The Secret Shopper Affair
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Review
'This latest laugh-out-loud cocktail of romance and retail therapy will delight fans.' (NORTHAMPTON CHRONICLE & ECHO )
'Entertaining chick lit at its best' (TELEGRAPH & ARGUS )
'Entertaining chick lit at its best' (TELEGRAPH & ARGUS )
Book Description
Who said that sex was better than shopping?
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The Secret Shopper Affair is the third book in Kate Harrison's The Secret Shopper series, and it's one I have been eagerly awaiting for a while now! I really enjoyed the previous 2 outings with the three ladies who are now very familiar tome, so when a hardback copy of this arrived on my doorstep, I couldn't wait to get stuck in. I do like the new cover design, but I find it odd that Orion have changed the design for the series on the third book... what was wrong with the old design?! Either way, I hoped that wouldn't affect the story inside, which of course it shouldn't, and sat down to read.
The book picks up a little while after the second book, The Secret Shopper Unwrapped, with Emily and Will living in their homemade shop in Heartsease with her son Freddie, but things aren't all rosy. Emily is beginning to resent her friends for their lifestyle while it's all falling apart for her. She's sure her relationship to Will is on the rocks, and when she's given the opportunity to win a grant for Heartsease, she suddenly thinks it might be the motivation she needs. Sandie is pregnant and not necessarily enjoying her pregnancy, she's worrying about her career, that she won't be a good mother and that her fiancé's shop Garnett's is going under. Finally, Grazia is mourning after losing her love, but soon finds herself in a position she never thought she would be.. complete with a ready made family.
As with the previous books, there is a separate plot lines for each of the characters, but they meet up regularly throughout the book to keep the three of them intertwined with each other's lives, although this happens perhaps less in this book than the previous one. I really enjoyed Sandie's journey in this book, I really warmed to her and wanted to read more about her and less about Emily if I am honest! Her story certainly seemed to link more to the previous books for me, perhaps because it brought her previous place of work back but I just found it very enjoyable. Grazia's story is at the opposite end of the scale to Sandie's, but again I found it very interesting to read, and I felt Harrison broached the subject of step-parenting and the difficulties that come with all of that very well, it seemed sympathetic yet not too emotional - she seems to have struck the right balance. I also liked Grazia's jet-setting, it was nice for the book to leave London and Heartsease briefly and added a dash of glamour into the proceedings too!
If you're a fan of the previous books, then you are most definitely going to want to read this. I found it very enjoyable overall, very easy to read and pick-up but Emily's story for me let it down a bit. I know that there was a point to it but I found her too negative for my liking and there wasn't enough positives from her to pick it back up again. There was a bit of a lack of Secret Shopping but after the developments of the story over the 3 books, that was expected, and a few occasions did pop up so I can't moan too much! Harrison has easily slipped back into these characters, writing them with ease and when I was reading, it didn't feel like it had a been a year since I'd last read a Secret Shoppers book. You can of course read this as a stand-alone novel, enough of the background is explained for you to get the jist of the previous books but obviously it does work best read as the third in the series. I really enjoyed the book, and do hope that Harrison will be bringing back the Secret Shopping ladies once more!
The book picks up a little while after the second book, The Secret Shopper Unwrapped, with Emily and Will living in their homemade shop in Heartsease with her son Freddie, but things aren't all rosy. Emily is beginning to resent her friends for their lifestyle while it's all falling apart for her. She's sure her relationship to Will is on the rocks, and when she's given the opportunity to win a grant for Heartsease, she suddenly thinks it might be the motivation she needs. Sandie is pregnant and not necessarily enjoying her pregnancy, she's worrying about her career, that she won't be a good mother and that her fiancé's shop Garnett's is going under. Finally, Grazia is mourning after losing her love, but soon finds herself in a position she never thought she would be.. complete with a ready made family.
