Salutations! There are some delightful new books coming out on Tuesday. They include Tangled up in Tinsel by Tonya Kappes, The Walking Bread by Winnie Archer, Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke, Silver Anniversary Murder by Leslie Meier, Assault and Beadery by Mollie Cox Bryan, and The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller by Cleo Coyle.
Alice’s Secret by Lynne Francis
is the second book in the Mill Valley Girls series. Alys is looking for a chance to get away and
gets the opportunity when her Aunt Moira injures herself. Aunt Moira needs Alys to bake the items for her
café in Yorkshire while she is laid up. Soon
Alys has rediscovered her love of baking and enjoys the café, the town and the
people. She slowly begins tweaking the
recipes and enhancing the décor of The Celestial Cake Café. One day Alys is in the local graveyard and
discovers the headstone of Alice Bancroft.
She learns that Alice is her great-great grandmother and that she died
when she was twenty years old. Alys wonders
why her ancestor died at such a young age and delves into her family’s
history. What secrets will Alys uncover?
Alice’s Secret is a dual timeline
novel that alternates between Alys in the present day and Alice in 1893. I enjoyed the historical sections more than
those set in the present day. There are
lovely descriptions of the Yorkshire countryside that brought the area alive
for me. I could tell that the author did
her research on cotton mills and how the workers lived during that time-period. The author could be overly detailed at times
which led to a slow pace. I would have
liked the characters to be more developed and there were details missing (such
as characters last names). Alice’s Secret did not feel like a completed novel.
The book could have used a rewrite and editing (it was too long). Before embarking on Alice’s Secret, you do need
to read Ella’s Journey. It lays the
groundwork for Alice’s Secret. My rating
for Alice’s Secret is 3 out of 5 stars.
The next novel in the Mill Valley Girls series is Sarah's Story. I appreciate you visiting today. If you find my reviews helpful, please consider following my blog (upper right). Tomorrow I am sharing my thoughts on Tangled up in Tinsel by Tonya Kappes. It is the sixth book in A Kenni Lowry Mystery series. I hope you stop by. May you have a joyful day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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