LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS! I was worried because I loved The Keeper of Lost Things so much and had high expectations, but this gave me just the same warm fuzzies!
Set across dual timelines, from the 1970s when Madame Burova was just starting out and falling in love for the first time, to present day when she passes a letter to Billie to try to explain her history, this is a novel filled with love, friendship, family, mystery, joy and sorrow - basically expect to feel ALL the feelings!
I won’t give much away about the plot itself, because it’s wonderfully intriguing and has some lovely surprises along the way, but I will say that the characters are just such a pleasure to read. From the eccentric and kind Madame Burova herself (who could almost make me believe in fortune telling!) to the sexy and exciting Cillian, and finally to warm hearted and friendly Billie, there are so many people to hold dear within this story. And there are a couple of really awful villains too, who I would quite happily feed to my dogs...but everyone has their place!
Once I started I never wanted to leave this world - I loved the familiar Brighton setting, and the joyful addition of plenty of dogs! This is one of those which utterly warms your heart, and makes you believe that the world is mostly a kind and hopeful place.
I can’t recommend this enough - it’s just the tonic for these times, and I found myself getting that rare tingly/tearful feeling as I read the final pages and said goodbye to these characters who’d become like family in such a short time. Hogan clearly has a gift for lifting spirits with her writing, and I’m sure I’ll return to this again and again.
Set across dual timelines, from the 1970s when Madame Burova was just starting out and falling in love for the first time, to present day when she passes a letter to Billie to try to explain her history, this is a novel filled with love, friendship, family, mystery, joy and sorrow - basically expect to feel ALL the feelings!
I won’t give much away about the plot itself, because it’s wonderfully intriguing and has some lovely surprises along the way, but I will say that the characters are just such a pleasure to read. From the eccentric and kind Madame Burova herself (who could almost make me believe in fortune telling!) to the sexy and exciting Cillian, and finally to warm hearted and friendly Billie, there are so many people to hold dear within this story. And there are a couple of really awful villains too, who I would quite happily feed to my dogs...but everyone has their place!
Once I started I never wanted to leave this world - I loved the familiar Brighton setting, and the joyful addition of plenty of dogs! This is one of those which utterly warms your heart, and makes you believe that the world is mostly a kind and hopeful place.
I can’t recommend this enough - it’s just the tonic for these times, and I found myself getting that rare tingly/tearful feeling as I read the final pages and said goodbye to these characters who’d become like family in such a short time. Hogan clearly has a gift for lifting spirits with her writing, and I’m sure I’ll return to this again and again.