Member Reviews
This is not my usual genre but enjoy them as a change from psychological thrillers. This is a good read and it was nice to catch up with all the characters again after reading Love Heart Lane.
A well written story with descriptive characters and it soon gets you involved with all the family again and can be read as a standalone if you have not read Love Heart Lane.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Harper Impulse (Romance) publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Foxglove Farm was a good story however knowing the characters of Heart Cross previously Isla and Drew's story felt rushed.
I didn't think anything was going to be able top Love Heart Lane in my Christie Barlow greatest hits list.. but it feels like Foxglove Farm has done exactly that.
It was wonderful being back in Heartcross amongst familiar faces, and although Felicity and Fergus are present, this time the focus of the book is on Felicity's best friend Isla and Drew. They live on Foxglove Farm and based on the arguments we are greeted with, things aren't going too well.
However it takes a while for the reader and Isla to get to the root of Drew's bad mood with her, and all manner of circumstances and drama leads up to that point.
This can easily be read as a standalone book although that would be depriving yourself of another fabulous book,
From the first few pages I was utterly hooked, and given the majority of this book I read on tube journeys, the fact I managed to get off at the right stops is a mystery to me, as I have no recollection of even moving, I was that engrossed in the story.
If you are looking for a book that features a lot of drama, a heartwarming and cosy feeling to it, with some big issues touched upon, all with fabulous writing, great location, small town community feeling and some humour, then without a doubt, give this book a try.
This is a community of characters that has completely got under my skin and I'm already looking forward to Clover Cottage. What I especially loved about this book was that it was about a married couple who needed to start trusting in each other more, and to not have secrets, rather than a brand new romance. It just added a fresh vibe to the story.
I'm not sure I can really explain just how much enjoyment and pleasure this book brought to me. I will admit I had suspicions about one character that proved completely correct, but even guessing part of one bit of plot couldn't detract from the sheer joy of reading more about Heartcross.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
I whizzed through this gem in a day! A follow-on from one of my favourite books in recent months - Love Heart Lane - I was delighted to return to their community again and the spirit of the village remained in abundance.
The focus here was on Isla and Drew of Foxglove Farm but it was nice to be reunited with the whole cast of characters, and some new faces, from the last story. Drew's farm has plummeted into financial troubles which he hides from Isla until the unthinkable happens and so all is eventually made clear. Isla then rallies to try and get the farm back on an even keel and I adored her entrepreneurial spirit!
There were plenty of highs and lows along the way and Drew was struggling with his mental health which was handled sensitively and it was a refreshing change to find the lead male in these circumstances as all too frequently I only read about females in this position.
Isla also handled the about-turn in her husband's behaviour very well - she had true grit which I can well imagine is needed on a farm in the Highlands.
I'm already looking forward to my next visit to the idyllic sounding Love Heart Lane. There are still plenty of characters who deserve their fuller stories to be told and so luckily I know there will be a return visit and we will be venturing to Clover Cottage next!
My many thanks to Harper Impulse and Killer Reads via NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
Foxglove Farm is the second book in the Love Heart Lane series but reads easily as a standalone as it focuses on a different set of characters.
It was great to return back as I fell in love with the characters and fabulous setting in the first book so was very much looking forward to catching up with the characters again. What I love about books like this one, is that we get to keep up to date with the characters we met and loved in the previous book but get to know characters that were more in the background better this time round.
This time round the story focuses on Isla and her husband Drew who own and run Foxglove Farm. Sadly things don’t seem to be as rosy between the two and Isla is struggling to understand why. Drew being a typical man, is not giving anything away and I felt sorry for Isla as her husband is getting more distant.
I so enjoyed this story line with the author bringing into it a subject which is something that people need to be more open about and it needing to be talked about more. It also showcases how fabulous community spirit can be and I love how everyone rallies round to help their friends and neighbours out.
Foxglove Farm is a wonderful and engrossing story that is moving and uplifting. I loved Isla’s determination and problem solving. She really is a force to be reckoned with as is her grandmother Martha. Loved their characters. The perfect reading companion this summer!