Jean Collins had two daughters. But she only loved one of them. She knew it was wrong, but she just couldn’t help herself. Jess was a little sweetheart – everyone said so. Anne was awkward and serious and not much fun, to be frank.
But now the years have passed. Jess is missing – run off long ago, no one knows where or why. So when Jean is left in a coma after a road accident, it’s Anne who travels back up north to sit with her mother. And she wonders – why did Jean dash out into the road
without looking? And why was she carrying a box of vanilla slices, the cream cakes she only ever bought for extra special occasions? Meanwhile there are secrets waiting for Anne and Jean, back at the old family home. Secrets that were buried a long time ago……
My Thoughts:
Jenny Eclair is a new author to me, I found this book a real page turner I managed to read it over two days and didn’t want it to end. The unfolding stories of Anne and Jean’s were real and it made me really care about the characters and what happened to them. I found the ending quite emotional as this is a book about honest family relationships, consequences of choices and the ways in which dreams in both their collapse or their fulfilment may change the course of our lives. And who doesn’t like a vanilla slice?!
Marguerite has designs on Josh’s grandfather…. who in turn still adores his glamorous ex-wife, Dot… Just how many secrets can one seaside town hold ? Love has the ability to change people, sometimes for ever. And the consequences are impossible to predict.
e Brighton shop is a seafront institution, but though its big on retro charm its critically low on customers. If the sisters don’t turn things around quickly their grandmother’s legacy will disappear forever. With summer fast approaching, Imogen and Anna devise a plan. Rather than sell up, they will train up and make the parlour the newest destination on the south coast foodie map. While Imogen watches the shop and conjures new marketing ideas, her sister flies to Italy to attend a gourmet ice cream making course. But can their best laid plans survive their warring family, tempestuous love lives and the great British weather? one thing is for certain this summer will be like no other.
Echoes In An Empty Room 