A Cottage in the Country by Linn B Halton

What They Say:

What do you do when your best friend has an affair with the man to whom you've been married for twenty-five years? The father of your two children and the person you trusted with your heart? Not to mention the best years of your life ...

Well, you pack your bags, grab half of the equity in the house you've both lovingly restored and run away to an idyllic little cottage in the country.

I suppose not having the cottage surveyed was the first mistake—buying with your heart, and not your head, isn't the wisest move. The second was moving in six days before Christmas, the day the heavens decided to open and the rain just kept on coming.

Maddie Brooks grits her teeth and hires the highly recommended man who can, ex-soldier, Lewis Hart. As he rips out the very shabby and decidedly not-so-chic kitchen, reality sets in. Not only is he the most abrupt person she's ever met, but the man is a Neanderthal!

As the flood waters rise, and the village is cut off, everything that could possibly go wrong, does. How bad can it get, Maddie asks herself? Well, that was before she found herself living with no central heating and no kitchen, and the man who can, as an unexpected house guest.

Hitting the big five-o two days before Christmas is the final straw. No presents, family, or friends—just Lewis Hart, who can’t leave because the flood has now cut off his exit. How on earth is she going to get through this and put her life back together?

Can Maddie Brooks become that ‘fifty-and-fabulous’ woman of her dreams?

What defines YOU? Wife, mother, grandmother, colleague – or is there another person buried deep within, who is struggling to be heard?

Buy link (Amazon.co.uk & .com) http://hyperurl.co/ACottageInTheCountry

What I Say:

I would like to thank Linn for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I started this book on a Sunday morning as I needed to take my mind off other things in my life at the moment and found that I couldn't put it down.

When we first meet Maddie she is visiting the cottage of her dreams and instantly decides to buy it without a survey.  Not the best of ideas I would say but I will go with it as Maddie is a lovely easily likeable character who has been cheated on by her husband and best friend, so I guess she is going with her heart and not her head in the purchase.

In walks gorgeous builder Lewis Hart, (I've got to say that it is nice to have a book boyfriend who is slightly older than normal, he is literally swoon city and moody to go with it).  Lewis isn't happy as he was meant to be buying to cottage but circumstances took him away at the wrong time or could it be the right time as he would never have met Maddie had he purchased the cottage.

Maddie is naive in thinking she can have the cottage up and running in the few days before Christmas and lurches from one disaster to another.  Also I've got to say I didn't really like her boss as he was a bit of a creep to me and no better than her husband at times.   I was preparing to send a disgruntled email to Linn but I won't go into details as to why and spoil it for everyone else.

It's also great to find a book where the leading lady is slightly older and even though she is she can still make the same mistakes a young girl would make. 

5 out of 5 Stars

About The Author

Bristol-born Linn B Halton lives in the small village of Lydbrook, which nestles on the edge of the Forest of Dean, in the UK. She resides there with her husband and feline with 'catitude'- Mr Tiggs.

Linn began writing in March 2009 and her debut novel was published in February 2011. In a recent interview Linn was asked about genres:

"From a very young age I knew romantic fiction was always going to be my genre. I am, and will always be, madly in love with love! Whether that's love of life, a partner, or the things I'm passionate about.

My stories are about love, life and real relationships - but romance is always the one thing that holds each story together. Often there's a light, psychic touch and I never dreamed I would write drawing upon my personal psychic experiences. But as my interest and understanding in the subject has grown, it is now such a part of my life that it finds its way into my fictional tales. However, what is heartening is that most of my experiences have been uplifting and it's wonderful to know loved ones are around me always. I hope it will make readers stop and wonder 'What if?'

The result is that I get a lot of mail from readers who have had similar experiences and some are sharing theirs for the first time with me. I always feel that's something rather special and for which I'm very grateful."

Love, life and beyond... but it's ALWAYS about the romance!

Linn is published by HarperImpulse and Sapphire Star Publishing.

Linn is the managing editor of Loveahappyending Lifestyle emagazine.

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