Jennifer and Laurie met at Cambridge and for the longest part of their 16 year marriage, she was the one who supported them as he struggled to find an acting role. And then he gets a real juicy one and, unfortunately, it goes to his head. When they find themselves forced to sell their home, their only choice is to relocate to Laurie's family farm in a small village. What a change, especially for Jennifer, who has always lived a privileged urban life. You may thing you know how this is going to go but you don't really. Laurie is incredibly selfish and you'll wish Jennifer would, well, no spoilers. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

When you are young and you fall in love with the perfect guy... Then you marry him and you have kids. Later on it turns out that he might not be exactly what you thought he was meant to be, but instead a cheating bastard who can only love himself. The farm boy who thinks he is the greatest soap star to ever exist. Why do women not leave these men earlier? Maybe better late than never?

I liked the story, but it was a bit slow-going in the beginning, and could have been a bit shorter in general.There are many interesting characters in the book My favourite part is the last part in Yorkshire. I like the countryside, the people and animals there, and the book felt so real.

Thank you NetGalley, Julie Houston and Head of Zeus for the ARC of the book A Village Secret. This is my personal review.
This book started out very slow for me but the more I read the more I was intrigued as to what was going to happen next Jennifer and Laurie.
With each page I was vested into finding out why things were happening and what was going to happen next in the story.
I really liked the captivating life in the village. It can be a good place to live or a not so good, but Jennifer knew what she was wanting for herself.
Thank you, Julie Houston, for taking me into this story.

Julie Houston never disappoints with her stories, A Village Secret sees it's lead characters moving from Cambridge, London and finally to a small Yorkshire village.

The small sleepy village is beautiful and the lives o it's residents happening and more lively than the city ones. You will not be dispappointed with what the chracters get upto as they give you plenty of chances to be happy, upset and laugh with and at them .

A really funny book which describes a series of lovely characters and hilarious events. A very relaxing read. Julie Houston never fails to disappoint.

Another amazing book by Julie Houston. I love Julie's books she really knows how to spin a gorgeously romantic story. Which really leaves you feeling good

I love all of Julie Houston's books and this one is no exception. I don't think there has been a more infuriating character than Laurie . Honestly Jennifer became infuriating too for putting up with him for years. This man child needed everything done for him aided by the way his mother always stuck up for him. The best thing was a satisfying ending for all.
I enjoyed all the other smaller storylines throughout the book and to be back in the village again with mentions of characters from previous books was good .
I recommend Julie's books to anyone who likes a good read.

I have always enjoyed Julie's books but this one did take me a bit longer to get I to but once I did I really enjoyed it but was slow to start with but then loved it. Shows plenty about friendship and village life plenty of usual gossip with in the village and secrets come out.
Jennifer goes to Cambridge university and never dreamt she would meet the perfect man for her but she met an actor Laurie and they get together but she finds her life living a real life tragedy with plenty of revelations and they will change everything. But Jennifer wants to do all she can to keep her family together and they end up moving to Laurie's home village in Yorkshire which is miles away. Problem in how will the in-laws be and new friends but she is so surprised to find herself happy but suddenly one devastating secret and she needs to decide if she wants to stay. What will she do will she try and stay or leave.
A warm read once you get into it.

"A Village Secret" is a book about finding new friends and family, making a new life when the old one falls apart. Jennifer met Laurence when they were at university and they have been married for 16 years. In the early years she supported him while he struggled to find acting roles. Now his loyalty is in question. Discover what happens when they are forced to move back to Laurie's family home in Yorkshire/

Emotional, full of secrets, a re-discovery of self, and very readable.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Jennifer meets her own personal Lord Byron while studying at Cambridge, bowled over by Laurie Lewis' charm and good looks they fall madly in love and start a family together. But while Jennifer has some success with her book about Byron and the women who loved him, while also holding down a job in publishing, Laurie isn't having the same success in his acting career which leads to resentment between them. When Laurie lands a job on a BBC soap opera (think Eastenders) it looks like his time has finally come, but unfortunately he lets the fame go to his head and starts acting like a Hollywood star. When everything comes crashing down around them Jennifer and Laurie have to sell their big expensive house in St Albans to pay the debts, Laurie has lost his job, and they have to move back to his family's dilapidated farm in Yorkshire - will this be a new start for the family or will it be the final straw?

This was definitely a book of parts for me. I thought the early years in Cambridge and when Jennifer and Laurie first got married were too long and slow, I really felt like giving up. But as soon as they moved to Yorkshire the book really picked up for me. Of course Laurie's family farm is in Westenbury where Julie Houston's other books are set, so Jennifer and Laurie meet some of the characters from the previous books. Multiple family secrets are uncovered (or are they?), there are alpacas, dachshunds, horses, llamas, cute moppets, regency romances, and a lot of alliteration.

