Beth paused in the doorway of the counselling room. A waft of lavender air freshener caught in her throat. The cramped room with peeling paint couldn't be more tired. Yet it was a vast improvement on the waiting room, where the smell of damp and despair had seeped into her bones...
***
The Blurb
Two very different worlds are about to collide.
Feisty country girl Annabeth Hope has sworn off men since her ex abandoned her. Juggling three resentful step-teens, a hyperactive toddler, a smallholding, and a herd of rescued llamas, she has her hands full. With the roof about to collapse on her crumbling New Forest home, she is desperate to find a way to hold her patchwork family together. The last thing she needs is an attractive distraction moving in next door.
Burnt-out inner-city doctor Rick Mahon has left London and his medical career behind in a moment of professional crisis. A malpractice lawsuit is on the horizon, and the cancel culture mob are snapping at his heels. His plan to stay under the radar is thrown off course when he meets his new neighbour and sparks start to fly.
Annabeth and Rick couldn't be more different, but maybe they hold the key to each other’s happiness…
My Review
This is a lovely rom-com novel that was a joy to read.
I was delighted to meet the author recently when she was leading an art workshop. I have previously read and reviewed her art book, How to Draw and Giraffe and you can find my review by clicking here.
The main character, Beth is struggling to make ends meet since her husband left her and abandoned his three teenage children and their young daughter. The teenagers are antagonistic and their rural house needs significant and expensive renovation work if they are to continue to live there.
The last thing that she is looking for is romance but when handsome doctor, Rick moves into the house next door there is an instant attraction between them. He is facing challenges of his own and has escaped London, and a whole load of problems to lie low in the countryside.
They are both fantastic characters and the author has done a great job in portraying them. Both of them are under extreme pressure. I loved Beth's character. She is a feisty character but who is feeling overwhelmed by her situation. However, she is also endlessly patient with her step-children who seem to think that everything is her fault. I loved these two differing sides to her character.
Rick, on the other hand, seems at a loss concerning what to do about his life. I enjoyed observing what a different character to Beth he was but also how they complemented each other so well. There is a will they/won't they thread running throughout and I was rooting for them all the way.
The author has done a marvellous job with this book. She understands her characters very well and has written a believable and engaging plot. She also demonstrated the challenges of rural living and did not paint a picture postcard perspective that so many of us have of the countryside.
I loved her writing. It was easy and enjoyable to read and she is clearly a good storyteller. I am looking forward to reading more of her books. In fact, I am on the upcoming blog tour for her book, The Resistance Girls on 28th April so please keep an eye out for that.
In the meantime, I highly recommend this book which is ultimately full of hope and optimism. I am sure you will enjoy it every bit as much as I did.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1835740590
Publisher: The Book Guild Ltd
Formats: e-book and paperback
No. of Pages: 352 (paperback)
Purchase Links
About the Author
Alice G. May is a multi-tasking mother with four not-so-small children.
She is married to (probably) the most patient man on the planet and they live in what used to be a ramshackle old cottage in the New Forest.
Alice loves nothing more than to share her love of painting and writing with others.
In 2014, Alice's house started to fall down before her eyes.
What followed was an extraordinary journey that changed Alice's view of the world, and life in general, forever.
In 2016, following a 20 year career as a GP surgery manager, Alice changed direction to focus on writing and painting.
Inspired by true-life events ‘The House That Sat Down’ Trilogy wouldn’t leave her alone until it was written.
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