Blog Tour: 'The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane' by Ellen Berry!

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…
We’re ending this week over here at Spoonful of Happy Endings in a great way, namely with the exciting blog tour for Ellen Berry’s ‘The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane’! The novel was released last week, on the 14th of July, and it’s one of this month’s releases I have been the most excited about picking up. As a big book fan, I love books about book shops, so the title of this new novel was already enough for me to want to read it (especially combined with the colourful cute cover!). I got lucky and was provided with a review copy and a spot on the tour, and I’m really excited to share my review with all of you today. Be sure to visit some of the other stops on the tour as well, you can find the links on the blog tour banner below!
Della Cartwright is in search of a new project in her life, something she can focus on now her daughter Sophie has left for college and her husband Mark seems to be anywhere but home. After the recent death of her mother, Della now finds herself with her mum’s large collection of cookbooks. From French cuisine to cooking for dummies, Della’s mother had cookbooks about absolutely everything and somehow Della can’t say goodbye to this part of her mother’s inheritance. When the opportunity arises, Della decides to start her very own bookshop, specializing in only books about food and cooking, sharing her mother’s recipes with the world. However, Della still has her everyday life to deal with as well, including the worries about Sophie and Mark’s strange behaviour. Will she be able to realise her bookshop ideas or is it all just a dream she should quickly set aside…?
‘The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane’ is a simply lovely read by Ellen Berry, who is actually author Fiona Gibson, who I personally know from novels such as ‘Take Mum Out’ and ‘As Good As It Gets?’. This story has Fiona’s familiar comfortable and well-written writing style and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Della, the main character, is at a crossroads in her life now her daughter Sophie is moving out to go to college and the relationship with her husband Mark seems to be going from bad to worse. I loved the background story of Della’s family and how her mother got into collecting cookbooks. The idea of starting a bookshop completely devoted to her mother’s collection is a wonderful one and I was really curious to read more about this.
I have to say I was a bit disappointed that the main topic of the novel wasn’t necessarily the bookshop, as I had expected mainly because of the title of the book. The story focuses more on Della and everything that’s going on in her life, which was also really interesting, but I just had to adjust my expectations a bit. I was really looking forward to reading how Della would help her customers, but I read somewhere that this is actually the first part of a trilogy, so fingers crossed we still have that to look forward to! Overall, ‘The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane’ is a charming, thoroughly enjoyable and captivating read; perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, and a novel I can recommend to any chick lit/women’s fiction fans out there to pick up this summer!  

Rating:9/10

  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.

Blog Tour: 'Meet Me in Manhattan' by Claudia Carroll!

I'm so incredibly excited and honoured to be part of the blog tour for Claudia Carroll's latest release 'Meet Me in Manhattan' today! 

In a New York minute, everything can change …   You don’t mess with aspiring journalist Holly Johnson! The man she fell for is not all that he seems – because sometimes dating online doesn’t quite go to plan. She’s decided to fly to the Big Apple to surprise him and to get some answers. And if her plan works she’ll also get the scoop of her career … But as she steps out of her yellow taxi and the first snowflakes start to fall, it’s Holly who has the surprise of her life. What should be a dream come true is looking a little like a nightmare. But Holly is determined to get her New York happy ending!
The e-book version of the novel was released on November 5th and the paperback version will follow on the 3rd of December. I love Claudia Carroll's work and already know this book will not disappoint. The cover is stunning and the description already sounds brilliant... I can't wait to read it! Luckily I already have a special extract from the novel to share with all of you today. So if you're not convinced yet that you need to add this to your wishlist right now, just scroll down to have a first sneak peak!

