Monday 29 May 2017

Summer At The Dog and Duck by Jill Steeples (Romance, Contemporary, 10/10E, short 'n' sweet review)


1st June 2017, Aria, 304 pages, Ebook, Review copy 

Ellie Browne has found happiness running The Dog and Duck pub in the idyllic village of Little Leyton, and her blossoming romance with tall, handsome property developer, Max Golding, is going swimmingly. With her new best friend, Digby, the black Labrador at her side, life just couldn't be sweeter. 

But their peace is shattered when Max's younger sister, Katy, turns up unannounced with a whole heap of attitude. And Max's loyalties are stretched further when his glamorous ex, Sasha, re-appears with her own burgeoning secret.

With the master of the manor preoccupied with the demands of his 'other women', Ellie's forced to consider if she has any role to play in Max's life or in the village of Little Leyton.

Can Ellie get her life and relationship back on track in time for the summer charity ball at Braithwaite Manor?


Nayu's thoughts
Usually I pick this type of read based on what the heroine does for a living,  however this time round I liked the sound of Ellie having to deal with a teenager rather than her lifestyle choices.  Initially Ellie doesn't have much  do with the tearaway as it's her boyfriend's sister, but, perhaps because Ellie is female and not related to Katy, Katy takes to Ellie. She opens up a little amongst all the teen angst, ends up being helpful to Ellie who in turn provides good advice for Katy regarding the reason she was sent to her brother by her mum in Spain. 

It's realistic because families have lots of similar situations these days, and all the teens often need is someone like Ellie to help guide them back to a sensible path. Ellie clashes with her boyfriend over situations Katy gets in, which wasn't a surprise and had me feeling sorry for Ellie as she just wanted to help Katy, even though the help sometimes annoyed her boyfriend. They eventually work things out, and he sees that at times he is too protective. 

The community atmosphere surrounding Ellie's pub was there when it mattered-yes some missed the previous owner which upset Ellie but that led to an empowering moment for Ellie who isn't afraid to stand her ground. There's a point where Ellie puts her pub's reputation in jeopardy but this is a Happy Ever After read so I was very satisfied with the end. I felt terrible for Ellie when she thinks she's mucked everything up, as she worked hard to be where she was and I wanted her to succeed. She does, on a level I didn't imagine. Definitely a feel good book for my reread shelf! 

Find out more on Jill's website.

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