The Overflowing Library

  In Wynbridge, the scent of autumn is on the breeze and love is in the air… Clemmie Bennett has been renovating beautiful Rowan Cottage on the outskirts of the small town of Wynbridge, for eighteen months following a very public heartbreak back in her childhood hometown. The popular Instagram influencer, lost her husband, sold their home, and has been cosied up the Fens and living a very private life, but now she feels it’s time for a change. A chance encounter with co-owner of The Cherry Tree Café, the bubbly Lizzie Dixon, pulls her into organizing Wynbridge’s first-ever Autumn Festival, and her once quiet life is soon a distant memory. With the whole town rallying behind the event, she discovers a new sense of purpose. And when local vet Ash falls hard for Clemmie, she begins to wonder if she’s ready to move even further on from her past and fall in love again… This autumn, cosy up with Heidi and this perfect seasonal romance. I must admit this book caught me off guard. Heidi's ...

  Uncovering secrets that span generations, Rachel Hore delivers intriguing, involving and emotive narrative reading group fiction like few other writers can. Nancy Foster has harboured a devastating secret that shattered her professional and personal life. On meeting her, journalist Stef Lansdown realizes that she has the power to restore Nancy’s reputation and to heal the wounds, if only Nancy will trust her. But someone else wants to get to the bottom of the story first, someone who doesn’t want it to be told. Set in the beautiful environs of the Norfolk Broads in 2010, and in London in the '40s and ‘50s, when life for career-driven women was so different,  The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge  is  Sunday Times  multi-million copy bestselling author Rachel Hore’s utterly compelling new novel, interweaving the past and the present. The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge was a real treat of a read for me. I love well researched historical fiction which is grounded, intriguin...

  Their story might be scripted, but the chemistry is real. When Cynthie Taylor gets her first real acting job, starring in a small British movie, she is over the moon. There’s only one problem . . . Cynthie's arrogant and annoyingly handsome co-star Jack hates her, and the feeling is definitely mutual. While they may be at war behind the scenes, their on-screen chemistry is palpable, and the studio sees an opportunity – have the two young stars fake a romance that will charm fans and draw crowds. Thirteen years later, Cynthie and Jack have successfully kept their promise to stay far away from one another, until a surprising offer comes to make a sequel to the cult classic that launched their careers. But there's a catch: they must also rekindle their pretend relationship . . . and this time there's a documentary crew following their every move. Cynthie and Jack both desperately need this film to work, but can two ex-rivals ever really trust each other? And what happens whe...

Summer is in full swing when Daisy drives back into Wynmouth in her almost-clapped-out car, having left both her most recent job and the man her parents thought she was going to marry. Coming home could be just what she needs to move her life on. At Wynbrook Manor, things are in disarray. Owner Algy isn’t getting any younger, and Daisy’s mum Janet, housekeeper at the manor, spends her days running around after him, while Daisy’s dad Robin, the gardener, has been let down by the person he had lined up to take care of the new cut-flower garden. As Daisy tries to find her place at Wynbrook and in the village, she’s drawn to summer visitor Josh. But when he turns out to be not the person he appears to be, will the spark between them fizzle out? And with it, the chances of this turning into the best summer ever? Waiting for a new Heidi Swain book is always a treat as you just know that you are going to get such a lovely reading experience once it does arrive and boy does this summer's o...

  Bella is living her best life in Wynbridge, with her beloved Spaniel, Tink. She’s found a way to keep the house she inherited from her grandparents while expanding her dream business – Away With the Fairies – and she’s ecstatic that Christmas is on the horizon! In fact, everything is perfect until family friend, Catherine Connelly asks Bella if she’d be willing to rent part of the house to freelance author, Jude who is researching the history of the Connelly Clan and Wynthorpe Hall ahead of turning his findings into a book. The plan had been for Jude to stay at the hall, but he can’t cope with the chaos and Bella reluctantly agrees to open her door to him. Initially, the pair clash but then friendlier feelings begin to grow and Bella finds herself wondering if Jude could become more than just another guest before it’s time for him to leave. That is, until he announces he has no time for Christmas! With her favourite time of the year suddenly in jeopardy, will B...

