This is a dual timeline novel, containing drama, romance and comedy.
It begins in September 1973, with Stella’s first person viewpoint, then moves to the present day where the first person voice is Tamzin Jones. She has just moved from Cornwall to Yorkshire into a cottage she has bought unseen. She arrives with her fox (Yes, fox) called Brack – it was such a joy to read a book with a fox in!
We find out the cottage is Tamzin’s new beginning, though we don’t find out what happened to her before until later on. Her new, miserable next door (and only!) neighbour is Euan McGillan. Their two cottages are the only houses around. Not long after she moves in, Tamzin finds an old faded photo of a woman which says ‘Stella, June 1972’ on the back…
The story piques your interest straight away, with a great opening chapter, which is intriguing and urges you to keep reading. Jane Lovering has a wonderful writing style, and I really enjoyed the touches of comedy straight away in Tamzin’s chapter. Both timelines pull you in and you are rooting for both Stella and Tamzin and want to discover their stories.
Stella’s husband Andy is controlling and violent towards her and some scenes are upsetting, but written very well. The darkness of Stella’s story contrasts well with the humour in Tamzin’s, but she too has had a hard time in a previous relationship.
I really fell in love with this book – with Tamzin, Jill, Euan, Stella and with Brack the fox! It’s a beautiful story with wonderful characters and it’s one I will remember. Highly recommended.
9 out of 10
A Cottage Full of Secrets
Cottage Two, Bracken Ridge Farm sits at the end of a pitted track, with the glorious Yorkshire moors stretching behind it.
Just a simple two up, two down, the cottage holds the promise of a new start for two very different women, but it is also full of secrets.
Fifty years ago, newly-wed Stella is relishing making the little cottage a happy home. But for all the lovingly handmade curtains, and the hot dinners ready on the table for her husband, Stella’s dreams of married life jar painfully with the truth.
Fifty years later, the cottage is a new beginning for Tamzin. Determined to get away from her previous life, she makes the move to the wild and vast Yorkshire countryside.
When Tamzin finds a sepia photo of a woman, Stella, standing in the cottage’s garden, there’s a sadness in her eyes that Tamzin recognises. As the cottage reveals more of its secrets, Tamzin is desperate to find out whether Stella got her happy ending. And as she gradually makes new friends, and starts to win over her mysterious neighbour Euan, Tamzin dares to dream about her own happy ending too…
Escape the rat race with this heart-warming, page-turning new novel from Jane Lovering. Perfect for fans of Julie Houston, Beth O’Leary and Kate Forster
Purchase Link https://amzn.to/3csGXdr
Author Bio –
Jane Lovering is the bestselling and award-winning romantic comedy writer who
won the RNA Novel of the Year Award in 2012 with Please Don’t Stop the Music. She
lives in Yorkshire and has a cat and a bonkers terrier, as well as five children who have
now left home. Her first title for Boldwood was published in September 2020.
Social Media Links –
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Jane-Lovering-Author-106404969412833/
Twitter https://twitter.com/janelovering
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JaneLoveringNewsletter
I Heart Books 