Wednesday 14 February 2024

Guest Review: The Library on Love Heart Lane by Christie Barlow

Growing up in foster care, Elle Cooper always felt a piece of herself was missing. Now, as her thirtieth birthday approaches, she’s ready to find it. But when instigating the search for her birth mother leads to a whole host of unexpected events, this librarian’s quiet life suddenly gets very loud!

With new friends, old flames and surprising influences keeping Elle busy, she soon starts to see that there’s more to life than where you came from – and that where you are right now, and who you have in your corner, is what might just matter most of all…



Review: This is the 13th book in the Love Heart Lane series from this author. It was published previously as Evie’s Year of Taking Chances, and has been adapted to fit into the present series. The stories in this series feature inhabitants of the small highland village of Heartcross and the nearby town of Glensheil, each one introducing one or more new character as well as reuniting the reader with well-loved faces from previous books. All the books, including this one, can be read as a standalone story. As usual, this book contains a helpful map showing locations within Love Heart Lane that feature in the stories.

The central character in this book is librarian Elle Cooper. She loves her job in the Love Heart Lane library, where she works alongside friend Pippa, and new member of staff Aiden. Elle has had a troubled past, having been moved as a child from one foster family to another until she was finally placed in her teens with Irene, who has been like a mother to her ever since. Now, with her 30th birthday round the corner, Elle wants to try and find her birth mother, and perhaps even her father. However, Elle’s search results in a series of shocks for her that just keep on coming, and her quiet existence is suddenly transformed in more ways than one.

I have enjoyed all of the books in this series so far, but, for me, this is probably the most emotional read so far. Elle was a lovely person, and as her story emerged with each page, her amazing, strong personality was revealed. The story of her early years was quite heartbreaking to read. As you might expect from a librarian, Elle had a great love of books and a favourite author who she longed to meet, but she was unsure if she had it in her to write a book of her own. The story underlined the importance in all our lives of true friends. Elle was lucky in having so many people who cared for her, including a caring and supportive foster mother. I loved her best friend Pippa, different in so many ways from Elle, but always there ready to help out and add some humour to any situation. As with previous books in the series, the wonderful community spirit present in Love Heart Lane shone out and in addition the storyline contained a satisfying dose of romance for more than just Elle.

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