To do what must to protect what and whom we love

Synopsis

You can’t always judge a book by its cover…

When Emily Oak discovers that her boyfriend, Cole, is cheating on her, she hightails it back to the family farm in Glynafon on the beautiful Welsh Coast.

Wondering what to do with her life, she is shocked and delighted to learn that a little black book bequeathed to her by her godmother could be worth a fortune. However, there is one small problem – she has left the book in her cheating ex’s attic!

Scared to ask him for it in case he realises just how much the book is worth, Emily hatches a plan to retrieve it. And when Macsen, a guy she once had an enormous crush on, offers to help, she eagerly accepts.

However, Macsen is far too handsome for his own good, and she is dismayed when her old feelings for him begin to resurface, especially since he has a reputation for playing the field.

Will Emily’s fragile newly-mended heart be able to resist his charms, or will she become yet another number in Macsen’s own little black book of romantic conquests?

Fans of Phoebe MacLeod, Jo Watson and Mhairi McFarlane will be swept off their feet by this cozy, friends to lovers romance.

My review

Emily Oak discovering that her boyfriend is cheating on her, made her escape back to her parents on the family farm in Glynafon.
Back home, Emily now has the time and space to think what to do with her life. And while she absolutely isn’t made for farm life, hearing the struggles her parents are having, she cannot leave her parents with all their worries.
So when Emily hears that a little black book she inherited from her godmother may be worth a lot, it could be the perfection answer to her prayers. If only Emily hadn’t left the book in her ex’s attic!
Luckily she can count on her old friend Macsen for help, as he is wiling to join her on her quest.
Macsen, a guy that Emily once had a crush on, but also has a certain reputation. Yet he proves to be a much better friend than expected. And old feelings starts to resurface. But can Emily trust someone that quickly after her previous relationship? And what about the rumours about Macsen’s conquests? 

Ooh how much I enjoyed reading this book! I have to say though, when I stumble upon a book from a writer that I already know, I don’t bother reading the blurb. I just dive in straightaway! So of course, with a title like that, I had a completely different kind of story in mind!
But even if the story was not what I thought it would be, I absolutely loved it! 

As a younger woman, Emily couldn’t wait to get away from Glynafon. Not that the place was a bad place to live your life, but because of the opportunities she could have elsewhere. And while I am a woman that sticks to her roots herself, I could understand Emily’s need to just leave.
And yes, she absolutely has lived the life, has a career, has wonderful friends and has a dedicated (or at least she thinks so) boyfriend. 

But no matter what, in the end, in time of needs, home will always be home. And her going back was the most logical thing to do. 

I am not going to waste many words on Cole, the cheating b*st*rd, but damn, he for sure is a piece of work. Not only does he even dare to cheat on lovely Emily, he even dares to make his friends lie for him! 

In many books we see the main character going back home, finds rather easily what to do next with her life, stumbles upon a new love interest and lives happily ever after. Oh yes, let’s not forget about the typical second act.
And while many of the above doe actually happen in this beautiful book, for Emily things don’t go as straightforward. 

Because while Emily does know that she doesn’t want to stay in Glynafon and have the farm life, she doesn’t know what she does. And it takes a rather long while for her to discover that.
But what we do see is a young woman seeing where she is needed, and does what must be done, even if it isn’t what she truly wants.
Her parents have made many sacrifices in their lives, always worked hard, and so Emily sees it as her duty to reverse the roles now.
But she doesn’t only do it out of duty, but also out of love for her parents.  

Of course the love interest is who we expect to be, no big surprise there. But there are a few nice tricks of the author, showing us not only to not just trust rumours, but to listen to the person. And also that sometimes friends aren’t always the real kind of friends and can be playing you for their own interest. 

I must say, Macsen for sure was a great character to get to know! He has a certain reputation, but the more I got to know him, the more I saw the real Macsen and not what people tell about him.
He is an amazing friend, always helping Emily out whenever he can, however he can. He is also the kind of friend who brings new ideas, making the right suggestions at the right time. 

But what I loved the most, was the friendly bickering and bantering between Emily and Macsen. Even if they just rekindled their friendship, they are already at a level where they can tease each other endlessly! I had so many laughs over their little ‘fights’, I could just picture those scenes in my mind.
And the fact that they treasure their friendship, and that the romance is a slow burning one, only adds to the me loving this story! The love they have for each other truly warmed my heart. And I am talking about any kind of love there is between them. Because the friend – kind of love is just as important as the love – love kind of love (if you get what I mean…)  

This was once again a great story from an author that I just adore. We see characters thinking more about their loved ones and not about themselves. We see how real friends can support each other. We see how wrong visions about someone else ca be. And we see how broken hearts can heal, even in a short time span, by meeting the right person, who understands you better than anyone else.  

Liz Davies once again showed us that she has a talent by writing a story that may seem like thirteen in a dozen, but absolutely isn’t!