The Little Cottage on the Hill: A gorgeous feel good romance to escape with

Tucked into a corner in Shropshire, the opportunity for Madeline Porter to reclaim her career and succeed at marketing and managing a new and growing corporate retreat site are just what she needs. After a disastrous event in London, and leaving her firm under a cloud, the unexpected and wholly welcome chance to start anew, even in this remote area, is welcome. Yet, the more she discovers, the more the situation becomes fraught with tensions, secrets and an owner who appears to dislike her and her ideas just on principle. No mobile signal, horrible broadband, dogs, dust, dirt, ramshackle outbuildings and a garden that seems to have taken over – her linen and power suits are just not made for this. Seth, the owner and his crew: Clara the gardener and Tom the thatcher are a tight group – almost secretive in their conversations and Maddie always feels a bit out of the circle. It’s obvious that their friendships are solid, and Maddie thinks that there is something there between Clara and Seth – despite the rather confusing statements from Clara that ‘she owes Seth everything”. When he won’t explain things to her, and the people around him fob her off with a “he’ll have to tell you”, she’s torn between wanting to ‘fit in” and deciding that this isn’t the project for her. And then, slowly she starts to see Seth’s vision for Joy’s Acre, and buoyed up by an off-the-cuff mushrooms on toast and latte, a wi-fi connection and a most unusual barmaid, she’s invigorated and starts to plan. Yes, her ideas are too ‘London’ and far from the vision Seth has, and she’s not happy that every idea she has is shut down, but when she understands (after far too much time in my opinion) the story of Joy’s Acres, the unique history of the farm and repeated ‘we’re meant to be here as different as we all are’ comments from the others all starts to give her a new vision, and the group as a whole some thoughts of how things might be…… Not unlike the first I’d read from Davies (Lucy’s Book Club for the Lost and Found) there is a solid sense of family and community here: in this, the community becomes the four working on the farm, trying to honor it’s unique history as a place of refuge, care and beauty for those who may need it most. Seth’s overwhelming need to make a difference in an effort to assuage guilt, have brought them together: his connection with Clara and his sudden disappearance for a trip to London just as things are moving forward just add more layers to the past and present sense of ‘difference’ that this farm will make for everyone who works there. Solid characters, moments of laughter, poignancy and sadness all surround the farm and the people who are inhabiting and restoring the property, each emotion works to enhance and enlighten them all, but especially Maddie as she comes to feel as if Joy’s Acre, and those who came before, have welcomed her into this little piece of paradise. A lovely story that is engaging, heartwarming and perfect for an escape.

very enjoyable read, easy to get to know and love the characters!!

deception abounds in this English novel where seemingly misfits seem to gather