A Village Secret by Julie HoustonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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.
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