Julie Houston

An Off-Piste Christmas by Julie Houston
Book starts out with table of contents. Prologue begins in September where Harriet the mother declares there is no way she is going to spend Christmas in the ski mountains of Italian Alps with the family and extended family, just no way.
Story start in Dec and they are in the UK Airport on their way to the Italian Alps. Wish there was a list of characters and who they belong with.
Never in my wildest dream did I see the events occurring as they did, WOW. The family is going in all different directions to do what they are there for, ski, snowboard, shop, etc.
Like travel to all the new places, sounds festive and exciting.
Harriet has put up a lot and doesn't even like snow but she sticks with youngest of them til one day she just needs to do what she wants. On her way to the top of the mountain, jumping off the tram
and having a hot beverage by herself she notices a man that looks just like Alex. The story from there just gets very dire but there is so much going on with everybody but it all comes full circle.
About the author is included at the end and a listing of her works.… (lisätietoja)

I am not usually a fan of chick-lit, and I picked this up because it said 'for fans of Gervase Phinn' whose books I LOVE!
The story follows Cassie who is happily married with two teenage kids, and about to start a new job. But everything starts to fall apart a few pages into the book, which I thought was a great way to begin! Her husband is revealed as a lying cheat, and she is propelled to the post of headmistress of the village school.
Despite the explosive start, I felt the pace lagged a bit in the first half of the story. There were also some flashbacks to her mother's youth, which did not make sense (at that point). I was, of course, comparing the book to my favourite Gervase Phinn series from the outset, and I have to warn other fans that although there are a few incidents with precocious kids, it is only a drop in the ocean compared to the antics found in Little Village School series.
But the latter half of the book - OMG what a rollercoaster! She takes a trip to Mexico for the midterm hols and it is from then that the book gets really interesting - a new love affair with so many twists and turns I could not put the book down and read well past my bedtime to finish it! I don't wish to post any spoilers, but the misadventures in her mother's past play a BIG role in all that.
I am a great fan of novels set in the English countryside and this did not disappoint. I also liked the very timely references of so many things that were headline news in the past year - like Trump and Mexico!
Overall a really satisfying read.… (lisätietoja)

Cassie Beresford is living a high! She has just been promoted to deputy head teacher, and her children’s are doing great! But then everything changes right in the middle of a banquet! As Cassie is thrust into the spotlight when it is revealed that her husband of twenty years has been having an affair with one of her best friends! Leaving her absolutely devastated! And just when she thinks it can’t get any worse, she finds out the head teacher is dead! And she is now in charge! And as in everything in life, things have to get better before it gets worse! But how could things get any worse!! Oh, just you wait!

I have never read a book by Julie Houston! But I would 100% read her again! And why! Because her books have just the right mix of drama and humor, that so many authors fail to get right, especially for this reviewer, who is not a fan of the classic rom-com.

I found A Village Affair was very well written and the characters well developed and likable, and even though the plot strayed into Jeremy Kyle territory for a hot minute, the author wrote it far more believable than I would have expected!

A Village Affair is truly a great book, which I wholeheartedly recommend, 5 stars!
… (lisätietoja)