Review by Ronny


Series Name: Pennycress Inn, # 2
Falling in Love at Pennycress Inn is a sweet and heartfelt grumpy sunshine romance that I absolutely adored.
Favourite Quote:
Nicola looked up and met those piercing blue eyes which less than half an hour ago had flashed with annoyance at her and yet were now filled with something else.
Book Synopsis:
Nicola grew up at Pennycress Inn, in the beautiful Cotswold village of Meadowfield, and now she’s come full circle by landing a job there. After a difficult few months, she’s happy to be back in the place she loves and calls home.
The whole village is looking forward to the annual summer carnival, and Nicola is charged with asking the local farmers to lend their tractors and trailers for the occasion. It’s an easy task – until she meets the new owner of Little Mead Farm, who stubbornly refuses to help.
On sabbatical from his City job for the summer, Charlie wants to do up his late uncle’s farm and put it on the market as soon as possible. The place might have been in his family for generations but country life is simply not for him. He has no time for whatever the villagers are up to.
When Nicola and Charlie meet, sparks fly – and unexpected feelings grow. Soon there’s more at stake in Meadowfield than the success of the carnival. But whatever happens between them, this is just a summer romance… isn’t it?
A gorgeously romantic and feelgood summer read set in the Cotswolds – it’ll definitely put a smile on your face
Review:
I love a charming small-town English romance, and this book was everything I hoped it would be. This is the second book in the Pennycress Inn series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. In this book, we spend more time with Nicola, whom we met in the first book. Her long-time boyfriend has broken up with her, which is probably a blessing, as he can be a bit of an ass. However, Nicola loves her job working at the Pennycress Inn and has a great group of close friends. I thoroughly enjoyed Nicola’s story. It really had everything I wanted in small-town romance: meddling friends and townspeople, quirky town drama, the heroine disrupting any carefully laid plans the hero has, and one demanding cat.
Sarah does a wonderful job of hooking readers and keeping them entertained throughout. I loved just watching everything unfold and was curious to see how Nicola and Charlie would get their HEA. There were some laugh-out-loud moments, usually involving Nicola’s cat, who instantly adores Charlie, which is a micro-trope that I just love. I can instantly tell that Sarah knows her romances because she includes so many wonderful tropes and perfect rom-com moments that make for one swoony reading experience. You have that pesky ex who just keeps popping up; you have the heroine finding herself in a tricky situation and a grumpy hero who just wants to be left alone. This book was such a fun, light, and fluffy read. But it’s just not all fluff; these characters are dealing with real-life issues. Nicola is feeling adrift and not too sure what her next steps are in her personal life; Charlie is dealing with the grief of losing a family member and having to make a big decision about what to do with the family farm. The townspeople are quirky, but are also going through things, and it was great watching the community come and support each other in their time of need.
The romance is sweet and lovely. It’s a closed-door romance, which I loved. Don’t get me wrong, I love my spice, but there are times when this bookworm wants to read something that stirs those romance butterflies in her stomach without clothes flying off the MCs. Nicola and Charlie don’t get off on the right foot. Nicola thinks Charlie is a grumpy man who has no sense of community. Charlie thinks Nicola is just another townsperson looking to meddle in his business. I liked this dislike to lovers’ love story. That fiery, sharp banter between the two MCs is like catnip for my soul. I also love this trope because I love watching that dislike turn into something else. I enjoyed Nicola and Charlie’s romance. There is this ticking time bomb to their relationship because Charlie is set on selling the farm because he loves his life in London and doesn’t want to give it up. The question becomes whether they can have a successful long-distance relationship or, in the end, who will be the one to move?
Falling in Love at Pennycress Inn is a charming and fun romance that is so easy to love.
Thank you, Boldwood Books and Rachel Random Resources for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.