After his first night with Mal, Rick broke the habit of a lifetime and invited the sexy radiographer to spend the weekend in the sleepy English village he called home. Rick isn’t in denial but he’s afraid to reveal his sexuality in the close-knit community that has known him since he was a babe in arms.
The sex is amazing but equally Mal loves lazy days spent in the garden at Slopy Bottom, and every precious moment he spends with Rick. For Mal the village quickly becomes an oasis of peace, far from the noise and grime of life in London, a slice of tranquillity with Rick at the heart. But Mal has defied his family and his religion to be true to himself, and there is no way can he join Rick in his self-built closet, no matter how comfortable it is...
Rick is afraid revealing the true nature of his relationship with Mal will change the way his neighbours see him. He adores these people, this village, and he can’t face the thought of losing everything over who he chooses to sleep with. When the alternative is giving up a man who has slotted perfectly into his life—a man who he might just love—it’s no choice at all. But, knowing what has to be done isn’t always as easy as putting it into practice.
Books set in small English villages are among my top comfort reads, probably because I'm an English village gal myself. I love reading them. They're the housecoat and slippers of the reading world as far as I'm concerned, so when the chance to read and review the first in the new series by Lillian Francis came by, I jumped at the chance.
And I loved it!
It was everything I wanted in this genre. Sweet, witty, comforting - and utterly English. This could have been set in my village - a shop, a pub, a school and village hall - and of course the village church. The village in this type of story is almost an extra character. With its selection of quirky villagers - interfering, knowledgeable and loveable - it really is such a comfort read. I know I'm overusing the word comfort, but really that sums up this genre, and particularly this story, for me. Many moons ago I used to devour Katie Forde books and this gave me the same warm feeling.
Mal and Rick are a lovely couple, they are MC's to love, but more than that the whole cast of village characters is great and promises that more stories are going to come from this world. After all, Rick is not the only gay in the village.
A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.
For more information see Goodreads.
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