Ivy Lane – by Cathy Bramley

Original Cover

My own copy 

The blurb:

Tilly Parker needs a fresh start, fresh air and a fresh attitude if she is ever to leave the past behind and move on with her life. As she seeks out peace and quiet in a new town, taking on a plot at Ivy Lane allotments seems like the perfect solution.

But the friendly Ivy Lane community has other ideas and gradually draw Tilly in to their cosy, comforting world of planting seedlings, organizing bake sales and planning seasonal parties.

As the seasons pass, will Tilly learn to stop hiding amongst the sweetpeas and let people back into her life – and her heart?

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher on NetGalley in echange for an honest review* 

I wanted to read this book for a while, never came round to it when it was a four part series and then I saw it on NetGalley and took the chance.

This story has it all – love, romance, humour, emotions etc.

The main character Tilly Parker is so lovely. She is a teacher like I am and I guess that’s why I loved her so much! Tilly starts new at Ivy Lane and we don’t know for a long time what happened in her past and what has made her the person she is today. I was very intrigued to find out and kept guessing and guessing. I liked that she opened up more and more, it was clear that the other people at Ivy Lane made her feel comfortable and welcome.

Tilly gives a lot to the other people – putting their needs and feelings first.

The Ivy Lane community is amazing, loved reading about all these different and unique characters.

Also the other characters were well lined out and fit the story perfectly. I love that Tilly found her best friend in Gemma and I also liked her friendship with Charlie, even though he wanted it to be more, which also made the storyline more interesting of course.

When a TV crew arrives and films them for a documentary everything gets more exciting and fascinating. Especially the producer Aidan brings a lot of passion and excitement into it. I felt the spark between him and Tilly immediately, but they took quite a while to finally realise it themselves and Tilly kept on saying “It’s complicated”. Oh and what about Charlie?! Aidan might be a bit jealous and his job didn’t make it any easier for them.

The four parts/seasons were all great and I loved how they all fit their name perfectly. I’m still glad I read the book as a whole, because the parts always ended with something that made me really curious.

The ending around Christmas is sweet and perfect. The atmosphere is magical and the Secret Santa thing is so cute, especially what Secret Santa has in store for Tilly.

Lots of action, drama and laughter make the storyline flow beautifully and Cathy’s writing is sweet, magical and warm. It’s a feel good book with lots of memorable moments.

Rating:

My possible cast:

Tilly: Felicity Jones

Aidan: Ben Barnes

Charlie: Gabriel Macht

Gemma: Diane Kruger

Cathy on Twitter: @CathyBramley

Website: http://www.cathybramley.co.uk

Cover Reveal - Game of Scones by Samantha Tonge

Isn't this absolutely GORGEOUS?! I'm in love...

The blurb:

A story of icing and flour…and how love doesn’t always go to plan!

Growing up, Pippa Pattinson’s summers were spent in the idyllic Greek island fishing village of Taxos. There she spent many long hazy days determinedly ignoring thoughts of the life her parents had mapped out for her (a dreary-but-secure accounting job and obligatory sensible husband!) Instead she daydreamed of running her own tea shop – serving the perfect scones –with mocha-eyed childhood friend Niko by her side…

Arriving back in Taxos for the first time in years, with suave boyfriend Henrik, Pippa barely recognises the tired little town – but is relieved to catch glimpses of the quaint, charming village she’s always loved. Together Niko and Pippa put together a proposal to save Taxos from tourist-tastic ruin, and at the heart of their plan is Pippa’s dream project - The Tastiest Little Tea Shop in Taxos. It’s time for Pippa to leave her London life behind and dust off her scone recipe that’s guaranteed to win over both locals and visitors. And amidst the rolling pins and raisins, it seems romance is blossoming where she’s least expecting it…

If you’re a fan of Lindsay Kelk or Lucy Diamond then don’t hesitate to step into Samantha Tonge’s truly delightful tea shop.

About the author:

Samantha lives in Cheshire with her lovely family and two cats who think they are dogs. Along with writing, her days are spent cycling, willing cakes to rise and avoiding housework. A love of fiction developed as a child, when she was known for reading Enid Blyton books in the bath. A desire to write bubbled away in the background whilst she pursued other careers, including a fun stint working at Disneyland Paris. Formally trained as a linguist, Samantha now likes nothing more than holing herself up in the spare room, in front of the keyboard. Writing romantic comedy novels and short stories is her passion.

Samantha has sold over 80 short stories to mainstream women's magazines. Her debut romantic comedy novel from CarinaUK Harlequin, bestselling "Doubting Abbey", was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award, 2014. Its fun sequel is From Paris With Love. Mistletoe Mansion is a fun standalone Christmas novel.

http://samanthatonge.co.uk/

http://doubtingabbey.blogspot.co.uk/

https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Game-Scones-deliciously-summery-read-ebook/dp/B00ULP98BQ/ref=la_B00FB6KDNC_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427385329&sr=1-4

http://www.amazon.com/Game-Scones-deliciously-summery-read-ebook/dp/B00ULP98BQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427385827&sr=8-1&keywords=game+of+scones

Book of the Month - March

The books I read this month:

-       People We Love – by Jenny Harper 3.5/5

-       A Mother’s Story – by Amanda Prowse 5/5

-       Cocktails in Chelsea – by Nikki Moore 5/5

-       Creature Comforts – by Trisha Ashley 3/5

-       Chloe’s Rescue Mission – by Rosie Dean 4/5

-       The Life Intended – by Kristin Harmel 5/5

-       The Vintage Guide To Love and Romance – by Kirsty Greenwood 5/5

-       Ivy Lane – by Cathy Bramley 5/5

-       Lost – by Elle Field not finished yet

Not as many as in the last two months, but some wonderful ones, I picked two this time, one really emotional and touching one and the other one is very entertaining, funny and brilliantly written:

The Life Intended – Kristin Harmel

The bit on the back:

After her husband's sudden death over ten years ago, Kate Westhoven never expected to be lucky enough to find another love of her life. But now she's planning her second walk down the aisle to a perfectly nice man. So why isn't she more excited?

