Lil

In 1875, Sisi, the Empress of Austria is the woman that every man desires and every woman envies. Beautiful, athletic and intelligent, Sisi has everything - except happiness. Bored with the stultifying etiquette of the Hapsburg Court and her dutiful but unexciting husband, Franz Joseph, Sisi comes to England to hunt. She comes looking for excitement and she finds it in the dashing form of Captain Bay Middleton, the only man in Europe who can outride her. Ten years younger than her and engaged to the rich and devoted Charlotte, Bay has everything to lose by falling for a woman who can never be his. But Bay and the Empress are as reckless as each other, and their mutual attraction is a force that cannot be denied. Full of passion and drama, THE FORTUNE HUNTER tells the true story of a nineteenth century Queen of Hearts and a cavalry captain, and the struggle between love and duty.  Review Having finished this book I was delighted to discover that in the Author's Notes that the majori...

It's been an exciting week this week: I have five new books waiting to be read! Yesterday brought my first library trip of the month... Sense and Sensibility - Joanna Trollope  This has been on my to-read list for some time, and the other day I read a brilliant review of it over on Girl with her Head in a Book 's blog. It felt like fate when I saw it on the library shelf yesterday! When sisters Elinor and Marianne lose their father and their beloved home, Norland Park, all in a matter of weeks, the shock affects them in very different ways. As young architect student Elinor holds the family together, Marianne resists with all her might the change they must endure. Thrust into a tiny cottage in Devon, the two sisters are soon united by one thing, dilemmas of the heart. But where Marianne proclaims her love, Elinor holds her tongue. And in a world that turns on an axis of money, sex and power, what will prevail: following one's head or one's heart? Last Voyage of the Vale...

I went to the library this morning and picked up a couple of titles that looked really interesting. I only allowed myself two as I've already got five renewed, not to mention the number of NetGalley ARCs and Goodreads First-Reads that I have to get through! It's going to be a busy few weeks... The Illusionists - Rosie Thomas "London 1885. A shadowy and threatening place for a beautiful young woman of limited means. Eliza's choices lie between marriage and stifling domesticity or a downwards spiral to the streets. But Eliza is modern before her time and she won't compromise. One night at a run-down theatre she meets the charismatic Devil Wix - a born showman who is set on running his own company. His right-hand man is Carlo Boldoni, a irascible dwarf whose dazzling talent eclipses everything Devil tries to do. Forever linked to Devil by a boyhood tragedy is his friend Jasper Button, a gifted artist, and the fourth member of this strange crew is Heinrich, an enigmat...

This morning I brought home my first library haul of the month: Longbourn - Jo Baker "'If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats,' Sarah thought, 'she would be more careful notto tramp through muddy fields.' It is wash-day for the housemaids at Longbourn House, and Sarah's hands are chapped and raw. Domestic life below stairs, ruled with a tender heart and an iron will by Mrs Hill the housekeeper, is about to be disturbed by the arrival of a new footman, bearing secrets and the scent of the sea." The Other Typist - Suzanne Rindell "New York City, 1924: the height of Prohibition. In a police precinct on the lower East Side young typist Rose Baker coolly records the confessions of killers and gangsters. But when a new typist arrives - the captivating Odalie - Rose finds a true partner in crime. Flitting between sparkling speakeasies by night and their work at the precinct by day, the girls are drawn further into a dark, glamorous world....

I received an advance copy of this book via Goodreads first reads. To be honest, this book is not my usual taste, but I decided to give it a go as something light to read in between more demanding books. The story follows three friends, Jade Kelly and Lisa, and their arch rival Adele through the trials and tribulations of love, life and business. It is VERY stereotypical, designed to appeal, unsurprisingly, to fans of the hit ITV2 show The Only Way is Essex , a category which I don't fit into. That said, Made in Essex  is well written with well developed characters; it follows on from another of Ziepe's book called Essex Girls but it made perfect sense to me without having read the other novel. Ziepe was offered a part in the first series of TOWIE so she knows the world that she's writing about inside out, and it shows. However, the constant use of the famous Essex colloquialisms ('totes amaze' 'jel' and of course 'reem') really grated on me, as did...

I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of this book via Goodreads, and given it's Christmas theme I decided to dive straight in the minute it arrived on my doorstep.The premise of the story is simple; Carrington's department store is in financial trouble and so Kelly Cooper (think fictional Mary Portas) and her TV company arrive to 'improve' it, filming a reality show along the way. For Georgie Hart, her best friends Sam and Eddie, and the rest of the store staff, their lives are turned upside down and they become overnight 'slebs' (don't even get me started on how much that abbreviation annoyed me). Having recently watched Channel 4's documentary on Liberty's of London I was excited to see how the concept measured up in fiction and I wasn't disappointed. As a leading character Georgie has more than a hint of Bridget Jones about her; throw in the obligatory hunky boss and gay best friend and you have the makings of a great story, if a little s...