Two new novels are a welcome addition to this fairly recent development: The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy and The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley. Both books have a similar feel yet are very distinctive. Both feature strong, memorable heroines and move from our own time into a past we cannot even begin to contemplate. Yet these women must; if they do not, then they will never get on with their lives. Riley reminds me of Kate Morton, and I also see traces of Downton Abbey. If you are a fan of either, I recommend this novel. It is easy to understand how The Orchid House took Europe by storm. I predict the same will happen in the United States. Modern-day famous pianist barely subsisting and starving her way through recovery from a hinted-at horrible tragedy (which isn't actually told until 1/4 of the way through the book after I had ripped about half the hair off my head in frustration) Julia Forrester has many happy memories of a childhood spent at Wharton Park, playing amongst the exotic flowers her grandad cared for. Here is where The Baker's Daughter truly shines. Elsie and her parents run a bakery in Garmisch, Germany, a city where Gestapo soldiers raid houses and residents fear for their lives in the worst days of World War II. McCoy renders the bakery especially well. I could smell, see, and taste the breads and sweet treats. My mouth still waters thinking about them. Goodies aside, the bakers move this part of the story. At seventeen, Elsie is being courted by an SS officer who is closer in age to her father than to her. She does not love him. Rather, Elsie adores Hollywood movies and is more concerned with keeping a secret that could get her and her family killed.

Hothouse Flower: The romantic and moving novel from the Hothouse Flower: The romantic and moving novel from the

Romance Billionaire Romance Erotic Young Adult Crime Fantasy Vampires Science Fiction Thriller Horror Classics Suspense Daisy Calloway is finally eighteen. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop: Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets. But when an old diary is found during renovation work, the pair turn to Julia's grandmother to hear the truth about the love affair that changed Wharton Park's fortunes all those years ago . . . Characters just never come alive and are hard to care about or believe in. Their speech is clumsy and unrealistic. I mean the prologue was kinda great and I thought, OMG, this book has to fantastic. I was SO wrong. After the prologue the whole story goes down the drain and only consists of stupid and blunt characters that are all so very annoying and not likeable at all. Plus, they don't show how they feel nor is the author able to make the reader care at all for them. They are all like puppets on a string. Same with the setting. You have no pictures in mind when Harry is in Bangkok or Julie in France. They are there. The end. WTF?Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets. I loved seeing how the mystery of Julia's family came together. The historical part of the book takes place during World War II in both England and Thailand. I liked how the story was told by Julia's grandmother as sort of an omniscient point of view. The part of the story set in Thailand was definitely my favorite. It's a love story between two people who deeply care for each other and holds the secret to Julia's existence. Re-acquaintance with old family. Oh, grandma? Totally forgot she existed, but now that she's here, time for old family secrets to be revealed!!!!!! She knows everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. Details of her lady's bedroom secrets? Spilled. And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.

Hothouse Flower by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie | Waterstones Hothouse Flower by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie | Waterstones

Lucinda Riley can truly spin a tale and frankly, after reading Kate Morton's novels, which are essentially tragedies, it's refreshing to read a story told in the same vein but with a more uplifting ending. Julia, the protagonist has just had her world thrown upside down. Devastated and mostly catatonic, she stumbles upon a mystery of the noble house she grew up by. So at this point, the story takes off. We're introduced to a bevy of characters, including Harry, Lord Crawford. Oh man, was this guy unlikeable or what? He marries this largely affable girl, Olivia, whom he hurts repeatedly. One second, he's possibly gay and is found kissing one of her male friends. No harm, no foul. It turns out he was confused and professes to Olivia that he loves her and wants to do right by her. She gives him a second chance and the reader is treated to a few paragraphs where the couple are basking in their new love. Then he goes off to war and falls in love with a 17 year old in Thailand, then makes plans to be with her and leave his wife because apparently, he never loved her. I'm sorry. He was an selfish asshole. Anyway, it turns out that Julia, remember our modern-day protagonist, is his granddaughter. Turns out, he unknowingly left the 17 year old pregnant. I think this book would have been better had Harry been more likable.Man recovers from illness in Thailand, falls in TWOO WUV with 17-year old Thai girl. Bonks her, swears up and down he'll leave his wife for her. Does he? Dun dun duuuuuuun. An assignment leads Reba to a German bakery where she wants to interview an elderly woman on Christmas traditions around the world. The old woman, Elsie Meriwether, the owner of Elsie's German Bakery, is uncooperative. With a deadline fast approaching, Reba spends more and more time with Elsie and her daughter, Jane. Soon, though, Reba finds she likes visiting the women. She opens up to them. The feeling is mutual. Elsie opens up to Reba not about German Christmas traditions but about a Christmas in 1944, one that changed everything. Don't miss this alluring story with its captivating characters who have secrets that span 70 years and a family that makes a full circle with Wharton Park being the beginning and the end.

