This week I'm delighted to share my review of the utterly delightful The House at Hope Corner by Emma Davies.
In her acknowledgements at the back of this book, Emma Davies says, "I've always had a love of nature," and it certainly shines through every page of The House at Hope Corner. Her descriptions of the natural world are captivating, adding depth and colour to this tale of the immensely likeable and relatable Flora, who has to leave behind her much-loved floristry business but who has the chance of a new life with Ned on his family's farm.
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Emma Davies is an experienced writer and her characters are well-drawn and always three-dimensional, each one of them having a solid background story and each displaying both strengths and weaknesses. Ned's parents, while traditional in their views and perhaps rather stuck in their ways, are warm and welcoming to Flora. And the baddy (no names mentioned) is friendly and apparently supportive... which makes it all the more effective when true motives come to light.
The strap-line on the front cover is "The perfect feel-good holiday romance novel." Often I feel put off by that term "feel-good", because so many so-called feel-good books are pretty lightweight. Not so this one. It has a solid plot with plenty of ups and downs and the problems that arise don't have obvious solutions.
A beautifully-crafted, heartwarming and uplifting story.
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Blurb:
Free-spirited Flora Dunbar is heartbroken at the news that she must close down her beloved little flower shop on the high-street. As she packs away her pretty pots and vases and locks the door for the very last time, the only spark of hope is an offer from Ned, a gorgeous farmer with an irresistible twinkle in his eye, to come and start a new life on his family farm.
Arriving at Hope Corner, Flora’s heart sings as she takes in the stunning landscape that surrounds her new home. But it’s not long before she realises that her creative, romantic thinking has no place in a household built on tradition and strict routine.
Pulling up her signature striped socks and throwing herself into her chores, little by little Flora blossoms as she learns to love the order and patterns of life on the land, feeding the chickens every morning and checking on the cows at night. But the more she understands about her new home, the more she suspects it’s under threat, and worse, that Ned is hiding something from her…
But this time, Flora’s not going to run from her problems, especially not when she was just beginning to let herself believe that Ned could really be The One. Can she find a way to save her relationship AND the first house she’s ever truly called home?
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The House at Hope Corner on Kindle.
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