I do enjoy Julie Houston's writing - always engaging and often difficult to disengage with. 'A Village Affair ' was no exception to this. Realistic situations and strong women - a tale told with empathy but certainly no lack of humour. An excellent read. If new to this author then I would strongly recommend 'The One Saving Grace' and 'Goodness Grace And Me' - both excellent reads. Recommended.

It’s based around Cassie and her life and how her life come crashing down when she discovers that her husband is having an affair with her best friend.
Great book- you are taken on a n emotional roller coaster with this book,
Thank you to both NetGalley and Aria for my eArc in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Cassie has it all, or mostly: she’s got a new job as Deputy Head at the local primary school, her son is a maths whiz, her daughter is a netball fanatic, her husband is adoring and her house is picture-perfect, unlike the disorder she grew up with. Everything is just as she dreamed, when at eight she made a checklist for her life that detailed every bit about it. And then the charity auction happened, and she, with her best friends Fi, Clare, and Tina and their partners are talking about bidding on a holiday in Portugal until Tina’s husband speaks out and shares that Tina and Cassie’s husband have been having an affair for the past 2 years (or longer) and everything falls apart.

See, at first Cassie’s smugness was a bit off-putting, but as I came to understand her upbringing with an activist mother who was more than a bit haphazard about cleanliness, social convention and fitting in, in a small village, her need to have both organization and ‘things’ made sense, as did her desire only to have him back in the home- not realizing until much later that he just ‘ticked all the boxes’ on the checklist that little eight year old girl made. With her position of Deputy Head at the school becoming Acting Head as the prior Headmistress died and there was no one lined up - school demands become her focus, and the way she avoids thinking (sort of) about Mark and the loss of her best friend Tina. But a development project is in the planning stages – one that will consolidate the little school (the last remaining CofE school in the north) into a pass through- where your entire schooling happens in one campus, plus 3000 additional homes, shopping centres and even a ski hill, the green space and farmlands are threatened – and the fight is on. Add in several chance encounters with Xavier, back to work with his father to develop the land, and the connection that she and he have that has her, for the first time in her life, feeling legless from love, and you’ve got a jam-packed plot with dramas large and small, daily struggles, friends good and bad, laugh out loud moments from the children and plenty of secrets that could have the power to blow-up lives, the story is fast-paced, surprisingly deep and emotional, and each character comes to show clearly who and why they are, and as Cassie finds her footing in new situations, she also finds her own self – strong, independent and clever.

For a first introduction to Houston’s work – this one was a winner. We don’t often see he aftermath of infidelity in ways that everyone can relate – from the grief and overwhelming anger, to the hours spent plotting punishments, the ‘wish’ to have it all back, and the mistakes and choices made on the way to rediscovering your feet. Add in the moments with the kids and the squirrel in the pudding and pink sauce (read it to find out) and I was hooked.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-a6N /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Cassie has it all. A loving husband, great family, close friends and a wonderful life. Until the announcement that her husband is having an affair with her best friend.

I loved this from the first page. The characters are brilliant and you feel a whole range of emotions going through the book.

A heartwarming and fun read. I loved it

This story had me captivated from beginning to end, so well written and all the characters so believable. I don’t want to say anything about the characters individually for fear of spoiling the fun for other readers, but what I will say is, reading this book is a must, you will smile, you will feel anger on the characters behalf and you will absolutely agree with me that it’s just a brilliant empowering story of love, friendship, family and learning to be yourself again, not someone you morph into to please others. You won’t be disappointed

What do you get for the woman who has everything? How about an announcement in public that your husband has been sleeping with your best friend for two years?

Cassie has a wonderful life. Then her life is in shreds.

Her husband and her best friend have devastated her. The comfortable job she thought she had becomes a position with much more responsibility. Her beloved granddad's beautiful field of wild flowers is threatened to become a part of a 3,000 home development. Her children are having difficulties dealing with the change in the family situation. There is a small pocket of bullying staff members at school.

Ms Houston has created interesting characters.

Cassie and her friends and family are each well developed people who are entertaining. The reader is taken through history from Cassie's mother, Paula, to the present day and the issues facing Cassie at home and at work. Just as in life, there are highs and lows for people.

The plot is made up of situations from one extreme to another. There is a great deal of humor but there is also a dark edge to events. Underneath the humor, lies a picture of people who are petty and jealous as well as greedy and covetous. At times, I felt a sense of sadness lingering over everything.

There is a great deal of laughter in the story. Cassie's inner thought processes are filled with dry humor and sarcasm. Very amusing stuff here.

This is the first book I have read by Ms Houston, and I have missed a talented author.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

A Village Affair is a wonderful and heartwarming story that quickly made it's way into my heart. The characters are charming, sweet, and realistic- I felt like I knew them! The drama surrounding the story is original, and the writing style is top notch! I can't wait to read more books by the author in the future. This one made me smile all throughout reading. What a lovely experience!