‘...Well what if you do meet The One, but he lives on the other side of the world? What then? OK, so you’ve got Skype and email and you can Snapchat all you like, but my question is... how easy or difficult is it to sustain a long-distance relationship with someone who you’ve only ever met virtually? After all, this kind of thing is changing our whole dating scene quite dramatically and I’m certain there must be plenty of couples out there who’ve been in that position and yet who’ve made it work, in spite of everything.’
‘Hmm,’ Aggie nodded thoughtfully. ‘It’s certainly a new take on the whole dating thing, alright. Long-distance online relationships; pitfalls and advantages of. Go on,’ she said, eyeballing me beadily. ‘Keep talking.’
‘We could get callers on to chat about how they’ve built up a relationship, even though they’re divided by conti­nents,’ I went on, encouraged that she hadn’t shut me down mid-flow. Not yet, at least. ‘Couples who say they met their soulmate online and refused to be put off by the fact that they lived in different countries. After all, if you’re going to limit the people you date online to just anyone who lives geographically close to you, then let’s face it, you’re fishing in a pretty shallow pool, aren’t you?’
‘You know what? That’s actually not a bad pitch,’ lovely Maggie from accounts with the Rebekah Brooks wild mane of hair chimed in from across the table. ‘Then we could maybe get people to phone in with stories of long-distance relationships which began online, but which didn’t neces­sarily run their course. In other words, we ask the question is it a case of absence makes the heart grow fonder, or out of sight, out of mind?’
‘It’s interesting alright,’ said Aggie, thoughtfully nodding away. ‘Plus I suppose we could always segue off to quiz listeners about how well they ever really get to know someone online. After all, you’ve nothing else to go on bar what the other person chooses to tell you about themselves. And vice versa, of course.’
‘Are you kidding me?’ I blurted out incredulously. ‘I think you can get a fantastic, three-dimensional picture of someone really clearly online! And take it from me, with a bit of practice, you soon learn to filter out the time-wasters from the genuine article.’
There was a divided chorus of ‘that’s complete rubbish!’ mixed along with a few more supportive, ‘yeah, I’d certainly go along with that,’ till Aggie raised her voice and suddenly there was total silence again.
‘Just out of curiosity,’ she asked, taking in the whole room. ‘How many of us round this table have actually met someone online who doesn’t live geographically close to you?’
All of us instantly shot our hands upwards. That is, all of us barring Maia, who just sat there smugly and muttered something about Hugo, her long-term boyfriend who she met back in college. (And who Dermot reckoned was secretly a cross-dresser. This based solely on the fact that he once caught him stepping out of Miss Fantasia’s. Chances were Dermot just invented the whole thing, as he frequently does, but still at the time, it was grade A office gossip.)
‘OK,’ said Aggie, taking all this in with the confidence of someone who’s been happily married with kids for the past fifteen years and therefore well and truly out of the dating pool. ‘So what are the rules these days? The dos and don’ts? Because now I’m thinking maybe we could segue from long-distance dating to the whole etiquette that lies behind online dating these days.’
‘Well, for starters, there’s your profile photo,’ said Jayne, our production assistant, shoving aside the dry rice cake she’d just been nibbling on, her usual mid-morning snack, while the rest of us were wolfing into bagels. But then, bless the poor girl, Jayne’d been on a diet for about as long as I’d been working here and had yet to lose as much as a single pound. ‘Oh God, but it all comes back to the photo, particularly with someone who lives overseas, because until you get to Skyping, that’s all you have to go on. Trust me; it’s make or break after that.’
‘Go on,’ said Aggie.
‘Rule of thumb is, you can’t bombard a guy with a whole holiday album full of them, no matter how skinny and tanned you happen to look. Three is the absolute max. Take it from one who knows.’
‘Preferably taken by a portrait photographer, with low- level lighting and professional hair and make-up on standby,’ Dermot chipped in, then as we all turned to look suspi­ciously at him, he hastily added, ‘well, not that I’ve done that myself, but I may just know one or two people who have.’
‘Remember though, a full body shot is essential,’ Jayne tossed back, then added, ‘sorry guys, but I didn’t lose two stone and go to Weight Watchers twice a week only to end up with a fatty. So is it too much to ask for a man who knows how to eliminate carbs?’
‘And maybe we could talk about how multi-dating is kind of frowned on in the real world, whereas online it’s actually considered quite OK,’ Maggie chipped in hope­fully. ‘I mean, we all do it, don’t we? After all, the way I see it, this is really just a numbers game. More guys you’re talking to and messaging, the more likely you are to get a score.’
Nods from a lot of heads round the table and I smiled, but was very careful not to look like I was agreeing.
Yeah, I thought to myself, a tad smugly. Multi-dating may be all very well and good. Right up until someone incredibly special like Andy McCoy comes into your life, and then? Trust me. All the other messers will completely fade into insignificance.
Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Cover Reveal: 'Mistletoe & Mayhem' by Catherine Ferguson!

I'm really excited to be part of a wonderful cover reveal today! A festive-themed cover reveal, that is, namely for Catherine Ferguson's upcoming novel 'Mistletoe and Mayhem'! 
I got the chance to read Catherine Ferguson's Christmas-themed novel 'Humbugs and Heartstrings' last year and really enjoyed it (click here to read my review). This year, she is once again treating us to a lovely holiday read and I already can't wait to pick it up (it will be available from October 15th)!
So, here is the lovely and colourful cover!

