Review: Lovely, engaging, romance with a touch of suspense
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 22, 2012
When Alex returns to Ireland to expand her design business, she isn't expecting to find herself working for her first love, Sebastian. Not only to revamp his business headquarters, but to make over his apartment ready for his new bride-to-be, Caroline. Add in a fourth character bent on vengeance and you have a complex story which weaves romance and suspense into a coherent whole.I love the setting and the characters, the grand Irish country estate, a hard-working executive from a wealthy background, the gamekeepers daughter turned top design whizz whose father has just had a serious accident, a brattish socialite who only knows how to shop, and a mysterious villain. They are almost larger than life and I found it very easy to lose myself in the plot. I could almost imagine myself in Alex's shoes and feel her pain. I wanted to slap Caroline for being such a selfish brat. And I almost fell in love with Sebastian myself.As a bit of a foodie I did pick up one error - if there is chocolate fondant on the menu there is no way they could help themselves to dessert. Chocolate fondant must be served hot, straight out of the oven and the timing of this dish is critical.Maybe the villains were a bit too nasty but they were colourful, and the romance was sweet. A lovely book to curl up with on a cold winter's night, or at the beach.