26.4.13

Book Review: The Perfect Retreat by Kate Forster

Two women are in desperate need of the perfect country retreat.
With the most sought after postcode in London, an Oscar on the shelf and a rock star husband, actress Willow Carruthers seems to have it all. But appearances can be deceiving.
Kitty Middlehurst, nanny to Willow's three children, is used to discreetly making things happen. But a life changing secret forces her to rethink her position.
When Willow suddenly falls from grace, Kitty offers her and the children the perfect place to hide- Middlemist Manor, the crumbling ancestral home of Kitty and her reclusive brother, Merritt.
As both women leave the trouble of their London lives behind for the tranquility of country living, their problems begin to disperse. That is, until Merritt returns home unannounced...
I  missed Kate Forster's first book which I highly regret after having read The Perfect Retreat. It is such a good read, I'm so excited to have found a new author whose books I know I will enjoy.
Willow Carruthers looks as though she has it all, the perfect home and children, an Oscar on the mantlepiece and a rock star husband lusted after by women world wide. However, it all comes crashing down and Willow needs to hide. Kitty is Willow's nanny an she offers her the use of Middlemist Manor, the crumblin
g country estate left to her and her brother Merritt. Willow jumps at the chance to get away and Middlemist is perfect. Merritt returns while she is there which makes Willow questions everything, does she want her old life back or is there something better out there?
Kitty has to face up to her past by returning to Middlemist. She knows she has been running away but she has a huge secret which she can't bear to share with anyone. Yet she sees Willow making changes and begins to think that she should be doing the same but she has no idea where to begin.
The characters really made this book. Willow and Kitty are both extremely likable but they are far from perfect which obviously makes them very interesting. Willow's children Poppy, Lucien and Jinty are adorable and Poppy in particular brings a lot of humour to the story.
Kate Forster's writing style appears effortless; she packs so much into each chapter; I  just couldn't stop reading.
The Perfect Retreat is an entertaining, romantic and page-turning read, I highly recommend Kate Forster as an author.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to the lovely people at Harper Collins for sending me a review copy, The Perfect Retreat is out now!

5 comments:

Kim said...

Sounds right up my street, Dot. Thanks for the review, I will look out for Kate Forster now.

Jo said...

This sounds good. I am sure I have seen it advertised on kindle. Off to investigate.

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

Not one I've heard of, but sounds good :)

Dot said...

Kim- I think you'd really enjoy her books!

Jo- I think it's only 99p on the kindle, bargain!

Nikki-ann- It was a very enjoyable read!

One More Page said...

This sounds great - I think I'll take it on holiday with me at the end of the month :)

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