When city girl Amber falls for home-loving Jake whilst he is interning for his high-flying brother at her office, she thinks nothing could be more perfect. So when Jake asks her to move to the country and take up residence with his Auntie Annie Amber has to choose, a life without the city or a life without Jake. Her decision is made harder when her boss offers her the chance to manage a new office in Dubai. Unsure of which path she should take, Amber’s boss suggests a 6 month unpaid sabbatical that will allow her the time she needs to think. So packing up her newly acquired Country Life magazines and her floral wellingtons she boards a train out of the city.
Will the farming life suit Amber, or will she be an unwelcome incomer?
Somehow Heidi Swain has passed me by until now, which is a shame if The Cherry Tree Café is anything like this book. Swain effortlessly whisks you away to Skylark Farm with her deliciously descriptive and faultless writing style. It takes great skill to transport a reader to a fictional place and this author has it in bucket loads, I could practically smell the orchards, hear the birds and feel that warm summer breeze on my skin.
The characters are utterly charming; Amber is lovable straight off the bat with her friendly yet strong-willed demeanour. Shy Harriet and stubborn Jessica, the village friends, make for a comical duo, and of course Annie, the feisty and quick witted matriarch of the farm. Even Patricia, Pip and the other animals have their own distinct, often hilarious, personalities that add a fondness to the story. The only person I didn’t have much affection for was Jake, I felt his character wasn’t provided with as much depth as some of the others and therefore I did find it hard to empathise with him.
I’m so pleased this title was more than the boy meets girl story typical of this genre. There was a thin veil of mystery and a few twists, though mostly predictable, that gave this book an edge over its peers.
All that is needed now is to get this girl a farm……oh and an Auntie Annie – please?!
* Many thanks to Simon and Schuster, via NetGalley, for this ARC *