Linn B Halton

This is a delightful read set in a wonderful part of the world. It will warm the cockles of your heart. Kerra moves back home to Cornwall for a fresh start, revisiting old friends and making new ones along the way whilst renovating her cottage. And love is in the air in the form of her school days crush, Ross.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s full of likeable characters, including a feisty but loveable cat called Ripley! She was definitely my favourite. It’s beautifully written and well paced with a little bit of intrigue running through in the form of a dodgy ex next door neighbour. I read this via the Pigeonhole app and looked forward every day to each stave. Such a pleasure to read, I look forward to the next book in the series!… (más)

I was so drawn to this book when I realised it was set in Italy. Such a beautiful country, I'm a complete sucker for anything set there. Ellie Maddison is married to Josh, her soulmate, with two teenage daughters. By chance she is sent to Italy on a buying trip to meet Max Johnson who runs Villa Rosso and she has this sense that she knows him already. There's a strong connection between the two of them that Ellie can't shake off even when she returns home.

It's an unusual storyline. I think the crux of it is that you can feel that connection to somebody without ever having known them, a sense of having being in that place with that person before. Ellie is devoted to Josh (who I thought was a bit pathetic and annoying, to be honest) but feels this uncontrollable pull towards Max (who I much preferred!).

I thought the setting was perfect and really well described. I could almost imagine myself there. I liked Ellie well enough and I liked Max as well, but the book overall lacked a bit of something for me. I found it a pleasant and easy read with an interesting storyline but I think the problem for me was that there was a lot of unexplained underlying tension and I was expecting more to the ending than I got, although to be honest I don't know how the story could have been wound up differently.

I was going to call it a romance novel but it's not quite that. It has a romantic feel to it certainly but there's also a kind of paranormal element. I think this book will appeal to readers of romance and people who enjoy a strong sense of place. I've really struggled over this review as I did enjoy reading the book but maybe it just wasn't quite right for me. I know how popular this author is though and she has tremendous appeal.… (más)