Christmas at Embthwaite Farm by Kate HewittMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This second book concerns Harriet Mowbray, Rachels' younger sister, the sister that never left the farm.
Harriet's mother left Embthwaite Farm when Harriet was just seventeen. The shock and hurt led her to make a hash of her exams and so she never got to go to university or leave Embthwaite like her older sister.
Following their father's diagnosis of a terminal brain tumour Rachel and Harriet have had something of a rapprochement, although Harriet still feels like the loser with no qualifications. Their father, a typical taciturn Yorkshireman, has never been affectionate but he seems to actively dislike Harriet and she has no idea why. She is attempting to set up her own bread/ cakes /scones /cookies business but it has been hard going. Her latest idea is to approach the mysterious millionaire who has bought the nearby derelict manor house and is restoring it into a hotel and ask if he wants to place an order some of her cookies.
Quinn Tyler was a gaming entrepreneur on the brink of selling his business for millions of dollars until he hit the self-destruct button (yet again) and wiped half the value off his shares. Now he's left California and invested in an ideal of a country house hotel. He's keeping a low profile because he really doesn't want the YouTube footage of his meltdown following him to Yorkshire or affecting the hotel launch. Quinn comes from a traditionally wealthy family, the sort that play tennis and polo and drift round the world on their yachts. Quinn has never conformed to their ideals, being dyslexic and nerdy, interested in computer games and comics rather than designer watches and banking.
Little do they know, but Quinn and Harriet have already met at the ceilidh where they briefly danced together. When they meet again its an instant attraction, but can these two lost souls, both desperately seeking recognition/love from their fathers, overcome their insecurities?
I liked this much better than the first one. Ben still seems to be a bit of a mansplainer in this book but I can at least see that his comments are coming from a place of love. Quinn is just adorable (I might even say adorbs) and Harriet has some much stuff to deal with but she keeps going.
It will be interesting where the third book goes.
I received an ARC from the publisher Tule for an honest review.
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