"Cupcakes at Carrington's" by Alexandra Brown

Georgie Hart may have had a difficult upbringing, but now as an adult, she is making her own way.  Sure, life still isn't easy but she has a job she loves selling luxury handbags at Carrington's Department store in a seaside English town.  The bills are piling up but it's nothing a red velvet cupcake with buttercream icing in Carrington's café can't take her mind off of for a bit.

But like all retail companies, Carrington's is feeling the pinch of the recession and changes need to be made immediately.  Enter femme fatale Maxine, who is ready to make cuts wherever she can.  Pitting employee against employee, all while keeping a smile on her face and every hair in place, Maxine is set to turn Carrington's upside down.

While Georgie is prepared to do whatever she needs to in order to keep her job, she is not ready for what Maxine has in store for her.  Add to that the romantic feelings developing between her and her boss James, as well as the arrival of hot new employee Tom, Georgie finds herself thrown into complete disarray.

Cupcakes at Carrington's, by Alexandra Brown, is a delightful novel that will definitely have you reaching for the sweets while you indulge in the delectable story.  

This is another chick lit book that I took to the beach to read with me and it made for another perfect read to escape with.  The sun, the waves, and the book - a perfect combination.  I loved the department store setting.  If you're a fan of the television show Mr. Selfridges, you'll enjoy this too.  

One thing that I admired about the writing in this book is that there are a lot of characters to keep track of, lots of secondary stories and a lot going on, but it was easy to keep up with it all.  Sometimes the inclusion of a lot of characters with their own stories muddles a book but that isn't the case here.  However, I did feel like outside of the characters of Georgie and her best friend Sam, it was a little difficult to get a picture of the characters in my head.

The plot of the book is great.  Brown keeps up the mystery of just what is going with Maxine and Tom and what is happening behind the scenes well without dragging it on.  Georgie is such a loveable character and there is a depth to her story lines.  And while you can kind of see the ending coming, it is still very satisfying.

I'm very happy to see that this is the first in a series of three books (the second novel, Christmas at Carrington's will be released in December.)  Fans of the chick lit genre will happy to have found a new character to love and follow in Georgie Hart.