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Random House presents the audiobook edition of The House of Hope and Dreams by Trisha Ashley, read by Julia Franklin. When Carey Revell unexpectedly becomes the heir to Mossby, his family’s ancestral home, it’s rather a mixed blessing. The house is large but rundown and comes with a pair of resentful relatives who can’t be asked to leave. Still, newly dumped by his girlfriend and also from his job as a TV interior designer, Carey needs somewhere to lick his wounds. And Mossby would be perfect for a renovation show. He already knows someone who could restore the stained glass windows in the older part of the house….
In the picturesque village of Upper Sisley, everyone thinks they know their neighbors, but nobody knows what scandalous surprise is going to happen next. An unexpected reunion between two former lovers changes both their families forever. Old friendships fade and new ones blossom as neighbors begin to see one another in a new light. A young woman finally asks for what she really wants, a young man atones for bad behavior, and both find that courage brings its own rewards.
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Bookshop on the Corner and The Cafe by the Sea comes another enchanting, unforgettable novel of a woman who makes a fresh start on the beautiful Scottish Island of Mure - only to discover life has more surprises in store for her.
Josie Flynn is in New York for the wedding of her American cousin Martha. Having just been through a messy divorce, she isn't really in the wedding spirit, especially when she thinks Martha is about to marry the wrong man - and Josie isn't afraid to tell her so. Which is all very noble until Josie meets Matt Jarvis and appears to be about to fall for the wrong man herself. Add to that the return of her ex-husband, an old flame and a dubious boy band, and it looks like it's going to be quite the wedding....
Twenty-four-year-old Lucy needs a fresh start. Forever single, frustrated with her studies and dreaming of writing a novel she can’t start, she gives up everything to run a little library in the leafy village of Tilley Moreton. Lucy loves reading books almost as much as she loves fixing other people’s problems, so starting a book club seems like the perfect opportunity to do both. As she meets her new members, it’s clear she’s going to have her work cut out for her.
For Willow, the ramshackle café overlooking the beach, together with its warmhearted community, offers friendship as a daily special and always has a hearty welcome on the menu. But when a handsome stranger blows in on a warm spring breeze, Willow soon realises that her quiet country life will be changed forever.
Random House presents the audiobook edition of The House of Hope and Dreams by Trisha Ashley, read by Julia Franklin. When Carey Revell unexpectedly becomes the heir to Mossby, his family’s ancestral home, it’s rather a mixed blessing. The house is large but rundown and comes with a pair of resentful relatives who can’t be asked to leave. Still, newly dumped by his girlfriend and also from his job as a TV interior designer, Carey needs somewhere to lick his wounds. And Mossby would be perfect for a renovation show. He already knows someone who could restore the stained glass windows in the older part of the house….
In the picturesque village of Upper Sisley, everyone thinks they know their neighbors, but nobody knows what scandalous surprise is going to happen next. An unexpected reunion between two former lovers changes both their families forever. Old friendships fade and new ones blossom as neighbors begin to see one another in a new light. A young woman finally asks for what she really wants, a young man atones for bad behavior, and both find that courage brings its own rewards.
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Bookshop on the Corner and The Cafe by the Sea comes another enchanting, unforgettable novel of a woman who makes a fresh start on the beautiful Scottish Island of Mure - only to discover life has more surprises in store for her.
Josie Flynn is in New York for the wedding of her American cousin Martha. Having just been through a messy divorce, she isn't really in the wedding spirit, especially when she thinks Martha is about to marry the wrong man - and Josie isn't afraid to tell her so. Which is all very noble until Josie meets Matt Jarvis and appears to be about to fall for the wrong man herself. Add to that the return of her ex-husband, an old flame and a dubious boy band, and it looks like it's going to be quite the wedding....
Twenty-four-year-old Lucy needs a fresh start. Forever single, frustrated with her studies and dreaming of writing a novel she can’t start, she gives up everything to run a little library in the leafy village of Tilley Moreton. Lucy loves reading books almost as much as she loves fixing other people’s problems, so starting a book club seems like the perfect opportunity to do both. As she meets her new members, it’s clear she’s going to have her work cut out for her.
For Willow, the ramshackle café overlooking the beach, together with its warmhearted community, offers friendship as a daily special and always has a hearty welcome on the menu. But when a handsome stranger blows in on a warm spring breeze, Willow soon realises that her quiet country life will be changed forever.
Following a scandal at her high-flying PR agency, 26-year-old Maddie flees London to help promote what she thinks is going to be a luxurious holiday retreat in the countryside. Everything is riding on her making a success of this new job....
A brief encounter that could have become so much more...if only everything were different. Step-sisters, bitter rivals in every area except one - by unbreakable pact neither will ever steal a man from the other. A love triangle that starts out as a mess of secrets and mix-ups, and only gets worse from there. Plus - friendship, family ties, crossed wires and self-discovery, second chances and first impressions. Welcome to Jill Mansell's blustery seaside world. Once you step inside, you'll never want to leave!
Christmas has always been a special time for Noelle Parker. Winter evenings spent with family and friends, drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies at her family's cozy bakery have shaped her love for all things festive. But this year everything is changing.... The beloved bakery is facing closure and Noelle needs a miracle to save Christmas. Determined to raise funds for the family business, Noelle sets about revamping the bakery while juggling a surprise new job, caring for the elderly and cantankerous William Harrington in his luxurious, sprawling mansion.
Though Polly is busy keeping up with the demands of the season, she still makes time for her beekeeper boyfriend, Huckle. She's especially happy to be celebrating the holiday this year with him and can't wait to cuddle up in front of the fireplace with a cup of eggnog on Christmas Eve. But holiday bliss soon gives way to panic when a storm cuts the village off from the mainland. Now it will take all of the villagers to work together in order to ensure everyone has a happy holiday.
