A Cottage in the Country by Gloucestershire-resident author Linn B. Halton is one of those sorts of heartwarming chick-lit/women's fiction mid-life journey of self-discovery settling down in a cozy small town novels with f/m romantic elements, this one a standalone starring an older woman who aims for a change of pace by renovating her titular English countryside fixer-upper dream cottage, with the inevitable humorous mishaps and learning experiences along the way, free courtesy of publisher HarperCollins UK's HarperImpulse imprint.
Currently free @
B&N UK, Amazon UK,
iTunes UK, &
Kobo (probably only available to the UK; this seemed decidedly unfree when I spot-checked other regional stores, though YMMV). Likely also Google Play UK.
Description
What do you do when your best friend has an affair with your husband of twenty-five years?
Well, you pack your bags, grab half of the equity in the house you've both lovingly restored and run away to an idyllic little cottage in the country.
Only, it’s not quite so idyllic when
1) Rustic charm sounds rather romantic, but the reality is something else …
2) The heavens decide to open on moving day and the rain just keeps on coming
Maddie Brooks grits her teeth and hires the highly recommended 'man who can', ex-soldier, Lewis Hart. As he rips out the very shabby, and decidedly not-so-chic kitchen, reality sets in. Not only is he the most abrupt person she's ever met, but the man is a Neanderthal!
As the flood waters rise, and the village is cut off, everything that could possibly go wrong, does.
Hitting the big five-o is the final straw. No presents, family or friends—just infuriating Lewis, who can’t leave because the flood has now cut off his exit. How on earth is she going to get through this and put her life back together?
Can Maddie Brooks become that ‘fifty-and-fabulous’ woman of her dreams?