A wonderful, heart-warming romance. Fran May inherits a dairy farm in the Cotswolds from a distant relative, but first she has to move there and run it successfully for a year. Will she succeed?
Fran is the only relative Mrs. Flowers could find. If Fran proves herself within a year, she will leave her Hill Top Farm and her beloved cows. Fran takes up the challenge and leaves her life as a chef in London behind. When she sees how run down the farm is though and it's sad financial situation, she really begins to wonder just what she has taken on. The characters are really lovely in this book. Fran knows nothing about farming and may even be a little afraid of cows, but she is determined to somehow save the farm and proves to be quite a gutsy character. Issi, Fran's best friend is a constant support and finds herself drawn not only to the farm and it's amazing pastures, but also to Tig, who is the herdsman. Then there is Anthony, the handsome next door neighbour. Mrs Flowers has warned Fran that he just wants the farm for himself but is there more to this guy and why does he keep coming to Fran's rescue? There is also an Australian relative of Mrs. Flowers who turns up and claims his right to the farm. He is wonderfully depicted as a thoroughly unlikable character and keeps Fran on her toes. Fran has a lot to deal with, not least, the question of how to make the farm profitable. She puts her chef skills to good use and starting making cheese. Who will inherit the farm and will it be happy ever after for Fran and Anthony? I found the book impossible to put down as I really wanted to find out what happened. The author's depiction of the farm and its setting really helped with picturing it in your mind. A perfect read for lovers of a good romance. Who knew farming could be so much fun?
A warm romantic novel that makes you want to move to the beautiful Cotswold countryside. A Country Escape is well paced, effortlessly written and deliciously funny.
A Country Escape is heartwarming tale of a town girl thrust into country life. Fran has the opportunity of finding out if she can turn a run-down farm into a going concern in exchange for the possibility of inheriting it from her distant aunt. Katie Fforde's novel pulls at your heartstrings and fills you with smiles. Her effortless writing makes the story speed along, with bumps and challenges along the way. Can Fran make the farm a success or will Roy (another distant cousin) inherit the farm? And is her neighbour Anthony up to no good? As her aunt’s health fails, Fran’s love of the farm flourishes, but this might not be enough, to save her…or the farm.
What a brilliant, romantic, heart-warming novel. Fran, a chef in the city, leaves her life behind to turn her hand to farming after she discovers that she is in line to inherit a family farm.
Excellent!! I have found a new author that I love! I have never read a Katie Fforde book before but I shall certainly be reading more after reading 'A Country Escape'. It is a brilliant, romantic, heartwarming novel about a city girl who leaves her job to prove that she can make a success of a run down family farm, which she is in line to inherit. Fran, the main character, has to think of ways to make the farm profitable after it has been losing money for years, run by an old distance female relative, Amy. Fran's country adventure is interwoven with friendship and romance. I didn't want this book to end as I was there, at the farm, enjoying the open countryside along with Fran, Issy, Tig and Anthony! Best book I have read in a long time.
Another story from Katie Fforde that fills you with joy as you read through Fran’s trials of learning how to run a farm that she may inherit in a years time.
Fran is about to take on the challenge of her life. A very distant relative has asked her to try & run the farm with no experience for the next 12 months and try to make a profit. If she does then she may inherit the farm. Nothing is easy as she learns the ropes especially when another distant relative arrives with the same claim. Her friend Issy arrives for support but starts to fall for the farming life just as much as Fran has done. It is a story that will warm your heart but also inspire you to eat cheese!
A wonderful heart-warming story that is very enjoyable.
Although I’d seen many Katie Fforde books around before, I’d never read one and generally dismissed them as being chick-lit, that i wouldn’t enjoy. It just shows that you never judge a book by its cover because I actually really enjoyed this book and will definitely read some more by her.
Fran is contacted by a distant relative, Amy who has moved into a care home and is looking for someone to take care of the farm that she loves dearly. Although Fran takes up the challenge, she is in completely new depths as she has no idea about running a farm. Fran has to get stuck in and along with her friend Issi has to decide how to make the farm make money. A further challenge comes her way when a distant cousin of Amy’s comes along and is determined to inherit the farm and turn it into houses.
