Book Review: The Plumberry School of Comfort Food by Cathy Bramley

"Verity Bloom hasn't been interested in cooking anything more complicated than the perfect fish finger sandwich, ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago.

But an opportunity to help a friend lands her right back in the heart of the kitchen. The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is due to open in a few weeks' time and needs the kind of great ideas that only Verity could cook up. And with new friendships bubbling and a sprinkling of romance in the mix, Verity finally begins to feel like she's home.

But when tragedy strikes at the very heart of the cookery school, can Verity find the magic ingredient for Plumberry while still writing her own recipe for happiness?"

Rating: 5/5

 Cathy Bramley is one of my favourite authors, and I always look forward to her bringing out a new book! Somehow, this one slipped out of my line of sight for a while when picking a new book, and when I realised again a few weeks ago I hadn't read it, I eagerly scooped it off the shelf and dove in, ready for another wonderfully heart-warming read! I always love Cathy's characters, her settings and her writing, so I always know I'm in for a good read when I pick up one of her books!

I have to say I was completely absorbed by this novel from the very beginning. Verity is a wonderful leading lady for the book, and somehow you can easily like. She's a girl after my own, loving a good fish finger sandwich for tea! She is a pretty good cook but gave up after the sudden loss of her best friend a few years back. This isn't a huge plot point, but certainly defines a lot of things for most of the characters in the book, and while her best friend Mimi isn't actually ever in the book, she's very present, and I loved how the characters all keep her memory alive through their own actions. Verity's mum in particular was one I felt incredibly sorry for. No parent should have to bury their child, and she had to do this horrible reality. However, I admire how she got herself up and carried on with her life, I'm not sure I could be that brave.

Verity begins working for Gloria's new cookery school, aptly called The Plumberry School of Comfort Food. Yum. It sounds like such a good idea, and I was hoping the friends would be able to make a success of it, together with the professional chef Tom they hired to lead the classes. Everything about the school sounds charming, from the building and grounds, to the lovely people they have running it. It seemed like a recipe for success, and I was willing them to make it work! Tom was a great addition to the book, a chef who didn't really want to dumb down his cooking for the average cook, leading to some rather funny moments in a few classes! I also loved the 'will they, won't they' element of Verity and Tom's friendship too.

There was one mysterious storyline running throughout the book, and obviously I won't discuss it here because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but I was totally surprised by the twist in this particular tale. I hadn't expected it at all, and thought it was a brave issue to tackle in this story, suddenly giving the book an emotionally charged edge. I admire Cathy Bramley for including a topic like this, and thought it was very well done, and fitted in perfectly for these characters and their story.

Overall, this was a wonderful read and I was really disappointed when it came to an end! I'd really gotten to know and love the characters, and enjoyed their whole journey throughout the book. I also loved all of the characters, they really all did add something to this story, and therefore it was a joy to read. Cathy Bramley's writing is wonderful, she really gets into the heart of her characters, explains their emotions well and sets the scene perfectly. Her settings are always spot on too, I love imagining the places where she sets her books! I now can't wait to read Cathy's next book, she remains one of my favourites!

Book Review: Wickham Hall by Cathy Bramley

"Holly Swift has just landed the job of her dreams: events co-ordinator at Wickham Hall, the beautiful manor home that sits proudly at the heart of the village where she grew up. Not only does she get to organise for a living and work in stunning surroundings, but it will also put a bit of distance between Holly and her problems at home.

As Holly falls in love with the busy world of Wickham Hall - from family weddings to summer festivals, firework displays and Christmas grottos - she also finds a place in her heart for her friendly (if unusual) colleagues.

But life isn’t as easily organised as an event at Wickham Hall (and even those have their complications…). Can Holly learn to let go and live in the moment? After all, that’s when the magic happens…"

Rating: 5/5

You can buy the book now.

Someone who is fast becoming one of my must-read authors is Cathy Bramley. I've read all of her books to date, and was lucky enough to be sent a review of her latest book Wickham Hall. Cathy's books are usually released as a four-part serial in eBook format, but I prefer to sit and read the entire thing as a normal book, that way if I get lost in the story I don't have a long wait until the new part is out! The cover for this book is stunning, and I excitedly started to read it, and of course thought it was utterly brilliant!

Holly Swift has landed on her feet by getting her dream job as events organiser at Wickham Hall, the local manor home close to where she grew up. Holly has dreamt of working there since she was a young girl and used to attend events there with her mother, and now she is organising these events herself. She's able to put on festive activities, firework displays  and even hosting famous chefs, and is getting to know her new colleagues too. However, things aren't plain sailing, and when the son of Lord and Lady Fortescue suddenly arrives back at the hall, Holly struggles to get along with him and keep him happy. Is the dream job Holly always dreamed of becoming the job of nightmares?

