Shooting Stars Over Bluebell Cliff – Della Galton

A sparkling icon of contemporary fiction, combining old characters and new, and the fantastic location of Studland in Dorset. I can think of nothing better in current times, than settling down for a remarkable read with some old ‘friends’, whilst anticipating what will become of new friends. Della Galton strikes gold again; a wonderful novel, not to be missed, and the next book cannot come soon enough for me!

What a wonderful opportunity to rediscover some character form previous books and to encounter some new equally fabulous people!

Poppy is an up and coming TV producer and she is developing and shooting a pilot for a fantastic new dating show, despite the fact that she herself is single, following a bad break up a week before her wedding, 5 years ago.

Poppy goes out and about checking out filming locations, with her trusty cameraman, Dave. The female on Poppy’s dating show is going to be her Half Sister, Alice. A group of men have to go perform various tasks and then Alice will ultimately pick one man for a date. Poppy has taken quite a fancy to Phil, one of the potential dates, while Dave seems to have taken a liking to Alice.

The story follows the shooting of the pilot TV show, based at and around the Bluebell Cliff Hotel at Studland, and this is where we come across some ‘old friends’ and some old rivalries – that between Mr B and Phil. Can Poppy get her show filmed, without their childish pranks disrupting things?

Will love be in the air for Poppy or for Alice? You will need to read for yourself to find out.

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Primrose Park – Christie Barlow

A magnificent story, full to the brim with love and romance. A stunning read, full of twists and turns, that simply cannot be missed. A chance to catch up with a host of treasured characters, whilst being introduced to an assortment of new personalities, whom I’m certain will be loved equally.

I have loved all the other books in the Love Heart Lane series of books , so this instalment had a lot to live up to, although I was confident before I even started, that Primrose Park would realise my expectations. When a book like this gets delivered to my Kindle, I am full of regret about commitments like work, that stop me from starting reading immediately. Unsurprisingly I was not disappointed, with another amazing, faultless read from Christie Barlow. Please, bring on the next instalment in the series soon!

Molly is a vet with an interest in dog behaviour; thinking of offering her services in this domain, she attends a course to teach her all about it, held at a lovely hotel. It’s here that she meets Cam, who is everything that she could want in a male stranger!

Molly ends up having a one night stand with Cam, although she is shocked to wake up at 7am the next morning I find Cam gone; when she checks his room (they had adjoining rooms, with a connecting door), she is further shocked to find that he really has packed up and gone. She silently acknowledges that she actually knew nothing about him, not even his surname or where he lived.

3 months later, Molly finds herself being roped into taking on Darling, a Jack Russell belonging to Birdie’s Mother Dixie, who has gone into a home. Her Nephew is going to rent her cottage, but can’t take on Darling. The day she takes Darling home, the girls around for drinks in the evening and they decide, due to her symptoms, that she is pregnant and it must have been down to the encounter with Cam. Despite having talked semi seriously to her friends about conceiving a baby using a sperm donor, the reality of a pregnancy is a bit of a shock to Molly!

Molly encounters Cam again in embarrassing circumstances, on more than one front; not only is Darling showing her up in the middle of a dog training class, but she throws herself into the mud, as Darling runs into Cam’s path, as she tried to grab Darling! Strangely Cam doesn’t seem to recognise Molly and seems to be a completely different character; very grumpy and not even breaking a smile!

Molly has been holding her dog training classes in Primrose Park, a beautiful park, of which many locals have fond memories. Sadly the park gets vandalised, putting Dixie’s plans for an 80th birthday party there, at the bandstand, into jeopardy. Ignoring her GP’s advice, to rest, Molly starts a community campaign to try and get Primrose Park out back to right, in time for Dixie’s birthday celebrations.

Dixie confides in Molly that she has been out into her home against her will. After conversations with Birdie, Didue’s Mother, she starts to feel that something about Dixie’s story rings true.

So many questions, but you will have to buy this great book for yourself to find the answers to questions such as whether Molly will tell Cam about the baby, whether they have a future together and whether if not Birdie is plotting against Dixie?