This story plays out over a decade when Jo and Harry meet up each year for a weekend at his beloved family cottage Morrow in the Shropshire hills. It is the place where Harry forgets his troubles and he and Jo can reconnect with their passion. The one rule: real life is not allowed to penetrate their sanctuary. But as the years go on, and the stresses of their lives increase, will their weekends away be enough to keep them together?
I have tried reading Fiona Walker a couple of times before and never got into her stories. But this time, this one totally engaged me. I enjoyed the concept of the reader being able to catch up with Jo and Harry’s lives only through their weekend escapes. A longish read, this is the perfect book to take with you on your own weekend away in a similarly remote location.
Kat is running from and for her life as she escapes to the country where she uses her nursing skills to assist an elderly woman, Constance, in her final years. Constance leaves her a broken-down part of the estate and the animals who live there in an air-tight will that the family cannot break. Kat takes the challenge and cares for the animals that were so much a part of her friend's life. As Kat struggles, famous film star Dougie is also struggling with his choices in life. Engaged to two Hollywood stars and unable to commit to them, afraid that his acting skills are not as solid as he thought, he turns to running Constance's estate for the new owner, Seth, a dotcom billionaire. He is wowed by the beauty of the estate and stunned by his attraction to Kat. Still nursing his mental wounds from Hollywood, he begins to heal as he runs the estate. Seth, meanwhile, is trying his best to find a wife and please his family. An arranged marriage is something he has been fighting for years. Determined to make a success out of the large estate by attracting people to hunt game and play cricket, Seth demands much of Dougie. Will Seth accept an arranged marriage? Will Dougie go back to being a film star? Will Kat complete her dare?
I was disappointed in this book, having read The Summer Wedding and loved it. The Country Escape brought in a few characters from the previous book but that couldn't save it. It had too many storylines and not enough passion. The characters were not well developed so I didn't feel a solid connection with any of them. This disconnection made the book move slowly and my interest waned throughout. (MS)
Recently dumped Dilly Gently gets lured into joining the band Entwined with Magnus who appears to be her soulmate. Fellow band mate and new best friend Nell falls for Magnus, and Dilly steps aside. Nell tries to return the favour and encourages Dilly to get together with the fourth member of the band, Nell's twin brother Flipper. Talk about entwined! All four band members struggle with overcoming their past and falling in love.
This is the third in the Lode Chronicles series, set against a backdrop of idyllic Cotswolds villages and the hunting scene. It can be quite confusing at first to follow all the characters as they all have eccentric names and nicknames. The storyline is also not particularly gripping and is in places quite bizarre. The only saving grace is that it seems well written in its prose. Fans of Fiona Walker have admitted this is nowhere near her best. (AB)
Odette Fielding is a model of a self-made woman in the 21st century. She leaves her savvy PR career and goes into business with popular restaurateur Calum Forrester. But she falls too seriously for callous Calum who is way too rotten. While she tries to fool most of her friends, she could no longer fool herself that her leading man is actually the leading villain, and prepares the perfect recipe for revenge. From opening club night to after hours, Fiona Walker's old and new characters pop up to join the endless party of crazy family reunions, roaring hen nights and over-the-top weddings. All this happens while Odette goes from hard-earned Prada to nada, bankrupt and homeless, couch surfing her way from the right London address to good old-fashioned love in the most unexpected place.
(SARI)
Juno has just turned thirty. She squeezes into size 16 clothes, struggles in her comedy career, has been dumped by a cheating boyfriend, and is unable to withdraw cash from the ATM. No one can blame her for not being in a celebratory mood. When her brother/landlord swaps flats with mysterious New Yorker Jay Mulligan, the cold depressing birthday weekend heats up! Except the weekend high ends almost as low as it started. Self-esteem in need of a boost, this funny girl has lots of well-meaning family and friends but they are far from adept at giving her thirties a cheer. Besides, whoever said that because people speak English means they comprehend English? A culture shock of pop culture dialogue, this book is saturated with witty writing and quirky characters. A delicious read, it is guaranteed to entertain its reader on a long weekend. (SARI)
