Review: Appleby Farm by Cathy Bramley

Freya Moorcroft has wild red hair, mischievous green eyes, a warm smile and a heart of gold. She’s been happy working at the café round the corner from Ivy Lane allotments and her romance with her new boyfriend is going well, she thinks, but a part of her still misses the beautiful rolling hills of her Cumbrian childhood home: Appleby Farm.

Then a phone call out of the blue and a desperate plea for help change everything…

The farm is in financial trouble, and it’s taking its toll on the aunt and uncle who raised Freya. Heading home to lend a hand, Freya quickly learns that things are worse than she first thought. As she summons up all her creativity and determination to turn things around, Freya is surprised as her own dreams for the future begin to take shape.

Love makes the world go round, according to Freya. Not money. But will saving Appleby Farm and following her heart come at a price?

Review: I listened to this book on audiobook and it took me from commute to plane journey, reachng it's crescendo at 37000 feet! Having only read one part of Ivy lane,  was worried thT the would be spoilers in this books for Ivy Lane as a whole, unfortunately that was right but I would rather have finished the whole of this book than wait and go back so I don't mind too much really but just. Warning, if you want to read Ivy Lane NOT knowing what is going to happen, read that before reading this book! 

Freya was an interesting character, she seems fairly headstrong and fairly independent. She also sometimes struggles to make decisions and is stubborn when it comes to getting her own way, or the way that she sees as right. In the very beginning of the book, I don't think I really liked her but as it went on I definitely warmed to her as she had her family at heart and wanted to do best by them. She has some very close friends in the book and they definitely help buoy her along when it comes to the decision making-thank goodness. There are some interesting male characters in this books I was definitely a little more interested in finding out what was going on with them than Freya herself. Her aunt and uncle provide grounding to the plot and definitely drive the storyline forwards. 

The storyline itself jumped around quite a bit, from Freya saving the farm, to her starting her own business. although the two do tie in together, they seemed like separate priorities to the character but with tenuous links provided by secondary characters. There of course is a love story or two along the way and I was very satisfied with the developments there for Freya and the ending in that respect! Because of the issues I had with some of the plot, the book seemed to drag in places and so I switched off a little. I did enjoy the ending and the resolution for all of the characters, but as with Ivy lane, I would love to see a spin off with a secondary character from this novel sometime soon! 

Review: Creature Comforts by Trisha Ashley

Izzy has broken off her engagement to her feckless fiancée Kieran and returned to her childhood home – the sleepy village of Halfhidden.

She soon realizes that life in the village is anything but peaceful – for one thing she’s living with her mad aunt Debo and her pack of dogs, and for another, Izzy has a lot of unanswered questions.

When she was a teenager, Izzy was involved in a terrible accident, involving various inhabitants of Halfhidden. As she sets out to discover what actually happened on the night of the accident, she realizes that her painful past is actually standing in the way of her future happiness. So when a handsome stranger comes to Halfhidden will she let love back into her life?

Another compelling story by Trisha Ashley that, once started,is difficult to put down. It had me drawn in immediately to the life, past and present, of heroine Izzy, her family and friends. There is mystery, romance, a touch of the supernatural, and, of course, the creatures of the title. 

When we first meet Izzy, she is returning to England after spending some time in India working for a charity. She is looking forward to a life with fiancé Kieran, but soon realises that he is perhaps not the man of her dreams after all.  Izzy's real dreams are, in fact, a big part of the unfolding story as she tries to piece together an event that happened in her teenage years, and that changed her life completely.  Returning to her childhood home (the wonderfully named Halfhidden), where she lives with zany Aunt Demo and meets up again with friends Lulu and Cam, helps her eventually solve the mystery. As you might expect, romance blossoms along the way as well. 

For a sleepy little Lancashire village, there is a lot going on in Halfhidden. We meet a host of really strong characters, not all of whom are pleasant and friendly. People and locations from some of Trisha's previous books crop up as well, which is a nice touch.

This book is definitely one to add to any holiday suitcase. I would have dearly loved a couple of days to devote to reading this tale without distractions such as work. Well done Trisha!