Lola Plumpton can’t believe her luck. Christmas is coming and her gorgeous boyfriend, Nathan, has offered up his swanky apartment to host the Plumpton family’s festive celebrations. It looks set to be a Christmas to remember. And it is – but for all the wrong reasons. As the 25th December draws closer, Lola unexpectedly finds herself missing some key components: 1. A job (but who needs one of those anyway, when you’ve got the ultimate family Christmas to prepare for?) 2. Money (no job equals no money, it turns out.) 3. A boyfriend (yup, Nathan the hunk has said adios to Lola – and in the *most* embarrassing way possible…) 4. Somewhere to host her fabulous family Christmas (because of course, no Nathan means no des res apartment.) Lola’s at a loss about what to do. But one way or another, she’s going to make this the best Christmas her family’s ever had… If that doesn't get you in a Christmas mood, I don't know what will! Like I said, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book; let the Christmas reading begin! :)

Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Review: 'The Curvy Girls Club' by Michele Gorman (2015)

Pixie, Ellie, Katie and Jane have been best friends since meeting at Slimming Zone. Tired of being judged on the number of calories they consume, they decide to form a different kind of club. The fun evenings they spend together, not worrying about their size, make them happier than they’ve been for years!
But the club doesn’t stop real life from getting in the way and together the girls have to address some much bigger issues than just their weight…
Will Pixie ever be brave enough to leave her abusive husband Trevor? Can Jane ever regain her confidence and go back to work as a TV presenter? Will Katie always carry a torch for the office lothario? And what if Ellie lets her all-consuming jealousy destroy her relationship with ‘The One’?
The new year has already started with some great new book releases, including Michele Gorman’s latest novel, ‘The Curvy Girls Club’ which was released by Avon on the 15th of January. Thanks to the lovely people over at Notting Hill Press I received an early review copy which I couldn’t wait to read, especially since I am quite familiar with, and a fan of, Michele Gorman’s work. I read ‘Single in the City’ (click here to read my review) and ‘Perfect Girl’ (click here to read my review) last year and really enjoyed both of them. I had already heard numerous positive things about ‘The Curvy Girls Club’, so I looked forward to diving into this new read!   
After having spent a lot of time together at Slimming Zone, trying their best to lose weight, it is no wonder Katie, Pixie, Ellie and Jane have developed quite a close friendship with each other. Losing weight can be quite a challenge, so it’s great to have your friends next to you along the way. When Pixie decides she has had enough of constantly watching what she eats and counting calories, the four women start a new club; a club where they come together to do fun things instead of only focusing on their eating habits. The Curvy Girls Club is born and to their surprise, it becomes extremely popular rather quickly. While dealing with the success of the club and organising different kinds of events, the four women also have their own personal and romantic issues to deal with which results in quite a bit of pressure on their friendship…
Another great read from Michele Gorman! I have no doubt many readers will be able to relate to the four main characters in this novel: Katie, Pixie, Ellie and Jane. Not only because the topics of weight and being judged by your appearance have become such much-talked about subjects within our modern society, but because each of the women is dealing with her own issues as well. Pixie is having trouble with her abusive husband, Katie is searching for the right guy, Ellie needs to get her jealousy in check if she wants to stay together with her boyfriend, and Jane has to start believing in herself again which isn’t as easy as it sounds. I loved reading about all four women, their friendship and their individual struggles (even though I have to admit I wanted to jump into the novel occasionally to give Pixie a good slap!). The characters definitely complimented one another and their separate storylines connected to the main storyline in a convincing and entertaining way.
Michele Gorman's writing style is really comfortable to read, well-paced, and detailed; she’s a great storyteller and I didn’t want to put the book down. I don't really have anything to add to this review, except for the fact that I can't wait to see what Michele will treat us to next and I hope we will not have to wait too long! Overall, 'The Curvy Girls Club' is a simply stunning, relatable, warm-hearted novel about weight issues, friendship and finding happiness; a read which any chick lit fan will certainly enjoy!

Rating:8,5/10

  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.

Review: 'Wish Upon a Star' by Trisha Ashley (2013)

The perfect gift isn’t always under the tree…

Single mum Cally’s life is all about her little girl Stella. She’s resigned to the fact that the only romance she’s going to get is from the rom-coms she watches, and with her busy job and her daughter, she doesn’t have time to even think about love.

But life gets very tough when Stella gets sick. Balancing her job as a recipe writer and looking after Stella is all consuming, so when Cally meets handsome baker Jago the last thing she wants to do is fall in love, especially when she’s been badly burned by a Prince Charming from her past. Can laid-back, charming Jago unlock Cally’s frozen heart and help her find true love and magic under the mistletoe?

