Series Name: The Railway Lane, # 3
He couldn’t help by smile at her. She looked so delightfully indignant, standing there with her long dark hair plastered against her creamy skin. She looked like a beautiful but extremely angry water nymph.
Sunrise Over Strawberry Hill Farm is a charming romance that is sure to fill your heart with joy.
She drives a tractor. He arrives in a red Ferrari. What could possibly go wrong?
Flora Barton is desperate to save her family home Strawberry Hill Farm. She only needs one thing – a great business idea to keep the farm afloat!
So, when Nico Rossi arrives from Italy with a crazy plan to save the farm, Flora should be overjoyed. The trouble is the Rossi men are infamous playboys and sensible Flora doesn’t trust impetuous Nico at all.
Nico has been trying to escape the famous Rossi surname his whole life. Arriving in sleepy Cranfield after recently losing his beloved grandfather and family vineyard, he has no intention of staying on any longer than necessary. But he soon realises how desperate the situation is and throws caution to the wind to help turn the farm into a Glamping site.
Can Flora realise her dreams to keep the farm safe for the future and can Nico ever stop running from his past?
As they try to save Strawberry Hill Farm, secrets are revealed and just maybe they’ll discover why opposites attract…
I’ve been excited to read Flora’s story after meeting her and her delightful grandmother, aka Grams, in the first book in this series. Flora and Grams own a farm that has been struggling for years because of more extreme weather patterns, resulting in their fields being bogged down with excessive rain. At the beginning of this book, we learn that the farm is on its last leg, and if Flora and Grams don’t think of a way to generate an income, they will lose their beloved family farm. In comes Nico, a gorgeous Italian whose grandfather has been good friends with Grams for many years. Nico comes up with a plan to save the farm and turn it into a glamping campsite. He will help Flora get the farm’s new venture off its feet before returning to Italy, but Flora and Nico don’t anticipate the growing attraction they feel for one another.
This story has all the charm and heart I’ve come to expect from an Alison Sherlock book. It is the third book in the Railway Lane series, but it does read like a stand-alone. Alison does an amazing job at bringing her readers up to speed. I also love the fact that she includes some of her characters and places from her Riverside Lane series. I always know that excitement, or should I say disaster, is nearby whenever Dodgy Del makes an appearance in a book. I love that bumbling man. The book’s first part is a bit slower as we learn more about Nico and Flora’s background, but the pace starts to pick up once they start renovating the farm. The setting is breathtaking, and Alison’s descriptions of Flora’s farm are lush and vivid. I also enjoy spending time in Railway Lane. It just gives off those quintessential English village vibes. I loved how Alison incorporated that small-town element into her story. You get those quirky and fun characters, a strong sense of community, and coming together when someone needs help. The community rallies around Flora and Grams and lends those helping hands to help save their family farm. I need to give a shoutout to Grams. She is delightful, and I want to be like her when I’m in my eighties. She is so full of life and spunk, adding charm to this story.
I loved Flora, and my heart always went out to her in the other books because it was so oblivious that she struggled to keep her farm afloat. Anything that could go wrong does; sometimes it’s because of Mother Nature, and sometimes it’s because of Dodgy Del, who is trying to be helpful. I was excited to see where her story would take her, and I am happy to say I wasn’t disappointed. At the beginning of this book, Flora’s life feels like it’s all work and no play. She takes her responsibilities for the farm and her family very seriously, which has caused her to give up her passion for art and doing anything fun and spontaneous. Flora feels like she’s stuck and that the walls are closing in on her. Flora’s growth is slow but steady, and I loved watching her embrace her passion for art again and learn to take chances with her heart. She is a good person, and you just can’t help but want good things for her.
Everyone thinks that Nico is this Italian playboy because of the lifestyle his famous father leads. Nico feels this real sense of frustration because everyone judges him before they get to know him. Something Flora is guilty of at the beginning of this book. I loved Nico. He can be a real charmer at times, but a sweet charmer. There is this kindness to him that just warms your heart. I loved watching Nico free himself of those shackles that came from his father’s bad reputation.
The love story in this book is a sweet, slow-burn romance. This book has many fabulous tropes, such as one-sided enemies to lovers, one-bed, opposites attract, slow burn, and unconventional workplace romance. Flora does not like Nico for the first part of this book. She thinks that he is this Italian playboy who has no idea what it’s like to be responsible for something. In her mind, he is public enemy number one. She doesn’t understand why he wants to help her family out. She just does not like him. Nico is smitten with Flora right from the beginning, but he doesn’t know how to handle all the hostility Flora is showing him. But of course, we all know that as these two spend more time together fixing up the farm, those misunderstandings clear up and romantic feelings start to develop. I really like these two together. They balance each other out and bring out the best in each other. I loved those quiet moments when they would talk to each other, and Lord, Alison had me turning the page just to see if they would finally kiss.
Sunrise Over Strawberry Hill Farm is an enchanting story filled with delightful characters and a HEA that will surely put a smile on your face.
Thank you, Boldwood Books and Rachel Random Resources, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
