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The Shadow Sister - Lucinda Riley

I await each installment of the Seven Sister series with delicious anticipation, savouring the pleasant surprise each time that each book has been thicker than the last. That's because I know that every volume will be richly decorated by a bygone era's accurately depicted historical background set within a fictional tale for my - and of course, your - delight.
The Shadow Sister is the heritage tale of Star, the third of the D'Apliese sisters and the most (seemingly) introverted and enigmatic of them all. Named after Asterope in the constellation, her whole life Star had been the quiet side-kick you may call it, to the fourth sister, Cece who is as boisterous and spontaneous as she is reserved and measured.
Finally looking into the clues about her heritage left by Pa Salt, Star's journey of discovery leads her to make unlikely friends, and through them is taken back a hundred years via the diaries left by her ancestors to understand where she came from. New friendships and employment also begin to challenge the comfortable and immovable bond with Cece.
Romantic, delectably rich in historical imagery and littered with flowery English characters, as usual I find myself awaiting the next installment of  of the series - Cece's journey in the Pearl Sister - with much anticipation.
*Book sponsored by Pan Macmillan 

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Lucy Diamond - The House of New Beginnings

What caught my eye most about this book was the lovely cover that seemed to scream enigma and  girly friendship - adventure to me. For the most part, I was right, particularly in the girly friendship -adventure prognosis.
Set in the seaside town of Brighton, England, the book follows three initially down-on-their-luck ladies who have all moved to the same apartment block at Dukes Square over the course of the past few months. Georgie, a twenty something resident of Stonefield who is confident and exuberant in nature follows her boyfriend to the town when he gets a 6-month architecture contract there. Charlotte, sombre divorcee who harbours the scars of a terrible trauma that has kept her completely anti-social and finally, Rosa, who upon finding out the man she loves was living a double life, promptly quit her high-flying job in advertising and moved to Brighton to become part of the minimum wage kitchen staff at the Hotel Zanzibar
A lightly written peace, I very aptly read this with a spectacular sea view in site. Great for an easy read where minimum mental taxation is desired and the expectation of a happy ending is guaranteed.
*Book sponsored by Pan Macmillan