordinator at her beloved Wickham Hall, many of her happy childhood memories have been made here and it holds much sentiment to her and her mother. Secrets swiftly (no pun intended) begin to weave their way into the story and we realise all in Holly's life is not completely rosy. Her mother has a huge and crippling problem and Holly does not know who her father is, a matter which is smoothed over by her mother who by her own admission, has enough love for two parents, but it is still a nagging question in Holly's mind.

As Holly settles into life at Wickham Hall wonderfully, we get properly acquainted with the rest of the characters as well, and they're an interesting bunch, some more likeable than others. One I particularly liked was that of Benedict Fortescue, reluctant heir to the Wickham estate and Holly's boss. He lives a reasonably carefree lifestyle and running the estate is way down his list of priorities. 

The events held at Wickham Hall are described in glorious detail making you wish and feel as though you are there, I particularly loved the whole Winter Grotto part but they are all equally fab; a spring society wedding, a summer fair to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Fortescues at Wickham Hall and a drama packed firework extravaganza. 

I thoroughly enjoyed how Holly's backstory played out and eventually a happy ending was found (which is a treat in all Cathy's books) with a really poignant scene. I would adore a sequel to Wickham Hall and it would make an absolutely spellbinding series on television, move over Downton Abbey...

Anyone with an interest in the behind the scenes view of events planning and stately homes will adore this, and for those just wanting a gorgeous story to lose yourself in...this will delight, I'm sure.

A fabulous...

Cathy is also the author of the best-selling romantic comedies Ivy Lane, Appleby farm and Conditional Love. She lives in a small Nottinghamshire village with her husband, two teenage daughters and Pearl, the Cockerpoo.

Her recent career as a full-time writer of light-hearted romantic fiction has come as somewhat of a lovely surprise after spending eighteen years running her own marketing agency. However, she has always been an avid reader, hiding her book under the duvet and reading by torchlight. Luckily her husband has now bought her a Kindle with a light, so that’s the end of all that palaver.

You can get in touch with Cathy via her Facebook page or on Twitter.

Wickham Hall - Part Three: Sparks Fly by Cathy Bramley - 5* review

Buy the Wickham Hall series here:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Autumn is unfurling at Wickham Hall and everyone is excited about the upcoming bonfire night event – set to be the biggest and brightest ever in the hall’s history. Romance is definitely flickering between Holly and Ben too, as Holly’s life at home finally settles down. 
But as one fire is put out another bursts into life, and the whole team at Wickham Hall find themselves under pressure. Will the majestic firework display end in tragedy? 
Wickham Hall is an utterly feel-good story told in four parts – following Holly Swift’s attempt at organising her own happy-ever-after, one catastrophe at a time. Sparks Fly is part three.

Part three of Wickham Hall sees Holly Swift organising the bonfire spectacular, along with waiting for boss/love interest Benedict Fortescue (reluctant heir to the Wickham Hall estate) to return from his trip. They left their will they - won't they? relationship at a sticky point at the end of part two and I couldn't wait to see what would happen between them, especially after the last instalment ending with Holly fearful that they could even be half brother and sister! But now in part three Holly is armed with a little more information to find her biological father which leaves her nervous yet excited - along with helping her mum put away troubles from the past, helping her one step further to conquering her hoarding obsession which has blighted the family throughout Holly's childhood.

Wickham Hall is turning out to be my favourite Cathy Bramley series yet! Warmly written with Bramley's excellent humour and really interesting and believable characters. The descriptions of the surroundings are so beautiful and vivid you could be right there.

Looking forward (with hesitance as I really don't want this to end!) to the conclusion!

Review: The Trouble With Words - Suzie Tullett

The Trouble with Words by Suzie Tullett is available on Amazon:

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Words-Suzie-Tullett-ebook/dp/B0153VEIFI/

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Words-Suzie-Tullett-ebook/dp/B0153VEIFI/

Amazon EU: http://www.amazon.de/Trouble-Words-Suzie-Tullett-ebook/dp/B0153VEIFI/

Having long made a promise to her husband, young widow Annabel has no intentions of breaking it. What she does plan to do, though, is have a baby. Not the easiest of tasks for a woman with a deceased other half, and having explored all her options, her only choice is to take the unconventional route. Setting out to find her own donor, Annabel meets Dan. Single, fun-loving and definitely not looking for commitment, this unruly blonde, blue-eyed man seems perfect for the job.

Dan wants nothing more than to find his dream woman. But with a mother intent on sabotaging his every relationship, he can't help but think he's destined to remain single. Of course, he knows his mother doesn't really want him all for herself, why else would she keep insisting he meet Maeve? Why else would she insist Dan promise to find himself a wife before she meets her maker?

Forced to negotiate matters of love, life and death, Annabel and Dan seem the answer to each other's prayers. But will they really be able to keep the promises they made? And is having a baby really the solution?

I was delighted when Suzie Tullett asked me if I would like to review her latest book, The Trouble with Words, as I have been a fan of hers since her first novel, Going Underground and I knew I was not to be disappointed.

The story opens with Annabel breaking the news to her husband that she would like a baby, in not the most conventional way. I really felt for her as I was reading and was straight away drawn to her character, and as the story progresses we meet Dan and his mum Gerry. She is desperate for Dan to find himself a wife but she needed to be sure it was the right woman for him, and she was determined to be instrumental in him doing so!

