I’m so delighted today to be joining the blog tour for the latest book from Jane Lovering, The Start of the Story, and sharing my review. Published on 17th September by Boldwood Books, it’s now available as an ebook (free via Kindle Unlimited), as an audiobook, and also in paperback. My thanks, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading copy (provided via netgalley).
Yes, another book from Jane – her books are always on my “must read” list – and I was so looking forward to meeting another set of her unforgettable and well-drawn characters, shedding a few tears, plenty of laughter, discovering another of her really original and intriguing stories, and enjoying her writing as much as I always do. Last year, The Recipe for Happiness (now free via Prime reading) made my 2023 Books of the Year list (there’s always one of Jane’s in there…!), but it could just as easily have been the wonderful There’s No Place Like Home (this one’s free via Kindle Unlimited – you’ll find my review here). Earlier this year I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Orkney with The Island Cottage – a romance I really believed in, a wonderful setting and a touch of real magic (you’ll find my review here – and this one’s free with Prime reading too…). One of a Kind was something a little different – although I could say that about all her books – edging into thriller territory, but with plenty of laughs along the way, and a developing relationship between Cress and Ivo, fraught with issues and challenges, which the publishers rightly called “utterly beautiful” (you’ll find my review here).
Let’s take a closer look at her latest…
Rowan Thorpe can be forgiven for living with one foot in the past.
Since having to say goodbye far too young to the future she had planned, moving on still feels a daunting task. So, when historian Connor O’Keefe strides purposefully into her office and life, looking far too handsome for his own good and threatening to undermine the local legends she holds close to her heart, she is more than a little unsettled.
Connor has a past too, and his own reasons to keep his heart under wraps. But when a combination of fate and an unexpected snowstorm mean that Rowan and Connor have all the time in the world to swap stories, it may finally be time for an end and a new beginning.
I’ve read enough of the author’s books to know that that this one was never going to be the grumpy-meets-sunshine – with the usual roles rather cleverly reversed – or enemies-to-lovers story it appeared to be from its beginning. It was so much more than that, with two very sympathetic individuals grappling with the complexities of life and their emotional impact, and finding a particular depth of connection – and I have to say that I think it might be the best book she’s ever written.
Dr Rowan Thorpe has moved beyond her historical education, having become a folklore expert, gathering first person accounts of the myths and fables prevalent within her North Yorkshire community, especially those connected with the remote and isolated Fairy Stane. To put it mildly, her personality can be a touch abrasive – although she rubs along fairly well with scatty assistant Chess, jumping through the necessary hoops when she must to ensure they keep both their funding and small office.
The arrival of Professor Connor O’Keefe – a rather charming historian from Ireland – rather upsets their routine, and things only get worse when he declares an interest in lifting the Stane while investigating the possible existence of a significant Roman settlement. As well as being central to her work, the site has a particular personal significance in Rowan’s life – slowly revealed as the story unfolds – and she’s determined he won’t get his way. And then, just to make things even worse, she reluctantly finds herself agreeing to him staying in the spare room of her cottage on the moors – very much her personal sanctuary – so he can be closer to the area he’s investigating.
At first, things are excruciatingly awkward – but their relationship slowly warms a little (so long as he keeps away from the precious Stane…) as they debate the relationship between history and folklore, and open up about the heartbreak in their past lives. And that’s where I must stop myself revealing the whole story – but we do find that Rowan is grappling with paralysing grief on a number of levels, handled so perfectly by the author that it entirely broke my heart. Trapped in the cottage over Christmas by a snowstorm, she unexpectedly finds Connor the most sympathetic of listeners as she shares personal secrets long hidden – and discovers that he has his own emotional reasons for welcoming the opportunity to try to distance himself from his homeland, only to find that problems seem to have a way of following you.
This was a tremendously emotional read – the issues of both past and present, the enduring nature of grief – but the warmth of the developing relationship gradually brought a glimmer of hope for a happier future. And, of course, it’s far from doom and gloom throughout – there’s plenty of humour with those wonderful one-liners (life in the snowbound cottage – Hallmark or Stephen King?), the incongruous situations (the kerfuffle during the power cut was just so funny… ), the ducks demanding breakfast outside the window (loved them…), and those exchanges when the sparks certainly flew but that also often had me laughing out loud (I must say though, often followed by a moment of such poignancy that I was in tears again…!).
With characters in whom I became so deeply invested, such a vividly drawn setting – very much woven into the fabric of the story – and a really intriguing (and particularly touching) historical thread, this really was quite wonderful writing. And as for the romance – well, that was something particularly special. Such an emotionally engaging read – and one I really couldn’t recommend more highly.
About the author
Jane Lovering is a bestselling and multi-award winning romantic comedy writer. Most recently Jane won the RNA Contemporary Romance Novel Award in 2023 with A Cottage Full of Secrets. She lives in Yorkshire and has a cat and a bonkers terrier, as well as five children who have now left home.
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Couldn’t agree more. It’s beautiful!
Fabulous review Anne. Such a wonderful book.