Cathy BramleyBesprekingen

This book had me giggling and smiling throughout it had a feelgood factor with the added bonus of Italian food making the reader want more.

The characters were likeable and the storyline well written. I loved the intrigue and the not knowing what would actually happen next. You really had no clue as to just what was round the corner.

I felt quite sad when I turned the final page but I also felt content that this wonderful book had been in my hands and that other readers are guaranteed to enjoy more of Cathy Bramley’s work just as I have.
Thanks must go to the Publishers and Netgalley for the arc and giving me the opportunity to have my own honest review

This book had me giggling and smiling throughout it had a feelgood factor with the added bonus of Italian food making the reader want more.

The characters were likeable and the storyline well written. I loved the intrigue and the not knowing what would actually happen next. You really had no clue as to just what was round the corner.

I felt quite sad when I turned the final page but I also felt content that this wonderful book had been in my hands and that other readers are guaranteed to enjoy more of Cathy Bramley’s work just as I have.
Thanks must go to the Publishers and Netgalley for the arc and giving me the opportunity to have my own honest review

4.5 Stars - this book really kept my attention the entire way through. The storyline could have gone in so many directions, but I enjoyed the one chosen. Great weekend read!

This is probably one of my favourite Cathy Bramley books! Good love story with interesting side plots.

I loved everything about this book! The characters, the settings, the storyline. It was all wonderful. If you’ve ever dreamed of country life, this book will have you planning it!

Women's fiction, perhaps predictable in the end but no less enjoyable for that. Gina is a talented childminder who lives in a cottage attached to a large mansion... which may have to be sold.

Rather a large cast, although a few of them did appear in another novel by Cathy Bramley, and many of the characters are hard to distinguish from each other. But the twins Isabel and Lisa stand out as believable, and I became quite fond of the elderly Bing.

Takes awhile to get going, but I found it hard to put down towards the end. Some important issues are covered sensitively. Recommended on the whole if you like this genre.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/07/a-patchwork-family-by-cathy-bramley...

3 1/2 stars, nice novella to start the series. I really like a book about starting a new life, business and cooking, not cookbooks though.

3 1/2 stars, Any book that holds the Great British Bake Off as an ideal is the kind of book I want to be reading. This novella picks up right where the last one ends, and ends on another minor cliff hanger. I'm really enjoying this series so far and looking forward to see how the story progresses in book 3.

An actual GBBO style contest, and the drama really ramps us. I really enjoy this series, wish I had picked up the compilation book that contains all four novellas.

Nice finish to the story, I'm glad I read it but wished I'd gotten the compilation of all four novellas.

The Merry Christmas Project is Cathy Bramley's first Christmas book and it's my first Cathy Bramley book. It's a delightful and festive read.

Merry Shaw is one of our main characters. She longs to settle down and have a family of her own but it always seems to be just out of reach. Then there's Cole, our other main character. He's divorced and not seeing enough of his two children. Perhaps each is looking for what the other can give….

There was so much I loved about this book. Merry is a lovely person, so kind and upbeat and I really took to her. Then there's the quietly dashing Cole who is such a well-drawn hero, handsome, helpful and thoughtful. Swoon. I enjoyed reading about Merry's candles and how she blended oils together to make new fragrances. There's one in particular that made me smile because of the reason why she made it. I did laugh out loud several times too. I loved the dry humour and banter between Cole and Merry.

There's a charming supporting cast, including Merry's friends, Nell and Astrid, and Cole's family. The community comes together for a Christmas project which Merry unexpectedly ends up taking charge of and it truly felt like a place I'd want to be a part of.

This is a gentle read, with a really pleasing blend of humour, romance, friendship and small business with the candles and Nell's market stall selling nuts (loved the wasabi peas incident!). Reading The Merry Christmas Project made me feel all warm and fuzzy and cosy and is the perfect Christmas choice.

I’m sad I’ve finished this book, my first from this author. I want to stay at the EverGreens and find out what happens next! Beautiful story telling, characters that come alive and a gentle plot. There’s a perfect balance of observation and storyline to keep the pages turning. I fear a few sleepless nights coming up to catch up on all her other tales.

