When your love for drama series bring you to romance in your life

Synopsis

It’s the right time for love, but is it the wrong place?

After the tragic, premature death of her husband Anthony, Martha has spent all her time focused on her teenage daughter Rosie in their small Welsh village.

But with Rosie leaving the nest, and Martha’s own job on the line, it feels that life is passing her by.

Inspired by her love for Scandi-noir dramas, Martha impulsively books a trip to Denmark, determined to push herself out of her comfort zone – even if the thought terrifies her…

Her trip to the tiny island of Fano becomes something much more: in the form of handsome stranger, Lars. Can Martha find love under the Scandinavian skies… but more importantly, can she find herself?

A romantic, warm and uplifting read, guaranteed to leave you smiling. Fans of Jenny Colgan and Kathryn Freeman will adore this feelgood read!

My review

Martha has lost her husband too soon and too unexpected. That made her put all her focus on daughter Rosie. But on top of that, her husband’s death also made sure that Martha doesn’t leave the house if not strictly required. But now that Rosie is not only moving out, but also going to do some volunteering on the other side of the world, and Martha’s job is on the line, Martha realizes that she is not living her life at the fullest.
And after not winning the competition of her favourite Scandinavian drama show, on an impulse, Martha decides to take a trip to Denmark and have a real adventure on her own.
An adventure that not only will make her discover the beauty of Denmark, but also take her on a more romantic adventure with local baker Lars and more important, an adventure of self – discovery.  

I have never been to Denmark myself, but it has always been on my bucket list. And after reading this story, it’s even higher on that list! 

Initially, I pitied Martha. I felt that she was a sad character, and like her friends and colleagues said themselves, she has become a little bit of a martyr.
Her world is really small, as it only involves her daughter and her job at the library. She obviously has friends at the library, but it’s clear that she is not the kind of person that can easily chat to random strangers about the weather. 

However, even if she is a sad character, involuntarily, she is also a funny character. The way she is so invested with her Scandinavian drama series, and even swoon over the ‘murderer’ in it, and even has a smooch with the television, put a smile on my face and the latter made me truly laugh out loud.
She is a loving mother, maybe a little bit too overprotective, but let’s be honest, Rosie isn’t the easiest person either, with her over dramatics and switching moods all the time. 

I felt proud of her when she *finally* decides to go visit Denmark, even after she was certain she would win the contest. And her antics while preparing, or on the flight itself, or after arriving were just so much fun to read about. 

But once in Denmark, we see a whole different Martha, still weird in some moments, yet we see her opening up, truly flourishing. And that was a lovely change to read about.
While reading, I wished I could stay at the lovely cottage with her, surrounded by bunnies and actual deer, although I would be terrified by hearing those sounds in the closet! (there is a logical explanation here, so no worries, this story will not turn into a crime story! 😊)

And when she meets Lars, well that was just the cherry on top of the cake!
I could understand her wariness with Lars, but I was also happy that she allowed herself to just go with the flow, and we’ll see what the future brings. 

I liked how she started out her own blog, to overcome her own grief and trying to help those in her same position.
Although I have to say, I thought that at some points she got a little above herself, thinking that her blog and her meetings would be a great success.
But not only the opposite happened, also she discovered a truth she never saw coming about what happened in the past. And while I enjoyed every bit of reading this book, I felt that the author somehow discarded this event rather quickly. While I understood that this thing was not the main event, I think I would have liked some better closure of it. Now I feel like some unfinished business. 

Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed partaking in this adventure together with Martha. Doing something unexpected can turn out the best thing you did. Because Martha did not only love again, which is very important in life. But even more important, she found her real self again, and turned from a frightened woman into a woman who dares to be adventurous and make changes in her life to find her happiness!