Love Heart Lane – where friends are there for you no matter what.
When Vet Rory Scott inherits ramshackle Clover Cottage in the quaint village of Heartcross, Allie MacDonald just knows this is their happy ever after. A place to call home with the man she loves – it’s her dream come true!
Until Rory drops a bombshell. He loves Allie but he has dreams of his own to follow – to live and work in Africa. Clover Cottage will have to wait just a little longer…
Allie can’t imagine life without Rory, but she loves him too much to hold him back. And as he embarks on his adventure, Allie begins to rethink her own plans. She loves Rory and knows she wants him in her life, but maybe she can follow her own dreams too?
And always there, nestled in the beautiful village of Heartcross, surrounded by the people she loves, will be the place that will always bring them back to each other. Their forever home, Clover Cottage.
Many thanks to Harper Collins via NetGalley for my copy of Clover Cottage to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Three books into the Love Heart Lane series by Christie Barlow and I am continuously wishing wishing that Heartcross, the small village in the Scottish Highlands that Christie has created, was real and that I could visit it. The magic created by this talented author in book one is still evident in spades in this new book Clover Cottage and I loved every minute of it right from the opening paragraph. Family bonds, community spirit and friendship all feature strongly and these are the themes that cement the books as one of the best series I have read in a long time. I eagerly await the publication of each new book and Christie has not disappointed in the slightest so far, in fact each story just gets better and better the more we get to know all of the various characters.
I love that each story allows more characters to step to the forefront and share their problems, issues and the good times and the bad with us. Old familiar characters I have come to care about so much are always there in the background just letting us know that they haven't been forgotten. Whilst with each new book, people who perhaps lingered ever so slightly in the background waiting for the right moment are allowed to step into the spotlight to share their life story with us. This time around Christie has dealt with an issue surrounding the older generation which you rarely, if ever, see mentioned in books and she deserves to be applauded for the way it was handled with such sensitivity and tact. It's an issue which all of as have been affected by at some stage in our lives through close family relatives or connections with other families and friends. Rather than it becoming a pervading sense of doom and heartache it was something to be nurtured and cared for and all the community gathered together in the most compassionate and caring of ways to help a family through what will be a difficult time in the months and years to come. Everyone has had experience of this and I thank Christie for dealing with this and for the warm-hearted and sympathetic manner in which she did so.
Allie McDonald loves the bones of her boyfriend Rory Scott just as much as she loves the little village of Heartcross and she envisages her happy ever after moment not too far in the distant future. She works in the Grouse and Haggis pub run by her parents whilst Rory is a vet working in his parents practice. Everything she has ever wanted is there in the village and she could never contemplate leaving whereas Rory is the opposite. Up until now she thought things in their relationship were on an even keel and that they had one goal in mind. Marriage seemed to be on the cards or so Allie thought but Rory is growing more and more frustrated with his work life. His father Stuart can't see that changes need to be made at the practice. That the ways and methods they use are becoming outdated and that sticking to the way things are will only halt further progress and expansion of the business. When Rory and Allie are asked to meet with his parents they are surprised to discover that the family home is to be sold and that Clover Cottage, left to Stuart by a customer, is to be given to them both their reactions are very much mixed.
Allie views this new opportunity as a new start in life and a further step in cementing their relationship. To her it's natural but Rory has other ideas and she begins to question whether they are really right for each other in the long term given they have such different viewpoints. I was completely torn in two as to whose stance I favoured. I could understand Rory that by being given the cottage felt this was another way of trapping/keeping him in the village doing the same old thing every day with his opinions in regard to the business not being listened to. He wanted to get out and explore the world a bit before establishing firm roots. There was so much more he wanted to do with regard to his profession and when TV presenter Zach Hudson arrives to film in the village, new opportunities outside the lanes of Heartcross are presented to Rory. Many of which he feels he can't afford to turn down as for too long he believes his parents have a hold over him and that everything in life revolves around his parents long term aspirations for him.
All this makes it sound as if Rory was very selfish and narrow minded and to some extent I did feel he was only thinking of himself instead of the bigger picture as surely there was more going on than when you first begin to scratch beneath the surface. But at the same time Rory was young and had dreams he wanted to see reach fulfilment and to be honest he was stuck between a rock and a hard place as to what his ultimate decision should be. As I moved further into the book, I just hoped that he kept Allie, his parents and all the other friends he had in Heartcross at the forefront of his mind. Rather than letting fame and other distractions get in the way of what was really there waiting for him right before his eyes. If he really stopped and looked that little bit deeper he would see the signs and clues that were there and the reader does too as I picked up on something much bigger going on long before many of the characters did.
As a result of Rory declining Clover Cottage, Allie feels all at sea in her relationship, the man she thought she knew so well perhaps she didn't at all as his feelings have really surprised her. She feels insecure and fearful and starts to fret over what the future holds and really you couldn't blame her. She doesn't like change and you sense that there is plenty of that in store for herself and Rory on the horizon. On the other hand Allie begins to question her own life and that maybe she has become too safe and secure in her job in the pub. It's the easiest and safest option surrounded by those she loves but should she expand her outlook too and perhaps take more of an interest in photography. This is something which she has always loved so much and she is good at it. Will some new moments come her way and will she be strong enough to grab them?
At one point I just wanted Allie to confront Rory and tell him exactly what she thought of what he was saying and doing with regards to their life. I thought she bottled things up too much and was worrying all by herself instead of sharing the load. I knew she loved both Heartcross and Rory so much as do many readers because Christie has created such a special and unique atmosphere in the village but Allie shouldn't have felt that she should settle for second best or that she too has become stifled. The arrival of Zach was the perfect catalyst to get both Allie and Rory thinking about their futures. I loved how both sides of Allie and Rory's perspectives were clearly presented to the reader and that's why I was torn in two as to what I actually wanted to happen. It would be selfish to say oh I am with Allie all the way when we first read about her viewpoint but as we venture further through the story and changes of heart occur and time is taken to step back and observe and contemplate everything the readers opinions and feelings do change as do Allie's.
Suffice to say there is a lot going on in this visit to Heartcross but throughout it all the author provided plenty of laugh out loud moments especially with the baby llama at the local show, a scene stealer for sure. Felicity and Isla from the previous two books do pop up every now and again and the friendship as a trio that they have developed with Allie is so lovely to read about. You just know that they have each others backs as does every resident in the village. Without a doubt, throughout this wonderful story emotional and deep moments are balanced nicely with fun, laughter and enjoyment but throughout it all community spirit, solidarity, love and friendship shine through showing the bonds established in Heartcross are firm and unbreakable.
Clover Cottage is a worthy addition to the Love Heart Lane series, the books have become so warm and inviting that you never want to leave. Starcross Manor, book number four, will be with us in July but in the meantime enjoy every moment of this brilliant book.
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