This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Great storyline with good strong characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book to anyone.

The Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies is the perfect example of a book that makes me find it hard to toss one to the side without finishing. This little romance read started off a bit rough in my opinion but wound up being a nice little story

The Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies
Book #1: Little Cottage Series
Source: Netgalley and Audible
My Rating: 4½/5 stars


Maddie is about as buttoned up as they come. Despite a scandal that has essentially tanked her professional life in London, Maddie is still a professional and is determined to right her ship. With that in mind, she has driven herself to the back end of nowhere to promote what she has been told is a high-end resort. What Maddie finds when she arrives is quite the opposite of high-end, a surly, quarrelsome landowner, a boss with anger and superiority issues, and a half-baked plan for development that is steeped in history and heartache.

From the moment she steps out of her tiny little sportscar, Maddie’s patience and professionalism are tested, first by two adorable dogs and then by the utterly argumentative and irascible landowner, Seth. Not only was her impending arrival ignored by Seth, but his near-aggression at her presence is aggravating and disconcerting. Maddie’s only concern is resurrecting her career and that means working with surly Seth and addressing the issues related to his land and the promotion of his site. In order to do that, Maddie is simply going to forge ahead with her plans and most assuredly, Seth will see the wisdom of her ideas.

Seth does not see the wisdom of Maddie’s ideas . . . . .

With more anger, aggravation, frustration, and fur (Oh, Lord! There’s a cat too!) than she has ever known, Maddie decides to call it quits, pack her bags, and be done with the likes of Seth and his rundown farm. That is, until she actually sits down and talks to Seth about his vision for the property and stumbles upon the history of the site. What Maddie discovers is a tragic story of loss and love (two, really!) that has played out over many, many decades and still impacts the land’s residents in the present. In fact, Seth (and a few others) are so drawn to the land, so committed to its survival, they’re willing to give everything they have to see the plans and the project succeed.

Maddie figures out, she can continue to fight with Seth or, she can accept the situation as it is and put her considerable skills toward the success of the plan. Seth is a hard man to resist, and the more she learns about him, his past, and his ideas, the more Maddie commits to helping. In fact, the longer Maddie spends with Seth and his motely crew of friends, the more she feels accepted. Acceptance isn’t something Maddie has often felt in her life and she finds it feels better than resurrecting her reputation or maintaining a strict professional persona at all times.

The Bottom Line: From start to finish, The Little Cottage on the Hill is a sweet read about the redemptive qualities of love, friendship, and acceptance. Seth’s little farm has, since the very beginning attracted those in need of help and healing even if those in resident don’t know they’re in need. Maddie only thinks her life is together until she steps onto Seth’s farm. What’s more, Seth and his ragtag gang are all in need of Maddie and just don’t realize it until she arrives and starts making waves in all their lives. One of my favorite parts of this read is the history, the deep history that has continued to shape the present. I’m always a fan of past meets present books, and when you throw a couple of tragic yet uplifting stories into the mix, then I’m hooked. I’m so pleased with this book, and this author, and found this story to be nothing short of uplifting; it’s guaranteed to make you smile. Emma Davies is the queen of the feel good read and I will certainly be lining up for her next offering.

A true uplifting and romantic page turner. A delightful cast of characters that will have you rooting for the underdogs. Life may not always be as you expect it to be but it sometimes turns out in an unexpected way that is much better than you expected. This was full of fun,laughs,emotion and just when you thought it had a sad ending an unexpected twist comes along and all is right again. Charming, you will want to read this a second time for the good feeling it'll give you!
Pub Date 19 Feb 2018
Thank you to Bookouture for a review copy through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Whenever I've read too many dark and twisty books I know that Emma's books are the antidote. They restore my faith in humanity and give me that warm fuzzy feeling. I read this book before bed each night and I tried so hard to read slower so it wouldn't end. Emma always leaves me wanting to read more about the characters she creates and the world in which they live.

This was a really cute little read. It was fun and quick with actually not too much in the way of romance. Characters were focused on and this was quite a nice change.

It is very much a sweet spring story.

A lovely heartwarming, easy to read book to get you into rundown to spring/summer, the warm sun and country living.
I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more books by this author.

When Maddie leaves her PR job under a cloud she plans to restart her career promoting a luxury holiday complex in Shropshire, unfortunately when she arrives there she is horrified....... far from being a luxury resort it is a rundown old farm owned by an extremely stubborn man called Seth. With a little band of helpers they set out to do it up but will it work out and will Maddie and Seth see eye to eye?

Another lovely book by this author with some great characters....I didn't like Maddie at first but she definitely grew on me...... great light read for the beach

Five individuals that are incomplete in their lives come together under their different circumstances. Together they complement each other for common goal. Everyone has secrets. Interesting story. Some areas hard to visualize. But a good read.

The language is quite lucid and simple but there are many places where the story seems dragged and does bore the reader. I have put it down multiple times in the past four days. There are no twists or turns that will keep a reader hooked. I am an avid romance novel reader and I can say that this isn't the best or even a good romance novel. It does make you feel good with the artistic vibes that it oozes but that's that.