I’ve heard from multiple people that the holiday season wouldn’t quite be the same without a Christmassy Trisha Ashley novel to keep us company, so this year I was quite curious to read my very first Trisha Ashley book! I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Trisha’s latest festive release, ‘Wish Upon a Star’, from the lovely people at Light Brigade PR. I saved the book for the days leading up to Christmas and snuggled up on the couch with a blanket, soft Christmas music in the background, and a cup of delicious hot chocolate to step into the world of Sticklepond!

When Cally found herself pregnant, she was dumped by her boyfriend Adam and forced to start a life as a single mum. Luckily, she was blessed with her daughter Stella and together they lead a happy life. However, Stella was born with a serious heart condition which required major surgery. Now, three years later, the doctors in the UK can’t help Stella anymore and in order for her to lead a normal and long life, Cally will have to take her daughter to the USA so she can undergo experimental heart surgery. Cally sells her flat in London to raise part of the money that is needed for the trip to Boston, and moves back to her mother’s house in the small village Sticklepond. All the villagers are up to help raise the money needed for Stella’s operation, but one of them in particular catches Cally and Stella’s attention; Jago is also new to the area and works together with his best friend David in a macaron shop, waiting for the right property to come along to start his own croquembouche (French wedding cake) business. Cally loves spending time with Jago, but she knows she can only focus on Stella right now. However, when their exes Adam and Aimee suddenly reappear on the stage, Cally is forced to deal with multiple things at the same time...

This book has everything to make it a thoroughly enjoyable chick lit read: a lovely leading lady, a handsome Prince Charming, a good storyline, a gorgeous scene setting, and lots of yummy treats! Trisha Ashley’s writing is extremely detailed which resulted in a very clear picture of the village of Sticklepond and its inhabitants in my head. I’ve read that the village is also the backdrop for some of Trisha’s other novels, but the fact that I hadn’t read any of those before starting ‘Wish Upon a Star’ didn’t bother me at any point. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the fundraising for Stella, the blooming friendship between Jago and Cally, and the arrival of the exes, Aimee and Adam, in town.

Cally writes articles about baking for a job and this aspect is woven into the storyline in an absolutely delicious way. Not only does Trisha’s writing leave the reader with images of yummy cakes and goodies, but there are also some recipes at the back of the book for everyone to try out. Even though the novel wasn’t as festive and Christmassy as I had originally expected, my first Trisha Ashley book certainly did not disappoint and I can’t wait to read more of her work. ‘Wish Upon a Star’ is an inspiring, heart-warming treat for the holidays and a great read to curl up with in front of the log fire!

Rating:8,5/10    

Blog Tour: 'The Forgotten Seamstress' by Liz Trenow (2013)

It is 1910 and Maria, a talented young girl from the East end of London, is employed to work as a seamstress for the royal family. As an attractive girl, she soon catches the eye of the Prince of Wales and she in turn is captivated by his glamour and intensity.

But careless talk causes trouble and soon Maria’s life takes a far darker turn. Disbelieved and dismissed she is thrown into a mental asylum, shut away from the real world with only her needlework for company.

Can a beautiful quilt, discovered many years later, reveal the truth behind what happened to Maria?

I hadn’t heard of author Liz Trenow before I was contacted about a spot on the blog tour for her latest release, ‘The Forgotten Seamstress’, but apparently I have been missing out on another great author! I’m so excited about being a part of this blog tour, because I immediately not just loved the sound of ‘The Forgotten Seamstress’, but also Liz Trenow’s style as a writer. In her work she manages to weave historical detail and the modern day and age together in a fascinating way, which comes back in the storylines of her previous novel ‘The Last Telegram’ and the novel that’s in the spotlight on my blog today, ‘The Forgotten Seamstress.’

When Caroline Meadows finds a gorgeous quilt she remembers from her childhood during a clean-out of her mother’s attic, she is immediately intrigued to find out more about the origins of the well-crafted piece. Not only the detailed patterns have caught Caroline’s attention, but there’s even a hidden message embroidered into the quilt. Caroline’s search brings her back to the start of the 1900’s, when talented young seamstress Maria Romano used to work for the British royal family. However, her crush on the handsome Prince of Wales unexpectedly influences the course of the rest of her life. It is now, 100 years later, up to Caroline to find out what exactly happened to Maria and to unravel the story behind that beautiful quilt.

