Jenny Porter lives in a virtual world. She works but she never seems to meet her bosses or whoever she has been sent to work with. But that changes when for some impulsive reason she decides to go and help a failing mill in Scotland, which her boss wants her to report back about – the most obvious solution being close it down.
Nothing to worry about, but it is Winter, the weather is very different to what she is used to down South and she is not just going deal with a failing mill she is going to walk into a very difficult family situation. She can remain neutral, she can remain calm and treat it as any other work…..can’t she?
Jenny rather falls into situations and is somewhat of a softie when it comes to others. When she hits it off with the heavily pregnant owner of a Mobile burger bar, Meggie she also takes on running that too. Trouble is Meggie is married to one of the sons whose family own the mill and as he was number two son, he has always been left out despite having some workable ideas. Add to the mix a matriarch with a title and a crumbling house who is living in the past. Relying on the presence of number one son and an ever doting down trodden unmarried daughter it seems that Jenny is going to have to work hard at saving the family as well as the family business.
The business could be saved as Jenny thinks they could maximise their ideas and output, but her boss wants to see more and has decided to make his presence known just not to Jenny but the mill as well. It looks like Jenny can do nothing to save the mill or the family. Trouble is who is her mysterious boss? And when he does show up, earlier than Jenny ever thought does he get right under her skin?
This is a true Katie Fforde, if such a book exists and you know what you are going to get when you pick up this novel. That should never put you off, there is something reassuring in knowing. You get it all in this novel, class differences, a community working together, the big crumbling house, the romance not just of the characters but the spectacular winter scenery that is abound in Scotland along with the weather than can change everything within a blink of eye. To quote another reviewer “a perfect snuggle on the sofa book” – I agree.
I am slowly working my way through Katie Fforde’s books and I wanted to read another one straight away, but I distracted myself with something else and know that I can always rely on a Katie Fforde for a weekend of reading on the sofa!
The Book Jotter 