A great story that is a feel-good read with a steady pace and characters that I really enjoyed reading about.
A lovely and engaging book, with interesting characters.
I have to be honest, this type of book would not normally be my usual type of book and I have never read one of Katie Fforde's before. However, I was extremely pleasantly surprised by how engaging and enjoyable it was and I will be seeking out more books by this author.
The story is based around Fran. A chef from London, she moves to a dairy farm, that may or may not be left to her by a distant relation. She has to try and make the farm work and prove herself as a worthy inheritor!
She is 'thrown in at the deep end' and with help from her best friend and the resident herdsman, as well as an interesting neighbour, she tries her best to pass the test. She also gets to know her relation better and is accompanied by yet another possible heir to the farm...
The characters were all interesting and the story was very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this, even to those who normally don't read Katie Fforde.
What a wonderful read!
I have always loved reading Katie Fforde books and certainly wasn’t disappointed with this one. She sets the scene so well I felt I was there on the farm helping Fran with all her troubles.
The descriptions of people and places are so well written I felt I was part of Fran’s life right from the beginning.
I read it in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended.
A superb light-hearted escape book full of love laughter and fun down on Hill Top Farm.
This has to be one of the best books to be published this year.
A lovely light hearted story of Fran and her journey through getting a farm up and running within a year in order to inherit it.
The reader meets many characters in the book who all play an excellent part as the story unfolds and we learn of Fran's ups and downs while keeping her goal in site in having the farm brought up to standards albeit she knows nothing about farming.
The author has written the story in an 'Escape to the Country' genre, an easy and a happy book to read with sadness, happiness and romance and turns out to have a very happy ending on more than one account.
This is a must for your book list!
Another winner from Katie Fforde who manages again to captivate the reader. Fans of this genre will love it!
Another winner from Katie Fforde who manages again to captivate the reader with her tale of a city girl who stands to inherit a delightful, if indebted farm from a long lost relative. She has 6 months to prove herself and, assisted by a small circle of friends, she uses her culinary skills to diversify and develop a high end cheese making business. The required love interest is established early on and the appearance of another long lost cousin complicates things even further. So who will inherit? And will true love conquer over greed? An easy read, engaging without becoming too chocolate box.
A light and enjoyable read – perfect for holidays or de-stressing.
A complete novice at farming, Fran has an opportunity to inherit a run-down farm if she can make a success of it in a year. This isn’t the sort of book I would usually read but, surprisingly, I found myself enjoying it. Yes, it involves a romance but there is more to the story as Fran tries to save the farm from debt. Dairy farming, cheese making, market stalls and cooking all make an appearance and keep the story interesting. But will Fran inherit the farm? You’ll have to read right to the end to find out.
A gentle read. Whilst quite likeable the plot was rather obvious and this was a little disappointing. One for the sun bed perhaps!
This book follows the story of Fran and her potential inheritance of a country farm. Fran is from the city and as such is very much out of her comfort zone. I found the characters sadly very two dimensional and vague. I couldn't build up an image in my mind of the characters largely I think because their ages were indistinct and I couldn't place where they were in their lives. The plot was sadly predictable and held little intrigue. I have read other Katie Fforde books which have been much more enjoyable.
Throw in love interest Antony (the farmer next door) and you have a wonderful English countryside romance.
A great story about a city chef who may inherit a dairy farm depending on whether her distant relative thinks she can run it well or not. It's not easy and Fran is thrown in at the deep and on day 1.
I liked the main character Fran. I thought she was well written and I really warmed to her.
The way that the farm itself and the countryside around it was written was also good.
A very light predictable read.
A city girl moves to a farm, with the hope that she might inherit it one day. There are ups and downs in this fairly predictable read - An enjoyable one the less. While the lead characters are well drawn (Fran and Roy) the supporting roles, in particular Issi and Anthony, I struggled to identify their motivations.