Foxglove Farm

By Christie Barlow

Another great preview read from NetGalley. Thank you to HarperImpulse for allowing me the pleasure to read this.

First off, what a cover! I love a great cover that catches your eye and this certainly does. It belongs up on the romance shelf and it’s only a month or so until it’s published so not long to wait BookLovers.

Well, what a story. I loved every moment. Christie kept me swept up in Isla’s emotions the whole way through. Isla and Drew own Foxglove Farm, inherited from Drew’s father and keeps them both very busy indeed. They have two children, Finn and a fresh three month old, Angus who Isla looks after full time. We are thrown into the story with an argument between Isla and Drew and it looks like their marriage is on the rocks. I feel for Isla, especially being in a similar position to her myself and wanted to envelop her into a massive cuddle, just like her friends do. Barlow takes us through life on the farm and the issues between Isla and Drew. Something is going on, although it takes a fire which hospitalises Drew and his work hand Fergus, to bring everything to a head. And boy does it! So exciting. The fire scene was exhilarating. Loved every moment. And the ending was heart warming and made me beam. I loved that the romance here was a rekindling between a husband and a wife and not a fresh new romance. It proves love does last forever when you have found the right one.

We also get side stories with lots of other characters in HeartCross. Isla’s grandmother turns up and she is a character and a half. Young at heart and full of cheekiness I love her! I wish I had a Gran like her!

Also Felicity and Rona, who own the Teashop, have a side story of their own. I would love to read more about them.

Cleverly weaved together into a heart-warming soul-hugging read I can’t wait for the next one to come out and to visit the HeartCross community again.

Thanks again Booklovers. Let me know what you think of it too x

P.S SPOILER ALERT****

I don’t normally do this but I felt it was important to mention the below as it really struck a chord with me. But it will mess with the story a bit as it’s this reveal that remains hidden and has the reader questioning Drew’s action just like his wife Isla is …

Mental Health still has such a stigma attached to it so it was wonderful to see it discussed so openly in Foxglove Farm. Another moment to bring a tear to your eye Christie Barlow handles the scene brilliantly. We discover, finally tying together a lot of loose ends, that Drew is suffering with depression and thoughts of suicide. Isla shock is real and her automatic support system is something that we can all hope for if we are ever in those circumstances. An honest and heartfelt moment it breaks down the barriers in helping to make men’s mental health just as important as women’s. A particularly moving moment that left me with tears in my eyes but such an important issue nowadays. Being in novels is another step towards normalisation and I applaud the author for doing so. #itsoktonotbeok #mentalhealth #depression