What a treat to find this short story written by one of my favourite authors. The story tells of a couple of lonely neighbours, who find support in an unlikely friendship, with a cute little four pawed friend thrown in for food measure. It’s warm, real and emotive, like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter’s day, and leaves you wondering what comes next... luckily it looks like we might just find out

**Warning - this review contains minor spoilers!**

This audiobook was narrated by Colleen Prendergast, who I have previously enjoyed listening to as a narrator. She did a great job here too, but unfortunately I did not particularly enjoy listening to this book.

The story is narrated by Nina Penhaligon, an actress on the brink of making it big in television. After making a massive blunder and embarrassing her agent, she decides to get away from it all and goes to stay with her brother in Devon. There she meets up with an old friend named Theo, who has problems of his own. Theo and his wife Kate’s marriage is floundering after they struggle to get over a traffic loss. Nina gets involved with helping Theo set up his holiday let business and falls for the quieter pace of life in Devon, as opposed to the hustle and bustle of London.

In between trying to help Theo and Kate mend their marriage, Nina also has to find out the truth about her own family history, help her brother see that too much work is not good for him, get involved with trying to save a local landmark, and of course, there’s a big dollop of romance in there too.

I’ve long ago come to the conclusion that chicklit is not a genre which really works for me, but when listening to audiobooks, I can sometimes enjoy it. This one started out fairly well, but it went on for so SO long. I felt that a few of the storylines could have been cut out completely and the book would have been better for it (I’m not going to be too specific here, as I don’t want to give away spoilers). It seemed to be about twice as long as it needed to be. The other thing was that the way the holiday let business got set up was just unrealistic. Nina basically happens upon Theo’s rundown, unkempt and completely unfurnished holiday cottages, and transforms them in ONE AFTERNOON!!

I appreciate that we are meant to be rooting for Nina, but I found her quite annoying by the end of it. They should have just called her a fairy godmother, given her a magic wand and have done with it. She managed to solve the problems of practically everyone in the village, and it felt like she was going around sprinkling her fairy dust everywhere. The other problem was that some of the plot points were so obviously signposted that it seemed incredible that Nina didn’t spot what was coming herself.

On the positive side (yes, there is one!) I thought the Devon setting was lovely and it did make me think that I too would love to live in a place like that.

I should mention again that this is not really a genre I read a lot, because I generally find it very predictable, which was one of my niggles with this book. I’ve read several other reviews of this book, most of which rate it really highly, so if you do enjoy chicklit, then don’t be put off giving it a go. Unfortunately it just wasn’t really for me.

Takes a little while to get into, but the characters are believable, and there's plenty of story. Verity, who narrates, is a likeable and realistic young woman with some secrets in her past, and problems moving on.

There's a lot of cooking, some low-key romance, light-hearted banter and some serious discussions about food as a metaphor for life and love. There is sadness and the gradual uncovering of the past, and there's much to look forward to as the book ends.

Overall I liked this very much, and would recommend it to anyone who likes light but thoughtful women's fiction based around cooking. Recipes at the back, though none particularly appealed to me.

Full review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-plumberry-school-of-comfort-foo...

Light women's fiction, based in a sheep farm, featuring a woman who loves making pies. The characters are a bit flat, other than the main character and her husband and daughter, and I didn't find anything that pulled at my emotions. The conflicts are minor and all too easily resolved, and I could not believe in the main character's best friend at all.

Still, it made pleasant easy reading over the holiday period when I had a bad cold and didn't want anything that demanded much thought. Even in that state I had easily worked out what would be behind the revelation of past secrets towards the end.

But the writing is good, there's nothing explicit, and twelve-year-old Poppy is a delightful creation. I found the ending encouraging and positive, too.

Full review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2020/01/hettys-farmhouse-bakery-by-cathy-br...½

Light-hearted and enjoyable novel about Rosie, a young high-powered woman who walks out of her job after refusing to compromise her principles. She helps her grandmother in her café, initially for just a few weeks, but becomes more involved in village life.

There's a low-key romantic thread involving Rosie, and another involving her grandmother, Maria. There's a mystery from Maria's past which is eventually solved, and there's a threat of a new superstore which may put the local shops out of business. There are some significant contemporary issues touched upon, and a few unexpected turnings too.

Quite informal, happily without 'strong' language or detailed scenes of intimacy or violence. Some likeable characters; I was particularly keen on four-year-old Noah and the elderly Stanley. Perhaps too many minor characters, who aren't really three-dimensional, but it didn't much matter.