  Discover the beautiful, escapist new novel from beloved author, Holly Hepburn... When Daisy’s mother falls ill she is forced to return home. With her twin sons in tow, she moves back to Half Moon Farm, her family’s ancient hop farm. But a new life in the Kent countryside isn’t necessarily as idyllic as it might seem. Daisy’s relationship with her mother is complicated and the tumbledown farm isn’t the only thing that needs rebuilding. Daisy and her sons must adjust to life with estranged family, a leaking roof, and no WiFi. Luckily for Daisy, she might yet find some distraction in silver fox farmer, Drew, or in the haughty heir to the nearby estate, Kit, who she can’t seem to avoid. Daisy must learn to juggle her new life, the boys, and the daunting task of updating the farm. But there are secrets lurking in her family’s past that might throw everything into further disarray… My Thoughts I am always delighted to get my hands on a copy of the latest release from Holly Hepburn as I...

  Sophy Stevens is moving to Australia. Turning thirty has found her unexpectedly out of a job, out of a relationship, and just in need of Something Different – and Australia, where she can finally meet her grandparents and surprise them on their wedding anniversary, looks like the perfect answer . . . if she can save up the money for the plane ticket. So when her feckless, absent dad Johnno offers her a job at his vintage clothes shop in Primrose Hill, she can’t turn it down. It’ll only be for a few months, after all. But the Vintage Dress Shop turns out to be a treasure trove of gorgeous preloved clothes, from a 1930s cocktail gown to a never-worn 50s wedding dress, and despite the disapproval of the snooty manager, Phoebe, Sophy starts to fall in love with vintage fashion. And then there’s Charles Radley, the debonair gemstone specialist with exquisite tailoring, cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass, and enough charm to throw Sophy’s plans wildly off course. . . I am delighted t...

  A story of friendship, possibilities and hope that maybe tomorrow will be brighter than today . . . Jamie Matson had once enjoyed a wonderful life working alongside her best friend, organising adventures for single-parent families, and her son Bo’s artistic flair a source of pride rather than concern. She hadn’t been prepared to lose her business, her home and her friend. Not all in one dreadful year. Jamie certainly hadn’t expected to find such hope and camaraderie in the queue at her local food bank. Thrown together with an unlikely and colourful group of people, their friendships flourish and, finding it easier to be objective about each other than about themselves, they decide that – when you’re all out of options – it’s okay to bend the rules a little and create your own. What a difference a year could make . . .  It is not a secret I am a Penny Parkes fan. I have waited for this book with great anticipation and I was so very excited to read it. I'm glad to say it did n...

  One Day  meets  Up :  The House That Made Us  is a love story – and a life story – told through a series of photographs and inspired by a true story   When Mac and Marie marry and find a home of their own, Mac takes a snap of them outside their newbuild bungalow, the garden bare and the paint on the front door still wet. It becomes a tradition, this snap, and slowly the photographs build into an album of a fifty-year relationship.   Every year they take a photo and though things change around them – the garden matures, the fashions change, they grow older – the one constant is their love. Every year, come rain, come shine, from the Seventies through the decades, every photo tells the story of their love. But life never travels the path you expect it to, though they know that a life with love is a life lived to the full. Now, in the present day, the photo album belongs to someone who doesn’t know the people in its pages. As they watch the lives from t...

  I am delighted to be hosting a spot on the Blog Tour for Holly Hepburn's newest release Escape to Darling Cove. I love Holly's books so I know a new book from her is always going to be a treat and this was no exception Official blurb Eve has always lived on Ennisfarne, an idyllic island just off the coast of Northumberland and only accessible when tides are low. There she runs a bar overlooking Darling Cove, a heavenly horseshoe-shaped beach named after her seafaring ancestors, whose links to the Farne Islands stretch back centuries. Logan is a famous photographer desperate to evade the limelight after a difficult break-up. Renting a cottage from Eve, he chooses Ennisfarne in the hope of anonymity but is immediately spellbound by its natural beauty. The pair don’t get off to the best start, butting heads over Eve’s adorable but boisterous Chocolate Labrador. But when Logan's true identity is revealed, Eve realises her new tenant isn’t quite the man she thought he was. Is ...

2022 has been a rollercoaster for me. A lot of the year was fairly awful due to my old job being consistently horrible and a family member being ill for most of the summer and it taking a while to work out what it was to be able to get them on the mend. Fortunately things did turn around. I finally quit teaching, I learnt to paddleboard, started a brilliant new job at Norfolk Children's Book Centre and got my reading mojo back. In 2022 I read 305 books the majority of those being 5 or 4 star reads as I am serial DNFer and will abandon books I am not enjoying very quickly because life is too short. I am pleased to say this year I have read a lot more YA than last year which pleases me no end as I love YA fiction and can't get enough UKYA. A good chunk of what I read in 2022 were picture books which I am picking up at work and reading in my breaks or mid shelving or order packing when something intriguing appears in my hand. I have always been a picture book fan and loving gettin...