Dan and Annabel seem perfect for each other - if only they would realise it! With both of them having their own trials that seem more important than the dating game, things seem that they will pass them by, but fate steps in to ensure this does not happen. 

There are some really sad, properly tear jerking moments throughout the book, all beautifully written and sincere enough to make you think you are in the room with the characters, and there are plenty of laugh out loud moments to lighten the mood along the way (my favourite being the skateboard lesson - read the book and you'll see!). The ending was poignant, satisfying and well written, as was the whole book. I find Tullett a master of writing believable dialogue that is read in your mind just as you would hear someone speaking it. The characters are well developed and seem to really grown in strength throughout the story, Gerry being my favourite - she definitely deserves Fictional Mother of the Year!

Congratulations to Tullett on providing another well written, perfectly researched and entertaining tale.

Many thanks to Hanna Oliwa at http://safkhetpublishing.com/ for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review. 

More about the author:

Website: http://suzietullett.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/suzietullett

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzie-Tullett-Author/221204154583599?fref=ts

5* review - No Place to Hide - Susan Lewis

Buy HERE from Amazon.co.uk

Why has Justine Cantrell suddenly changed her name, abandoned the husband and family she loves and a successful business to start a new life in a place many thousands of miles away? 

There isn't a man involved, but there is a terrible secret that she must hide from her new friends and neighbours as securely as she needs to hide herself from those she's left behind. 

What is Justine's secret?

I am a huge fan of Susan Lewis but No Place to Hide blew me away, it has to, for me, go down as her best yet!

Justine is on the run from something, that much is clear. Settling in a quiet US town which she has distant links to from her past, with her small daughter she is extremely keen that no-one must know her secrets.

The book flicks back and forth to Justine's past, living in the UK with loving husband Matt and their two, then, small children, Ben and Abby. They seem to have it all; successful careers, a beautiful house and an enviable lifestyle.

About halfway into the book Justine's secret is revealed, and boy - is it huge! I was so shocked I had to re-read the chapter twice. It intensifies the story as Justine becomes forced to let her two worlds collide, and face the consequences.

I loved every part of this book and in so many ways likened it to a good Diane Chamberlain novel (another one of my favourites). The plot was tight, compelling and had real flow. The characters likeable and believable, I really felt for Justine's character and wanted her to find her happily-ever-after!

I couldn't recommend this more! A huge 5*!

Review copy kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley

5* review - Appleby Farm by Cathy Bramley

Buy HERE from Amazon.co.uk

Freya Moorcroft has wild red hair, mischievous green eyes, a warm smile and a heart of gold. She’s been happy working at the café round the corner from Ivy Lane allotments and her romance with her new boyfriend is going well, she thinks, but a part of her still misses the beautiful rolling hills of her Cumbrian childhood home: Appleby Farm.

Then a phone call out of the blue and a desperate plea for help change everything…

The farm is in financial trouble, and it’s taking its toll on the aunt and uncle who raised Freya. Heading home to lend a hand, Freya quickly learns that things are worse than she first thought. As she summons up all her creativity and determination to turn things around, Freya is surprised as her own dreams for the future begin to take shape.

Love makes the world go round, according to Freya. Not money. But will saving Appleby Farm and following her heart come at a price?

How I love Cathy Bramley, and how pleased I was to realise that some of my favourite Ivy Lane characters would be popping up in Appleby Farm, and that it was centered around Freya Moorcroft who we had met in the latter half of Ivy Lane.

Freya works in the cafe around the corner from the Ivy Lane allotments, it's just a cover job, as much of Freya's employment seems to be. She feels that she has never really settled anywhere, even though she is now in a relationship with Charlie which she thought was going swimmingly until he breaks it to her that it's just 'a bit of fun' and seems quite unwilling to introduce her to his young son.

When she receives a phone call from her Auntie Sue saying that her Uncle Arthur has had an accident while driving his tractor she is devastated. She jumps on the next train to be with them and help out while her uncle is laid up. When she arrives there she feels guilty that her aunt and uncle have aged considerably, she realises this is due to the fact that she has not visited anywhere near as much as she should have in the past few years.

While she is there she feels the comfort of home, as she has always looked upon the farm as, and wonders whether there is anything really to return back to Kingsfield for.
As she contemplates her decision she uncovers a troubling secret and a catastrophe that puts the future of Appleby Farm in jeopardy.

Freya puts her thinking cap on to try and save her childhood home and the family who virtually raised her, she draws on every resource she can, until she can go no further and has to take the leap of contacting her parents who she has always vowed never to go cap in hand to, but when needs must...

Family tensions run high, especially when Freya's (vile) brother appears on the scene and threatens all the hard work that Freya has achieved, but the rekindled friendship with her childhood bestie Harry proves just the tonic that Freya needs.

I adored watching bubbly Freya return to her childhood home and her lovely Aunty Sue and Uncle Arthur, and watching her character develop from the lost soul she seemed to be in the very beginning - or even further back for those who have read Ivy Lane where she first featured working in the cafe. 

Appleby Farm is beautifully touching and vibrant, all told with Cathy's wonderful, warm sense of humour. I loved the family ethos at Appleby Farm, how fences are mended (physically and metaphorically) and how Tilly Parker (Ivy Lane) celebrated her beautiful wedding at Freya's beautiful vintage tearooms which was described so perfectly I felt I was a guest looking on, with obligatory tears in my eyes.

A perfect feel-good read!

Follow the rest of the tour here: