Synopsis
Sometimes life just takes the biscuit …
Abby Spencer knows she can come across as an airhead – she talks too much and is a bit of a klutz – but there’s more to her than that. Though she sacrificed her career to help raise her sisters, a job interview at biscuit company Crumbs could finally be her chance to shine. That’s until she hurries in late wearing a shirt covered in rusk crumbs, courtesy of her baby nephew, and trips over her handbag.
Managing director Douglas Faulkner isn’t sure what to make of Abby Spencer with her Bambi eyes, tousled hair and ability to say more in the half-hour interview than he manages in a day. All he knows is she’s a breath of fresh air and could bring a new lease of life to the stale corporate world of Crumbs. To his life too, if he’d let her.
But Doug’s harbouring a secret. He’s not the man she thinks he is.
Kathryn Freeman
Kathryn was born in Wallingford, England but has spent most of her life living in a village near Windsor. After studying pharmacy in Brighton she began her working life as a retail pharmacist. She quickly realised that trying to decipher doctor’s handwriting wasn’t for her and left to join the pharmaceutical industry where she spent twenty happy years working in medical communications. In 2011, backed by her family, she left the world of pharmaceutical science to begin life as a self-employed writer, juggling the two disciplines of medical writing and romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero…
With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to bother buying a card again this year (yes, he does) the romance in her life is all in her head. Then again, her husband’s unstinting support of her career change goes to prove that love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes can come in many disguises.
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I’ve not read a book by Kathryn I didn’t enjoy and Oh Crumbs is no exception. Immediately you feel sorry for Doug Faulkner, caught up in a family business he has no real interest or influence in, given that his father is a bullying monster who delights in belittling him as often as he can. As an outlet for his frustration with his situation he secretly paints and is also a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitzu. When Abby breezes into his life as his PA she begins to change this quiet, recluse of a man. Introduced to her four younger sisters, Dad and Pat the dog, he’s soon caught up in the mayhem of this boisterous, loving family. He also realises her life hasn’t been easy, running the home after her mother’s death from cancer.
As I’ve said many times I’m not a lover of children in books but you can’t help liking Abby’s sisters, particularly the youngest, Ellie, who tells it like it is! Doug’s father Charles is a real piece of work, rude, domineering and someone who deserves payback big time. All in all a great cast of characters wrapped up in an entertaining story
A lovely feel good read which draws you in and keeps you hooked until the very last page.
Firstly, I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. When I started to read it I was
uncertain as I thought it was your normal poor girl meets rich boy story, but somehow
Kathryn has written an excellent book which kept me up late reading it. She has made her
heroine, Abby, and hero, Doug, real, believable people. Yes, they are the archetypal
rich/poor young couple, but with hearts and feelings. You follow their story from meeting to
coupledom with the twists and turns of very different families, aims and objectives to deal
with, together with pressures of work. I felt for both of them along their path to happiness
and was very relieved when the problems were cleared. Buy, read and enjoy this book but
be prepared to not be able to put it down.
Abby put her life on hold to care for her younger sisters and father when her mother dies. She’s now finally finished business school and start making her way in the world again. When she applies to be a PA at the local biscuit company, she gets much more than she bargained for.
This was such a sweet novel – I thoroughly enjoyed it. Abby is such a great character and you instantly want her to succeed and live happily ever after. I was provided a free advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to another one from Kathryn Freeman.
I found it hard to put this book down – fantastic read
When Abby’s Mum died it was left to her to become ‘Mum’ to her 4 Sisters and support her Dad to run the house so he could continue to work. Once a bit older Abby decided to get a job and begins as a PA at Crumbs!
This is where she meets Doug, a man with a history of not showing his feelings or emotions due to his secrets from the past. Drop dead gorgeous Doug with piercing blue eyes and a body to die for, but Doug is her new boss and Abby is surprised she even got the job
I loved this novel and just wanted to keep reading it because I adored the relationship between Abby and Doug and the fact that Abby was a strong woman, who clearly had a great business mind and wanted to help give her ideas to the business. Doug on the other hand is only working in the business, a business he doesn’t particularly enjoy, due to family commitments, when his real passion is painting.