As with the previous books, there is a separate plot lines for each of the characters, but they meet up regularly throughout the book to keep the three of them intertwined with each other's lives, although this happens perhaps less in this book than the previous one. I really enjoyed Sandie's journey in this book, I really warmed to her and wanted to read more about her and less about Emily if I am honest! Her story certainly seemed to link more to the previous books for me, perhaps because it brought her previous place of work back but I just found it very enjoyable. Grazia's story is at the opposite end of the scale to Sandie's, but again I found it very interesting to read, and I felt Harrison broached the subject of step-parenting and the difficulties that come with all of that very well, it seemed sympathetic yet not too emotional - she seems to have struck the right balance. I also liked Grazia's jet-setting, it was nice for the book to leave London and Heartsease briefly and added a dash of glamour into the proceedings too!
If you're a fan of the previous books, then you are most definitely going to want to read this. I found it very enjoyable overall, very easy to read and pick-up but Emily's story for me let it down a bit. I know that there was a point to it but I found her too negative for my liking and there wasn't enough positives from her to pick it back up again. There was a bit of a lack of Secret Shopping but after the developments of the story over the 3 books, that was expected, and a few occasions did pop up so I can't moan too much! Harrison has easily slipped back into these characters, writing them with ease and when I was reading, it didn't feel like it had a been a year since I'd last read a Secret Shoppers book. You can of course read this as a stand-alone novel, enough of the background is explained for you to get the jist of the previous books but obviously it does work best read as the third in the series. I really enjoyed the book, and do hope that Harrison will be bringing back the Secret Shopping ladies once more!
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Brilliant read!! Would definitely recommend! Had me gripped! Read the others too!! :D I hope there is another so i can read that too! Loved it!
Format:Paperback
This book is the third installment of the Secret Shopper series from Kate Harrison and picks up more or less where the last book finished with the lives of Emily, Sandie and Grazia so it is advisable to read the the other books in the series first before this one.
Emily and Will are still living together but they are definitely not living the picture-perfect live that Emily had imagined; Sandie is now pregnant and working as a consultant at her boyfriend Toby's department store, Garnett's, to try and bring it back to its former glory and Grazia has been swept off her feet by a new man, Joel, but is he all that he seems?
Unfortunately this book for me did nothing to make me like Emily as a character as it seemed to depict her as quite a whiney character, which didn't happen in previous books, so I found that I quite often wanted to skip through her chapters to get to the others. Although things did improve towards the end to bring me around.
Overall, if you've read the previous books, then this is a pleasant read to find out where Emily, Sandie and Grazia's lives have ended up. I'm not sure whether or not Kate Harrison is planning any more books in the series but this did seem to be a fitting conclusion if no more books to be brought out.
Emily and Will are still living together but they are definitely not living the picture-perfect live that Emily had imagined; Sandie is now pregnant and working as a consultant at her boyfriend Toby's department store, Garnett's, to try and bring it back to its former glory and Grazia has been swept off her feet by a new man, Joel, but is he all that he seems?
Unfortunately this book for me did nothing to make me like Emily as a character as it seemed to depict her as quite a whiney character, which didn't happen in previous books, so I found that I quite often wanted to skip through her chapters to get to the others. Although things did improve towards the end to bring me around.
Overall, if you've read the previous books, then this is a pleasant read to find out where Emily, Sandie and Grazia's lives have ended up. I'm not sure whether or not Kate Harrison is planning any more books in the series but this did seem to be a fitting conclusion if no more books to be brought out.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Heartsease and heartache
The 3rd book in the series of the Secret Shopping Angels and I hope not the last. Kate Harrison has written yet another hard-to-put-down story about Emily, Sandie and Grazia. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Teresa
Excellent
cant wait to read after thoroughly enjoying the previous volumes by Kate Harrison of the Secret Shopper series. Recommended to all who like 'chic lit' :)
Published 5 months ago by Dark Faerie
lacked sparkle
as this is the 3rd book in the series the expectations were high but it just didnt really get there. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lindymck
Brilliant story with brilliant characters!
This is the first Kate Harrison I have read. I really liked the synopsis and thought it sounded very similar to what Sophie Kinsella writes. Read more
Published 12 months ago by C. Rucroft
Really good fun
If you're looking for a warm, friendly, funny read then get stuck into any of the 'Secret Shopper' books. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Susanna Quinn
A very entertaining read!
There are three books in this little series and they are all a great read; shame I read the last one first, but I have since caught up and would recommend them to all the ladies... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mrs. Pearl Elston
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