It took a while to get into this book, but then I could hardly put it down in the final few chapters. Undemanding with an encouraging ending, this would make excellent holiday reading for anyone who likes women's fiction with a bit of depth.

Some rather tasty looking recipes at the end, too.

Full review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-lemon-tree-cafe-by-cathy-bramle...

Tilly Parker is grieving the loss of her husband and pregnancy in a car accident. Sick of pitying looks and 'helpful' advice, she moves villages and makes a fresh start where nobody knows her story. A part-time job in the local primary school and a plot at Ivy Lane allotments are the start of her new life, one where she can shut the world out and keep to herself. But soon the diverse people in the allotment draw her into their community. Throughout the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter her gardening skills develop as her heart finally starts to heal and she finds new purpose in life. A sweet story of planting, healing, harvesting, sharing, baking, friendship and the celebration of life. A lovely example of cozy-fiction.½

This was a cheerful read, full of the ups and downs one expects from a chick lit set in a cafe. Rosie's change of career from social media whizz to cafe manager is a good journey, but I did feel the celebrity addition was just a stretch too far. The Callum story was good, but again at seemed a little too far fetched and simplistic. Without spoiling the story, I felt that Rosie's trauma was dealt with too quickly at the end.

The trips to Sorrento brought back memories of a happy holiday, and the Nonna element was well done.

All in all, this was a good read but nothing too special or taxing.

A long journey home and a day off meant I raced through this light-hearted book about 3 new friends and their wishes. It is pretty predictable, but because it is more grown up (women in their 30's) it means it's not as throwaway as some novels in the genre.

It's not a Mann Booker prize winner by any stretch of the imagination, but the characters are well constructed and their foibles are understandable and this makes them easy to relate to. It's the ideal summer/ light read for anyone who likes the 'chick lit rom com' genre.

I loved this book! Holly, who narrates, is a highly-organised but also slightly insecure young woman who is very likeable. She works hard, and has a stressed relationship with her clutter-hoarding mother.

It's relationship-based, covering about six months in Holly's life as she settles into her role as assistant events manager at a stately home. The writing is good, just the right pace for my tastes, and the lack of bad language or anything 'adult' is very refreshing. Some important issues are touched upon in sensitive ways, and there's some low-key humour too.

This was originally written as a four-part series but works well as a whole book. I bought my copy at a charity shop, having not come across the author before, and am now going to read as many of her books as I can find. Highly recommended if you enjoy light but sometimes thought-provoking women's fiction.

A failed romance and an unexpected inheritance will change one British thirty-something woman's life ...

In her debut novel Conditional Love, author Cathy Bramley weaves a lighthearted tale that follows Sophie Stone's journey of self-discovery and finding happiness.

Thirty-two year old Sophie Stone feels like her life is stuck in a rut: she works at a dead end newspaper job; lives in a flat with her two best friends, sisters Jess and Em; laments about her dormant dream of becoming an interior designer; and has a boyfriend named Marc who walks all over her, and she lets him! Sophie expected Marc to propose to her on Valentine's Day, only to get dumped. A mysterious letter arrives notifying Sophie that her Great Aunt Jane Kennedy has died, a woman she never knew existed. Sophie has inherited her great aunt's cottage and money, on one condition – that she meet her estranged dad, whom she’s never met.

Sophie gets a chance at realizing her dream of becoming an interior designer when she plans to renovate the cottage, and a second chance at romance when she meets an architect named Nick. Sophie embarks on a journey of self-discovery: she has choices and decisions to make, past family issues to face, and a chance to find love and happiness.

Conditional Love is a British Chick Lit story that has just the right mixture of drama, humor, and romance that makes it a delightful and fun read. It is a story about life lessons, growing into one's own person, and finding happiness in life.

Written in the first person narrative, the reader can't help but get drawn into Sophie's life, her unexpected journey will change her life in ways that she never could have imagined. The author infuses the story with her British wit, humor and dialect, creating a tale filled with quirky characters; intriguing past family issues; romance drama; and enough twists and turns that will make you laugh, groan, and cheer Sophie on as she finally comes into her own, and finds a place to call home!

If you're looking for a fast-paced enjoyable romantic comedy, then look no further, Conditional Love is the book for you!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/05/conditional-love-by-cathy-bram...