One thing that I always know I am going to get when I read one of Cathy Bramley's novels is a wonderful story, and a cast of characters that I love. Each of her books so far have been brilliant, and the stories have really come to life from the pages as I am reading. This was certainly the case with Wickham Hall, I very quickly got lost in Holly's world, and couldn't put the book down once I had begun. Holly was the narrator of the book, and I really enjoyed reading about her passion for her job and Wickham Hall. Event organising isn't really my cup of tea, but Holly made the job sound so interesting and challenging, and it was fun to read about how much goes into planning these big public events.

The other main characters in the book are Ben Fortescue, son of the owners of Wickham Hall, and someone who stops Holly's life being easy! He was a great character though, somewhat determined to not inherit the hall and follow in his father's footstep and instead pursue his own passion.He was quite a fun character, injecting some humour into Holly's life and the story, and I really enjoyed his presence. Another main character was Holly's mum, who is battling her own demons. I thought the relationship between the pair was so sweet and touching, Holly is very protective and caring towards her mother, and as this story progressed and things happen for the pair, I felt very warm and happy inside, it was so well written, and I thought Bramley tackled the issues Holly and her mum are facing with discretion and care, really helping you to understand why her mother is as she is.

The last thing I want to comment on was the setting of the book itself, Wickham Hall. I enjoy visiting stately homes, and am lucky enough to live somewhere where we have lots of things like this around, and this helped me picture the hall in all its glory vividly as I was reading. Bramley beautifully describes everything from the rooms, to the garden, kitchen  and the events so well, and I really wished I could be present at the events, especially the Christmas grotto which sounded so magical, and just my cup of tea! The book is quite long at 500 pages, but at no point did I think it was dragging or that I was bored, there was something to keep me interested at every point! I love Bramley's story-telling ability, her characters, her setting and the way she allows the reader to get emotionally invested in the story. It was a brilliantly heart-warming and joyous read, and I cannot wait for more from Cathy Bramley!

Book Review: Ivy Lane by Cathy Bramley

"Tilly Parker needs a fresh start, fresh air and a fresh attitude if she is ever to leave the past behind and move on with her life. As she seeks out peace and quiet in a new town, taking on a plot at Ivy Lane allotments seems like the perfect solution.

But the friendly Ivy Lane community has other ideas and gradually draw Tilly in to their cosy, comforting world of planting seedlings, organizing bake sales and planning seasonal parties.

As the seasons pass, will Tilly learn to stop hiding amongst the sweetpeas and let people back into her life – and her heart?"

Rating: 5/5

You can buy Ivy Lane as a paperback or an eBook now.

One book I have really been looking forward to reading this year is the debut novel from author Cathy Bramley. I didn't read it in four parts like many other bloggers did, instead I chose to wait for the whole thing to devour it all together. I'm so pleased that I did, because it was a brilliant novel from start to finish, and I didn't want to put it down. It was one of those cosy books, where you feel like you're in the middle of the story with the characters, I genuinely cared about them and was sad to finish it.

Tilly isn't exactly a keen gardener, but when the opportunity comes to have her own allotment, she decides it might be just what she needs to start afresh. Tilly starts to make friends at the Ivy Lane allotments pretty quickly, and soon starts to settle in, growing her own vegetables and preparing her patch for more throughout the year. Tilly's left a painful past behind, and she's determined that she isn't going to divulge to her newfound friends, instead letting them judge for who she is now, not what has happened to her. But as things start to change for Tilly, she realises she might need to let people in more than she had though, especially when it's do with matters of the heart...

I want to say straight away how much I loved Tilly, she was the perfect heroine for the book and I loved reading about her story. What happened in Tilly's past remains secret for much of the book, but I had a pretty good idea from the hints that came about in the earlier parts of the book. Tilly, though, is trying to move on and a new hobby seems to be just what she needs. I loved how Tilly made friends with the other gardeners, regardless of who they were, and just tried her hardest when it came to her allotment, even though she wasn't always very good at growing anything! She was such a kind-hearted woman, and when her past is revealed, my heart broke for her, it was a really sad part of the book.

As well as Tilly though, it was the collection of characters within this book which made it so readable. Tilly's new best friend Gemma is hilarious, a beautician turned allotment aficionado, and is certainly larger than life in the book, trying to cheer up Tilly whenever she has the chance; there's hunky young gardener Charlie, who seems more than a little sweet on Tilly for her liking, and many more fellow gardeners too. There's a particularly poignant and touching scene involving Alf, another allotment owner, that had me in tears, it was so beautifully written.  I loved reading everything about the allotments, from the people to the plants they grew, to the gatherings they all held together. It was such a brilliant little community, I really wanted to be part of it!

The book takes place over the period of a year, and is divided up into four seasons, working its way from Spring to Winter. It wasn't just plants growing throughout the year, it was the character of Tilly too, becoming stronger as the year went on and she became more settled in her new home. Cathy Bramley's writing was fantastic, writing the development of this character and intertwining it with the lives and goings-on at the Ivy Lane allotment. Throw in a surprise TV show, community service people and a good few fundraisers along the way, and there's a lot packed into this story to enjoy. I loved it from the first page until the last, and was so sad to finish this book, I didn't want to leave these characters behind. This book is a triumph for Cathy Bramley, and I can't wait to read her next.