A Home On Bramble Hill

"Beneath the Moon and the Stars" is a wonderfully entertaining love story. Joy Cartier has traveled around the world and lived in many places though she never felt like they were home. Joy rents a charming cottage in Bramble Hill and is excited and happy to have a place of her own. Joy is hoping that she has finally come "home". On move-in day Joy meets up with Finn the local heart-throb. They don't seem to really hit it off though there is a lot of mutual interest. The locals for some reason have it in for Joy and treat her horribly trying to make her leave.

As Joy and Finn discover their way to each other you are introduced to other interesting characters such as Zack and Casey, who Joy discovers were her childhood playmates many years ago. Joys brother Alex is such a sweetie and after the death of their parents, takes over and raises Joy, putting his life goals on hold. Then there is "The Dark Shadow" which puts a whole mysterious spin on the story.

I highly recommend "Under the Moon and the Stars" for anyone who enjoys a good romance with a little bit more.

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This book is a delightful mix of intrigue, romance, charismatic characters and misunderstandings - just right for snuggling up with either on the beach or at home on a dark evening.

Joy Cartier lost both her parents when she was only 9 years old. Her brother Alex gave up the opportunity to go to University to raise her until she, too, was old enough to go. Since then she’s rarely settled anywhere for more than 3 months. Now she’s hoping to settle in ‘Britain’s Friendliest Village’ - though from the moment she arrives she seems to have done something to upset everyone in the village! She starts by literally walking into her famous but reclusive next door neighbour, Finn Mackenzie, smearing the two ice cream cones she’s carrying over his previously immaculate shirt! From there on things go from bad to worse! Her first visit to her local ends with her being attacked in the bathroom and then being pushed into a pond. What with dog pooh, magic mushrooms, being glared at and not spoken to, life is not as idyllic as she’d hoped - and amazingly it is usually Finn who comes to her rescue! What with the recalcitrant Finn and her other neighbour, the womaniser, Zach village life is anything but tranquil for Joy! To find out if this can all be resolved and Joy find herself somewhere to call home again, you’ll just have to read the book.

Perfect chick-lot from Amelia Thorne! She brings romance, humour and sexy men to her debut novel and I'm looking forward to many more!

This was such a delightfully funny and insanely sweet romance! I adored it.

My Thoughts...
- Finn and Joy's initial few meetings were hilarious. I found myself laughing quite a few times.

- The air of mystery associated with the story was just right. I was sure of Joy and yet I couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

- The village people were horrible. To the bitter end, they were just evil.

- Zach and Casey were great characters. I absolutely loved their roles. And I must say that the wedding/post-wedding situation was priceless.

- I knew Alex would go there regarding his relationship. It was not a surprise.

- The Darcy-Bill hookup was unexpected. Also, I was beside myself with the poisoning prank.

- Lily was an angel. Aww... The wedding and the balloons melted my heart.

- When Joy went home and Finn found her, I was able to finally release my happy sigh.

Rating: 4/5 Recommend: Yes Audience: Adult Conflict/Drama: Yes Intrigue/Suspense: Yes Chemistry/Intensity: Yes Humor: Yes

An e-copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest critique.

When Joy Cartier moves into a cottage in the idyllic village of Bramble Hill, she's looking forward to having a quiet and peaceful time settling in. But this is not to be the case. Mistaken for a relative of landlord Joe Carter, who kicked out the previous resident of the cottage (an elderly woman), she's subject to a world of abuse from the villages inhabitants. Frustratingly, the one person who seems to stand by her throughout all of this is the moody next door neighbour and former Hollywood star, Finn Mackenzie. He also just happens to be incredibly good looking, and Joy finds herself falling for him. But can the pair of them move on from the hurt they've gone through in the past in order to move forward together?

This was one of those books that I read in one sitting. It grabbed me from the first page and didn't let up the whole way through. I absolutely loved it. It opens with Joy moving into her new cottage in Bramble Hill and being snubbed by her neighbour, Finn, for no reason. It them moves on pretty quickly to her being abused by the villages residents over a case of mistaken identity. Abuse aside, I quite enjoyed this aspect of the book, as it's so different from other books and makes for a much different story, as opposed to her moving into the village and being welcomed with open arms. What I also liked was the mystery over why Finn snubbed her, as he finds out pretty quickly that she's not related to the landlord, so he seemingly dislikes her for another reason entirely. I found this intriguing, and was keen to read on and discover his history.

The other mystery aspect to this book is Joy's job. She sneaks off in the middle of the night with the number plates on her car blacked out and it just so happens that the night's she sneaks off coincide with a spate of jewellery and diamond thefts. I loved this aspect of the book. It's a while before the mystery unravels, but I felt it was very well done and really kept the reader guessing. Especially when this side of the storyline all comes to a head at the end. It does not disappoint.

There are many different sides to this story. Underneath all the layers of mystery and intrigue lies Joy's heartache and her reason for moving to Bramble Hill, and staying there in spite of the way the residents treat her. Throw in a cast of fantastic supporting characters (Joy's new best friend Casey and his brother Zach, and her brother Alex), and the result is an absolutely amazing book that I would recommend to anyone.