Blog Tour ♡ The Lake House by Christie Barlow

So I don’t often read many adult fiction books, but when I do, I don’t tend to enjoy them as much as I would hope I would. The Lake House is one of those happy exceptions to this situation! I absolutely adored this fantastic little romantic read and can’t wait to hunt down Barlow’s previous books in the series. Let’s get on with the review!

There’s a newcomer to the village of Heartcross and she’s never been more in need of a friend.

As the new manager of local bistro, The Lake House, Ella is ready to start afresh ––and that could mean there’s love on the horizon in the form of the gorgeous Roman, the local water taxi driver. Every day Roman is there to ferry Ella to the restaurant on the other side of the lake and every night he makes sure she gets home safe. But Roman has secrets of his own…

Can the Love Heart Lane community offer Ella a chance of a new life? Or will the ghosts of her past catch up with her?

When I first started reading The Lake House, I had absolutely no idea that the book was part of series, let alone number five in that series! I was so engrossed in the story from cover to cover and loved every second of the story. We follow Emma who escapes to Heartcross for a fresh start – something I think everybody stuck in lockdown right now wishes they could do! The book really fed my need to get away from reality as I dove into the wonderful world of Heartcross.

The plot was sweet and short, but thoroughly developed in its three-hundred page entirety. There was such a strong, realistic community feel that I felt welcomed into the town along with Emma. I felt like I was there, amongst the people and living a life with them. The characters of Emma and Roman, and even the secondary characters we encounter around the story are all so wonderfully written that you can’t help but fall in love with them. Perhaps my favourite character was the eccentric and charming Dolores who earned and deserved her own happily ever after at the end of the story.

The book had a really good pace to it – I didn’t feel the book was moving too slow and at no point did it feel rushed. Everything seemed to unfold in a timely manner which had me gripped to find out what was going to happen next. I wanted to see how the romance progressed as I became invested in Emma and Roman’s romance. Though this book was a little predictable from the beginning, you forget all about that as the story progresses because it is so beautifully written.

I was absolutely stunned by how beautiful the cover is for this book! Had this book been on a shelf in my local bookshelf, I would have felt the need to pick it up because it is so, so pretty! I can’t wait to indulge in the other four books in this series, so hopefully a review for these will be coming very, very soon! Until then, I feel I can go no longer than a five with The Lake House. I just couldn’t fault it!

^{*I was gifted a copy by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I have since purchased a commercial copy on my Amazon Kindle.}

Remember that not everybody will have the same opinion! Something that worked for me might not work for you, and visa versa. The whole internet has an opinion, so check out a few others before you decide to dish or ditch this book!

Elaine @ Splashes Into the Book says “What a great read this is, a real feel-good read.”

Priya @ The Bibliophilic World says “The Lake House is a story that’s going to make you wander away from reality and get swept up in this wonderful fiction story.”

Kraftireader says “Another gorgeous feelgood story oozing with community spirit, friendship, new hope and new beginnings.”

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Christie Barlow is the international bestselling author of twelve romantic comedies including the iconic Love Heart Lane Series, A Home at Honeysuckle Farm and Kitty’s Countryside Dream. She lives in a ramshackle cottage in a quaint village in the heart of Staffordshire with her four children and two dogs.

Her writing career has come as a lovely surprise when Christie decided to write a book to teach her children a valuable life lesson and show them that they are capable of achieving their dreams. Christie’s dream was to become a writer and the book she wrote to prove a point went on to become a #1 international bestseller in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.

When Christie isn’t writing she enjoys playing the piano, is a keen gardener and loves to paint and upcycle furniture.

Christie is an ambassador for the @ZuriProject alongside Patron of the charity, Emmerdale’s Bhasker Patel. They raise money and awareness for communities in Uganda.

Christie loves to hear from her readers and you can get in touch via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Another book down, another review uploaded! Can you name a book you want to know more about but can’t find on my blog? Something stuck on your TBR list? Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. All read requests are acknowledged and appreciated! Until next time guys,