The Lavender House Mob by Annie Crux
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Lavender House Mob is a fun contemporary women’s fiction set in the outskirts of the New Forest in Hampshire. The title’s play on words has more than one meaning as the storyline evolves. The book opens with us meeting Louise Gregory a widow and author, she is putting the finishing touches to her latest novel and we are kept abreast of the books progress from agent to publishing and beyond as the book continues.
Lavender House is a rambling 250 year old delight in East Willow on the edge of the New Forest. We are slowly introduced to a wealth of rich characters – Louise’s sister Jane arrives with problems with her marriage to grumpy Geoffrey. Soon Louise’s peace is shattered with the arrival of her daughter and two young children. Penny announces she’s left her partner, then Jack O’Leary begs a bed for the night.
An unfortunate letter announcing the end of an allowance from her late husband had Louise worrying about money until her guests take matters into their own hands and organise a Bed and Breakfast business for her. Swept along in their plans which are supported by Maggie, another family member who descends upon her, Lavender House is soon full and overflowing.
As the storyline continues we find that Jane and her daughter Wendy both have issues with their husbands and here the tale heads in a similar direction to the original Lavender Hill Mob with its daring gold bullion theft.
This is a fun read and full of vibrant characters, there are several romantic storylines which play out with happy endings to make it a cosy feel good read.
This review is based on a free ARC copy of the book given to me by the publishers at Buried River Press.
Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
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Rosie Amber 