HOTHOUSE FLOWER | Lucinda Riley HOTHOUSE FLOWER | Lucinda Riley

Now here's where I had some issues with the book. I had some trouble understanding the motives behind some of the characters. First, Henry, the heir to Wharton House, is sort of horrible. He leads Olivia on and traps her in a loveless marriage and only seems to be looking out for himself. He doesn't seem to understand why what he's doing is wrong and he sort of manipulates Julia's grandfather to get what he wants. Even though I liked the love story between Henry and Lidia, it made it a little hard to fully support their love story as Henry was just generally horrible. But what bugged me the most are those stupid dialogues. I haven't read so much bullshit in a very long time. Seriously, people don't talk like that. Especially not, if they know each other. And what made me laugh out loud are sentences like "I hope I am worth enough for you", from a person living in 2010. Oooooookay. The other issue that I had was everything that happened with Julia's personal life. I don't want to give anything away so excuse me for being vague. First, it just seemed a crazy that it would happen in the first place. I almost wished that it would have been left out of the book because aside from making Julia really sad, I don't think it added anything to the book. Wharton Park holds a special place in the heart of Julia Forrester, a world-renowned concert pianist. As a child, Julia spent time there since her grandparents were long-time employees of the Crawfords and lived in a cottage on the grounds of the manor. Her grandfather grew exotic orchids and made Wharton Park famous for the rare flowers; her grandmother, Elsie, was a lady's maid. Their devotion to the manor parallels that of the servants of Downton Abbey for the Granthams. Julia's summers at the estate were dreamlike: "The tranquility and warmth of the hothouses—sitting snugly in the corner of the kitchen garden, sheltered against the cruel winds that blew in from the North Sea during the winter—stayed in her memory all year." Language is trite (I literally threw the book down when one character decided "she could not allow herself to love again"); and as though the author doesn't trust that the dialogue between characters conveys the proper ideas, each exchange is followed by a few lines redundantly summarizing what everyone meant and felt.Just when I think Julia and Kitt will live in bliss, Riley throws several curveballs. She does this to mix things up. First, we learn that Julia and Kitt are kissing cousins, which I finally decided to go along with. Second, Julia's husband rises from the dead. This is difficult to swallow. I could not wait for Julia to leave the horrible cad. Taking you on a captivating journey through time and place, Hothouse Flower is a moving story of love, heartbreak and hope. The TikTok sensation Addicted Series continues with Hothouse Flower, now in a print edition with special bonus material! I still really liked this book and would definitely recommend it even with these couple of things that I didn't care for.

The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley | Goodreads The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley | Goodreads

It is worth noting that Hothouse Flower was republished in 2012 with the title of The Orchid House just so that any confusion with readers thinking it might be a different story, when this is not the case are cleared up straight away. Although the central theme of a family saga set in a country house spanning from the 1930's to the present day is far from an original one, this one is different. It has such a multi layered story to tell us with so many stirring and compelling love stories, secrets and surprises to share I stayed awake far too late at night reading this as I was engrossed. Extremely well written the story flows beautifully, period and locations are credibly described and the characters feel realistic. The situations that they face are ones that we are all able to empathise with from generation to generation. Certainly one of the best family sagas of the genre that I have read recently. Burgeoning romantic relationship with modern-day rake with a heart who also happens to be an aristocrat with a beautiful ancestral home Plot twists range from predictable to absolutely ridiculous. One in particular toward the end was just totally absurd, negating whatever redeeming qualities the novel had maintained up to that point. This was so much crap! Bullshit at its best, to be precise. Seriously, I expected so much from this book, like a great family saga, with some romance and some interesting plot. And in the end, I didn't get anything but crap! Dar viena Lucinda Riley knyga perskaityta. Kaip ir kitose mano skaitytose jos knygose istorija pasakojama dviem laiko linijomis: praeitimi ir dabartimi.This is an inter-generational drama based at an old estate in England, following the families who live there.