Please don't stop the music by Jane Lovering

How much can you hide? Jemima Hutton is determined to build a successful new life and keep her past a dark secret. Trouble is, her jewellery business looks set to fail - until enigmatic Ben Davies offers to stock her handmade belt buckles in his guitar shop and things start looking up, on all fronts. But Ben has secrets too. When Jemima finds out he used to be the front man of hugely successful Indie rock band Willow Down, she wants to know more. Why did he desert the band on their US tour? Why is he now a semi-recluse? And the curiosity is mutual - which means that her own secret is no longer safe ...

This is Jane Lovering's first book to be released in the UK and is a great read! A story about a young woman, who is hiding her past from all who know her. She has her own business - designing and making jewellery and belt buckles, which she sells on line and in a small shop in town, the contract of which is cancelled abruptly, however her flat mate continues to supply the shop with handmade cards in huge quantities.

However, a chance find of a small guitar shop willingly to sell her buckles leads to a relationship developing between her and the owner, who also seems to have a past and secret to hide. Will Jemima and Ben manage to trust each other and reveal their pasts to each other.

Although the story includes this love story, there are many other strands to this story. The owner of the shop, Saskia, appears to have the perfect life, a loaded husband, a perfect child who is given every opportunity and money thrown at it every day, but is their trouble in paradise? Jemima's flatmate, Rosie is a new mum, finding juggling motherhood with her own card making business, being inundated with orders from Saskia and feeling she is not able to be a great mum to her son. Ben, the guitar shop owner, has secrets, he was in a successful band, why did he suddenly leave?

The story has many twists and turns, Ben, Rosie and Jemima seem to have a run of bad luck - social workers turning up, Ben's shop burning down and Jemima's business being blacklisted around York. Jemima finds it hard to settle, never unpacking her belongings, always ready to move on quickly.

I really enjoyed this book, enjoyed discovering the secrets that have been hidden by both Ben and Jemima, watching their relationship develop and then hit rocky patches. A great book to slip in your bag to take out and devour a chapter whenever you have opportunity, easy to pick up whenever. I also enjoyed the diary entries by Ben at the end of some chapters - finding out what he really thinks.

I hope this is the first of many books to hit UK bookshelves by Jane Lovering.

Thank you to ChocLit Publishers for sending me this book to review.