  When Paige turns up unannounced at Wynthorpe Hall, she discovers the place she knew when she was growing up has changed beyond all recognition. She’s only planning to stay for a short time, but is quickly pulled into local life.   One night while driving home after delivering library books and shopping to residents she stumbles across an isolated cottage and meets Albert, its elderly and rather grumpy owner. She quickly realises there’s more to Albert than meets the eye and the same can be said for the other man she can’t seem to help running into, handsome but brooding Brodie.   All three of them have a secret and a desire to hide away from the world, but with Christmas on the horizon, is that really the best way to celebrate the season? I am delighted to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for Heidi Swain's newest book A Christmas Celebration. I love Heidi's books and I know I am always in for a treat when a new one appears and A Christmas Celebration was definitely th...

 So it's been a while. As aside from a few blog tours I haven't been blogging properly for a good long while. Over the past few years my teaching job started to take up more and more of my free time and head space and that took its toll on both the time I had available to read and my inclination to want to sit and write out blog posts especially in the dark days of lockdown when I was spending my days glued to a screen trying to teach remotely. This summer I left my teaching job and I started work at the very lovely Norfolk Children's Book Centre where I get to spend my days surrounded by all the books which is brilliant. Over the last few years I've never stopped reading but the rate in which I was getting through books slowed way down but now I'm out of teaching and with the books all day my reading mojo is definitely back so hoping to return to here more frequently to cover some of my favourite reads each month in addition to all my usual activities on twitter, i...

  Solve the house's puzzle. Claim the Bellingham inheritance . . . Uncover the truth behind the mysterious legacy of Halesham Hall in this page-turning dual-time novel from the author The Secrets of Hawthorn Place, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Kate Morton. A love that seems lost, may still yet be found, for real love always endures. 1890. One summer evening changes everything for Sidney and Leonard Bellingham when their beloved mother disappears from the family home, Halesham Hall. Left with their bitter father, they are taught to trust no one but themselves, with brother pitted against brother to see who is worthy of inheriting the Bellingham Board Games company. But the series of twisted games they are forced to play will have far reaching consequences. 1920. Phoebe Bellingham arrives at Halesham Hall determined to solve the puzzles that will allow her to claim back the Bellingham inheritance. But this legacy involves more than one secret, and soon Phoebe realises that t...

  Rosie is ready for her life to begin, because nothing says new life like going to university. After years of waiting and working hard, she's finally on the road that will secure her future. Except university turns out to be not what she hoped or imagined, and although she's not exactly  unhappy  – really! – she might be a little bit worried that she doesn't really like her course much. Or her flatmates. Or really... anything? But it's normal to be homesick (right?) and everything will have settled in a month or two, and it's totally fine that her friends seem so much happier than she is, and that the doctors don’t seem to know what’s wrong with her mother. But then she meets Jade, and everything starts to look a little brighter. At least, it does if she’s  only  looking at Jade. But is first love enough when everything else is falling apart? I am delighted to be sharing my review for Something Certain, Maybe as part of the blog tour to celebrate the release of...

  Accept it, he is dead. No, it’s not true. It is. Everyone thinks so except you. Forced to leave their family home in London after it is bombed, Maddie and her two young daughters take refuge at Knyghton, the beautiful country house in Norfolk where Maddie’s husband Philip spent the summers of his childhood. But Philip is gone, believed to have been killed in action in northern France. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Maddie refuses to give up hope that she and Philip will some day be reunited.   Arriving at Knyghton, Maddie feels closer to her missing husband, but she soon realises that there’s a reason Philip has never spoken to her about his past. Something happened at Knyghton one summer years before. Something that involved Philip, his cousin Lyle and a mysterious young woman named Flora.   Maddie’s curiosity turns to desperation as she tries to discover the truth, but no one will speak about what happened all those years ago, and no one will reassure ...

I am delighted to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for Holly Hepburn' newest book. I love Holly's books and was so very excited to receive an early copy of this to read. In short, as I fully expected, I loved this book and enjoyed every single page. I loved the setting and it has definitely added York onto my list of destinations to visit at some point in the not too distant future (fingers crossed). I really loved the main character and getting behind her as she started to find her feet again and carve out a new life for herself. I also loved both of the love interests. I mean seriously picking between a hot Indiana Jones or a gorgeous and lovely jeweller who is sensitive and great with his hands. That's the kind of problem we all want.  I loved the history mystery thread to the story. I was as intrigued as Hope was and as fascinated as she was the more she found out about it. I love unravelling the story with her and was desperate to know more. I definitely have to give...