Review: Enjoyed every moment of this book
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 8, 2014
I so enjoyed this book!! What a lovely read. Cricket is the perfect book for after something heavier; but, that’s not to say that it’s fluff. Far from it. There is plenty of substance here.We have Henry Richardson, who has obviously had a rough go of it recently in New York; so, when the opportunity arises to go to England to oversee his great-grandmother’s estate, he jumps. The village of Cheddar is quaint, friendly, and seems to be just what Henry needs. While trying to find his way, he becomes close to a few of the locals. Though it takes him time to figure out those friendships… I loved this bit:“When they laughed, with him, he was pretty sure, not at him, he felt a sudden rush of affectionfor these people. They were probably his friends. That was a good thing.”Then we have Ryan Burgess, Cheddar native, and local farmer. He and his sister, Stella, who owns the pub in town, are basically in business together, and both take a liking to Henry. Just how much Ryan likes Henry becomes the issue they need to work through.This story could be classified by some as GFY, but I think the author cleverly steers away from that by giving us just the right amount of background on Ryan. He certainly has never been with a man before, which both excites and terrifies Henry. The way that Anna Martin writes their relationship is perfect really. They must move slowly – painstakingly so at times – but, it never becomes tedious, or feels like you wish it would happen faster. It is actually very refreshing, and makes the reader love them even more as things progress.I enjoyed every moment, and every character in Cricket. And, speaking of Cricket…though it isn’t actually a major part of the storyline, it is a nice backdrop, and a nice bit of glue for cementing some of the relationships. Henry needs to understand more about the guys on the team, and local customs, and it is somewhat of a catalyst in making Ryan more comfortable with his growing feelings for Henry.This was not my first Anna Martin book. I also read and adored Tattoos & Teacups, and Tattoos & Tinsel. But, it was certainly another fantastic reason for us all too closely follow her work! If you love beautifully developed characters, wonderfully descriptive writing, and lots of fun Britishisms, you need to get on board!