o Nice to read a book set in New Zealand for a change and in their Lake District. And a 2nd chance romance too. An amical divorce but Adele refused to take her ex-husband’s money and was left taking a job as a cleaner in order to look after her daughter (not Aksel’s daughter). The jewels he presented her with came as quite a surprise as did the reason for him having them when it is revealed later.
o A nicely written example of this style and content. Well phrased and conversations appeared natural. A good read.

Adele left her cheating, workaholic husband James in Sydney to move back to her family in New Zealand with her daughter. James shows up on her doorstep 5 years later with his heart in his hands and the answers to questions that Adele never bothered to ask. Will James’s tenacity and willingness to be vulnerable be enough to get Adele back? Or will she continue to let her pride keep her safe from future heartache… and love?

This book was frustrating to read. The depth of feeling was constantly unbalanced, never quite righting itself. Where James was hurt, betrayed and yet still willing to try, Adele just kept elongating his unmerited suffering. Her post-traumatic depression and need for self-protection was understandable, but she also lets her pride turn her into a liar who was cold and unreasonable. The emotional whiplash she puts James through feels cruel after awhile, only made worse by the fact that she keeps it up even after certain truths have been revealed. I really liked this story and the writing overall, but I kept waiting for things to get better and they never really did. Adele only ever gives James crumbs, then punishes him for wanting them. I was actually kind of angry by the end: Adele continues in her cruelty, still withholding from James (she finally, begrudgingly says she loves him once) and really never giving closure about the missing rings, which seemed so important for much of the book. It feels like she’s still punishing him for her own crimes. The un-corrected imbalance of power in this couple was vastly unsatisfying.

This story felt a little choppy and slow to unfold. The pace did pick up and there was a good sense of mystery and intrigue wrapped around a love story. There is a trigger warning by the author regarding miscariages, and that part of the storyline was heartbreaking - I was glad for the trigger warning, and the author handled a tricky subject well. It's a good read overall.