Lil

1786 : Regency London. Everyone is hiding something. But someone is hiding everything. Lizzy Ward never meant to end up working the streets of Piccadilly. So when a mysterious noble pursues her, it seems her luck is changing. But though Lord Hays offers to grow Lizzy's fortunes, his price is unexpected. She must masquerade in the sumptuous gowns and social mask of a true lady. With the stakes so high, love is out of the question. But as Lizzy navigates the fashion and faux-pas of the London elite, she finds her tough facade failing her. Lord Hayes wants to show her that nobility is more than skin deep . . . and as the connection between them grows, it's no longer certain who's wearing the mask. As the street-girl and the lord collide, Regency London is poised for scandal . . .   It was only after finishing this book that I found out it is essentially a scene by scene retelling of Pretty Woman set in the 1800s. While I picked up on the street girl/gentleman comparisons I hav

Abandoned on a bank of snow as a baby, Amy is taken in at nearby Hatville Court. But the masters and servants of the grand estate prove cold and unwelcoming.   Amy's only friend and ally is the sparkling young heiress Aurelia Vennaway. So when Aurelia tragically dies young, Amy is devastated.   But Aurelia leaves Amy one last gift. A bundle of letters with a coded key. A treasure hunt that only Amy can follow. A life-changing discovery awaits... if only she can unlock the secret.   I've been excited to read this book ever since I first heard about it. For a debut novel it is very impressive, full of wonderful characters with a plot that will keep you reading. I did find Amy as a narrator a tad overdramatic, but you can't help but feel for her - especially considering her history. I found myself questioning her unwavering loyalty to Aurelia at times, and my opinion of Aurelia constantly changed throughout the course of the novel. All we know of Aurelia we learn through her l

Regular readers of my blog may well know by now that I am a huge fan of James Bond . I have been waiting for this film for so long. As soon as the credits rolled on  Skyfall I was already longing for my next Bond fix. The past three years I've followed every rumour and development with bated breath. It's only natural then that I saw SPECTRE on it's opening night. I was buzzing about it beforehand and haven't stopped talking about it since! **I try to keep all of my reviews spoiler free, but of course if you don't want to know anything at all about the film, it's perhaps best you stop reading here!** Fair play to the lad who turned up in a tuxedo to watch it! It was either his own choice, a dare, or he had a fancy dinner party beforehand, but either way it made my evening before the film had even started! Sam Smith's theme song, Writing's on the Wall, which I wasn't all that keen on on first listen, has really grown on me, and it fitted the openi