Book Review: The Start of Something Wonderful

Book Review: The Start of Something Wonderful

Autumn Laine has lost her creative sparkle. After losing her grandad and her job as an illustrator in quick succession, she is at a crossroads in life and needs a break. Spending time with her parents in Paris, even in the artistic community of Montmartre, doesn’t appear to be the answer.

So when her penpal, Rosie, invites her to stay in the Lake District, Autumn jumps at the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of Paris. After all, where better to re-discover her creativity than the place which inspired her heroine, Beatrix Potter?

Arriving at the picturesque lakeside village of Willowdale, Autumn is swept up by the beauty and magic of the stunning landscape. Welcomed into the community with open arms, she slowly starts to feel like herself again as her creative instincts re-ignite.

But when she meets Dane, who has escaped to the Lakes for his own reasons, will Autumn’s walls come down to let someone in again after so long? Or will the secrets of her past continue to hold her back?

My review

5/5

I think this book is very aptly named as I think it’s going to be a series, in which case it definitely is the start of something wonderful.

Who couldn’t love a book set in the glorious landscape around Derwent Water in the Lake District, especially with all the Beatrix Potter references?

This is for the most part a very gentle story, perfect to cosy up with on an autumn evening. It has everything you could wish for: a creative protagonist, a dashing Frenchman and a less-dashing-but-you-love-him-more-anyway English guy who is a thoroughly good egg and happens to have his own creative streak.

This is my third Jessica Redland book and I zipped through it as I did the other two and then regretted it the moment I turned to the last page. Hopefully the second in the series will be along very soon.

To buy a copy of this book, please click here.

About the author

Jessica Redland writes emotional but uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast where she lives with her husband, daughter and sprocker spaniel. Her Hedgehog Hollow series, set in a hedgehog rescue centre, takes readers into the beautiful rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.

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