Guest Review: Island in the Sun by Katie Fforde

Dominica. A beautiful remote island where the sun shines and the living is easy.

And where Cass goes to photograph a rare stone carving as a favour to her father.

With her is Ranulph, a deeply attractive, much-travelled journalist, who offers to help Cass with her quest.

But Dominica has just been hit be a severe hurricane, and Cass and Ranulph are spending all of their time helping the local community.

Cass knows she must not fall in love with him… He is just looking out for her. He’s being kind.

There is no way he could be even the slightest bit interested in her. Could he?

Review: I have read, and loved, a number of Katie Fforde’s books and when I saw that her latest one had just been published, I automatically purchased a copy. The cover promised a trip to an exotic island location and romance for the woman pictured on a gorgeous beach. I quickly learned that this book in fact features two islands - a remote rocky one off the coast of Scotland and the Caribbean island of Dominica, which is the main location in the story. The latter is in an area with which I am not familiar, and I looked forward to my visit.

This story centres on Cass, who is at a crossroads in her life and unsure which direction to take, her decision influenced in part by her parents’ wishes and expectations. When her famous photographer father asks her if she will travel to Dominica to take a picture of a petroglyph, she jumps at the chance. It is hoped that a photograph of the petroglyph will help win a competition, the prize money from which can be put to good use on the island. She is to be accompanied on the journey by her father’s friend, Ranulph. Unfortunately, Dominica has just been hit by a hurricane, and things are rather chaotic when the pair arrive. Their time is spent being useful in any way they can in the clear-up operation. Attempts to find and record the petroglyph are hindered by conditions on the island, but also by a rival keen to win the competition himself. During the process, Cass reveals an artistic talent that she has kept hidden thinking her parents would not encourage her to follow this path. She also becomes increasingly infatuated with Ranulph, but is unsure how this older man feels about her.

Although I enjoyed this tale, I can’t say that this would be my favourite book from this author. It was not her usual cosy romance. I found it interesting to learn a bit about Dominica and the effects a hurricane could have on a community like this. I was conflicted by Cass; on one hand she seemed really immature, but then she stepped up and did some really brave things when she was needed. Ranulph was a likeable character, but he didn’t treat Cass very well at times. My favourite characters were the locals the pair met during their time on the island. While I think that fans of Katie Fforde will enjoy this story, I wouldn’t recommend it as typical of her work to those new to her books.

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Guest Review: A Rose Petal Summer by Katie Fforde

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO FALL IN LOVE...

Caro Swanson has taken a job in a remote part of Scotland.

She’s answered an ad in The Lady: being a companion to an elderly gentleman who lives in a country estate could be perfect! Surely it's time to make a change and do something different for a while?

The fact that she may also see Alec, the young man who she met some years previously and who she has always thought of as her ‘one who got away’, is of course purely incidental.

Soon Caro is falling in love - not only with Alec but with the stunning country house she's now living in. But the estate is in financial difficulties, and Caro soon realises there's only one way to rescue it.

So begins a magical romantic summer, one that will take Caro from Scotland to London and the south of France, in search of a classic lost perfume that might just restore all their fortunes.

Review: This latest book from one of my favourite authors is sure to catch the eye, with its fresh, summery cover. I’m sad to say that it sat calling to me from my bookshelf for a few weeks before life calmed down enough for me to give it the attention it deserved. Once I had time to sit down and delve into the story, it had me lost in its pages and all too soon it was finished. Another wonderful story from this great story teller. 

I think that the lovely cover says France to me, and there is a bit of France in the story, but it is set in Scotland, with a little bit of London thrown in. Caro has taken a job as companion to an elderly gentleman who lives in a crumbling but magnificent large house in the Scottish highlands. Caro usually resides in London on a Dutch barge with daughter Posy, but this temporary job seems ideal for her while Posy is off to visit her dad in Australia. When she arrives at the Scottish estate, she finds her accommodation not quite what she expected, and, although the old gentleman is just as described, the rest of the family is much more complicated. She soon becomes involved in all sorts of situations, mainly involving teenager Rowan and her divorced parents; and how did she end up planning a wedding and designing a perfume for a celebrity? Of course, the most difficult circumstance is that Rowan’s father, Alec, is someone who Caro met twenty years ago in Greece; she has never forgotten him, but will he remember her, and will it be with such fondness? 

This is a really engaging and enjoyable story, with its twists and turns and promise of romance for many of the characters. I can definitely recommend it to other readers, whether they have read any of Katie’s previous books or not. The Scottish estate makes a beautiful setting, so well described by the author. Although I love the highlands, I could equally well imagine enjoying living on Caro’s barge; again, I could picture it so well from Katie Fforde’s descriptions. The story is full of interesting characters and dramatic situations. Just as one seems settled another blows up - never a dull moment with this family that Caro has joined. The whole story had me enthralled and always coming back for more.

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