Saturday 17 February 2018

Book Review - The Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies

Amazon UK
Title: The Little Cottage on the Hill
Author: Emma Davies
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 19th February 2018
Rating: 5 Stars


There’s blossom in the trees and daffodils as far as the eye can see. Maddie is looking forward to a fresh start in the countryside, but there’s just one little problem…

Following a scandal at her high-flying PR agency, twenty-six-year-old Maddie flees London to help promote what she thinks is going to be a luxurious holiday retreat in the countryside. Everything is riding on her making a success of this new job…

Yet when she arrives, Maddie is horrified to find a rundown old farm in a terrible state. The brooding and secretive owner, Seth, spent all his money on leasing the land when he fell in love with the beautiful, dishevelled farm cottages and the very romantic story behind them.

When Maddie discovers an old oil painting by the original owner’s wife, she unlocks the secret of the farm’s history and quickly realises she must start getting her hands dirty if this very special place is going to have any chance of survival. As she and Seth begin working together, the stunning view from the top of the hill is not the only thing that’s leaving her breathless…

After weeks of hard work the dream looks like it might become a reality, until a secret from Maddie’s past threatens to snatch it all away again. Can Maddie find a way to save the business and herself? Will she finally find a place to keep her heart within the crumbling walls of the little cottage on the hill?

Another glorious story from Emma Davies, whose books are going up and up my need to read as soon as I get them list with each new book. 

Admittedly I did wonder at the opening of the book whether I had perhaps read too many books in the genre as it did feel quite familiar to me, but once you get into the nuts and bolts of the characters, the plot and the writing, it was a really heartwarming story. 

Like Maddie was, I wa drawn to this part of the Shropshire countryside and the story of the cottages and area. I loved all of Maddie's visions for the place, from the wildly inappropriate ones with her London brain still in gear, to things more inline with Seth's vision for the place once she finally understands what he is trying to achieve. 

One of the more surprising things I learnt from this book was all about thatching, which is unfortunately a dying craft, but one explained in a lot of detail.  It really was quite interesting to think about how many years of history the straw must be able to contain.  

I also loved Clara and her fierce protectiveness of Seth, although I could fully understand it once you are privy to their rather extraordinary background.  Generally  I loved all the main characters of this book and their sense of family despite none of them being related.  

The Little Cottage on the Hill is a charming story, that I enjoyed reading every second of, but I can't help but hope that this ins't the last we have seen of Maddie. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

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