The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane... by Ellen Berry

The blurb:

Take a trip to the Yorkshire village of Burley Bridge, where a very special little cookbook shop has just opened 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 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 convince 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...

My thoughts:

This story follows Della and her love of cookbooks, hundreds of which she inherited from her mother who recently passed away. She decides that she wants to do something with them, give them a new home, hence the opening of The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane..

To be honest, I found this story a little hard to get into - I think it was just a bit slow of start for me. Saying that though, after a few chapters I really started to enjoy Della's story and I loved getting to know her while on this journey.

Della is kind, strong, talented and really likeable, you will be rooting for her to succeed, even when things aren't going well for her she always keeps going and tries to see the positives. Her husband Mark, however, is grumpy and discouraging - not a person who should be with someone as bright and cheerful as Della. I found Della easy to relate to, mostly through her love of food but to me, it was like getting to know someone who lives down the road..

I absolutely loved the idea of a bookshop only for cookbooks, if a shop like that existed near me I'm pretty sure my friends would never see me again! The quirkiness of the shop and how it comes about really intrigued me, keeping me hooked until the end.. Ellen Berry's descriptions throughout are mouthwatering - don't read this story on an empty stomach!

I'm excited for the next instalments in the Rosemary Lane series, if this first chapter is anything to go by. The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane is definitely a delicious read! You can buy The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane here, and follow Ellen Berry (aka Fiona Gibson) on Twitter.

The Piano Man Project.. by Kat French

This is the first book that I have reviewed after having access to an advanced copy thanks to NetGalley. It's so great that sites like this exist for bloggers and avid readers like me who are just starting to build a base for reviewing and writing about books.

I'm so glad that The Piano Man Project was my first book because I loved it so much. I'd never read anything by Kat French before so I didn't know what to expect from her but I am definitely a fan now and I've already added her other novels to my reading list.

Here's what the blurb says:

Honeysuckle Jones has a problem, and her best friends Nell and Tash are on a mission to help her solve it. She needs a man – a caring, intelligent, funny man. But most importantly, a man who’s good with his hands…

Luckily Honey’s new neighbour – moody, antisocial ex-chef Hal – fails on almost every count. Even though the chemistry between them is electric, he’s obviously wrong for her in every way.

But when Honey discovers the devastating reason for his moods she decides to give him another chance. And discovers that the best songs aren’t always in tune…

Here's what I thought:

From the very beginning I felt connected to the characters in this book, Honey and her two friends, Tash and Nell are so relateable and they have the kind of conversations I have with my girlfriends - everything from family to their sex lives (or lack of). Two of my favourite characters are definitely Mimi and Lucille, 90-year-old twins who work with Honey in her charity shop.

Honey's love interest, Hal, is an interesting one. Hal is definitely one of the most unconventional males I've ever come across in all the chick lit stories I've read - BUT he's totally attractive! I'm such a sucker for a bad boy, so give me sulky and mean Hal and I'm hooked. The perfect project for Honey and someone to balance out her sweetness.

Aside from the fact this book is centred around Honey finding a man - someone "good with their hands" - Honey, the twins, Tash and Nell are fighting to save the care home Mimi and Lucille live in, as well as the charity shop Honey works in. Its all on the brink of closure if they don't come up with a solution to stop the owners from selling. My favourite thing about The Piano Man Project is that it isn't fully centred around the romance aspect of the novel, there's so much more to it and they're just as important - which I love!

Also, having never read a novel by Kat French before I wasn't sure about what to expect... I really loved Kat's style of writing, as well as the way and pace in which she delivers her story and characters. Each character developed in some way throughout the story which I thing is a credit to Kat. Amazing!

I would wholeheartedly recommend this story to anyone who loves a bit of romance, humour, and friendship. This story will make you want to fight for each character the way that they fight for each other!

The Piano Man Project is out JULY 30TH! You can buy it here. You can also follow author Kat French on Twitter (tweet her, she's lovely).

Thanks for reading lovelies,

Orlagh

xoxo