The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Living over in Dubai I get these huge pangs to read 'very' english books and I recently found this treasure in a book shop over here. Based in the 1950's this delightfully, charming book tells the story of Flavia De Luce and her quirky family. After finding  the body of a man in the cabbage patch in the graden, the ten year old chemistry whizz goes about solving the mystery with the help of her trusty bicycle - Gladys.
A brilliant and heart warming read, it is the first novel in a series of Flavia De Luce mysteries.

The Promise by Lesley Promise

I have been a fan of Lesley Pearse's book for a long while now, and I count 'Belle' as one of my faviourte books. 'The Promise' is a sequel to 'Belle' and is a gripping and intense read. Based in war stricken London in the nineteen hundreds, it tells the story of Belle's life after her marriage to Jimmy which ends the first book. Torn between her boring domestic life and doing something more worthwhile, she enrolls as a nurse and gets posted to France to tend to the wounded. With her husband fighting on the front line, Belle is reunited with Etienne, the french man who saved her whilst working as a prostitute. What follows is an intense affair, and some heart renching decisions.
I found the sequel just as good, if not better, than 'Belle' although there were many parts that brought a tear to my eye. Lesley Pearse once again writes an unforgettable read.