I loved this novel; the combination of the historical aspect brought to the modern day and age was incredibly fascinating, and I loved finding out more about both Caroline and Maria. Even though the title of the novel refers to Maria, the seamstress, it is Caroline who takes on the main role in the book. We only find out about Maria’s life through old taped interviews and memories, but this actually only adds a special touch to the whole story, if you ask me. I loved how the novel itself managed to resemble the quilt that plays such a central role in the book: all kinds of different bits and pieces, brought together, to form something beautiful.   

It is clear a lot of research has gone into this novel, which results in a wonderful sense of historical detail. I’m a big fan of anything British, so the link to the British royal family and Buckingham Palace was something I specifically liked. Yet, I also loved the whole idea of this gorgeous handmade quilt with a personal story behind it. There was even a hint of mystery to the story, which made me curious to find out more and resulted in me not wanting to put the book down. Liz Trenow has delivered an intriguingly fascinating and well-written novel with ‘The Forgotten Seamstress’, and I already can’t wait until the release of her next novel, ‘The Poppy Factory.’

Rating:8,5/10

Click here to order an e-copy of 'The Forgotten Seamstress'; the paperback version is released in January 2014!

 

Review: 'Take a Look at Me Now' by Miranda Dickinson (2013)

What a difference a day makes…

Nell Sullivan has always been known as ‘Miss Five-Year Plan’. But when she finds herself jobless and newly single on the same day, Nell decides it is time to stop planning and start taking chances.

Nell blows her redundancy cheque on a trip of lifetime to a place where anything is possible – San Francisco. There she meets a host of colourful characters, including the intriguing and gorgeous Max. Very soon the city begins to feel like Nell’s second home.

But when it’s time to return to London, will she leave the ‘new Nell’ behind? And can the magic of San Francisco continue to sparkle thousands of miles away?

Miranda Dickinson is, without a doubt, one of my favourite authors. The first novel I read of hers was ‘Welcome to My World’ and I was immediately taken in by her captivating writing style and amazing romantic stories. The past few years I’ve devoured her other works (‘When I Fall in Love’, ‘Fairytale of New York’ and ‘It Started with a Kiss’) and I’ve been looking forward to the release of her fifth novel ever since I heard she was busy writing it. I was lucky enough to be picked by the lovely people at Avon as one of the book bloggers to become a part of Miranda’s promotion team for this novel, Team Nell, which meant I received a review copy of ‘Take a Look at Me Now’ before it’s official release on the 24th of October! As soon as I found it in my mailbox, I put everything else aside and started reading, not being able to wait any longer to dive into Nell’s world!

To Nell Sullivan it seems like just any ordinary day at the office, but a simple post-it note stuck to her computer screen suddenly changes her entire life. Within just a couple of hours, she has lost her job and the chance of getting together with her ex-boyfriend Aiden. On a whim, she decides to use her redundancy cheque to book a flight to a destination far away from England, to get away from it all. Soon, Nell finds herself in San Francisco where she is staying with her cousin Lizzie for 8 weeks. Nell falls in love with the city and can’t imagine going home, back to the job hunt and her ex-boyfriend... But can Nell step back into her old life like that, or is it time to embrace the new Nell and the dreams that come with that?

I don’t even know where to start with this novel, except by stating the fact that Miranda Dickinson has done it again; what a brilliant and captivating read! I straight away fell in love with the heroine of this novel, Nell. I felt for her, because of how she unexpectedly loses her job and hopes to get back with her ex which then doesn’t happen, but I also admired her, for taking the plunge and booking that plane ticket to San Francisco, forgetting about everything else and simply doing what she wants. Throughout the novel, Nell experiences so many things and develops as a person, and I continued to root for her, secretly wishing I could be a bit more like her, taking control of my own life and following my dreams. Nell is such a loveable character, and I am sure lots of readers will adore and relate to her, just like I did.

The scene setting of the novel is fantastic. I discovered San Francisco when I read Niamh Greene’s ‘A Message to your Heart’ earlier this year, and Miranda Dickinson only managed to convince me even more that this is a city I definitely need to visit at least once in my life. The descriptions of all the different neighbourhoods, the tourist attractions, and the basic atmosphere of the entire city sparked of the page, making me feel like I was walking besides Nell, experiencing everything with her. I fell in love with everything about this novel, and I highly recommend it to any lover of romantic comedies or chick lit out there: you don’t want to miss this one! ‘Take a Look at Me Now’ is a fabulously enchanting and inspiring novel that will sweep you off your feet and convince you to not let go of your dreams, whatever might be thrown at you.

Rating:10/10