Review: 'Wickham Hall' by Cathy Bramley (2016)

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…
I love Cathy Bramley. Over the past few years she has become one of my absolute favourite chick lit authors and I really can't get enough of her amazing novels. After 'Conditional Love', 'Ivy Lane', and 'Appleby Farm' (click here to read my review), Cathy is now treating us to a new release titled 'Wickham Hall.' The book was originally published as a four-part e-book serial, followed by the complete novel in paperback on January 14th. I have to admit the cover and title of the book are probably my favourites of Cathy so far and I was simply over the moon when I found a review copy of the novel on my doorstep. I just knew this book wasn't going to disappoint and couldn't wait to get lost in another one of Cathy's wonderful stories!
Holly Swift has always had a special place in her heart for Wickham Hall, the big country manor in the village she grew up in. She remembers spending a lot of time there with her mum when she was just a little girl, and there's quite simply no other place like it. So, when Holly discovers Wickham Hall is looking for a new Events assistant, her dream job, she can't apply quickly enough. Her passion and excitement manage to do the trick and soon Holly finds herself going to work at Wickham Hall every day. But every job has its challenges, and that definitely turns out to be true for Wickham Hall as well. While dealing with troubles at home, all Wickham Hall events and her colleagues, Holly has enough on her plate, especially when handsome heir Ben appears on the scene as well...
Do you know that feeling that you love a story and its characters and setting so much, you just never want the book to end? That's exactly what 'Wickham Hall' did to me; it truly is Cathy Bramley's best novel up until now, if you ask me, and a book I can't possibly recommend enough! I'm a big fan of old country manors, so I already knew I would love Wickham Hall. However, Cathy managed to not only have a great setting at the core of the story, but combined it with a fantastic group of characters, a captivating and well-paced storyline, and a lovely romance. I fell in love with each aspect of this novel and honestly cannot think of anything I didn’t like (except for the fact that there won’t be another part of the story!).
One of the absolute strengths of Cathy’s writing is her ability to create an amazing cast of characters. I immediately fell in love with main character Holly (who I could easily become best friends with!), and secondary characters such as chef Jenny, Holly’s best friend Esme, Lord and Lady Fortescue and their son Ben, and lovely security guard Jim. The book also is well-paced and includes several storylines, which had me entertained at all times. I could keep on gushing about this novel and Cathy herself, but I think I’ve made my point! ‘Wickham Hall’ is another heart-warming and simply gorgeous novel I couldn’t get enough of; another stunner by the wonderful Cathy Bramley! 

Rating:10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

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