Leaning more towards what I would call traditional romantic fiction than chick lit, I thought I had the measure of Never Too Late in the first few pages but Alyssia Leon had a few surprises up her sleeve.
It has a rather old fashioned turn of phrase (our heroine, Molly, actually says “cripes” at one point) and a pace that I thought reflected the country village setting – neither of which are bad things, by the way.
Then, just as I’m pootling happily along like a Sunday driver, WHAM! Let’s just say now I see why the description of the book has a “mature content” warning. *fans face with hand*
Here’s the blurb:
On the verge of welcoming her sweetheart home, Molly King is left reeling at the sight of his glamorous new fiancee. Suddenly all her dreams of love are ripped away.
Billionaire Jake Hennessy is running from the media and his past. Love broke him once, and love will never touch him again. Appleby village is the back of beyond but it’s his last hope for escape. That is until Molly comes along and turns his world upside down. Now all he wants is her. A few nights with her.
In the middle of village gossip and scandal, Molly struggles to rebuild her life and pride. But Jake is a danger that threatens to shred her heart to pieces all over again. And he has plans for Barrowdene, her beloved manor house. When he leaves Appleby, Molly and her grandmother will find themselves out on the streets.
Contains mature content. Readers: 18+
The strange thing is, I can’t say that I loved either Molly or Jake but I felt like they behaved in ways that were realistic to their circumstances. What’s more I was compelled to carry on reading their story – had life not got in the way I would have read it in one sitting.
This is the first in the series and I would certainly be interested to read the next.
Format: Kindle (out now).
Price (October 16): £2.49.
My rating: 3.5 stars.
Thank you to Sagewood Publishing (via NetGalley) for the review copy in return for my honest opinion.
After The Rain 