[ad_1]
As soon as the invitation to take part in this blogtour popped into my inbox I said yes right away, not even checking to see what it was about. I have adored all Jane Lovering’s books and was sure there was no reason why I wouldn’t love this one too. I was right!
As is often the case with Jane Lovering’s books, we have a heroine who has had a difficult past who meets up with the hero and they immediately rub up the wrong way. So what’s different about this book from other similar romantic fiction you might ask? Well, there’s just something special about Jane’s writing which make her books so engaging and hard to put down.
Dr Rowan Thorpe is a folklorist gathering stories of myth and legend from the local Yorkshire community particularly looking at the legends of the Fairy Stane. Professor Connor O’Keefe is a historian also researching the local moors to see if there may have been a Roman settlement there. They clash over many things with Connor as a historian needing evidence before drawing conclusions which of course doesn’t really work for Rowan as a folklorist. When Connor tells her he may need to lift the fabled Fairy Stane, Rowan is horrified, Not only is it a significant part of the local area’s history and folklore but it’s got particular special meaning to Rowan for personal reasons. There are some interludes woven into the narrative showing the significance of the Fairy Stane throughout the centuries. You don’t really know how they fit into the story at first but when it is revealed, my goodness that’s a rather emotional moment.
Although Rowan may seem rather closed off and reclusive at first, as we started to learn more about her my heart went out to her. I don’t want to give away all the details of course but I can say that her heart has been broken and she is grieving not only the loss of a person but the loss of her hopes for the future. I was particularly touched when Rowan recognising despair in another character, went to simply be with them, knowing exactly what that despair felt like. Connor has also had his heart broken but in a very different way. There’s an element of forced proximity in this story as first of all, Rowan finds herself railroaded into agreeing that Connor can stay temporarily in her spare room. Then there’s a snowstorm which sees them trapped in her remote cottage with nothing else to do but talk of their pasts and perhaps in doing so come to terms with what’s happened and look to the future.
The Start of the Story is another wonderful book from Jane Lovering. I adored the characters, the setting, the ducks (!!) and how the story evolved. I don’t know what it is about her writing but she draws me in everytime and I feel so emotionally invested in her characters. With her gentle humour, a real warmth and a beautifully written romance, The Start of the Story is highly recommended by me.
About the Book
Rowan Thorpe can be forgiven for living with one foot in the past.
Since having to say goodbye far too young to the future she had planned, moving on still feels a daunting task. So, when historian Connor O’Keefe strides purposefully into her office and life, looking far too handsome for his own good and threatening to undermine the local legends she holds close to her heart, she is more than a little unsettled.
Connor has a past too, and his own reasons to keep his heart under wraps. But when a combination of fate and an unexpected snowstorm mean that Rowan and Connor have all the time in the world to swap stories, it may finally be time for an end and a new beginning.
Purchase Link- The Start of the Story
About the Author
Jane Lovering is the bestselling and award-winning romantic comedy writer who won the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel Award in 2023 with A Cottage Full of Secrets. She lives in Yorkshire and has a cat and a bonkers terrier, as well as five children who have now left home.
Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063775233219
Twitter: https://twitter.com/janelovering
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JaneLoveringNews
Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jane-lovering
[ad_2]
Source link