Review: The Vintage Girl by Hester Browne.

Synopsis
When Evie Nicholson is asked to visit Kettlesheer Castle in Scotland to archive the family heirlooms, she jumps at the chance. Evie's passion for antiques means that, for her, the castle is a treasure trove of mysteries just waiting to be uncovered.

But in each heirloom lies a story, and in the course of her investigations Evie stumbles upon some long-buried family secrets. Add handsome, gloomy heir Robert McAndrew and a traditional candlelit gala to the mix, and Evie's heart is sent reeling with an enthusiasm that may just extend beyond the Kettlesheer silver...


Review
I think I've found my new favourite author.

I absolutely loved this book, primarily because I could relate to Evie so much! From her romantic period fantasies and over-active imagination to her clumsiness I could almost have been reading a book about myself! Even Evie's relationship with her sister is identical to mine; my sister has regular clear outs whilst I'm a self confessed hoarder - I'm sure my hundreds of Beano comics will be worth something someday!

The story is filled with wonderful, mostly likeable characters who all add something to the plot. Fraser is adorable, and as for Robert... Like Evie he's not exactly my usual book-boyfriend type but I ended up falling for him just as much as she did. Kettlesheer house is a character in itself, and so well described that you can picture the endless staircases, rooms and corridors as if you're watching them on screen. I would have liked to read a bit more about what happened with Evie and Robert -whether she got her fairytale ending - and what happened with Kettlesheer; an epilogue would have sufficed. I'm hoping it ended as it did to leave room for a sequel!

I devoured this novel in a day and am definitely on the look out for more books my Hester Browne! I passed it on to my mum, who read it and passed it on to my Grandma! We all have such varied tastes in books that to find one we all love is a rarity. This is one of those rarities.

5/5 stars: The perfect read for a rainy day. Curl up under a blanket with a hot chocolate and lose yourself in this witty and heart-warming tale.