If you are looking for a novel that will make you happy, this is the one that will do it! I can't even begin to describe how much I loved reading this one and going on the journey with Cassie, It's a pure joy!

I highly recommend this one.

This was an absolute pearler of a book. Its jam packed from start to finish. I love that it has so many relevent topics and situations within the story.,many people will be able to identify with them. I dont often re-read a book, but will make an exception for this one, i enjoyed it so much.

A Village Affair by Julie Houston is a great novel with realistic characters and twists and turns throughout. It is set in London in modern times.
Cassandra Beresford is all ready for the big fundraising auction and her husband, Mark, is serving as auctioneer. She is happy with her life as his wife, their two children, upmarket home, and she is about to start her next career move as deputy head at the much-revered Little Acorns Primary School. She is enjoying the time with her best friends Tina, Clare and Fiona as the auction begins. The friends agree to bid together on a weeklong trip to Portugal for their families. Finally, the trip is up for auction and Tina’s quite drunk husband, Simon, about to bid. BUT instead of a bid he announces to the room that Tina and Mark have been having a two-year long affair. Cassie had no clue and is in shock; Mark and Tina quickly leave together. What will happen next? Will it cost Cassie her career?
I loved this book. I wasn’t sure I would at first but the characters really drew me in. There are plenty of struggles and tears in the aftermath of Simon’s announcement; other parts of the book are laugh out loud funny. There are many unexpected surprises and twists and turns along the way to the end of the story. I give this book 5 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to netgalley for a free copy of this book. I have never read this author, but was interested by the description. I liked the book very much, and I will look out for others by this author. I liked several things about this book, the main character was 40, not twenty something, and not being too preachy, but raising awareness of building on green spaces. Mostly the book is a good old romance with good friends and family coming to the rescue when Cassie finds out her husband has been cheating on her with her best friend. Definitely for fans of Katie Fforde. The village setting and issues regarding farming, and teen angst remind me a bit of Joanna Trollope. This book is decidedly a notch above most chick lit.

I required this book as I'm a fan of Katie FForde and all my expectations were met.
It's an enjoyable and lovely book, a very pleasant read.
I loved the cast of characters, their evolution and the style of writing.
It's a very good book for a lazy rainy afternoon.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Aria and Netgalley for this ARC

Sometimes you just want a break from the Bröntes or Flaubert, about Piaget or Freud and read something less taxing. Well this book is it! I really enjoyed it. It was a light read; a great one for taking on holiday or if you just want a story that isn’t too heavy, the kind I like to read before I go to sleep. It was a book that I could put down (it’s not like a thriller where it has you on the edge of your seat, keeping you up all night), but I also struggled to put down (I simply didn’t want to). The characters were, in the most, believable. Being a retired teacher I could relate to Cassandra and the staff who like to push their luck or more frankly be disrespectful.; I think most women can see a little her in themselves. I loved her family and friends and that it was set in the north of England. But of course not all the characters were likeable and I think they got their comeuppance. Some things were unexpected, whilst others were what was expected and rightly so!

Beautifully written. I could thoroughly believe in the characters. Occasional little giggles slipped out at the descriptions of the characters. Loved it. More please.

Simply Wow!!! This is one of the amazing books that I have had the pleasure of reading this year. Being teacher, I don't usually wait on 'to be or not to be' talk with myself when it comes to novels centred on schools and universities and of course on teachers. And quite rightly, Cassie turned out to be a perfect ally.
Cassie Beresford had the perfect life with her new job, handsome and well to do husband, and two brilliant kids, until the night of the charity auction. She learns that her husband of ten years is having an affair for two years with her best friend, Tina. What a way to begin a new job! Needless to say, she was an emotional wreck and added to that is the threat of her school and her grandfather's meadow being taken over by Edward Bamforth intending to concretise the farming land with houses.
Well, the first half gives us a picture of Cassie standing up for herself, slowly and steadily recovering from the great shock she suffered. Both her adolescent kids were quite supportive of her and I was immediately attached to both of them. I would really welcome a sequel featuring those two because truth to be told, I would like to see more of Cassie and her new life. Sorry, I can't elaborate on the last part without revealing the surprise you will have to face at the end.
Let me put it this way then, I envy all the readers who are yet to read this beautiful story. Remember that feeling you had, when you just finished your chocolate and your sister is yet to unwrap the cover? She is going to enjoy the sweet treat while you sit there sulking only because you finish it too soon. . . You get the drift. If there was a machine to wipe out specific memories, then I would have jumped at the chance so I can reread this book again and again and again without knowing what is to unfold.
So keep open your eyes to the publication day, this is going to be a roller coaster ride (especially the latter half). A surprising but cute turn of events and a contenting HEA and what is more to look out for?