However, I think this book might make a perfect reading companion during a vacation or while you travel.

I always read an Emma Davies novel, when life is difficult or when I lose my mojo for reading. And her books always make me find the rainbow in the dark clouds. Every book of hers is saved for those special times. And thus I began reading this book…

And lo and behold, I wasn’t disappointed. This book brought me right up from the doldrums of life and gave me an energy boost, just by reading about Maddie and Seth.

Maddie, a publicist, applies for promoting Joy’s Acres, what she thinks to be an upcoming ultra swank holiday retreat, but alas, finds it to be a rundown farm barely holding on, in need of complete renovation, with Seth at the helm of the farm.

The story progresses with the discovery of a painting, history of the farm revealed, with more people joining to restore the farm, and romance brewing between Maddie and Seth. I love the way the author Emma Davies, makes the pages flow.

I found all the characters Clara, Trixie, and Tom utterly captivating. The farm and its rolling hills, the beauty of nature, and roof thatching are quite well described. Initially, Maddie (Madeleine) comes off as standoffish, but as the story progresses, she becomes warm, hard-working, and understanding, and her inner pleasure at being and working to promote the farm, to restore it to its former glory makes this book a delight to read.

The only part I didn’t like or understand is Agatha and Natalie’s role, I felt that they are not well-developed.

The Little Cottage on the Hill is a fabulous feel-good, happy book, with amazing descriptions of nature, loving companionship of quirky characters, where love, warmth, and smiles abound even with life’s difficult decisions around.

It is said A thing of beauty is a joy forever, but words of joy written by Emma is a beauty forever.

Review: This is a lovely read and one I really enjoyed. I love a story were the building plays a part in the plot and this rundown farm has a lovely history to it that brings two characters together. The writing is strong and flows turning the pages as you read. A perfect spring read. Reminds me a little of Katie Fforde's books.

There is a nice mix of mystery, tension and character in this lovely story. I liked the fact that the two main characters both had things to hide, and that the secondary characters were drawn with a nicely detailed brush. 

The location and the story both came alive for me, and I rattled through the book in more or less one sitting. Pure escapism with a darkly brooding hero - what more can a girl want!

I received an arc from Netgalley. This was a hook set in a quaint romantic location. While there was definitely a romantic feel it felt slightly awkward with others in the story. Nice easy read.

A really cozy and enjoyable feel-food book! It hooked me since the beginning and I really like the characters and the plot.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley

A nice feel-good read that will make you look forward to summer. Whilst I found the ending a little bit disappointing, I enjoyed the overall escapism of the book.

I really enjoyed this book by Emma Davies, I was hooked from the start and Maddie the lead character really grew on me. A must read if you like Chick Lit novels.

The Little Cottage on the Hill



Tucked into the English countryside, we find Madeline Porter taking the opportunity to reclaim her career and succeed in the world of marketing. After leaving her firm under rather undesirable events, she is starting anew in Shropshire. But once there she is finding herself in an atmosphere quite the opposite of what she expected. There she is in the middle of Joy's Acre, with several small ramshackle cottages that were built during the Victorian era...no modern amenities, such as mobile signals, horrendous broadband... dirt, an overgrown garden, two rambunctious dogs, a ginger cat who has unfortunately taken a liking to her and more.



Amidst all of this is a small tight knit group. Seth the owner, Clara the gardener and Tom who is in charge of re-thatching the roofs of these building. Enter Trixie the barmaid who recently lost her job in the local pub and we have four people helping to resurrect this unique farm. There are secrets between these people, secrets they are not willing to disclose to the newcomer. There is the history of Joy Acres and what it means to Seth who is not willing to share his thoughts with "Maddie" and whose vision for his property is quite the opposite of her's. Struggling to accept the situation and to become less an outsider, Maddie has her own secret -- the reason she left London in the first place. How they manage to pull it off, with a mostly near zero budget and plenty of different visions for the outcome, make this a delightful story.



This novel was a joy to read and was the first I've read by this author and won't be my last. My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

When we first meet Maddie and Seth it really isn't the best of first impressions mainly because they are both so stubborn and definitely have their own ideas! They clash and I was left wondering how things would work out with them working together. Both have their ideas and want to do things their own way but can they both put aside their differences?

The story moves quickly and I easily fell in love with the rundown farm that is in need of care and renovation. The Little Cottage on the Hill has a lovely charm that pulled me right into the characters lives and to the story itself. There is a little bit of mystery to the story along with the character's backgrounds that made me invested in discovering all about them.

Emma Davies has written a lovely descriptive story that just made me feel as if I was right there on the farm with everyone. The characters were developed well and I loved seeing Joy's Acre slowly come together with a lot of hard work of course but seeing everyone working so hard as a team was so lovely to see.

The Little Cottage on the Hill is a wonderfully heartwarming story filled with love and friendship that is guaranteed to make you smile!

Four stars from me!

With thanks to Kim at Bookouture for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.