Gina works as a cleaner and has been saving up for years for a trip to the Greek island of Kalosiros where she used to holiday with her late mother. But with her husband opting not to go, she ends up travelling alone.
But she is not by herself for long, meeting up with two other women - Deedee, the three-times married, now widow who runs a travel agency, and wedding planner Rosie.
Gina had an ulterior motive to come to the island, she wants to find her childhood friend and first love Nico as she is hoping he will have photos of her mother.
This is a delightful story about a middle-aged woman shedding a man and finding a zest for life in the vein of Shirley Valentine.
This third book in the series invites us back into Georgie and Tom's world
where things couldn't be sweeter. I mean, what's better than being able
to wake up next to Tom Carrington every morning?! But, unfortunately, things start to get a little tricky as the summer regatta is fast approaching and whilst Georgie wants to ensure the regatta goes without a hitch, she's also offered the opportunity of a lifetime that she just can't turn down. She begins to stretch herself to try to do a
little bit of everything and finds herself having to question where her loyalties lie. Her best friend Sam needs her more than ever, Tom wants his girlfriend back and Eddie just
wants to have some fun ... can she keep everyone happy as well as keeping
her head above water?
The thing I relished most about this book is how real Alex made this one - whilst the other two in this series touch on more serious issues, this
book was a really in-depth look at myriad sensitive issues, which added a really lovely new layer to the plot. Instead of the love story dominating, we were able to learn more
about the characters' lives - especially Sam and Georgie's dad. There is still the perfect balance of romance and humour stuffed into the pages and I found myself laughing loudly one minute and close to tears the next. Alex writes with such warmth and as you read page after page you can't help but feel the love seeping out which makes every single sentence richer and more enjoyable. I think it might just be my
favourite Carrington's book so far! A beautiful story with love, laughter and family at the heart. (LL)
In this festive sequel, Georgie and Tom are blissfully in love, Sam and Nathan are happier than ever and Eddie, is just, well, he's just the glorious Eddie! When a TV crew turn up at Carrington's store and begin to film scenes for a TV reality show, Georgie isn't sure what is going on. Why hasn't Tom told her
anything about this? Kelly, the TV producer, has brought her vile daughter along too and soon, everything Georgie thought was going right in her life seems to be going wrong. Armed with her two BFFs Sam and
Eddie, she finds out what is really important in life and may just be
happily surprised by what Santa has up his sleeve for her this
Christmas...
I loved this book. In my eyes, Alexandra Brown can do no wrong and this was just another example of why I love her writing so much. Her characters are believable and loveable (apart from the ones you're supposed to hate!), the pace of the novel is sublime and Alexandra
manages to have incredibly moving scenes as well as some of the funniest
and slapstick scenes ever. There is one scene in this book involving snow and a helicopter that left me in stiches; I love books that can lift your mood
so easily! And, of course, how can you have a book about Carrington's without talk about gorgeous handbags and delectable treats from Sam's cafe? The type
of cakes in this book had my mouth watering, and there are recipes at the back. This is a delicious, indulgent novel about cakes, Christmas and the gorgeous cast of eclectic characters that keep the doors of Carrington's open
every day. (LL)
Georgie Hart loves her job selling utterly fabulous handbags in Carrington's department store. She has her childhood memories attached to Carrington's and this is the reason why she is so desperate to keep her job in the middle of an economic meltdown. When man-eater retail consultant Maxine is appointed to consider redundancies, she makes sure that there shouldn't be a happy face in the entire store. Hence life at Carrington's is nowhere as enjoyable as it used to be. Whenever Georgie is not on the receiving end of cruel remarks from Maxine, she either spends her time devouring scrumptious red velvet cupcakes at Cupcakes at Carrington's - which also happens to be her pet place for gossip with her best friend Sam - or feeling attracted to her charming boss James. In between trying to keep her job, sorting out her debts and thinking about James, she finds herself drawn to irresistible new employee Tom.
This is a fantastic debut by Alexandra Brown - her writing is fun, witty and intriguing. This book - the first in a series - is packed with old-fashion glory, hidden twists, bucketloads of tears and oodles of lovely moments. (SS)
