Book Review - The Secret of Orchard Cottage by Alex Brown

Amazon UK

Title: The Secret of Orchard Cottage

Author: Alex Brown

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Harper

Publication Date: 2nd June 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

April Wilson is wondering what to do next – her life has been turned upside down after the loss of her husband so she’s hoping to piece herself together again with a visit to her elderly great aunt, Edith. Arriving in the rural idyll of Tindledale, she’s dismayed to find Edith’s cottage and the orchards surrounding it in a sorry state of disrepair. Edith seems to have lost interest completely, instead she’s become desperate to find out what happened to her sister, Winnie, who disappeared during WWII.
April gets to work immediately, discovering that the orchard still delivers a bumper crop each year, and with the help of some of the villagers – including Matt, the enigmatic Farrier – begins to unravel the mystery of the missing Winnie. Slowly,
April can feel things coming to life again – but can Orchard Cottage work its magic on her too?

This is the long awaited third book in the Tindledale series, and is almost certainly the best book that Alex Brown has written. It is a much welcome return to the village of Tindledale and catching up with some of the villagers from the previous books, as well as a whole new set of characters to love. 

This though can easily be read as a standalone, so don't worry if you haven't read any before, this is a self contained story, the characters from the previous book are mentioned in passing, but not in any way to make you feel you have missed out by not reading the first two books....although you have because they are fabulous!

With the exception of the prologue, I found the book was unputdownable. I read it in 5 hours, with just a couple of short breaks to re-get myself comfortable (and eat dinner). If you are looking for a book to take your mind off your own real life for a while, then this is a great story to that with. 

I was drawn into a set of truly remarkable characters lives. There is April who is trying to get her life back together 18 months after her husband died, her step daughter Nancy who is a lovely young woman, her great aunt Edie who is central to the story. Unfortunately at the age of 90, Edie is starting to get confused and is living in the past more and more, and keeps mistaking April for her long lost sister Winnie. 

April is asked to find out what happened to Winnie all those years ago, and its not any easy task, but I'll just say you will probably never guess the truth. Then there are two men in Tindledale who are attracted to April, Harry the fruit farmer who we meet in a hilarious first meeting, and Matt who we get occasional chapters from his point of view. 

There are a whole host of sensitive issues in this book, between dealing with old age, to a young girl who is having trouble at school, to various happenings in World War 2. If like me you aren't the biggest fan of history, then don't worry this is not a dual timeline story and the history bits are short and fit very well into the story, especially when you can see parallels between Winnie and April. 

If you like your women's fiction with a touch of mystery, or a are fan of this author, or generally just curious about the book, make sure you read it, the writing is superb, and its the sort of book where you will end up with "just one more chapter" syndrome, only to find yourself finishing the story when you should be in bed already, like me!

Book Review - The Great Village Show by Alexandra Brown - Paperback Summer

Amazon UK

Title: The Great Village Show

Author: Alexandra Brown 

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Harper

Publication Date: 30th July 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Tindledale is in a tizzy . . .

The Village Show competition is coming around again and after last year’s spectacular failure, the villagers are determined to win. Meg, teacher at the local school, is keen to help and to impose some much-needed order.

After a terse encounter with a newcomer to the village, Meg discovers that it is celebrity chef and culinary bad boy, Dan Wright. Meg thinks he is arrogant and rude but rumour has it that Dan is opening a new restaurant in the village which could really put Tindledale on the map.

As things come together, villagers old and new all start to come out of the woodwork, including new arrival Jessie who seems to have it all. But first impressions can be deceptive and Meg discovers that when it comes to Tindledale – and Dan – nothing is ever quite as it seems . . .

I have now read all of Alexandra Brown's books and I haven't read a bad one. They are all absolutely fantastic, and I am delighted to say The Great Village Show is no exception. 

For those of you that haven't read The Great Christmas Knit Off, don't worry although this is set back in Tindledale with a familiar cast of characters, it is a completely stand alone book, and though reading the first one makes this feel like you are returning to your friends in the village, it won't spoil your enjoyment to have not read it. 

There is a newcomer to the village Jessie, who is married and has triplets. She appears to have a perfect life, but will she make a good enough friend in the village to be able to trust them with the truth. Jessie's storyline touches on a very serious topic, not in huge amounts of detail, but enough to make you stop and think for a bit, as to how you would react in her place. 

There is another newcomer to the village, Dan, who is a celebrity chef, and seems to have a bit of a crush on Meg. What noone can work out is why exactly he is so prickly the whole time, and just what he is doing in Tindledale in the first place. 

The main character of the book is Meg, who is the acting head teacher of the village school, which is being threatened with closure, and she ends up taking over organising The Great Village Show . They whole town needs the show to be a huge success, not just to increase the fortunes of the school, but hopefully attracting more tourists to the town, to increase business all around. 

The villagers of Tindledale, do what they do best and throw themselves whole heartedly into the challenges of  putting on the best village show, and they all pitch in and do what they can. It is fabulous display of community spirit, and makes is one of my favourite book towns to live in (if it was real!). 

Whenever I read a book by this author, it feels like I am instantly reading about a group of good friends, in that you are instantly put at ease by the writing style, and drawn in so you feel like you belong. 

The Great Village Show is a fabulous summer release, that I have loved reading. Even as I was starting it on my way into town, I was very soon oblivious to where I was on my route, and had to look around quite a few times, to make sure I hadn't missed my stop. I was that involved in the story right from the start. This is a very easy to read book, and one that is great summer holiday reading material. 

I would whole heartedly recommend this fabulous book, and I really can't wait for the next book about Tindledale to be released.