Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Felicity DeVere gets dumped by her fiancé Adrian and loses her paid-for dream wedding in one fell swoop, gets drunk, makes a faux pas in an online business meeting and gets fired, and in "clearly not a considered and thoroughly researched decision" sells her London flat and buys a dilapidated Victorian farmhouse with acres of land and chickens, called Paradise Farm, "in the arse end of nowhere", as she charmingly puts it.

In a literal "knocking someone off his feet" move she bowls over a man with a plank in a DIY shop then gets rained on until her clothes basically disintegrate. This is how she meets dishy Jesse Woods and leaves a spectacularly memorable first impression on him.

Felicity's family used to be rich until her father squandered it all away on his second wife. Fliss has clawed her way back to having money by staging properties, although not as much money as before, but the mental scars haven't left and she now suffers from trust and commitment issues, originating from how her so-called friends turned their backs after her fall from grace.

She is fiercely independent and has a problem with accepting help, even when a tree crashes through the roof of her new house in a storm, nearly killing her. "Thanks, but I can manage" and variations thereof are her most uttered sentences. 

Thankfully, kind Jesse takes no notice and offers his help anyway. His cousin was the one selling Fliss this wreck and he feels responsible. A lot of tradesmen owe him, a building renovator, favours and he is now calling them all in. And if he loses his heart in the process, so be it. He lost his wife five years ago and the entire village community, including his lovely sister Julie, thinks it's time for him. But will Fliss agree?

This was extremely fun to read. A heroine who uproots her entire life is a popular trope and I love a good renovation project, a strong-armed hero and cute animals. The light-hearted banter is exquisite, and even though it was very predictable, Fliss and Jesse's slow-burn romance had me engrossed. The only thing I was annoyed about was that cousin Joe never got his comeuppance, and the third-act break-up felt superfluous. 

This is nevertheless so well-written, humorous and heartwarming that I will forgive it. This charming, cosy and escapist read with plenty of time for personal growth will make you happy. It's my first book by Maxine Morrey but it won't be the last.