Many thanks to The Bookbag for giving me the opportunity to read this book direct from the publishers.
First published in the UK: July 2017
When Lottie Foster’s grandmother’s best friend Gwen dies, she leaves Lottie her lovely home, Cuckoo Cottage. Lottie loves the cottage but Matt, a charming local builder, points out that beneath its charm it is falling apart. Luckily he is always on hand to help with the problems that somehow seem to keep cropping up. But is he just a bit too good to be true? Certainly Will, Lottie’s closest neighbour, seems to think so.
Lottie plans to set up her own business renovating vintage caravans. She hasn’t told anyone about the project she has cooked up with Jemma from The Cherry Tree Café to repurpose Gwen’s old caravan and turn it into a gorgeous tearoom. But before she can finally enjoy living with her legacy she must uncover who she can trust, and who to avoid. And with two men vying for her attention, will she also find love?
My Review
I absolutely loved this book. It was utterly enchanting with its charming feel-good storyline, delightful characters and innocent romance. It was also an easy read with short chapters making it easy to pick up and put down (not that I wanted to) throughout the day.
It's actually the fourth in a series of novels by author Heidi Swain all featuring the residents of Wynbridge. So, if you've already read others of her books I should imagine that this one will be a bit like catching up with old friends but if like me you haven't then it really won't matter. Heidi Swain describes each character so beautifully that I soon felt I knew them all from the main character vintage-loving Lottie to tyrant terrier Minnie, easy-going Mags and her nature-loving son, Ed, or kind and considerate David. Unusually all the characters were equably likeable, even the unsavoury one – in fact in case you hadn't already gathered it's safe to say that I totally fell in love with the fictional country village and all its characters.
This particular instalment sees newcomer Lottie trying to fit into the village and appease the local gossips after unexpectedly inheriting Cuckoo Cottage, home of her beloved surrogate grandmother and many idyllic summers and childhood memories. Whilst trying to get to grips with the idiosyncrasies of an older property and finding a way to earn a living, Lottie also has the luxury of two gorgeous men to choose between in the form of handsome handyman Matt or Will the dark and mysterious vet.
This book wasn't all twee and olde-worlde though, as I also found it weirdly inspirational (perhaps because I'm at a bit of a cross roads in my life having just been made redundant). One particular quote really struck a chord with me, when Lottie proclaimed: "For the most part I've just fitted in with whatever happened to come along. I've never actually gone out looking for adventure". That thought along with the book's abundance of entrepreneurial female characters from Jemma the owner of the Cherry Tree Cafe, Amber's diversification of Skylark Farm and Harriet and Rachel's plans to open a nursery really got me thinking.
My only slight (very slight) criticism of this book was the small plot spoiler on the back cover blurb which clearly identified which of the two men vying for Lottie's affections wasn't perhaps quite what they seemed. The book certainly left you guessing which of the two was the real deal and so without having read the blurb first, I'm not sure which one of the two I would've been wiling her to end up with.
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