At first, Kate blames her pre-wedding jitters on stress. But when she starts seeing Patrick, her late husband, in her dreams, she begins to wonder if she's really ready to move on. Is Patrick trying to tell her something about his death and is there a chance his nighttime visits could be more than just wishful thinking?

My opinion:

What a WONDERFUL book! This story is beautiful, poignant, heart breaking, wonderful, touching and so much more. The writing is brilliant, the characters are authentic and real and the scenes are so vivid and detailed. The story has a beautiful flow and it’s full of love and care. It’s thought provoking and gives a whole new light on life. I think the title is perfect; it fits the story in the most wonderful way.

Read my review here: Review - The Life Intended

Kristin on Twitter: @kristinharmel

Website: http://kristinharmel.com

The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance – Kirsty Greenwood

The bit on the back:

Jessica Beam is a girl who knows how to party. Only lately she's been forgetting to turn up for work on time. Or in clean clothes. Down on her luck, out of a job and homeless, Jess seeks the help of her long-lost grandmother.

Things aren't going well for Matilda Beam, either. Her 1950s Good Woman guide books are out of print, her mortgage repayments are staggering and her granddaughter wears neon Wonderbras!

When a lifeline from a London publisher arrives, the pair have an opportunity to secure the roof over their heads – by invigorating the Good Woman guides and transforming modern, rebellious Jess into a demure vintage lady.

The true test of their make-over will be to capture the heart of notorious London playboy Leo Frost and prove that Matilda’s guides still work. It's going to take commitment, nerves of steel and one seriously pointy bra to pull this off...

My opinion:

HILARIOUS, YOUNG, FRESH, EXCITING, VIVID...

Kirsty is a wonderful writer, who writes with passion and heart. The storyline has a beautiful flow and the scenes are vivid and detailed, I enjoyed every single second of this book! GRIPPING, FABULOUS AND AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

Read my review here: Review - The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance

Kirsty on Twitter: @KirstyBooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KirstyGreenwoodBooks

http://www.novelicious.com

Musical Review - Les Miserables

About the show:

Les Misérables (pronounced /leɪ ˌmɪzəˈrɑːb/; French pronunciation: ​[le mizeʁabl(ə)]),

colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz(/leɪ ˈmɪz/) is a sung-through musical based on the novel Les Misérables by French poet and novelist Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, original French lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, with an English-language libretto by Herbert Kretzmer.

Set in early 19th-century France, it is the story of Jean Valjean, a French peasant, and his quest for redemption after serving nineteen years in jail for having stolen a loaf of bread for his sister's starving child. Valjean decides to break his parole and start his life anew after a kindly bishop inspires him by a tremendous act of mercy, but he is relentlessly tracked down by a police inspector named Javert. Along the way, Valjean and a slew of characters are swept into a revolutionary period in France, where a group of young idealists make their last stand at a street barricade.

More info on the show: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Misérables_(musical)

My opinion: 

Of course I booked a second show as well, I mean I had two evening un London, so... I was thinking what to book for the second one, a new show or one I really really loved and wanted to see again?! Well, it was really last minute and there wern't good seats availabe for a decent price, I checked for Cats for example, so I decided to see Les Mis again, it's my faveourite show and I was excited to see Carrie Hope Fletcher live on stage, been following her vlogs and I reallxy like her voice.

I was in row S this time, but didn't mind, since I had already seen the show before. The ouverture of the show is just so awesome and I was gripped from the first second. I know the story and songs off by heart and it was hard for me not to sing along. The whole cast was fabulous, they put so muvh engery, emtions and power into their story. I liked both Javert and Jean Valjean, bht there was something missing, a spark, the same with Enjolras. Well, I guess I will always have to movie in mind, so nobody stands a change against Hugh Jackman and Aaron Tveit. I really liked Rob Houchen, the guy who played Marius, had did a great job and actually reminded me of Eddie Redmayne a bit. Fantine was great, really moving performance actually and the girl playing Cosette was great as well. It's a difficult role to sing, but she did a fab job. I loved little Cosette, so cute and adorable. And theboy playing Gavroche was just awesome! His parts to singare so difficult and for a child that was very impressive, and he was also a great actor.

Now Carrie Hope Fletcher was my fave I have to say, she did an amazing job, her acting was brilliant and On My Own got my to tears.

Carrie Hope Fletcher and Rob Houchen

And guess what, that was not the only time I cried and got emotional. The scene where Eponine is lying in Marius' arms and is dying was very moving and touching, the singing was full of emotions. And then again when the students die during the barricade and not long after Marius sings Empty Chairs and Empty Tables, the dead ones appear on stage again...

And last but not least the end, when the whole cast sings Do You Hear The People Sing, just wow! More and more if the dead roles join in and then the whole cast sings it, it was very powerful and moving. Do You Hear the People Sing is one if my fave songs anyway, next to On My Own, At the End of the Day and One Day More.

On Day More happens just before the intervall and it has so much effect, especially with these small movements the do, which signifies marching.

The scenery and effects were brilliant, ine part of the scenery changing from a normal house kind if thing to the barricade hiding point, turning around. Part of the stage was moving sometimes, which help the story

Ine flow beautifully.

It was definjtely mire than worth it seeing this show again, I can't recommend ut enough, the music and the lyrics are fab!!!