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Creature Comforts
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Fall back in love with life in this gripping read about fate and second chances. Izzy has broken off her engagement to her feckless fiancé Kieran and returned to her childhood home – the sleepy village of Halfhidden.
She soon realizes that life in the village is anything but peaceful – for one thing she’s living with her mad aunt Debo and her pack of dogs, and for another, ...more
She soon realizes that life in the village is anything but peaceful – for one thing she’s living with her mad aunt Debo and her pack of dogs, and for another, ...more
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Hardcover, 416 pages
Published
February 26th 2015
by Avon
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I always eagerly look forward to Trisha Ashley’s books, and Creature Comforts was no different – I couldn’t wait to start reading!
After breaking off her engagement to her fiance Kieran, Izzy returns to her childhood home, the sleepy village of Halfhidden. Back in her home village, she soon realises that life there is anything but peaceful, and Izzy still has a lot of unanswered questions. When she was a teenager, Izzy was involved in a terrible accident involving various members of Halfhidden. A ...more
After breaking off her engagement to her fiance Kieran, Izzy returns to her childhood home, the sleepy village of Halfhidden. Back in her home village, she soon realises that life there is anything but peaceful, and Izzy still has a lot of unanswered questions. When she was a teenager, Izzy was involved in a terrible accident involving various members of Halfhidden. A ...more

Being totally honest here, what started out as a book I thought I really would like because at first it had me pulled in with drama, suspicion, and curiosity, totally let me down.
At 30% in I realised that it would no longer be holding my attention, and that I could have told you the ending to the book there and then. I couldn't find a way to connect with any of the characters, especially heroine, Izzy. And what I usually love about books set in remote villages, I hated in this. I truly was shock ...more
At 30% in I realised that it would no longer be holding my attention, and that I could have told you the ending to the book there and then. I couldn't find a way to connect with any of the characters, especially heroine, Izzy. And what I usually love about books set in remote villages, I hated in this. I truly was shock ...more

Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes
Creature Comforts was such a simple title but I found the novel to be very complicated. There were, unfortunately, a vast number of characters and almost every one of them was starting their own business or changing jobs/romantic partners and they all had a parent/aunt/guardian/mad uncle that was mixed up in our protagonist’s search or one of her friends’ lives. At the end of the novel I still didn’t know who everyone was and had no clue which business title b ...more
Creature Comforts was such a simple title but I found the novel to be very complicated. There were, unfortunately, a vast number of characters and almost every one of them was starting their own business or changing jobs/romantic partners and they all had a parent/aunt/guardian/mad uncle that was mixed up in our protagonist’s search or one of her friends’ lives. At the end of the novel I still didn’t know who everyone was and had no clue which business title b ...more

I suppose I will probably be in the minority here as it seems a lot of people really liked this book.
Admittedly this is the first book I have read by Trish Ashley and I have heard good things but I am hoping this book is not representative of her usual standard of work.
When I read the cover I do have to say that I did find the story interesting and intriguing. However, I felt the actual story about Izzy and her recovering her memory in regards to the horrific and life changing accident she was ...more
Admittedly this is the first book I have read by Trish Ashley and I have heard good things but I am hoping this book is not representative of her usual standard of work.
When I read the cover I do have to say that I did find the story interesting and intriguing. However, I felt the actual story about Izzy and her recovering her memory in regards to the horrific and life changing accident she was ...more

Izzy is 16 and loves living in the small rural village of Halfhidden. On a fateful night the last thing she remembers after waking up from a coma is setting off home from her part-time job in the local pub. She doesn’t remember the accident that killed one of her friends; and she doesn’t remember how she became the one to blame for the accident. Fast forward 19 years and Izzy returns home to Halfhidden following a fallout from her fiancée and from working abroad researching for her new online cl
...more

Izzy believes that she is responsible for a car crash that killed a friend, when she was only 16. Various parts of the memory of that night seem to be coming back to her and when she returns to Halfhidden she is keen to speak to everyone who was part of the interviews and investigations of that evening.
She’s back to her childhood home after breaking up with her fiancé Kieran and is setting up her own business selling clothes inspired by work she’d done setting up self supporting businesses in In ...more
She’s back to her childhood home after breaking up with her fiancé Kieran and is setting up her own business selling clothes inspired by work she’d done setting up self supporting businesses in In ...more