What if your first love came back on the scene...30 years later? After yet another disaster, Lorrie is calling time on online dating. She might be single in her 40s, but she's got a good job and wonderful children, and she's happy. This, Lorrie decides, is going to have to be enough. That is until she receives a very unexpected request from France. Antoine Rousseau, who had once turned a lonely French exchange trip into a summer of romance, wants to see her - after 30 years.
It all starts at a party, as these things often do...A one-night stand with far-reaching consequences. Momentarily enamored guests going home with all the wrong people. An unfaithful wife struck by jealousy and getting a dose of her own medicine. A shocking family secret revealed at the worst possible moment. One fling follows another, and now the whole community is embroiled in a great big web of deceit, the untangling of which will charm you, amuse you, make you laugh, and make you cry. Whatever's going on in your life, Solo by Jill Mansell is the perfect distraction.
Willow Tree Hall, the proud ancestral home of the Earl and Countess of Cranley for centuries, has seen better days. Annie Rogers takes the job as housekeeper at Willow Tree Hall, having to work with a reluctant heir Sam Harris to renovate the failing estate. With Sam running from his past and Annie hiding from hers, just maybe together they can bring Willow Tree Hall back to life.
Alice Rose is a foundling, discovered on the Yorkshire moors above Haworth as a baby. Adopted but then later rejected again by a horrid stepmother, Alice struggles to find a place where she belongs. Only baking - the scent of cinnamon and citrus and the feel of butter and flour between her fingers - brings a comforting sense of home. So it seems natural that when she finally decides to return to Haworth, Alice turns to baking again, taking over a run-down little teashop and working to set up an afternoon tea emporium.
Growing up in a quiet Yorkshire village, Roxanne couldn't wait to escape and find her place in the world in London. As a high-powered fashion editor, she lives a glamorous life of perennial singlehood - or so it seems to her sister, Della. But when Roxanne gets her heart broken by a fashion photographer, she runs away, back to Della's welcoming home above her bookshop in Burley Bridge. But Burley Bridge, Roxanne discovers, is even quieter than she remembered.
After being together for 10 years, Sylvie and Dan have all the trimmings of a happy life and marriage; they have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, and beautiful twin girls and communicate so seamlessly, they finish each other's sentences. However, a trip to the doctor projects they will live another 68 years together, and panic sets in. They never expected "until death do us part" to mean seven decades. In the name of marriage survival, they quickly concoct a plan to keep their relationship fresh and exciting.
Lily and Laurence had it all: the money, the car, a beautiful home in the Buckinghamshire countryside. Then Laurence loses his job, and everything disappears. With nowhere to turn, Lily and Laurence are forced to take their two young children and move to a flea-ridden council house on a notoriously rough estate. As they try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, Lily constantly dreams of returning to her old luxurious life. Will her dream come true, or will she learn that money doesn't always buy happiness?
An uplifting, beautiful story about never letting go of your dreams, the special magic of a family Christmas...and the rush of falling in love under the mistletoe. Single mother Abbey Fuller loves her family more than anything and doesn't regret for a moment having had to put her dreams of being an interior designer on hold. But with her son, Max, growing up, when a friend recommends her for a small design job, she jumps at the chance.
Includes an exclusive letter to the listener read by Carole Matthews herself!
Indulge in this lovely, cake-filled novel of romance and friendship. Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights is top three Sunday Times best-selling Carole Matthews at her heart-warming best!
Fay and Danny are madly in love, and it's all Fay's ever dreamed of. But she left everything - including the delightful cake shop she used to run - to be with Danny on his cosy canal boat, The Dreamcatcher. And as she soon finds out, making delicious cakes on the water isn't always smooth sailing!
Then Fay gets a call from her friends, a call that sends her back to her friends and the Cake Shop in the Garden. It will be hard being away from Danny, but their relationship is strong enough to survive...isn't it?
Fay soon falls happily back in love with her passion for baking - especially now she's on dry land again! - and starts to wonder if she ever should have left. With Christmas around the corner, Fay is determined that her friends will have a very merry time, but does that mean even more time away from Danny? Can Fay really get everything she ever wanted in Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights?
Usual sweet story from carole Matthews, but narration style and voice sounded too old and didn't fit the character
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
Super story read beautifully by Jilly Bond .who brings the character's to life .will buy on other book by Carol Mathews.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The story itself was quite festive ... but the Narrator was awful... too older voice for Character and strange inflictions ... kept listening to end
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Great Christmas with Danny and Fay and Jilly Bond (my favorite)!! is as brilliant as ever bringing the characters to life loved it.
Hope there will be another with the new arrival and perhaps another little one on the way for Danny and Fay ........pleeeeeese x
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Dreadful twee narration spoiled this book. The main character was already cringe worthy, but with such sickly narration , made her almost unbearable !
These books are a soft, escapism. And I usually enjoy them for what they are, sadly not in this case.
fabulous narrator. best book I've had from audible. horrible when I got to the end
A fun , light hearted story that's heart warming and memorable. I will certainly listen to more books by the author.
If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?
Cant imagine who would enjoy this!
What will your next listen be?
Something with an actual storyline.
How could the performance have been better?
Change the narrator. She was too smug and patronising.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Disappointment
Any additional comments?
Don't waste your time!
Perfect for a Christmas reading. Rally nice book for night time and commuting to work.
What a lovely, gentle story for Christmas.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and found myself anticipating ‘it’s my favourite’ and saying it out loud, which made me smile!
Makes me want to live on the canals :)