The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne

A question always nagged at the back of Betsy's head. Twenty-seven years ago, she was left on the door step of The Phillimore Academy for Young Ladies. Raised by the owners Lord and Lady Phillimore has been wonderful. Returning to the place she loved, she finds it in disarray and Lord Phillimore desperate to save the lasting piece of history his family has carried on for a long time. Betsy is given the chance to update the curriculum and make it more modern for the times. Though coming back to London also means facing her crush she had when she was younger. She also wants to solve the mystery of her parents who abandoned her.

Ms. Browne does it again! I loved the Little Lady Agency series. This one brought me back to the UK and I couldn't get enough. The characters are pretty one dimensional but I needed something with a little growth development but not piles of it. There was a nice balance and it was just what I needed. I loved seeing all the aspects of current high society life but making it relevant for anyone. Skills we all could use even me!

Betsy is such a sweet heart of a character. I couldn't get enough of her. Yes, she had her doubts and she had to learn to work through them. I kept cheering her on! Her best friend Olivia is a good balance of reality and naive. She had a lot to learn but was able to take it all in thanks to Betsy's help. They were such a good match in friendship. I enjoyed all the time that they spent together. The four girls that were in the school were so much fun. They even got to play a part in restructuring the new school.

This was a fantastic book from beginning to end. I couldn't get enough. I finished it fairly quickly yet didn't want to see it end as well. I would love to see a sequel from Olivia's point of view. That would be fun! I highly recommend it if you need a good chick-lit book that has heart.

Hester Browne/ Chick-Lit/England/New beginnings/Friendship/ 411 pages/ 5 out of 5

Off to a non-fiction book next. :)

The Friday NIght Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Georgia Walker never thought she would do much with her life. But having her daughter Dakota changed all that. She loves owning her own yarn shop Walker and Daughter. Her friends that help her run the business are fantastic people. They may have faults but know how to be good friends. She looks forward to her Friday Night Knitting Club, where a lot of fellowship happens but not always so much knitting. It is her one escape that she will not let go.

Ms. Jacobs has a fantastic story on her hands. Empowering woman is always a good thing. I loved watching each character step up in their own way. They certainly were not perfect but it was interesting to watch and a joy as well. It was all these women from all walks of life. Just doing what they do best be friends and to follow their dreams.

Georgia did her best on her own every day. She just hung in there and enjoyed getting help from her friends so she could run her shop. Her daughter Dakota was always the life of the party with the food she created for each Friday night meeting. Anita was a widow who was learning how to start over. How much well you’ll have to read the book. Peri was a woman who wanted to design something. She loved working with yarn and maybe she could find a way to connect the two. There are so many more women from Darwin Chiu, Lucie, and Cathy. They all had a role to play.

This is one series that I hope to pick up the next one soon. And with the third one coming out this month, I am certainly curious with what they are going to do next. The women in this book take you through so many things in their lives that by the end you feel like you’re old friends. Definitely a must read for anyone who loves stories about women whether you like to knit or not.

Kate Jacobs/ Women/ Friends/ Knitting/ 384 pages/ Adult Fiction/ 5 out of 5

I tried knitting but could never sit still. Now I am able to sit if I am reading or writing or sewing. Guess it just was not my cup of tea but this book certainly was. :)

Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

A new shop has come next door to A Good Yarn. It is a flower shop called Susannah’s Garden, and the owner Susannah has hired a widow named Colette Blake. Lydia creates a new knitting class making a prayer shawl. Alix comes to take the class as well as Susannah and Colette. Yet worries still plague Lydia. Her niece Julia was the victim of a random car jacking. So between that and all the happenings of her friends, she has a lot to get through as well as focus on the store.

Ms. Macomber keeps the series going! I was thoroughly impressed with this. It tied up quite a few loose ends that were left in the last book. I would love to see more in this series but the impression I got was that it is the last one in this series. The characters were so real that I cried through the book and laughed too.

Alix had to work on her temper. She is a sweet woman and very happily settling in her new life. Yet she keeps quiet instead of standing up for herself. That infuriated me but I have done it myself. Lydia is another sweet woman who still has fears of her cancer coming back which I found completely natural. Jacqueline made an appearance in the story and I loved seeing how her life had changed. She may be affluent but she is one of the warmest women in the book.

I felt like I had come home again! I did think about taking up knitting but I tried at one time but could not sit still. But give me a book like this and I can read it in one day. I know silly but true. Some people love one thing while others engross themselves in books. I look forward to reading her other series. She impresses me so much with her faith and her writing. I would love to see more with these women but then who knows.
393 pages/ Women's Fiction/ 5 out of 5