If you want a book that has fantastic characters, all with their own strengths and failings, romance, a few surprises and a great storyline then this is definitely the book for you.
Such a fun read. Abby and Doug come from two different worlds, with different dreams. Yet they find so much in common whilst battling to modernise the Crumbs business. Can they learn the truth about each other and fight for a future? Great characters, not only Abby and Doug but also their friends and family. Couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend!
Pure brilliance again from the lovely Kathryn Freeman.
I’m a huge fan of Kathryn and love her style of writing and was lost as soon as I started this one.
Being a fond lover of the words “Oh Crumbs” myself I was right at home with Abby.
It starts with the loss of Abby (and 4 her sister’s) Mum – even during the sad scene, Kathryn brings laughter and visualation to life.
Abby’s story builds up and gets going as soon as she catapults her way into Doug’s office … looking less than professional, late and saying Oh crumbs several times …. which has her in fits of giggles due to the fact she is interviewing for the MD PA role at a biscuit factory. Only to be greeted by the most serious, stern and seriously hard to judge Doug.
Now Doug has his own story too. He hates being the MD to his father’s biscuit factory for starters and would much rather be off with a paintbrush somewhere.
He is very tense and serious and finds it extremely difficult to have fun, relax or even smile. He comes to life (and releases he’s anger/frustration) during BJJ training with his best mate Luke.
So, with that visuale of Doug and remembering Abby’s unforgettable enterance, nobody is more surprised than Doug – when he makes an incredibly easy decision of hiring her.
I would usually give some snippets during my review – but I will just give too much of this amazing story away.
What I will leave you with, is …. Will the lovely Abby ever manage to crack a smile on Doug’s face or has he just made a mistake hiring such a crazy, scatterbrained PA
Read it to find out what other secrets will unfold during this unputdownable read
#biscuits
#pa
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#family
#friends
#bjj
#laughter
#sadness
#tears
#committment
#brilliantread
#kindle
#amazonkindle
#kobobooks
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#kathrynfreeman
#choclit
#couldntputitdown
#curlupandenjoy
#teaandbiscuits
Another gem from Kathryn Freeman
With a title “Oh Crumbs’ and the plot set in a biscuit company, the signs are that this will be good. It is very good.
When Doug Faulkner needs a PA, Abby rushes in late for her interview, he’s never employed someone like her before and is astonished when he find himself offering her the job. Abby is not the scatterbrain she at first seemed, for years she’s successfully run the family home for her father and sisters, giving her the ideal skills for Doug’s job. While Doug and Abby are attracted to each other, her family’s needs constantly take priority over everything, even their blossoming romance. Doug needs to convince Abby that she’s not indispensable to her family but she is essential to his long term happiness. A delight to read and thoroughly recommended.
Abigail (Abby) pops into the life of staid and dour biscuit company MD, Doug, like a refreshing burst of sunshine when she turns up for a job interview with everything going wrong – her blouse was sicked on by the baby, she was late, she couldn’t stop talking – so he gave her the job! Abby is trying to juggle her working life and a career with her home life – as the eldest of 5 sisters she took over bringing up her siblings when her mother died when Abby was 13, and her father kept working to keep them afloat financially. Abby is everything Doug is not, but he can’t seem to resist her, and vice versa – this is a very satisfying story which keeps you interested and involved all through – you are, of course, on the side of the angels and willing it all to work out. I can only say you won’t be disappointed. I’ve read a few of Kathryn’s books and enjoyed them, but I think I like this one the best. I’m looking forward to the next!
‘Never judge a book by its cover’ is a sentence you often hear. But it’s a fact that that cover is exactly what you see in the first place. To me it’s very important because it tells me straight away whether I want to read it or not. The same thing happens with the title. When he appeals to me, I will read the book of not, it will remain on the shelf.
For this book I can already tick those two boxes.
But not only this is important. The first sentence often makes or breaks a story for me as strange as this may sound. Box three ticked as well.
And that leaves the story itself of course. Well, that is easy. I loved it. It is a fluently written read with lots of banter that makes you smile but sometimes you also have to keep a tissue handy.
I had the feeling there was room for a sequel? Or even two or three? I would not mind it at all.
Thank you Kathryn Freeman and Choc Lit.