Oh, this book was soooo not for me! I think the perfect reader for the book is someone looking for the reading equivalent of a Lifetime movie, but with a bit more sex. There are lords, filmmakers, jockeys(!), women who marry/have sex with the lords or filmmakers or jockeys (it doesn't really matter what the women do professionally, since they will just get married and work with their husbands in the end), manors, country pubs, cottages.... Well, the scenery is all very idealized English countryside (not that there's anything wrong with that; it's why I wanted to read the book) and the conflicts are non-existent, as are differentiations between the characters. Everyone, even the scandalous rakes, are deep down nice and just needed the right person. Also, the sex scenes are weirdly explicit for a Lifetime movie, but oddly short for any romance book. One paragraph of graphic sex, and they're done. Wham bam, thank you ma'am, and everyone's satisfied. Except me.
Now there's probably a time for me that this book would be just the mindless fluffy place I needed, but it was not the day I tried reading it. If this is the sort of mindless fluff you need on a given day, I certainly understand, because we've all been there. I just want to be sure you know what you're getting.

Tobias and Megan are newly married, expecting their first child and settling back in to life at Treweham, with Megan being a local girl who fell in love with the “laird’. Her best friend, Finula having just had her heart broken by local vet Nick is flirting with (and thinking about) the guest at the pub, Marcus, a documentary filmmaker, until he ups stakes to head home. Tobias’ brother Sebastian is an up and coming actor, receiving rave reviews of his portrayal of Richard III, while nursing his own private grief about the betrayal Nick wrought on his life. Tobias’ two best friends and fellow ‘darlings of the bad boy headlines’ from the tabloids are all settling, with the last to fall being jockey and race horse trainer Dylan, now setting up his yard in the old stables of Treweham with his second in command, Flora, a twenty year old girl with a clever way with both horses and customers to be his assistant.

So – having come into this book not knowing whether or not there was one before it – I found the background stories were missing, and while ‘some’ were flushed out during the telling of the current moments, most were left as “I touched on that already’ so it’s done. How Megan and Tobias’ relationship grew, Finula and Nick, Nick and Sebastian, even how Dylan and Flora came to be. And we won’t even start with Marcus and his single-minded determination to despise Tobias, unearthing yet another way to ‘discredit’ him in the press with a documentary – and his using Finula to get ‘into’ the manor house. Using his ‘associate” Vera (her real name) and her bunny-boiling approach to those who don’t instantly fall for her “enhanced’ appearance and her general demeanor which vacillated between obsequious and downright slimy – the multiple moments in this story from several different stories never really allowed for any one story to be developed fully – as it was “off to the next”. While I appreciated the attempt to give some sort of resolution to all of the ‘twists’ and storylines, every one felt rather quick to resolve and didn’t feel as if the multitude of characters were given more than a moment in the spotlight before their stories were, conveniently, concluded.

I assume those familiar with these characters and place may enjoy this more than I did, but it was a series of revolving points of view, small and large emotional conflicts and quick resolutions, making this under 300 page read feel more like 500, and requiring plenty of ‘put it down for something else’ time.

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-akm/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Set in the gorgeous village of Treweham we have the current Lord and his family on the one side and motley film crew doing a documentary on this village and its inhabitants.



That Malcolm the extremely clever and popular director of the film has his own agenda regarding the inhabitants of the manor, is not known to any. His idea is to get into the minds of the Lord Tobias and strip the veneer off his very popular facade and show to the world what villains they actually are.

All this is of course unknown to anyone and Malcolm proceeds to do just that.

The aristocracy in this case is a very loving family with their usual eccentric relations but on the whole one who has maintained close links to the community in which they live and is very protective of their inhabitants. Tobias, the present Lord is not going to stand for anyone trying to hurt anyone in his wide circle of family and village and will go to any length to protect them. When Viola the main editor working under Malcolm tries to jeopardize Tobias's family, he goes into aggressive mode and completely cuts the grass under Malcolm's feet without his knowledge.

Malcolm also begins to realize that his vendetta with Tobias and the family is cold comfort if he is going to lose the women he has fallen in love with. How the story ends with a very happy family reunion and love conquering all was very sweetly accounted for.

Descriptive of the Cotswolds to an extent that it could be a travel book added to the interest of this story.

What a lovely book!
I loved everything: the style of writing, the cast of characters, the plot and the setting.
The characters are interesting and well written, each with his/her quirks and well developed traits.
The plot was engaging and entertaining, sometimes very emotional.
This is the perfect book for cozy afternoon.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Aria and Netgalley for this ARC

What a lovely book about life in Treweham a Cotswold village.

Tobias Cavendish-Blake is lord of the manor and his new and pregnant wife Megan live at Treweham Hall, they are quintessential aristocracy with servants and maids looking after both them and their home. Sebastian Tobias brother is a very talented Shakespeare actor who comes home to Trewham as he has been feeling unwell and needs some home comforts.
Finula and her father Dermot run the pub The Templar and the racing stables are run by Dylan Delaney with Flora as his partner.

Life is everything you would expect from a quiet rural village.
Then a television crew arrive to make a documentary about the village but mainly Tobias. With moody Marcus
Devlin as the director, Finula takes an instant liking to him.

I loved this book and was sad when i finished it. I loved the characters, some spiteful and nasty like Viola, who has more to her than meets the eye and the newest villagers lottery winners Tracy and Gary.

It had love, heartache, and drama, if your looking for a book to take you away for a few hours this will hold you nicely.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity xx