From London with Love by Katie Fforde

                                             

Ebook:  407 pages Kindle Edition

Genre:  Romance, Contemporary Womens Fiction, 

Publisher:  Random House, 13th February  2025 

Source:  NetGalley 

First Sentences: 'Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you?' said David. Felicite smiles and put her hand over David's. She looked on him as a sort of uncle, always there, always supportive but sometimes a little over-protective.

Review Quote: A force to be reckoned with for her uplifting tales of romance.' Daily Express

Setting : London, England

My Opinion: 

When I want to read some romantic fiction, Katie Fforde is an author I turn to first. As I have been reading and enjoying her novels since 1995, I think I can safely say her writing never fails to provide just what I need at the time. Romantic escapism. 

The novel is set in the final years of the swinging sixties and follows the lives of two young ladies, Felicity de Belville and Violet Stone, both living in the same house in London. They have only just met but soon become good friends and support each other in their romantic endeavours. There are plenty of tears as well as laughter as their romances progress with a great cast of supporting characters. 

I am adding this author's note to this review ' It is important to note that this book is set between 1968 and 1969 when there were no rules about mudlarking. Today you cannot do it without a licence, even if you go with an experienced mudlarker.

Recommended as a perfect read for when one is in the mood for a readable romance, with the inevitable happy ending. Relax and enjoy. 

With thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read and review 'From London With Love' 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

It’s 1968 and it’s cold when Felicity arrives in London to stay with her mother, improve her English, do a secretarial course - and meet a suitable man.

She is already missing her home in Provence and her father and his new wife and their extended family. But it’s only for a year she tells herself - and then she can go back to France and do what she really wants and become a painter.

And then she bumps into Oliver who is quite the most interesting young man she has ever met. He lives on a barge for one thing and has a selection of jobs including looking for hidden treasures along the shores of the river Thames.

In a word he’s a mudlarker - and before long Felicity is mudlarking too. She is also pursuing her dreams and painting scenery for Oliver’s actor friends. 

But is Oliver a Suitable Man of whom her mother will approve? Felicity knows she will not …

Previous Reviews:   Flora's Lot  Summer of Love  Recipe for Love  The Perfect Match  

A Rose Petal Summer   A Wedding in Provence

Author Profile:                

                                      

                                     Courtesy of Goodreads Profile

Catherine Rose Gordon-Cumming was born 27 September 1952 in England, UK and she lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire. She is the daughter of Shirley Barbara Laub and Michael Willoughby Gordon-Cumming. Her grandfather was Sir William Gordon-Cumming. Her sister is fellow writer Jane Gordon-Cumming. Katie married Desmond Fforde, cousin of the also writer Jasper Fforde. She has three children: Guy, Francis and Briony and didn't start writing until after the birth of her third child. She has previously worked both as a cleaning lady and in a health food cafe.

Published since 1995, her romance novels are set in modern-day England. She is the founder of the "Katie Fforde Bursary" for writers who have yet to secure a publishing contract. Katie was elected the twenty-fifteenth Chairman (2009-2011) of the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is delighted to have been chosen as Chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association and says, "Catherine Jones was a wonderful chair and she's a very tough act to follow. However, I've been a member of the RNA for more years than I can actually remember and will have its very best interests at the core of everything I do."

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Katie Fforde - Official Website   Facebook Profile    Instagram Profile   Twitter Profile

Amazon Author Profile  Goodreads Author Profile

The Island Getaway by Lucy Diamond

                                                                             

Ebook:  411 pages Kindle Edition

Genre:  Romantic Contemporary Fiction

Publisher:  Quercus, 30th January  2025 

Source:  NetGalley 

First Sentences: Prologue: Have you ever dreamed of getting away from it all? The Ionian Escape is a luxurious family run hotel on the beautiful island of Kefalonia, and it might be the very place you're looking for.

Review Quote: A slice of escapism ... temptingly conjured up' THE TIMES

My Opinion: 

Lucy Diamond is an author whom I have been aware of for many years as a writer of great escapism novels.  A genre I do read, but not so often, I have to admit this is the first of her books I have read and it is her twentieth.

Set in the fictitious hotel ‘The Ionian Escape’ on the real Greek islands of Kefalonia and Ithaca. The protagonists are the mixed group of latest arrivals at the hotel, who are all looking for reasons to escape from the outside world for awhile and enjoy some peace and quiet. Of course it is not that simple and the characters and their stories are ones that will find the reader either annoyed or routing for them. As the stories evolve the protagonists all learn the importance of friendship and second chances.

This novel certainly put me in a holiday mood and transported me, (if only), to the Greek islands. Great escapism, perfect for reading on a grey winters day or for that beach read on your next holiday. 

With thanks to NetGalley, Quercus and the author for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

The dream holiday just got complicated . . .

On the sun-drenched island of Kefalonia, the new arrivals at The Ionian Escape hotel are hoping for a break from everyday life. But some of them are bringing a lot of baggage . . .

Disgraced TV star Miranda Vallance feels like the worst person in the world. Her sister won't speak to her and her job's on the line. She's desperate to put things right, but how?

