Blurb
Brand NEW from the bestselling author of The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts.
After escaping her parents’ unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever.
But with the rundown Inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found … quickly.
So, when her oldest friend Pete Kennedy returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed. The trouble is, Pete has some rather radical ideas for the renovation which Belle disagrees with.
But when a snow storm hits, Belle and Pete are forced to put aside their differences and work together to help the village.
Can Belle realise her dreams to stay in Cranbridge and can Pete ever stop running from his past?
As they try to save The Black Swan Inn, secrets are revealed and just maybe they’ll finally find out how they really feel about each other.
My Review
Not going to lie I was positively itching to get back to the village of Cranbridge and find out what the locals were getting up to. Book 1 and 2 focussed on the shop with Amber and Jake and then the newspaper office with Lucy and Tom. This time around it’s Belle and The Black Swan pub, affectionately known by the locals as The Mucky Duck.
With a poor reputation for an arguing landlord and lady, atrocious food and decor, the pub is failing badly and so Belle’s aunt and uncle put it up for sale and Belle is about to lose the only place that feels like home. On top of that romance seems to be in the air and after witnessing her parent’s and aunt and uncles tempestuous marriages she has sworn off marriage for life. Or has she? When old friend Pete returns to Cranbridge could he save the pub and mend Belle’s heart? Or will he flee like he did once before taking his secret with him?
I love these books and this was no exception, the characters all return and it feels like you are catching up with friends. I have a real kinship with Belle in that she is all bark and no bite, if only you take the time to see past the growl. Pete, at the start, I didn’t warm to and felt that he wasn’t good enough for our Belle. But as the pub is transformed so were my feelings towards him.
If you want a lovely cosy winter read with real community spirit and colourful characters then look no further.
About the author
Alison Sherlock is the author of the bestselling Willow Tree Hall books. Alison enjoyed reading and writing stories from an early age and gave up office life to follow her dream. Her new series for Boldwood is set in a fictional Cotswold village and the first title was published in July 2020.
Social Media Links –
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/alison.sherlock.73
Twitter https://twitter.com/AlisonSherlock
Newsletter Sign Up Link http://bit.ly/AlisonSherlockSignup
Bookbub profile https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alison-sherlock
Link to buy
Melanie’s reads 
I like the sound of this series, must give it a try.
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Definitely best to start with book 1 as even though they are stand alone they do follow on. It’s a really lovely series x
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