The Farmhouse: A Hickory Grove by Elizabeth Bromke

Blurb

A desperate hairdresser. Her handsome friend. And a farmhouse full of secrets.

When Maggie Devereux is served an unexpected eviction notice, everything falls apart. Out of options, the nearly divorced forty-something stumbles across an unopened letter regarding her late aunt's estate: a ramshackle farmhouse on the outskirts of town. It could be the perfect solution, if it weren't on the verge of collapse and teeming with complicated family secrets.

Property investor Rhett Houston needs a fresh start. So when he bumps into his old friend, Maggie, who's looking for help with a project, he jumps right in. Soon, Rhett finds himself growing close to the hardworking family, and he realizes he's at a crossroads: stay in the city where he's made a life, or move home to Hickory Grove to help Maggie for good. His choice would be easy, if she weren't still married.

Can friends become more under the right circumstances? The Farmhouse is a romantic, small-town women's fiction set in charming Hickory Grove.

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2I6gTcb (affiliate link)

Review

This is a departure for me  - I thought I'd try the American equivalent of the type of chick lit I usually read.

Not as gentle and rounded as many of the British chick lits I read - it's a bit earthier, not so twee (I LIKE twee!!) but no less enjoyable for that. But it gave me an insight into life in SmallTown USA, and I was thoroughly immersed in it. The story line threw up a couple unexpected twists, and the whole thing was well written, with nicely developed and rounded characters.

I'm certainly going to read more of this author.