Thanks to netgalley and publishers for arc
Another beautiful book from Katie Fforde it’s very typical of her books gentley romantic but not sloppy
It follows the story of a young chef Meg who although not classically trained has a passion for pastry and delicious desserts
Her mother has always had lived in jobs so always provided a roof over their heads, the latest being Nightingale Woods a beautiful old family home turned hotel in Dorset. But Louise her mother had fallen in love with the owner Andrew who seemed to spend most of his time in France and Meg arrived to find Louise in a state having had the chef fire all the local staff and he had walked out
So Meg knuckled down and for the few guests there cooked what she could her mum managed to get most of the staff back and then Justin appeared Andrews son who was less than happy having an untrained chef run the kitchen but as he worked in another hotel he was left with little choice.
Slowly Meg wins the trust of the staff and customers and tries to show Justin she can do a good job, she is slightly distracted by how handsome he is though! But he has someone she is lead to believe or has he.?
You will love this if you are a Katie Fforde fan I certainly did curled in my sofa dreaming of summers evenings

Having previously enjoyed other books by Katie Fforde, I was looking forward to reading One Enchanted Evening. I just didn’t connect to the characters in this story. Meg’s battle against discrimination in the kitchen from early on felt too extreme and the characters didn’t gel in a way that made me want to keep page turning. However, it was a very lighthearted easy read that I’m sure many will still enjoy.

I have a very large collection of Katie fforde’s books and I was ecstatic to be able to read this new one early and I loved it just as much as some of my old favourites! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this title.

I first met Meg when I read A Wedding in the Country. She was one of a group of three young women who attended a London cookery school aimed at teaching the culinary arts to young ladies. Having already followed the stories of the other two in the previous books in this loose series, I was delighted to learn more about Meg.
Without a doubt, Meg is definitely the one who was destined for a future in food. Creating beautiful dishes at the cookery school, she also appeared in A Wedding in Provence with a showstopper cake that proved to be far superior to anything that a local pâtissier could produce.
This time, the focus is on Meg as she agrees to support her mother with caretaking a Dorset hotel in the owner’s absence. Despite having a confirmed opportunity to experience a professional kitchen in a French restaurant, Meg takes control of the hotel’s kitchen even though the owner’s son views her through misogynistic eyes. There is clearly no love lost between Meg and the rather pompous Justin, and tempers become frayed as he continually undermines her skills.
I can always rely on Katie to create and develop beautifully drawn characters who just work perfectly in whatever situation she places them in. The chemistry between Meg and Justin is undeniable, but they are both late to the realisation party as Meg follows her dreams to work in France.
I absolutely adored this book as much as the previous instalments that helped us navigate through the ongoing lives of this trio of novice cooks. Of course, there are cameos from the other key characters and it was a treat to learn more about their ongoing lives.
Katie Fforde is a skilled and wonderful storyteller. She has a gentle style that is perfectly suited to the wonderful stories that she creates. One Enchanted Evening is a literary hug that filled me with a comforting warmth and made me crave for more. Escape to Dorset and visit France as Katie takes you back to a simpler time.

Really enjoyed this. Bit different to my usual books being set in the 1960s. Amazing characters and flows so nicely it keeps you reading way longer than you mean to. Just amazing.

Meg has always wanted to be a proper cook but in 1964 its a mans world.
She gets a call from her her mother, who is running a small hotel in Dorset for help with a banquet.
It is a small, old fashioned run down hotel and Meg has her work cut out including the owners son. He works at the upmarket hotel in the next village.
Can Meg work her charm on both the hotel and the son?

This was a great read from Katie Fforde. I have found this series of books really interesting, being set in the 1960's, a different time if you are Female. I like how Meg fought for what she wanted and didn't stand for the every day sexism that existed in Kitchen's at that time. It was also great to revisit the characters from the previous books and see how their life's had moved on.

I hope that we will revisit some of these characters in a contemporary book of Katie's in the future. Perhaps an eccentric Grandmother or something similar. I'd love to see how their lives developed and fed into their future families.

What a charming book. I adored the characters apart from Colin the uncle who was tone deaf and rude and Andrew who was as wet as a Lettice.
Thst being said the book was pleasant and a good script: thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Third book in the series and although it was a lovely read, and Meg was definitely a strong female protagonist, it felt slightly out of character with the other two books so far.
I’m probably overthinking the whole thing, so will recommend to everyone who enjoys a light and gentle read. Especially if they like cake, the desserts sounded delicious!

