With Katie Fforde's novels, the reader is often transported to an idyllic life in the country. This is also what has happened to Sian who has recently moved into a charming cottage with her young son Rory. Everything seems perfect as Rory settles into the local school and Sian starts to make some good friends. She is really enjoying her new life in the country. That is until one day a face from the past appears and her life is thrown into turmoil.

Sian Bishop is a single mum who makes her living by restoring and painting new furniture. She hopes that by moving to the country she will be able to provide her five year old son Rory with a good life away from the hustle and bustle of London. Although she is happy on her own, she knows that her good friend Richard is looking for something more and would love to marry her and to provide a home for herself and Rory.
However, although she recognises that he is a good dependable man, he does not excite her, unlike Rory's father who she had only a brief fling with many years before. Should she settle for security and a quiet life or should she hold out for something more exciting? That is the dilemma that Sian struggles with throughout this story.

I really enjoyed Summer of Love from the very first page as it was a very relaxed and enjoyable read. All of the characters were entertaining and easy to like which is something I always notice in Katie Fforde's books. She seems particularly good at creating and developing characters that you are bound to like. They are mainly the types of people that you could imagine sitting down with for a cup of tea and a good chat, especially Sian's lovely neighbour, Fiona. She is an older lady and proves to be a very good friend to Sian as well as becoming a stand-in grandma for Rory.

Summer of Love is an entertaining and easy story that is based on a few misunderstandings along the way. These can be quite amusing although sometimes it can be frustrating especially when things would be easily solved by characters actually talking to each other. I don't suppose that it would be much of a story if that was always to happen though.

Summer of Love is quite a good title for this book but it is definitely not slushy and romantic. In fact, for most parts of the story, love looks extremely unlikely for Sian, and also for Fiona who has taken a first hesitant step in to the world of internet dating. Her various and sometimes disastrous 'dates' actually provide some very humorous moments throughout but also with a slightly poignant slant as she constantly doubts that any man could find her attractive. Overall the entire story is most engaging and I was hooked from the very start. The gentle pace and absorbing story lines made for easy reading and I was thoroughly entertained.


The hardcover is currently available on Amazon for £8.24.

This review has previously appeared under my name at www.thebookbag.co.uk