When doing a favour for a friend changes everything for you

Synopsis

 if your best friend wanted your new life too?

Sammy Jenkins only comes to Brambleton because her best friend Chloe needs a favour. Again. 

One shift serving canapés at a North Devon country mansion. Then it’s back to mounting bills and a life that’s going nowhere. Except the owner of the estate sees something in her.

Suddenly, Sammy is being offered a full-time job as housekeeper, complete with a cottage of her own. It’s more than she ever dreamed of, even if Chloe thinks it should all have been hers.

But settling into life at Brambleton Hall isn’t easy. Magnus, the butler, demands perfection. And Nate, the handsome, reserved gardener, gives nothing away. Somehow, though, Sammy is making it work. She has a home that’s just for her, a job she’s good at and Nate might not be quite as distant as he first seemed.

Then Chloe comes to stay.

And while Sammy understands the rules that keep Brambleton Hall running smoothly, Chloe doesn’t see why any should apply to her…

My review

Once again Sammy Jenkins finds herself doing a favour for her best friend Chloe. But what is one shift serving at an actual country mansion? What Sammy didn’t expect is that after a canine incident the owner of the estate sees something in her and suddenly Sammy has a full – time job as a housekeeper, on probation though, with her own cottage where she can reside. Sammy is filled with courage but also quickly learns that the job of a housekeeper cannot be underestimated, and Magnus the butler for sure makes sure Sammy understand the responsibilities. Sammy also finds it difficult to connect with not  only Magnus, but also with gardener Nate, who is handsome yet very reserved. However, somehow Sammy starts to find her feet at Brambleton Hall, and things for sure start to look good, and even with Nate a bond is being made. And then Chloe appears, risking to jeopardize everything Sammy has slowly been building on her own…

Having read several books of this author, I was very curious to read what adventures Sammy would have.

At the start, I have to admit that I found Sammy perhaps a little bit of a doormat. Because it is obvious that even if Chloe is her best friend, Chloe takes advantage of Sammy’s kind heart. Of course as an outsider it easy to say that Sammy perhaps should grow a pair. But I also know how difficult it can be to refuse someone, especially someone like your best friend who has been there for years. As a former people – pleaser myself, I recognized the struggle Sammy had in that aspect.

But of course, if Sammy weren’t Sammy, she wouldn’t end up with a brand new job after one shift at Brambleton Hall. And then we wouldn’t have this book, would we 😊.

Now, I have to admit again, it was a bit strange how Sammy is able to get the offer for a job as housekeeper, after one evening only. Okay, yes, I could understand how she saved the evening when there is a dog with the super funny name Stop It on the loose. And again, it works for the story 😊.

It is clear from the moment that Sammy starts, that she truly underestimated what the job would truly entail and the responsibilities that come with the job. But also how strict things are, how things must be done and no other way.

While Mr. Magnus, the butler, may seem to ‘reign’ with a strict hand (which is also needed in a place like Brambleton Hall), he is also very patient with Sammy, and even if he doesn’t show it, he believes that Sammy will manage it all.

Talking about Mr. Magnus, his eyebrows – language is hilarious! And I found it also funny how Sammy with time learns to interpret what each raise means, and what each short word that Magnus says, truly means.

And it was just so lovely to see how Sammy, even with some ups and downs, starts to feel at home, that she has found a place where she truly belongs. And it was just great to see that no matter how distant and cold some of her ‘colleagues’  may appear, Sammy is able by just being her, everyone around her starts to soften, even Nate who has been trying to keep his distance.

Yes, Nate could or could not be Sammy’s love interest in this book. But for me, this book is more about the growth Sammy goes through and not about romantic feelings between her and Nate.

Because there is no doubt that Sammy grows and matures a lot in this book.

We see her not only learning to do the task that the job requires, but she also becomes more confident in her actions. She understands what she is doing and the importance of it. Even if maybe there is someone sabotaging her progress?

And then Chloe appears… a moment I was dreading myself, because I already did not have the greatest opinion of her…

I truly got angry during her stay, because not only does it seems that Chloe drags Sammy down, Chloe does not understand that Sammy loves her job. But also Chloe does absolutely not respect the boundaries set by Sammy and Magnus. If I were Sammy, I honestly would have kicked her out after the first strike.

Perhaps here is where Sammy’s most important growth comes, because while she truly loves Chloe as a sister, she has to stop helping Chloe out. Because you can help someone once, but it is wrong when that person relies on the fact that you will help every time.

Again, easier said than done of course, but Sammy has to learn to draw the line at some point, because as we see in the story, and several times already, it is Sammy that has  paid or has to pay the price for Chloe’s recklessness…

I found this a wonderful story to read, because like I said before, we truly see the growth that Sammy goes through. We see how it is possible to find your place and your home in an unexpected place, in an unexpected way. And in an inspiring way, we see how Sammy learns to stand up for herself, how she becomes more confident. But she also never loses the essence that makes her Sammy. She grows, changes even a little bit, but she remains always Sammy.

I have read now several books of this series, that can perfectly read as a standalone. But because of Sammy and her growth, her new life she creates at Brambleton Hall, this may be my favourite one!