In the early 1960’s being a chef is very much a man’s world and Meg is determined to prove that she is as good if not better than any man in the kitchen.
When she receives a cry for help from her mother, Louise, she drops everything and rushes to the Dorset hotel Louise manages. Louise has a banquet coming up, a very unreliable chef who has just sacked most of the staff, and no idea what to do. Between them Meg and Louise manage to round up the sacked staff and cater for the event successfully. The hotel is small and in need of updating but money is scarce and it’s not exactly full of guests. The owner’s son, Justin, isn’t keen on having Meg in the kitchen and tension quickly mounts between the two. This lovely story set in beautiful countryside is perfect to brighten up a dull day.

It's 1964 and Meg, in her 20s, is working as a chef in a kitchen - very much a man's preserve back then. Her mother is working in a Hotel, with a big event coming up, and she phones Meg and begs her to drop everything and come and help. Meg dutifully does, but when the main chef quits, Meg finds herself catering the whole event. Just when things can't get more fraught, in walks Justin the very handsome, but misogynistic , son of the owner of the hotel.

I loved this book so much that I devoured it in a day and a half. The characters were very well rounded and you instantly become invested in the storyline, the characters, and the beautiful old hotel. I have read and enjoyed other books by Katie Fforde and this is up there with the best of them.

An enjoyable read that did draw me in, but it fell slightly short of previous Katie Fforde reads. I have read pretty much all of her novels and she rarely disappoints but I did find aspects of this one didn't quite hit the mark. In particular some of the dialogue, which felt forced and didn't flow very well.

I was also slightly confused why it took some characters days to travel between France and Dorset and others travelled backwards and forwards regularly at the drop of a hat ;-)

The title of the book is a little contrived too, by the third time it happened I was wondering why One Enchanted Evening always seemed to be playing, then I realised (while reading on kindle it is very easy to totally forget the title of a book) Lots of novels with the same name, so something a bit more original would have been nice.

All of this said, it is a good read and I went to bed early 2 nights running to get it finished as I wanted to find out what happened!! So for lovers of easy read, romance I would recommend it.
I am perhaps being overly critical as I expect more from Katie Fforde!

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. First I’ve read from this author and won’t be the last.
The story follows Meg, who’s a chef. She goes to Dorset to help her mother run a hotel in the countryside.
A brilliantly written feel good romance with so many lovely characters. I couldn’t put it down. It’s really absorbing and fun to read.
Highly recommend.

I have read loads of this authors books many years ago and I saw this one on NetGalley and remembered loving her books so I put in my request. Unfortunately this one hasn’t lived up to my expectations, l just didn’t click with the characters and it just all felt a little superficial and immature. Grumpy/sunshine is usually a win for me but this one has missed the mark with me as it just didn’t hook me.

A brilliant edition to the series by Katie Fforde. I think this was my favourite book of the three. Love the foodie elements, loved hearing about the restoration of the hotel. I'm not 100% sure about Justin though . . . Meg was a wonderful character, and what a formidable group the friends make. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great characters and a wonderful meandering story. Gentle twists and turns with the delight of mystery added in.

Most charming tale of life in rural Dorset and the problems of making a success of a remote country Hotel. Meg a trainee chef is summoned by her mother the Hotel manager who was in dire Straits. Resigning her job in London she arrives to find that the Chef had left in a tantrum having sacked most of the sfaff as well, planning to hire agency staff to save money. Realizing that the hotel originally the manor house and the source of employment of the local community for generations Meg sets about rehiring all the former staff aiming to create a family homely hotel. As she sets about preparing for the annual community lunch, Justin the son of the owner, also a Chef views her critically with the tradition view that women cannot be a chef. How this, threaten closure for sale, inheritance disputes and a mystery legacy and falling in love makes a roller coaster of a story where all ends well against all odds

4 stars

Sweet story set in the 60s. Meg is asked by her mother Louise to help in a hotel kitchen. The chef is a mightmare and the owner of the hotel, Louise's boyfriend, is away in france sorting out a will. Julian the owners son comes over and starts to undermine Meg. She holds her own even though he's very anti women in the kitchen. He's a chef at a competing hotel. He is also very suspicious about Louise's romance. Meg has some aristocratic friends who support her. Julian's girlfriend, Laura is reasonably awful, It appears there's a missing beneficiary to the will, it's not difficult to work out who that is. I was a bit surprised at the fairly quick turn around of Meg/Julian's apathy/dislike to their romance. Quite a quick read. I'm not enthused to read any other work but it's a pleasant read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Visiting her mum at the hotel she works at leads to a new job. Taking on the challenge of a fading country house hotel in Dorset as the chef. With the owner away, his son turns up and sparks fly.
Can the hotel be saved and updated? Can they get along?

I really enjoyed this wonderful, romantic story and such a treat to travel back in time to the sixties when en-suites were an unheard of luxury, I would love to stay at Nightingale Woods