Good beach read!

**Spoilers**

I listened to this book while I was driving to and from work. However, as I got about a little over half-way I had to know what happened and would start to read or listen to it while at home too. I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice. The characters were interesting and the secrets from the past were intriguing and kept me wondering. The relationship with Samir was interesting and I liked how he tried to help prop Olivia up and make her more independent in her new world. I appreciated that Olivia was respectful of Samir’s boundaries around his writing. I liked their dynamic with each other and there were a few swoony moments.

I did feel like the clues about the past were revealed kind of slowly and that the treasure hunt clues were just kind of forgotten about at times. This then leads to the end of the book kind of shoving all the clues at you at once. I was also a bit weirded out by the end of the book where Olivia learns that she is really a few years older than she thought. How can an almost 40 year-old not know that they are actually already 40? I found this part very unbelievable. I also was left with more questions about the past that were never going to be answered. I also was curious if Olivia’s mother knew that that estate’s money was slowly being stolen? I was a bit bummed that more wasn’t explored about Haver and Rebecca’s involvement in the estate’s money.

While I enjoyed the characters and the world that Barbara O’Neal created I just had trouble with the ending of the book. It left me with more questions and a bitter taste about Olivia’s true age.

If you're looking for a travelogue with beautiful, detailed descriptions of England's countryside, and every bite of food the main character, Olivia Shaw, eats then this book is for you. If you're looking for a mystery, pass this one by. O'Neal claims this is a mystery but it takes forever to find out why Olivia's mother left England and her estate and didn't tell anyone. There are not a whole lot of clues to the mystery as we wait and wait and wait to find out what happened. Then what little answer we get is not that satisfying and there are A LOT of answered questions: who was Olivia's father and where was he when her mother needed him? Why wasn't he involved in his daughter's life? Why was there no response at all when Olivia finds out her neighbor Rebecca and her boyfriend's boss have been embezzling money from her estate? Why does she not inform her boyfriend, Samir, that his boss was arrested for embezzling and he's out of a job now? What happens with the huge restoration project of the mansion on the estate with The Restoration Diva? And what happens to Olivia's job in San Francisco?

The huge problem with this book is that O'Neal gets lost in all of her descriptions and forgets about the plot of the book: the mystery. And it's a mystery we never get a satisfying answer to. In the end, we never really find out what happened between Olivia's mother and her uncle. O'Neal would've done better to have two different timelines in the book, so even if Olivia didn't get the full answer (and she doesn't), we the readers would.

If you're looking for a light summer read in the style of Under the Tuscan Sun set in the English countryside, then this is your book. If you're looking for a mystery set in the English countryside, pass this one by and head for Agatha Christie or Ellis Peters.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly.
Having read some earlier reviews, I saw many did not particularly care for the author's food narratives or descriptions. But, I found them very much a part of the story and comforting to the main character, as food often is to many of us,when times are bleak.
I would absolutely love to see what happened to Rosemere,from here on,Barbara O'Neal! (hint,hint)
Jackie P Neal

What do you do when your mother dies and you find out she was an heiress who let her estate decline into ruin? Olivia Shaw travels from her posh San Fransisco life to the English village where her mother once lived, only to discover the hostile villagers are not happy she has arrived. But there are also people who knew her mother growing up, and they are eager to share their stories and ask their own questions. A delight she didn't expect is the Malakar family, who shared a past with her mother.

Lady Shaw, Countess of Rosemere, is intrigued by Samir Malakar, a younger man who is as smitten with her as she is with him. The roof thatcher turns out to be a novelist with some accolades he isn't comfortable sharing. As they explore the relationship they uncover clues and get to know each other more intimately.

Author O'Neal's descriptions are lush and delicious, whether she talks about landscapes or food. You will be drawn into the fictional world of Rosemere and all the ghosts residing there. The transition from food writer and Editor to nobility is not an easy one, but this author paints the picture of the journey with mystery and humor (and grief that strikes a woman as only the loss of a mother can do). I loved the Oliva Shaw character so much - she's sophisticated but grounded. Any Leonard Cohn fan is automatically a friend to me, and the fact that her mother loved him, too, is poignant.

While she wraps her head around the fact that her mother wasn't just a famous artist but also an heiress, Olivia discovers many family secrets she never even knew existed until after her mother died. I cannot recommend this book enough - I am a huge fan of this author. Read every other book she has written!!!

Barbara O’Neal writes the kinds of books I enjoy lingering over - as I did with this one. Despite the bit of mystery involved in the story, I wasn’t rushed to get to the ending. It’s a gentle story with landscape and vista descriptions, nice characters, and food descriptions. Very enjoyable.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

This had a different feel to it, likely due to its British setting. That appeals to my own British roots. Loved the treasure hunt. O'Neal's love for food comes through as always but her love for art might be strongest in this book.