Definitely ended on a high note for me - loved it.

I was given a free copy of this book by the publisher Head of Zeus via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

When Jennifer goes up to Cambridge University with her head full of the Romantic Poets, she never dreams that she will find her very own Byron. But then she meets gorgeous actor Laurie Lewis, and finds herself living a real-life love poem. This book is brilliant, really well written, good story which kept me interested from the beginning. Great characters which are also believable.

I really enjoyed this book but I found some parts hard to endure. Particularly the way Laurie treated Jennifer and for Jennifer being a highly educated woman to not stand up to him and put herself first.

This inner turmoil Jennifer endured will probably resonate with a lot of society but for me it was difficult to follow the path Jennifer had to take.

I thoroughly enjoyed the latter part of the book when Jennifer clearly takes charge and builds strong foundations with Laurie's family. I found Laurie very difficult to like and it annoyed me that he took up so much of the book.

I loved the ending and the final few chapters of the book make it worth reading for me and actually change my overall view of the book. The book was exceptionally well written and followed several story lines and sub plots. You will definitely need a strong coffee to read this book!

At the risk of repeating myself, as I say this every time I read a Julie Houston novel, I absolutely loved 'A Village Secret'. From the opening line, I was hooked, and I couldn't wait to see what happened to the wonderful Jennifer and her family.

One of the things I adore about Julie Houston's writing is the way she threads page turning plots into romantic and family interactions, perfectly balancing the human drama with the bigger picture at every turn. Julie takes you into the world of Westenbury and its inhabitants until they feel like old friends. What's especially lovely is the way even older friends from the previous novels pop up from time to time, as if Julie's reminding us 'all is well, here they are.'

I loved walking alongside Jennifer as she navigated some very tangled emotional dynamics in 'A Village Secret', and the dual narrative, present day and flashing back to her university days, awoke some very fond memories of my own as an idealistic, romantic English Literature student in the mid 1990s. I must, also, of course, mention Julie's trademark humour, which had me grinning - she has such a way with one-liners that sum up her characters and their situations perfectly.

'A Village Secret' is a wonderful addition to the Westenbury series, and a definite must read. Bring on 'The Village Vicar' in 2023 - I can't wait!!

I have been a fan of Julie's for a while now and I can honestly say that her books get better every single time. I have to say there were times when I was actually gasping out loud at the audacity and entitlement of one particular character, but that just proves that this book is well written because I believed that somebody could actually be as self centred!
If you've not read any of Julie's other works, I suggest you remedy that immediately. There is humour, romance, drama and a few emotional moments in this.
Highly recommended.

Jennifer meets Laurie at Cambridge and sees him as her real-life Byron. He is an actor, who believes in his own hype and sees all of their successes as his success.
Fifteen years, two children and a very public court case later Jennifer and Laurie's life is turned on its head.
As they take up residence at Laurie's childhood home, Jennifer has time to reflect while Laurie is Laurie.
A reluctant villager, Jennifer soon blossoms and finds a wonderful network of friends with women who support each other. Despite everything in her personal life, she is happy.
This book is a nice lighthearted read, with some good comical moments.

Another cracking good story from Ms Houston, I look forward to each new book from this author and this one does not disappoint.

As ever the author pulls no punches and her observation of relationships really resonate.

Although often flawed the characters are also drawn with a light touch and the humour comes through even in darker situations.

You're always in great company and in for a roller-coaster emotional ride in Ms Houston's stories and this one is no exception.

Highly recommend.

The characters are very well placed in this story so it make for a very enjoyable read. It goes between Cambridge and Yorkshire so it leads to very different life styles. I recommend you read this as it is a very well written and interesting story. 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

A wonderful lighthearted read with a feelgood factor. Delightfully observed characters, although I didn't really relate to the main character of privileged Jennifer or her wastrel husband Laurie, both of whom needed a bit of a wake up call. However, the book is certainly cheering and thoroughly entertaining .with a great deal of humour. I shall be looking out for more from this author when a light fun read is needed.

Julie and her husband move to his childhood home, but the village holds a secret. very sweet, funny story, really enjoyed reading it, will look for more books from this author.

Thoroughly good read. Jennifer goes to Cambridge to study the poets where she meets Laurie who just looks like one of the poets she loves. He thinks a lot of himself when he lands the role of a farmer in a tv show.
Everything then falls apart and they need to sell everything and move up to his family's farm in Yorkshire