The popular weight loss guru Georgina Fame makes her glittering entrance at the Hambly-Joneses dinner. When she organises a week’s retreat to Cornwall, how will an encounter with the past shake her carefully built confidence?Having become quite the celebrity, Diana Fortune puts the newly formed Fortunettes through their paces in preparation for the Cotswolds County Majorette of the Year … Year competition. As a case of bullying threatens to unbalance the group, questions are raised when Lily Hambly-Jones is uncovered as the culprit. Could such a caring girl be capable of tormenting her peers?
Newcomer Lucy Whittaker is shocked when her only child Ian suddenly announces that he’s off on an internship. When he goes completely off the radar, Lucy begins to fear that all is not as Ian has led her to believe…
When Tiggy and Harry go into partnership with the Roses’, LC’s Bistro and Wine bar is born. Will their efforts bring a touch of glamour to the Hamptons?
Fame and Fortune – a tale of family conflict, deceit, broken hearts and redemption… Well… this is the Hamptons after all!
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This last book in Tina-Marie Miller’s The Hamptons Series is what one would expect from this talented author whose stories are filled with spontaneity and mystery in the lush English countryside. The story unfolds with a Majorette Competition in the works. Fortunately, Diana Fortune is in control and arranges for an up and coming star to help prepare the girls for their competition. But will this newcomer be an asset or a hindrance? And what about the girls, The Hampton’s Fortunettes, how much trouble will they get into before this story is over? As with the rest of the series, FAME and FORTUNE is full of twists and unexpected turns with a surprise finish that even I didn’t see coming! Now, I’m wondering what the Author will think of next?!!
Fame and Fortune is the much anticipated 3rd installment, and character driven novel in a wonderful, women’s fiction series written by the talented author, Ms. Tina-Marie Miller
We open in Swinford St. George, a posh village in the British countryside with a gentleman named Barnaby Rose meeting with a potential client to sell an important piece of real estate. He is prepared for a woman, but not the famous and jaw-dropping beauty that reveals her identity to him upon proclaiming she will buy the old country club and we are off to the races!
Since this is the third book I’ve read about The Hamptons in the U.K., I’ve come to know that gossip, scandal and lots of secrets are hidden and tucked away down the cozy lanes and tree-lined drives.
Characters are introduced, new ones like the mysterious woman who arrives to buy the old club and a star who helps Diana Fortune try for a win in a local competition and finally the much loved ones like, Poppy and Ianthe.
We return to a character we’ve met before, the illustrious Diana Fortune. A woman with vision who knows how to get things done and safely navigate the more difficult humans in the upper echelons of The Hamptons. A woman who has also seen her share of scandal and is still trying to live down the drama of the past year. She forms a plan to bring the community together, but must convince people that she can do it, as her reputation isn’t quite as shiny as it used to be.
Then we have Lucy, a self-made woman who has found success in London as a literary agent, who enjoys a night of passion with an enigmatic client, Raoul who is a hypnotist and motivational speaker. He goes on to America for his celebrity book tour, but unbeknownst to Lucy, he leaves her a parting gift that she cherishes deeply, even if she’s left with many unanswered questions.
Relationships of every type are reflected on about love, family and the true spirit of village life that are constant themes. It is written so well and easy to read, I feel like I could move into Swinford St. George tomorrow and know the score, but would hope like crazy that Rita was NOT my neighbor. A woman who likes to stir the pot to feel more important and is always on the lookout for another juicy bit of gossip to gnaw on like a bored Labradoodle.
It’s never overt; instead it’s subtle and written in a delightful way that we come to the conclusion on our own of who is who in the pecking order of colorful, unforgettable and realistic characters. It’s a bit cheeky and fun when we get to hop from living room to bedroom, but it’s always tasteful and classy.
We get a heaping slice of reality when a new doctor from a different culture moves into town. Making the local gossips wonder, why would someone like him and his wife want to move here?
Some of the villagers are reluctant to welcome him because he looks different and then we come to find out that he really is different — because he’s had to work harder than anyone to get where he is. He’s overqualified for his job, but he has a family to take care of and perhaps one day the ignorant one’s might just come to realize how lucky they are?
There are so many characters and memorable scenes, with every type of human represented: The privileged, the nosy bees, the hopeful ones trying to leave the past behind and real-types struggling with alcoholism, fear of loss of loved one’s, money problems, bullying and racism…the list goes on and on, but the one thing I continue to admire about the author’s style is her ability to speak of serious issues without feeling as if I am being cornered by my Aunt Caroline.
The Maide of Honor the local pub as the place to be for an evening tipple is set aside by a new joint venture, LC’s Wine Bar. There is a sense with this new bistro that that the local women are competing with each other and trying desperately to invoke the sophistication of London, but what actually happens is that people of all walks of life come together to enjoy and ultimately be part of something special.
I grew up in a small town in America and the idiosyncrasies, restlessness and keeping up with the Jone’s spirit is alive and well in this entertaining story about life in The Hamptons. In this storyteller’s world, there’s always a happy ending, and I for one couldn’t ask for more than that.
As I have also come to expect, there were a few doozies, a tragedy and twists that might only happen in this wonderful, well-written and cozy series, “It’s the Hamptons after all.”
Author Tina-Marie Miller weaves a wonderful cozy mystery tale with the inhabitants of The Hamptons, an upscale area in the British countryside. New business ventures, evolving relationships, celebrity drama, family feuds and the backstories and turmoil’s of childhood (and adulthood) give this story a glimpse of life in the Hamptons that draws the reader in. I loved getting to know the many inhabitants–their hopes, dreams, backgrounds and fears, and the interactions that cause great joy, and despair, as they prepare for the Cotswolds County Majorette of the Year competition.
I enjoyed reading this book immensely and could not put it down! Author Miller does a masterful job weaving this tale intricately back and forth between the families and inhabitants of the Hamptons, pulling at your heart strings one minute and sending chills down your spine the next. Fame and Fortune is the third book in Ms. Miller’s view into Hampton life, and I can’t wait to read the other stories! My heart and interests have been captured by the characters of the Hamptons—a very enjoyable read, indeed.
Lovely cosy mystery.
The life of the Hamptons who live a secretive life has been brought out well. The story has many other elements woven in it as the secrets of the inhabitants are unraveled one by one.
The element of danger was present throughout the story and the mystery was weaved well. Liked it.