When it all goes to ‘hell in a handbasket,’ Andrea Butts heads to the one place she knows she’ll be accepted without question; Casa Higuera. Once her grandmother’s home, it’s now a holiday rental and Andi is ecstatic to find it available on the dates she’s chosen. She’s looking forward to forgetting about the workplace and relationship drama and heading to Andalucia, Spain.

As is always the case when we’re on a trajectory to personal growth - there’s a wrench thrown into the plans. The house isn’t available. It’s rented by Vicente, a moody, ex-flamenco dancer dude with glasses and Jesus hair and his odd little boy, Rafi.

What would likely blow most of us out of the water, Andi takes it in stride and finds somewhere else. Just to make sure that the universe knows she’s on the path to rejuvenation, it plots her path to cross the path of a wild boar! When she’s gored, Vicente and Rafi are the ones who come to her rescue. This opens up an opportunity for Andi to repay his kindness and she’s able to restore his garden. It’s here the real healing takes place.

Although the barren, semi-desert Cabo de Gata Natural Park area of Almeria doesn’t appeal to me, the sunshine and warmth do, and I was looking forward to an easy, uplifting read to get my mind off world events. This is so much more than a slow-burn romance; it’s about secrets, rejuvenation, redemption, finding out more about one’s heritage, restoring beauty, healing, and appreciating kindness in others. It’s also about the healing power of horticulture.

The novel oozes authenticity; the author is hispanophile thanks to her half Spanish mother and she resides part of the year in Almeria and part in Sussex. You’ll probably notice she also loves flamenco - it runs through her books and in her blood! This is book 2 of a trilogy set in the Cabo de Gata coastal region of Andalucia. Book 3, Spanish Cove, is due in summer 2022.

If you aren’t pulled in by the gorgeous cover, you’ll be swept away by the Spanish infusion and will definitely feel those slow, lazy days of summer captured between the pages.

I was gifted this advance copy by Cherry Radford, Head of Zeus, Aria, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

I liked the story but wasn't able to fully feel pulled in. It was written well but I wasn't able to connect.

I wanted to read this book as I love Almeria the place it was set in and wanted to imagine the scenery as I became immersed in the book., unfortunately the storyline was very slow in places

This book is amazing. Begins in England then moves to Almeria in Spain. A story of Andie who is a gardener and when her life gets complicated she goes to Spain to find her grandmothers old house and garden. A story of love , gardening and beautiful settings . I read it in Mojcar ( Almeria ) . It is a must beautiful read. Can not praise it enough.

I feel quite torn with this story. On the one hand I enjoyed the mention of all the places in Almeria which I’ve been to, so got some feel good nostalgia from reading, but on the other hand this story was so slow and to be honest a little dull, that I had to force myself to keep reading; it genuinely felt like I was reading it at the same speed events would’ve happened, which isn’t bad when things are happening, but aren’t too good when it’s just gardening happening

This book appealed to me - I liked the title and also the cover. In reading it was pretty much as expected, and the ending no great surprise. I did warm to the main characters, and I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy it, but for me it was a little bit predictable, and overly long. The first half was fine, but I then found that it started meandering a little bit, and I started to lose interest, which meant I skipped a few pages here and there just to get further on in the story.

Its a lighthearted book, for a summer beach read, but not one I will remember.

A fairly good holiday read to escape to the sunnier climes of Spain and the unspoilt Andalusian coast. I must I didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous book by this author, Spanish House. There seemed to be a lot of characters many of whom weren't developed but the main ones were reasonably well depicted. A slow burn romance which was a little predictable and slow in places but with an ending that raced ahead. The story revolves around a garden on the coast but I struggled quite a lot trying to picture this complex garden with several 'rooms' including an amphitheatre. Whereas in Spanish House, the descriptions of all the locations was brilliant, this one seemed disjointed. A light read nonetheless.

This is the type of book I would generally love. Facing disasters both at work and in her love life, television gardener Andie jumps at the chance to flee England to go to Spain and the tiny Mediterranean coastal town she often visited as a child. Andie’s grandmother had retired there and created a spectacular garden. Sadly, the home was sold by Andie’s parents following her grandmother’s death, and this is the first time Andie has been back.

The garden is overgrown and untended and Vicente, the flamenco dancer tenant, is unfriendly and temperamental. But Andie eventually convinces him to allow her to coax the garden back to life. As she begins to create a new life for herself on the Spanish coast, will she also open her heart to discovering secrets from the past and welcoming new love?

The novel started out strong, and the author lives in the region and knows it well and I enjoyed the Spanish words sprinkled throughout. The story started falling flat for me mid-way after a promising open. I didn’t feel I really knew Andie or the quite large cast of characters who surround her in her new life. It unfolded pleasantly, but I didn’t encounter much tension or internal exploration that I think would have strengthened the novel and allowed me to feel more of a connection to Andie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully descripted slow burn romance. Another very enjoyable book by Cherry Radford The cover totally drew me in such lovely colour.. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

I picked this book up on a whim. The need for a summery place, especially during the current winter months was all the draw I needed. There were so many things within it that surprised me though. One being flamenco! During 2021, I happened to read Jo Thomas's Sunset Over The Cherry Orchard (a great book by the way), and flamenco was such a huge aspect of that book. It absolutely made it for me, and now I've been hooked on it ever since! The dance isn’t about how far and how fast you can shake your butt. It’s about passion, power, and tradition. All of this combined with the gardening and family dynamics, helped me to immerse myself into TSG’s storyline and the characters to a greater level.

Vicente (The Love Interest), Was my favorite. He had the whole grouchy thing going on but also as the story progressed, you find he is a very sweet guy. He had so many layers, and as the reader, you want to know more and more about him because of those layers.

Andie (Our Leading Lady), Is a character haunted by her past but uses the time she's given restoring her grandmother's garden as a source of redemption. Not only finding restoration herself but bringing restoration to others as well. My favorite part about her character was that although she had many reasons to close off her heart she always seemed to keep it open to love.

This is a slow-burn romance, so if you don’t enjoy that, this may not be for you but, if you do, you'll enjoy it so much more for it. I also feel that any other type of romance would have taken away instead of enhanced. The author is able to balance everything and still give you a great story. The scenery described is so on point and so amazing, you’ll wanna go and see Spain for yourself. I enjoyed this very much, and I'm planning on picking up more books by this author soon.

Another good book from Cherry Radford. Set in the same area as The Spanish House (also worth a read). Andie’s relationship with Vicente and his son Rafi develops beautifully and the descriptions of the area and garden are very colourful. Really enjoyed this book.