Amber is a city girl at heart. So when her boyfriend Jake Somerville suggests they move to the countryside to help out at his family farm, she doesn’t quite know how to react. But work has been hectic and she needs a break so she decides to grasp the opportunity and make the best of it.

Dreaming of organic orchards, paddling in streams and frolicking in fields, Amber packs up her things and moves to Skylark Farm. But life is not quite how she imagined – it’s cold and dirty and the farm buildings are dilapidated and crumbling.

But Amber is determined to make the best of it and throws herself into farm life. But can she really fit in here? And can she and Jake stay together when they are so different?

Amber loved her high-flying career in the city as a corporate events coordinator. She is a city girl through and through, so when boyfriend Jake is needed at Skylark Farm to help his ailing Auntie Annie, Amber is left in a dilemma. Does she follow him to the countryside or risk losing him?

Her decision is made doubly hard when her boss offers her the management position at the companies’ new office, in Dubai. With Amber unsure of what to do, her boss decides to let her take six months off (unpaid) to think about the offer. So Amber sets off to live with Jake at Skylark Farm, and promises to get in touch in six months.

But will Amber and the countryside get along, and what will happen when an unwelcome villager makes an appearance?

Amber is an exceptionally pragmatic young woman with a very clever head on her shoulders. She is dedicated to her job, but she loves Jake more. So after some careful thinking she leaves the city with her Country Life magazines safely tucked in her bag, her designer wellies on, and heads off to be with Jake.

I was surprised at how easily Amber fitted in to the country lifestyle, (except for the kettle v’s hand incident!), and how quickly the villagers took to her as they seemed to welcome her with open arms.

In her first day she makes friends with Harriet and Jess, two laugh out loud characters, who bounce off one another, and warmed up every page they are on. I loved these two, but I especially loved them when they were together.

When the wicked witch of the west, okay Jake’s ex-partner strolls in to town, it was nice to see Amber be able to hold her own against the woman, who may not be all that she seems to be.

Jake on the other hand is a bit reserved, and it seems to take effort for him to have fun. He’s hard working and sexy, but he’s also hiding secrets from Amber, which seeing as the woman has given up everything for him, he’s out of order not coming clean about his problems, and his past.

One nice touch that Heidi incorporated into the story were characters from her first book, ‘The Cherry Tree Café’, especially the café owners Lizzie and Jemma. It was nice to see them again, as I loved the first book.

The book shows that life in the country isn’t as idyllic as some may think it is. It’s hard work and everyone must rally round to help one another. I was so proud that Amber and Annie stood their ground when it came to the Village Fair, and how well the two women got along.

But when the six months is up, will Amber have found her dream life with Jake, or will she be back up to her neck in business deals, this time in Dubai? Well give this book a try and you can find out for yourself.

Summer at Skylark Farm is a must read for the summertime. It is a fantastic book that you can just get lost in, and see those hours fly by.

Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted briefly with a newspaper career, married and had two children before she finally plucked up the courage to join a creative writing class and take her literary ambitions seriously.

A lover of Galaxy bars, vintage paraphernalia and the odd bottle of fizz, she now writes contemporary fiction and enjoys the company of a whole host of feisty female characters.

Heidi can be found at the keyboard at all hours of the day and night and quite often scribbling longhand in her car during her lunch break. She lives in stunning south Norfolk with her wonderful husband, son and daughter and a mischievous cat called Storm.

Author Links

www.heidiswain.blogspot.co.uk
@Heidi_Swain
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