Published By: Little Brown
Pages: 368
Released On: 09/06/2022
When vibrant but penniless Lexie is dumped by her posh boyfriend who is looking for a more financially suitable match, she decides to pack up her beloved orange campervan Penny in search of a new path. Stumbling upon a vacancy at a family-run paint company in the Cotswolds, Lexie believes she’s found her perfect match.
Lexie arrives at Nutgrass Hall, home of Carrington Paints, but it seems that owner Benedict Carrington is less than impressed with her arrival, and Lexie realises she’ll have her work cut out for her if she’s to convince stuffy ”Beige Ben” to trust her with rescuing his out-of-touch business. But Ben has more on his mind than just the company – his mother is determined to find him a suitable wife worthy of carrying the Carrington family name, or she’ll take the business from him.
As Lexie sets to work on injecting some life colour into Carrington Paints, Ben allows himself to be set up with Tewkesbury’s finest ladies. But the more time the pair spend together, the more they realise their feelings for each other aren’t so black and white. Will Lexie be able to brighten into Ben’s colourless world before it’s too late?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This is Anita Faulkner’s debut book and is definitely a good sign for things to come. It grabs you right from the off.
It is cute and heartwarming and really…British. I can’t quite explain what I mean by that, but if you read it, hopefully you’ll feel it too.
I liked all the characters – that’s not to say they were all likeable, but Faulkner has kept them on the right side of over the top and caricature-like. Lexie is realistic and identifiable; Ben is a gorgeous love interest; and his mother is fantastically sneaky, and the supporting cast are a great addition too.
The description of the Cotswolds, London and Morocco were gorgeous, so simple but she’s completely brought them to life, the colours and smells and noises just leap from the page.
It’s a very happy book, a true happily-ever-after story, but it has important messages and themes to think of – money problems, rich/poor divide, love, grief, relationships, controlling behaviour, self belief. It’s an easy read, quick and fun, leaves you with a smile on your face but with real moral thoughts in your head.
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