A wonderful romance. I loved the characters and could not wait until the end to see what happened.

A tale of love lost and found; broken promises and hearts; tragic family history; break ups and make ups. Rose and Arthur are ageing siblings who cling onto the past in the form of a dilapidated ancestral home. Into their lives steps Annie, who brings warmth and laughter and her own set of secrets. Engaging and easy to read, this book will have you wishing the best for the characters within.

A very well written book. A great beginning to a new series. This book has a great plot and cast of characters.

This was a lovely easy read. The two main characters Annie and Sam are both really likeable and their story is easy to read.

The story follows Annie as she starts her job as a housekeeper of Arthur after he had recently been widowed. Arthur is the current Earl of Cranley and his home is the charming Willow Tree Hall, which is a beautiful estate but unfortunately has seen better days. After a bad fall, Annie needs to help out more with the Hall, and reluctant heir Sam joins in to lend a hand.

The relationship of Annie and Sam seemed to happen in such a natural way that it was really easy and enjoyable to read. I really enjoyed reading and learning about their relationship growing - their relationship didn't feel too forced or too much for the book. Another thing I enjoyed is getting to see both Annie and Sam's perspective and I think it added a little something to the way the book was written - I loved the way that humour was incorporated and the whole book seemed quite light-hearted.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for a chance to read this book in return of an honest review

A lovely story of family, expectations, assumptions and love.  I don't think there was a character in this book I did not like! Except maybe the builder!

Annie has had a rough life and is so happy to be working at Willow Tree Hall. A wonderful old estate that has passed down through generations to the eldest son. Arthur and his sister, Rose are getting on in age and Sam is the eldest grandson and future Earl.

He wants nothing to do with the house or the life of an Earl. When he comes home to find his grandfather has taken a tumble on the stairs and is in hospital he gets to meet the new housekeeper who he assumes is after something.

But nothing is as it seems here. As Sam and Annie learn to trust each other and let go of their pasts will romance bloom? Maybe with a nudge or two from Arthur and Rose?

A delightful book of new beginnings and hope, I really enjoyed this one!

Release Date is July 1, 2017 (Aria)

3.5 STARS

This is a really sweet story. The main characters Annie & Sam are very likeable and the supporting characters such as Grandad Arthur and Great Aunt Rose add a lot of old school charm to the story. Also, Annie and Sam's back stories are well written and explain their thoughts and behaviours throughout the story. Plus, the descriptions of the stately home add something extra to the story - it is almost as if the house is a character itself, which is unusual but great!

However, I have a few quibbles. Sam is supposed to be this hot shot business man yet he hires a cowboy builder to do the house renovations and doesn't realise he is getting taken for a ride for ages. Also, the ending feels a bit rushed and in the last quarter of the book loads of obstacles suddenly arise that just seem unnecessary.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I read it in a couple of sittings and it definitely wasn't time wasted. I particularly enjoyed how the book switched between a few different viewpoints. However, if I am being completely honest, it is a little bit forgettable. There's a lot of competition in this genre and I am not convinced this book can hold its own.

I was given a free copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed all of Alison Sherlock books and this was no different, though predictable at times, i look forward to more in this series.

This was an easy read, that got better in the second half of the book.

I did find two of the main characters Annie and Sam a bit irritating in the first half of the book, she kept thinking she was no good as a housekeeper (which was right!) and she also kept 'blushing' all the time, which got a bit wearing. Sam was this big music manager, but he still managed to hire the first builder he spoke to to renovate his family home, Willow Tree Hall, and of course they were cowboys and made a complete mess of it. And yet every time he visited he thought they were doing OK, even though it was blatantly obvious they weren't. Eventually he figured out they seemed to be demolishing it instead of fixing it and managed to fire them - at last! - and find someone who actually knew what they were doing.

The side characters were lovely, especially Sam's grandfather Arthur, the current Earl, and Arthur's sister, Sam's Aunt Rose. They both sounded lovely people who had just carried on regardless, even though Willow Tree Hall had been crumbling around their ears from lack of money to do anything about it.

The second half of the book where things started to come together a bit more as the house was getting renovated properly, and Christmas was just around the corner so there was a more festive feel to it, was much more enjoyable.

I really liked the story of the house being renovated and coming back to life. A pleasant read.

This was a fun and sweet book!

Willow Tree Hall is a beautiful estate, but it has been falling apart in recent years. Annie, the new-ish housekeeper, has grown close to Arthur, the owner, and cares for him very much. After Arthur is injured his grandson Sam comes home for the first time since they had an argument nearly one year earlier.

The growth of Annie and Sam's respect for each other as they work to fix up Willow Tree Hall and get to know each other seemed to happen in a really organic way. The story and relationships didn't feel forced or rushed, and I liked how they revealed little bits of their story at a time.

I think the author also did a great job creating two distinct narrative voices. I really liked getting to see things from both Annie and Sam's perspective.

The secondary characters, Annie and Sam's friends and family, added a lot of humor and heart. I would love to see another story set at Willow Tree Hall, maybe for Sam's younger brother Will.

This has everything I love in a book! Real characters, great plot, humor, suspense and a good read! This has everything I love in a book! Real characters, great plot, humor, suspense and a good read!

This book was a wonderful enchanting story. If Willow Tree Hall existed it would be a magical place to visit and reading about Annie's time there was a lovely tale. I am very much looking forward to reading further stories in this series. The characters were fresh and interesting and the setting perfect. I would highly recommend this book.

Annie is living at Willow Tree Hall as the housekeeper for Arthur, the current Earl of Cranley, Annie has no qualifications to be the housekeeper but she loves looking after Arthur and his sister Rose, until Arthur has a fall and is hospitalised.

Along comes the reluctant heir, Sam, to Willow Tree Hall, which is severely dilapidated, he thinks Annie cannot be much of a housekeeper if she has allowed the house to get into such bad condition and he also thinks that Annie is trying to rip his grandad off. Sam and his grandad are estranged having fallen out over Sam’s choice of job and not wanting to become the next Earl of Cranley.

Sam decides to provide the money to renovate the house, but as he works mainly overseas he leaves Annie in charge of the builders he has chosen who are complete cowboys and the house is in total disrepair. Sam and Annie spend time together, and as the house regenerates their relationship blossoms. A nice easy story with good characters, family values and a dollop of romance.

This was a really good book, a wee bit more depth than your average chic lit, but I loved all the characters and if it was possible I would be first in line to see Willow Hall, and I wish Arthur was real because I adored him. Definitely recommend this book

I absolutely adored this book. Felt like a proper fairytale. I loved that you where thrown into drama from the start so from the first instance you were already drawn in.

Have just spent a lovely day reading this book. It is a sympathetically heartwarming story about family, loyalty, love and friendship, all included with a good storyline. What more to ask for when having a lazy day sunning oneself in the garden? I look forward to reading more in the series.