Love is a riddle, waiting to be solved…
Clued-up career girl Cassy Brookes has life under control until one disastrous morning changes everything. When she finds herself stuck in a doctor’s surgery, a cryptic message left in a crossword magazine sends her on a search to find the mysterious puzzle-man behind it.
Cassy is soon torn between tracking down her elusive dream guy, and outwitting her nightmare workmate, the devious Martin. Facing a puzzling love-life, will she ever be able to fit the pieces together and discover the truth behind this enigmatic man?
It's my pleasure to be rounding off the Blog Tour for Puzzle Girl today. Many thanks to Rachael Featherstone, The Dome Press and Emily Glenister for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel.
My reading tastes tend to err on the darker side but every so often I like to read something a bit lighter as a palate cleanser of sorts. I loved the sound of Puzzle Girl, particularly because although there is no crime to solve, there is still a mystery at the heart of it.
What an enjoyable book this turned out to be! I loved Cassy, not least because she reminded me a little of my eldest daughter who shares her love of lists and also has a number of most hated words! Thankfully her life is less messy than Cassy's whose ordered existence is rapidly sent spinning out of control when her relationship comes to a sudden end.
There's a lovely flow to Puzzle Girl and it's a book I read in just a few hours chuckling away to myself at the situations Cassy frequently finds herself in. With the beautiful and historic scenes of London as its backdrop, I could easily imagine Puzzle Girl being filmed as a rom-com. I thought the relationship between Cassy and her best friend, Dan was a real highlight of the book and especially enjoyed the long history between the pair. Cassy's mum is wonderful too, at first I thought she was going to be the typical, rather over-bearing mother often seen in romantic comedies but she turned out to be a warm and wise woman.
I wasn't really surprised by the outcome of the mystery and I suspect not many readers will be; it doesn't matter though because the pleasure in reading Puzzle Girl comes from the delightful dialogue and the captivating plot which leads to Cassy making the discovery herself. The inclusion of the puzzle part of the novel is especially enjoyable as Cassy becomes obsessed with trying to communicate with her Puzzle-Man. This is an engaging, witty read and the development of Cassy's character and her gradual realisation that her behaviour hasn't always been wise is well-handled and empathetic.
I'm really pleased I decided to give Puzzle Girl a try, it left me with a warm glow and a smile on my face and I recommend it to anybody who enjoys well-plotted romantic fiction.
Puzzle Girl is published by The Dome Press and can be purchased from the following;
Amazon UK
Hive
Waterstones
Kobo
Don't forget to check out the previous stops on the tour, details are below.
About the Author
Rachael Featherstone was born and raised in Woodford. Her path to writing was a little unorthodox. After reading Mathematics at Oxford University, New College, Rachael went to work in research.
When Rachael’s mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2012, Rachael decided to take a chance, quit her job, and fulfil a life time ambition to write a novel. She went back to university and completed a Masters in English Literature and had several short stories published.
Rachael now lives in Hampshire with her husband, Tim and daughter Elodie.
The Dome Press published Puzzle Girl in ebook in August 2018, the paperback in January 2019.
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