Honeymoon Hotel

by Hester Browne

[Leah]

Since I read Hester Browne's novel The Runaway Princess (which, if you haven't read it, I must ask why because it is utterly delightful) she's quickly become a must-read author for me. I devoured The Vintage Girl earlier this year and I was indescribably excited when I saw she had a new book due out called The Honeymoon Hotel. I couldn't wait to read it - Hester has such a fabulous writing style, and her romances are second to none; she's one of those rare authors who still manage to make my heart race whilst I'm reading, and you can't beat a racing heart to tell you true love is in the air. Sigh. I was super happy for my copy of The Honeymoon Hotel to finally arrive, and I couldn't wait to dive in and see what Hester had in store for me this time around!

The Honeymoon Hotel centres around the most gorgeous gem of a hotel, located in London, the Bonneville. If I were to ever get married (doubtful) that's where I would want to host my wedding. And probably where I'd like to honeymoon, too. Who needs to go away when you've got the gorgeous beauty of the Bonneville hotel right there? And there's one person determined to put Bonneville back on the map and make it THE place for weddings, parties, dinners, christenings... Anything you can think of, Rosie can host if for you at the Bonneville and she runs the place almost single-handedly (the events part, anyway) and is in line for the manager's job... Until the boss's son Joe comes home, and is put on the staff and starts dismantling weddings left, right and centre with his honest, frank confessions to every bride and groom Rosie hosts. But after planning so many weddings, will Rosie ever get her shot at walking down the aisle again?

I absolutely devoured The Honeymoon Hotel - all 471 pages of it, on a blissful, relaxing day off work. Hester Browne writes the sorts of stories you wish were true, and wish would happen to you, and I couldn't help but dream of living in Bonneville myself, because it sounded like the most magical spot on Earth. She creates such fantastic storylines, with wonderfully warm and witty characters, and I fell completely into the lives of Rosie, Helen, Joe, and everyone at the Bonneville with ease. I felt like I was a fly on the wall witnessing their every moves, and it was delightful. In this day and age where Chick Lit heroines worry about their weight, and whether they're attractive or not, it's reassuring to have a storyteller who relies on something else to tell the story. It's refreshing, old-school Chick Lit, with a magical setting and characters you can't help but adore (excluding the odious Dominic and Seamus, ugh). Reading about Rosie's job was a dream come true and it was lovely to see all the weddings she had helped create come together, and go off without a hitch thanks to her precision when it came to all things wedding.

I love it when a book can captivate me so much, I forget to do anything else for the rest of the day, and this was such a book. The memorable scene where Rosie meets Joe for the first time was fantastic - the kind of scene I love, because you just know this first meeting is something special, even if Joe's in the bridal suite hungover, and Rosie's seeing his half-naked self in (90%) of its glory. Even though they disagreed on everything, and had varying philosophies when it came to weddings, I thought Rosie and Joe were so charming and so great together, and it was great to see their friendship progress from the rocky start, in the bridal suite. The Honeymoon Hotel was delightful from start to finish, and was everything I wanted in a novel, and has proven once again that when it comes to a Hester Browne novel, she does not disappoint. In fact, I am quite disappointed that it's over, and I've had to say goodbye to all the wonderful characters. I hope you're writing your next book Hester, because I can't wait to read it...