I like Jane Lovering's books anyway and this is one of my favourites.
Rowan is still grieving the loss of her late husband, Elliot. She is keeping herself busy by recording the local folklore around an artefact on the moors known at the 'fairy stane'. Local lore has it that fairyland is under the stone and if you lift the stone, the fairies will come out. (These are the nasty, elemental fairies, not the cute gossamer winged ones).
Connor is a historian and he's been sent across to help with an archealogical excavation looking for a hitherto unknown Roman settlement. He thinks the stone on the moors is a Roman marker, so he wants to lift it to see what (if anything) is written on the underside of it.
As always, there's an unusual house - a restored mill - and some interfering wildlife.

On the surface, this is a book about a folklorist vs a historian and the symbolism of a stone. Underneath, it's a story about grief and loss and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive when things are difficult.
This book made me laugh and cry in places. I really enjoyed reading it.

I received an ARC from Netgalley (Thank you!). This is my honest review.

Rowan Thorpe collects folklore, she's even got a grant to collect folklore local to her home in Yorkshire, much of which centres around the Fairy Stane which is said to guard the entrance to fairyland/keep the little people trapped underground. She lives alone in a small cottage on the moors.

Then one day her academic research is rudely interrupted by an impossibly handsome Irish historian (the sworn enemies of folklorists). Connor O'Keefe has come across to Yorkshire to explore whether there may have been an ancient Roman town on the moors and he is convinced the Fairy Stane is the key.

Despite her better judgement, Rowan agrees to let Connor use her spare room, since he doesn't drive and there are no B&Bs close to the Stane. Rowan finds herself opening up to Connor, in return Connor shares his own reasons for leaving Ireland.

This didn't really work for me. I failed to see what Connor found so interesting about Rowan, he seemed to fall for her from the start - why? There were also a few historical vignettes which were randomly inserted and interrupted the story. I now know why they were put there but frankly they didn't add anything for me.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

A gentle romance that brings together Rowan Thorpe, who’s still healing from a difficult past, and Connor O’Keefe, a historian with his own emotional baggage. When a snowstorm traps them together, they’re forced to confront their stories and open up in ways they hadn't expected. The cosy winter setting and the unfolding of their relationship make this a sweet read, though the plot may feel familiar to seasoned romance readers. It's a comforting story of second chances and new beginnings.

This book progressed slower than molasses in January. I was so tempted to DNF this book, because it went ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE until the last 40 ebook pages. Then, suddenly, a corner is turned, and everything is neatly resolved so quickly, it nearly made my head spin. Calling this a “romance” is a stretch. Boring and dry as all get-out. It took me 12 days to finish this book, which is far too long for me. If a book is good and I like it, I can plow through it in 5 days or less. Ugh.

•𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.•

A fun and quick read, this is a great one for fans of grumpy/sunshine and enemies to lovers. I didn't care for Rowan at first but the character development was quick.

This was a fabulous novel! I have been a huge fan of Jane Lovering for soooo long and I’m so chuffed to have read this novel. The characters were fantastic, the story was gorgeous and I loved the setting. Jane is such a natural storyteller and this was an absolute delight!

Readers are going to absolutely lap this up and I could not get enough of this, I finished it in one sitting!

Rowan and Connor are caught in a snowstorm and realize they have more in common than they thought. a quick enemies to lover's romance.

Jane's books are always an autobuy for me - subtle, nuanced, and full of emotion. This one is about love and loss and learning to move on; Rowan's struggling to cope with widowhood and retreating into her work as a folklore expert, and then history professor Connor comes along and changes everything. She thinks they're on opposite sides - if he gets his way about his work, it ruins hers, and vice versa - but there's a lot more to it than that. Roman history - oh, yes, please. But I was fascinated by the background of the Fairy Stane (and what it turns out to be really). If you like a grumpy vs sunshine romance (and how lovely that she's gender-swapped the norm), this is for you. Which isn't to say that Connor's all sunshine - he has a backstory, too.

Beautifully done. There's vulnerability, learning to move on while not dismissing the past, and there's also a lot of humour as well as the bits that made me well up.

Thoroughly recommended. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC.

Oh I am so glad I keep reading. I found first few chapters really difficult and thought I might stop reading as Roman was such an unattractive character. Thanks good news I didn’t. This was such a fabulous story with an amazingly original premise, realistic emotions and great characters who really pulled me in. This is the first book by this author that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last!

This is an interesting take on dealing with the past: the importance of preserving it, the different ways it can be preserved, and when it's necessary to stop letting it affect your present and future. Initially Rowan's grumpy stubbornness seems more than a match for Connor's insouciant charm, but a bit of extremely reluctant proximity starts to break down the barriers for both of them. The depictions of grief and regrets are poignant and borderline tear-jerking, but there are also plenty of lighter moments, particularly in Rowan and Connor's everyday verbal sparring and frequent appearances by greedy ducks. There are also flashbacks which gradually reveal the story of the Fairy Stane, around which the principal conflict is centred, and the eventual explanation of that is very well done. Ultimately this is a story of love and healing and moving on with an evocative backdrop of the Yorkshire Moors, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hubo cosas que me gustaron y otras que no tanto. Creo que mi mayor problema es que no conecté con Rowan y todo el libro es desde su punto de vista.

Fueron tristes los extractos del pasado.

Entiendo porque Rowan actuaba así y defendía la piedra de las hadas de Connor, pero en algún momento llegó a ser demasiado.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An improbable romance between two lovely people, that start as adversaries and gradually become attracted, “The Start of the Story”, by Jane Lovering, deals with grief, sadness, loneliness and healing.
I liked Rowan’s initial strong reluctance and how Connor, just by being “bright and breezy” Connor, breaks her barriers.
The contrast between her grumpiness and pessimism about life and his enthusiasm and vitality is fun to watch.
Despite the levity, the hero has a sad story, too, and a vulnerability that makes him human.
I liked that despite the heavy themes the story, and even Rowan, maintain a certain degree of humor.
The conflicting interests between Connor and Rowan about the stone are interesting to watch.
I liked the North Yorkshire landscape and weather, the secondary characters and how the author used so much showing instead of telling.
I felt that perhaps Rowan spent too much time still ruminating about Elliot.

Thank you Boldwood Books and Jane Lovering for gifting me a digital arc copy of The Start of the Story. I jumped into this book with anticipation as it sounded like the perfect romance to curl up with (especially as we get warned in the blurb that the characters are going to get snowed in together in the wilds of Yorkshire.

A sweet love story about over coming grief and letting go of our past told in a heartwarming way with well-developed, complex characters. I did enjoy reading this book but I found at time the story and writing a little slow, disjointed and left me wondering why they are fighting over a stone in the moorlands. I studied history and have friends as archaeologist - you can't just go dig up places or things without permission of land owners and large part of the Yorkshire Moorlands and Dales have special status. It was just a little farfetched and pulled the story down for me rather than adding tension between the Rowan and Connor.

In the end, a fair 3 star story that might be better suited to someone without the historical background who found too niggles that distracted from the enjoyment of the storytelling. I did find the meaning behind the fairy stane heart breaking and poignant we should be more respectful of these old sacred places when the world was not kind.

Oh this is just the most darling book!!! It made me feel so lost in the story. Such a beautifully written story. Highly recommend! This would be the most perfect winter book.

Thank you to netgalley and publisher for this ARC book!
I must admit I struggled to get into it at first but really enjoyed it once I pushed through! Finished it in a couple of hours. It was really quick read and enjoyable bit a little bit sad!

Great book. The characters and plot are realistic. I connected with the characters and rooted for a happy ending.