Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues by Trisha Ashley

I really enjoyed this book - another great read by Trisha Ashley. I loved the main character, Tansy, and felt really close to her throughout the story. I felt similar emotions to her - sadness at Aunt Nan's death, anger at Justin's revelations, frustration at his inability to realise he'd done wrong, and the like. Aunt Nan and Bella were also lovely characters and I felt like they were personal friends. I also fell in love with Flash, who sounded adorable. So I was really drawn into the story and wanted to know what would happen next - which made it hard to put down! I also loved reading Aunt Nan's recordings and finding things out as Tansy did. The shoe shop sounded perfect, as did the whole village. I enjoyed reading about characters from previous books and seeing what they were getting up to. It was just a real feel-good story, with occasional twists and turns, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I give this book 10/10!

The Village Vet by Cathy Woodman

This book was an enjoyable read, but it wasn't one of Cathy Woodman's best. It was lacking something, but I can't quite figure out what. The plot was exactly the type of thing I love to read about, with an Animal Rescue Centre set in a countryside village. But I think the problem was that I didn't quite warm to the main character, Tess. I felt there was no need for her to take her fiance up the aisle and then to decide she didn't want to be with him. And the romantic interest, Jack, lacked a certain sparkle. It seemed strange that one moment Tess didn't like Jack in the slightest and the next minute she was head over heels in love with him. It should have been a more gradual process. However, I did enjoy reading about other characters, such as Libby and the committee members. And I loved reading about the animals, from Buster the dog, to Dolly to pony, to the baby birds. And as I got towards the end of the book and the action got quicker, I did find myself enjoying it more. But the one thing that still puzzles me is why the book is called 'The Village Vet', when Tess is not a vet and it isn't based in a veterinary practice. However, overall I give this book 6/10.

The Love Letter by Fiona Walker

This book was a real disappointment for me. After I read the synopsis, I thought this book would be an enjoyable read. However, there was a lot to the plot which I did not like. My biggest problem with the book was the main character, Allegra. She was referred to as 'Legs' throughout the book which thoroughly irritated me. I did not feel like I could connect with her because she kept doing really stupid things, such as wearing her nephew's clothes instead of just buying new ones and letting herself be held hostage by her own boyfriend. I never felt connected to any of the characters throughout the book, either. I did like Byrne to start with, but after he and Allegra got together, he became a different character. In addition, there was a lot of references to them making love, without there any need to, which really started to annoy me by the end. In addition, the ending was also a major dissapointment. The whole book was just generally long winded with too much going on and too many different characters and family dramas occuring which were hard to keep up with. It is such a shame, because the writing style was good and there were a few entertaining moments, but the story got out of hand and a little surreal in places. Therefore, I give this book 3/10.

Secrets in Prior's Ford by Eve Houston

I adored this book, and was completely engrossed in the story. I will admit that at first it was quite hard remembering which characters were which, as so many were introduced near the beginning. But once I got the grasp of who was who, I fell in love with the book. I loved the descriptions of the village, the events that were happening, the connections between the characters, and the whole warm glow the story gave me. My favourite story line had to be about Clarissa Ramsay, who went through a real journey throughout the book. Her friendship with Alastair was lovely to read, especially because it never developed into anything more. Friendship between men and women as being a friendship in most stories I read are non-existent, so this was a breath of fresh air. Other characters I enjoyed were Ingrid, Jenny and Helen from The Gift Horse, who each had seperate stories, but came together as one, too. I can't wait to read the next book in the series and see what the characters will get up to next! Overall I give this book 10/10!

Promises, Promises by Erica James

This was a very enjoyable read. I felt very engaged with two of the main characters, Ella and Maggie, and felt like I was cheering them on throughout the book. Ethan, the third main character, was a little harder to connect with, for me. I'm not sure if it was because he was a man, or his lack of morals, but I found it hard to feel empathetic towards him. I didn't really like his plot, and his pursuit of Ella, and I wasn't too sure they should end up together. Maggie was a totally different story. Although I generally find myself getting annoyed with characters that have affairs, because I felt so connected to Maggie, I was happy when she found a man so much better than her husband. All the characters you were supposed to hate were easily dislikeable, and were very funny at the same time. Maggie's in-laws were particularly comical, especially Brenda and her dog. I always wanted to know what was going to happen next, which is a good sign with a book. Therefore I give it 8/10.

A Country Affair by Rebecca Shaw

This book was fantastic! I think I've discovered an amazing new author by picking up this book and now I'm desperate to read the next one in the series. I love the setting at the veterinary practice and all the characters. There are the main characters like Kate, Mia, Joy, etc who are really likeable and easy to sympathise with. Then there are the smaller characters who just add character to the book, like Mr. F and Miss Chillingsworth. I liked how the plot had some twists that made it a little less predictable, like how the situation was left between Kate and Scott. Overall, this was a light, heart-warming story where I cared for the main characters and couldn't put it down. I give this book 10/10.

Welcome to Rosie Hopkin's Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan

I really loved this book and felt really involved with the story. Rosie was a brilliant main character, who was easy to like and empathise with. Lilian was also another good main character, and her back story was interesting to follow throughout the book. I loved the descriptions of the sweetshop, so much so that it made me visit my own local sweetshop! At first, there were three men who could have been potential love interests for Rosie. Moray and Jake seemed like perfectly nice characters, but went from being potential love interests to nothing in a matter of seconds, I did not even notice until their personalities seemed to have changed totally. And Stephen never really appealed to me, either, even when Rosie began to like him. Other than that, most of the other characters were loveable, particularly the little boy, Edison, who sounded adorable. And the story as a whole was very captivating. I give this book 9/10.