Rambling About.. Katie Fforde's Summer of Love

I've been meaning to read something of Katie Fforde's for a while now. It's been on my "to-do list" ever since I fell back into the chick lit spell in December. She has so many books that all look so wonderful, though, that I hadn't been able to decide where to start.

Bookouture to the rescue!

I received my copy of Fforde's Summer of Love for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture. It was originally published in 2011, but Bookouture is re-releasing it digitally on July 8! Of course, as always, the freeness of the book has absolutely no bearing on my review -- only the fact that it exists. If it hadn't popped up on NetGalley I would likely still just be playing "eeny-meeny-minie-mo" with her bibliography in hopes of finally picking one to read! Now I just have to play it in order to decide which one to read next.

It's a lovely book even though I found myself more interested in the story of the main character's neighbor than in the main character herself. Fiona is worth five stars and then some! Of course, fifteen years ago when I was a mid-20-something Fiona probably would have seemed like a cute aside to me and Sian would have been the more relatable one. As it is, I kept hoping for more of Fiona's escapades and wanted to shake Sian and tell her to grow up. Luckily, though, their two stories overlap heavily so I never had to go very many pages without my Fiona fix.

Amazon Description (2011):
Sian Bishop has only ever experienced one moment of recklessness - a moment that resulted in her beloved son Rory. It's not that she doesn't love the outcome of that wild night, but since then she has always taken the safer route. So when dependable, devoted Richard suggests a move to the beautiful English countryside, she leaves the hustle and bustle of the city behind, and she throws herself into the picture-postcard cottage garden, her furniture restoration business, and a new life in the country. Her good intentions are torpedoed on a glorious summer's evening with the arrival of Gus Berresford. One-time explorer and full-time heartbreaker, Gus is ridiculously exciting, wonderfully glamorous and a completely inappropriate love interest for a single mum. But Gus and Sian have met before...Sian has no use for a fling, she simply mustn't fall in love with the most unlikely suitor ever to cross her path - even if he has now crossed her path twice. But who knows what can happen in a summer of love...

Amazon Description (2016):
Sian Bishop has left the hustle and bustle of the city to throw herself into an idyllic new life in a charming countryside cottage. 
With her young son, her picture-postcard garden and her furniture restoration business, she's very happy and very busy. She is not - repeat not - looking for love. 
But Sian’s good intentions are torpedoed one glorious summer’s evening with the arrival of Gus Berresford. One-time explorer and full-time heartbreaker, Gus is ridiculously exciting, wonderfully glamorous and a completely inappropriate love interest for a single mother. 
But she and Gus have met before. And, despite Sian's best intentions, it isn't long before she's falling for him all over again ... 

First Lines:
'Er, hello!'
Sian put down her fork and looked over the garden wall. A woman was smiling at her, holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a jam jar full of flowers in the other.

Favorites on 4s:
4% - 'I've trained myself to believe that shop cake isn't worth getting fat for, but I'm not sure I believe it.'
24% - 'I'm possessive about some things, but not about plaything I discarded years ago.' He became serious suddenly. 'I do hope you don't think I discarded you. I never would have done that.'
64% - 'I can be positively daunting if I put my mind to it!'
           'And if you don't, your positively adorable.'
74% - She didn't want to be who she had been. That woman was foolish, romantic and idealistic. Now she wanted to be a bit more pragmatic and sensible.
94% - 'Hmm, well, I suppose if she didn't tell you, I can't blame you for not knowing.'