Book Review: Heading Home To Lavender Cottage by Alison Sherlock

I am so excited to be welcoming Alison Sherlock back to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Heading Home to Lavender Cottage.

With nowhere else to go, Harriet Colgan has returned to the sleepy village of Cranfield to sell her beloved aunt and uncle’s cottage, the only place she ever called home.

When she arrives at Lavender Cottage, Harriet discovers plans to replace the beautiful lavender fields, her uncle’s pride and joy, with an industrial warehouse.

With time on her hands, she realises she must fight to protect her family’s legacy and the village of Cranfield as well.

Workaholic businessman Joe Randall was expecting an easy purchase of the lavender fields. But suddenly his quiet life is disrupted by protests from angry locals, organised by Harriet.

Can Harriet show Joe that there’s more to life than just business? And can Joe change his mind and help Harriet save the lavender fields?

Over a long, hot summer, and with the help of a stray dog, perhaps Harriet and Joe can find their way home too.

*****

Having had to close her beauty salon in an expensive part of London, Harriet just wants to get back to Cranfield and Lavender Cottage, left to her by her late Aunt and Uncle.

Faced with having to sell the only place she’s ever called home, Harriet is struggling to stay positive. Can she and the community come together to bring the village back to life or will visitor Joe Randall ruin everything?

I have become such a fan of Alison Sherlock’s books. There is such a warmth about them. Heading Home to Lavender Cottage is the start of a new series and I couldn’t wait to get started.

First, the cover – just stunning.

I got completely enveloped into this story from the first chapter. Harriet, despite going through a tough time remains positive, has a lovely sprit and keeps trying to move forward and I felt like I wanted to give her a hug. As a character, she’s had so much loss and I wanted something to go right for her.

Joe reminded me a lot of Edward in Pretty Woman. He’s a man who has been part of a business he has no heart in anymore and wants to improve himself and his actions. I liked him.

The supporting cast were also brilliant. Everyone needs Flora and Libby in their lives.

The setting sounded wonderful and I could smell that lavender. I wanted to visit. It was also good to see Cranbridge be featured too. It made the story both different and yet familiar if that makes sense.

There is a big thread of hope running through this book as well as warmth, humour and love.

If you’re looking for a read that will make you feel like it’s summer outside, this book is perfect. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next in the series.

About Alison Sherlock: 

Alison Sherlock is the author of the bestselling Willow Tree Hall books.

Alison enjoyed reading and writing stories from an early age and gave up office life to follow her dream.

Her series for Boldwood is set in a fictional Cotswold village.

Say hello to Alison via Facebook, Twitter and Bookbub. Click here to sign up to Alison’s newsletter. 

Heading Back to Lavender Cottage is the first in a brand new series by Alison Sherlock. It was released on 9th January 2023 by Boldwood Books. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.