The book was a good change for me. I have been reading so much of mystery murders and psychological thrillers and good though they undoubtedly are I did need a change of pace. This was reminiscent of a Joanna Trollope book for me.

Three dear friends, two married and one very happy single. The ones who are married are set in their lifestyles and comfortable with it. They live in an idyllic village with very nice children as well.mit all gives a very cozy feel. When one marriage falls apart in the most public of ways to the astonishment of Carrie who had no clue that her darling husband was cheating on her with her best friend for well on two years, she is devastated. She thought she was in a rock solid marriage and to have this most publicly announced was tough on several counts. That she was starting a new job as Asst Head of a school the very next day added to the complications.

Like in real life, turbulence comes in waves. We have an uprising in the village with the local lord of the manor (literally saying) coming up with a plan to build 3000 houses on common land in the village, upgrading the local school as generally turning this green belt into a jungle township. The villagers are divided on this issue and add to the general mayhem at this point in the story. On top of that Cupid strikes again in the most unexpected way and Cassie finds herself in a quandary how to handle conflicting issues along with a romance which has disaster written all over it.

Despite several different strands to the story, all good, it did detract from the story itself.

This was a lovely read with three very strong women as the main characters who handled everything that life threw at them with aplomb.

The first few pages i read of this book i thought hmm i may not be able to get on with it., but i persevered and am so glad i did.

It had some laugh out loud moments firstly the main character, Cassie Beresford, also known by her maiden name Cassandra Moonbeam, made me chuckle.

Her husband's infidelity with her best friend Tina aptly renamed serpentina is outed very publicly at the local auction and from then on we have a rollercoaster of likable characters.

The story is based around the school Little acorns where Cassie is catapulted into being the new head. She doesn't know if her son is gay, and her daughter is a hippie, like her Mother Paula.

I adored the lollipop lady Deimante and her mixed up English, namely Samiri test (smear test), had me shrieking with laughter.

The villagers pull together for the cause of Grandad Norman's meadow, which is under threat from builder/landowner Edward Bamforth who wants to concrete over all the surrounding greenbelt land that he owns and build a state of the art school and a dry ski slope, plus housing, much to the horror of the villagers.

It really was a good story. which held me to the very last page, a great mood lifter and i recommend giving it a go. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity and for Julie Houston for keeping me laughing and entertained.

I loved this book. It’s a long long time since I have enjoyed a book as much as this one. It was absorbing, enjoyable and heartwarming. Books like this are the reason I read and although they are rare they are always worth waiting for

Cassie unexpectedly becomes headmistress of her local primary school and simultaneously separates from her husband of some twenty years. But Cassie is strong, stronger than she realises and this book follows her on her journey
It’s a story of family’s, community, and human flaws and it’s fabulous. It’s written with warmth, humour and a generosity of spirit which is just delightful. I would give this book ten stars if I could.

Cassie Beresford is feeling pretty smug. She's happily married to practically her first boyfriend, living her dream life in a modern house with two children and about to step into her dream job as deputy head of the local secondary school. Then a drunken friend announces to the entire audience at a charity dinner auction that Cassie's husband has been having an affair with his wife (Cassie's best friend for almost as long as she has known her husband) for the past two years. Suddenly the life that was so different from her hippy mother's is disintegrating around her ears.

Suddenly alone, she finds out that she has been promoted to acting head after the head teacher died of a heart attack. Then, when things can't seem to get any worse, she finds out that local landowners are planning to build 3,000 homes on a beautiful piece of land backing onto her grandfather's house that he has planted with wildflowers and has become known as his field as a result.


Cassie is dealing with her grandfather, her hippy mother, her goth daughter, recalcitrant parents and children at the school, the school governors, her ex-BFF and her ex-husband and the realisation that she may have over-compensated for her what she perceives as the short-comings of her childhood.

I really enjoyed this novel, it had enough characters to be interesting, enough red herrings to make the love interest a surprise, enough plot to move the story along and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A beautifully written story about a village. A village full,of lovable, independent, amazing people. All the characters are developed quite well, from the main character, down to the school janitor. I feel in love with each and every one, except Mark & Serpentina! LOL

The adults, along with the teens & young school children all had a part of the story, and the way it’s written you can’t help but love them and care about the outcome.

Disclaimer: I was given a free advance copy from NetGalley in return for my honest review.

Looking for a light, cozy read to enjoy? You've found it!

What a fun story! A lovely village, wonderful friends and family, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. You're in for a treat with A Village Affair.

Julie Houston is a new author for me, but after reading this gem I can't wait to read more of her books!