Jenny Colgan: Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams

Rosie Hopkins thinks leaving her busy London life, and her boyfriend Gerard, to sort out her elderly Aunt Lilian's sweetshop in a small country village is going to be dull. Lilian Hopkins has spent her life running Lipton's sweetshop, through wartime and family feuds. As she struggles with the idea that it might finally be time to settle up, she also wrestles with the secret history hidden behind the jars of beautifully coloured sweets.

Having read the Chocolate Shop in Paris, I read this book about the sweet shop in Derbyshire. Again the storyline is quite predictable, but the humour and the characters made up for the predictability.

Chris Kuzneski: Hunters 1 - The Hunters

The Hunters: Financed by a billionaire philanthropist, this elite team - an ex-soldier, an historian, a computer whiz, a weapons expert, and a thief - is tasked with finding the world's most legendary treasures. The mission: Fearing a German victory in WWI, the Romanian government signed a deal with Russia to guarantee the safety of the country's treasures. In 1916, two trains full of gold and the most precious possessions of the Romanian state - paintings, jewellery, and ancient artefacts - were sent to the underground vaults of the Kremlin. But in the turmoil of war, the treasure was scattered - and lost. Almost a century later, the haul is valued at over 3.5 billion dollars. Despite hundreds of attempts to find it, its location has remained a mystery...

Another thrilling read by Chris Kuzneski with humour and great characters as well as some gripping historical fiction. I also liked the link to Petr Ulster at the end of the novel, which in a way I was hoping for, as the story unfolded. Already looking forward to the next "Payne and Jones" and "Hunters" books.