Eighty-two-year-old Evelyn Chambers has come to fulfil a promise to the love of her life. If she can steel herself to go through with it, that is . . .

And when celebrity chef Frank Neale checks in, rumours swirl around the hotel. But is it his wife, Leonora, who has more of a reason to escape to Greece?

Author Profile:         

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

                                              Courtesy of Goodreads Profile

IN HER  OWN WORDS FROM HER GOODREADS PROFILE:

First of all, a confession. My name isn’t really Lucy Diamond at all, it’s Sue Mongredien. I’ve used a pen name because ‘Diamond’ is a lot easier to spell and pronounce than ‘Mongredien’ and also because I’ve written lots of children’s books too and wanted to keep the genres separate. (There is actually another Lucy Diamond on Amazon who writes religious children’s books. That isn’t me, though.)

I was born in 1970 and grew up in Nottingham. I read English at Leeds University then moved to London and worked for various publishers before I packed it all in to go travelling around the world for a year and a half. When I came back to the UK, I worked in publishing again, then moved to the BBC. I now live in Bath with my husband and three young children and divide my time between writing and looking after them. You can have a look at my children’s books here.

Favourite things: beaches, holidays, chocolate, wine, reading, Green Wing, bubble baths, sunshine, hearing my children laugh, babysitters

Favourite books: The Magus (John Fowles), The Edible Woman (Margaret Atwood), The Secret History (Donna Tartt), The Colour of Memory (Geoff Dyer)

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Author Official Website.  Goodreads Profile.   Amazon Profile

Facebook Profile  Instagram Profile

Choral Society by Prue Leith

Paperback: 376 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Publisher:  Quercus 2009
Source: Oxfam Bookshop in UK
First Sentence: The women behind the counter were filling orders and shouting to customers over the lunchtime din..
Review Quote:  Prue Leith was not just born to cook ... she was also born to write - Daily Mail 
 My Opinion:  Romance for grown ups.

Prue Leith is a name you probably associate with cookery rather than fiction although it is now many years since she gave up that career to become a novelist. I have read three of  Prue Leiths earlier fiction offerings starting with Leaving Patrick , in 1999, Sisters in 2002, and The Gardener  in 2008 by which time I was writing short reviews on Bookcrossing.  Her novels are not great literature but they are enjoyable and realistic, as she draws on her own life experiences as a business woman and a cook. Her writing will appeal to all overs of contemporary fiction and the grown ups amongst us will appreciate the fact her heroines are older women.  Although sometimes a little predictable she provides exactly what one should expect if you pick up a novel in this genre, a feel good romance.

Choral Society is about the ups and downs in the lives of three women in their fifties who meet in a choir group and as different as they are they soon become friends. So close in fact that they become the sort of friends that are always there for each other, a little too quick for the real world, in my opinion friendships like theirs normally take years to grow. Our three protagonists are Lucy, Joanna and Rebecca all very different women with their own problems to overcome, which of course they do by the end of the novel. Lucy is a recently widowed food journalist, who joins the choir as her daughter feels it will help her overcome her grief. Joanna a single entrepreneurial business woman for whom failure is never an option, has joined the choir to learn to sing, as up to this point she never been able to hit a note. Rebecca is the extrovert and flirtatious single mother unashamedly searching for a man to support the lifestyle she yearns for.

Prue Leith makes their lives interesting enough to keep one reading as the choir teaches them a lot more about themselves than how to sing. When they decide to combine their talents to turn a Cornish hotel from a dated failure into an up market success there is bound to be problems. Of course they are resolved but I am not spoiling the story by telling you here. If you are fan of the genre of a certain age I do not think you will be disappointed.

As I mentioned in the review above I have read three of Prue Leiths earlier fiction offerings starting with Leaving Patrick  in 1999, followed by Sisters in 2002, both before I was reviewing my reading material. The Gardener I read in 2008 by which time I was writing short reviews on Bookcrossing. 

A Serving of Scandal published last year is on my Amazon Wishlist as is her autobiography Relish, My Life on a Plate which was published in February 2012.   

Whilst doing my research for this post I came across an interesting video called Meet The Author from the BBC which after watching made me interested enough to put the title on my wishlist. I have included the link for those of you that might also want to take a look.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17306514 

Leaving Patrick

The Gardener

    

A Serving of Scandal

Sisters

         


         






                                       

Autobiography Publication Date 27th September 2012

Author Profile.

Prudence Margaret Leith was born on February 18th 1940 in South Africa. Her very successful adult life has been spent mostly in London where she still lives dividing her time between there and Oxfordshire. As an entrepreneurial business woman she has been a successful cook, restaurant and cookery school owner, food writer and since 1995 a novelist.

If you are interested in learning more about the life of Prue Leith I recommend her Official Website where there is lots of fascinating information and a gallery of photos. 

Photo and Biographical Information is with thanks to the following sites where you can also find out more about the author and her writing.

Goodreads      Prue Leith - Official Website     Prue Leith - Wikipedia