Izzy is returning home to the village of Halfhidden in Lancashire after a stint working for charity in India. She has split up with her fiancé Kieran who expected her to move to Oxford where he is joining his parents' GP practice. Izzy intends to set up an internet business selling her own designs of clothes. Her old friends, Lulu and Cameron are starting their own new ventures too and everything is looking good if Izzy could only find out exactly what happened when she nearly lost her life in a
...more

Oh I do love Trisha Ashley's world. Every time a new book comes out and introduces me to a new part of the corner of Lancashire that she's invented, I want to go back and read all the others again as well.
I managed to control myself (for me) and made myself pace myself - and took three days to read this (I've been known to gobble Trisha's books up in one sitting) and I really enjoyed it. Another set of quirky and fun characters and an interesting and compelling plot.
Now I've got to wait for the ...more
I managed to control myself (for me) and made myself pace myself - and took three days to read this (I've been known to gobble Trisha's books up in one sitting) and I really enjoyed it. Another set of quirky and fun characters and an interesting and compelling plot.
Now I've got to wait for the ...more

I've been describing Trisha Ashley's books as cosy, quirky British reads. "Creature Comforts" is cosy but less quirky than some of her others. It's an easy read where I had no doubts the hero and heroine would get together, but the development of their relationship still had a relaxed charm.
If you're not a dog lover, I'm not sure you'll be as happy as I was with some of the supporting cast -- rescued dogs who need rehousing.
The book was a pleasant meander through village life, friendship, family ...more
If you're not a dog lover, I'm not sure you'll be as happy as I was with some of the supporting cast -- rescued dogs who need rehousing.
The book was a pleasant meander through village life, friendship, family ...more

3/12/15 3 stars first read. Cute. Slow starting and a little more boring than her normal. I liked it, but found myself irritated by the many times law enforcement should have been notified but wasn't. (Okay, it's a cozy. But in reality, things like this are not likely to turn out so happily.)
Reread 11/26/16. I think I enjoyed it a little more on the re-read. Bumping it up a half star. ...more
Reread 11/26/16. I think I enjoyed it a little more on the re-read. Bumping it up a half star. ...more

Jul 12, 2017
Joanne
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own,
summer-reading-2017
I can't decide whether to give this 4 or 4.5 stars. I think with a second reading then it will go up. I enjoyed this book immensely. It is not my usual type of read at all, but I got it in a 3 for £5 deal and took a punt. I've never read anything from this author before so had no idea what I was going to get.
The truth is that there was nothing that I disliked about the novel. I liked the characters, they were well developed and interesting. I liked the plot. Izzy breaks up with her fiancé and mo ...more
The truth is that there was nothing that I disliked about the novel. I liked the characters, they were well developed and interesting. I liked the plot. Izzy breaks up with her fiancé and mo ...more

Trisha Ashley's books are always good reads, immersing the reader in the English countryside and small villages. That said, this wasn't one of my favorites.
Izzy has returned to the small village of Halfhidden to open her textile business and live with her dog-crazy Aunt Debo. Izzy grew up here but her teenage years were marred by a fatal car accident of which she has no memory. She wants to remember what really happened, but there are a lot of secrets to bring to light first. Rufus is the new o ...more
Izzy has returned to the small village of Halfhidden to open her textile business and live with her dog-crazy Aunt Debo. Izzy grew up here but her teenage years were marred by a fatal car accident of which she has no memory. She wants to remember what really happened, but there are a lot of secrets to bring to light first. Rufus is the new o ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This was a very cute book. I think that is the best way to describe it. The plot of Izzy searching for the bits of missing memory of the night she and three others were in an accident, was a very back burner story line, which was slightly disappointing to me. I think that the story was divided kind of too much between the different plot twists... It makes it difficult to really develop a great plot line. I was confused for a bit in the middle where the story was going. I still very much enjoyed
...more

Harmless enough, but I had the feeling that it was a barely fleshed out timeline of the plot - the characters were always rushing around the countryside, running businesses, attending meetings, going to the pub. A clear set each of goodies and baddies, and lots of dogs. Very formulaic and fairly predictable fare, which has the narrator Izzy trying to piece together what actually happened in a disastrously fatal accident in her youth, as she returns home to set up a fashion business, recovers fro
...more

Until it was revealed that Izzy was not wearing a seatbelt I was finding it hard to enjoy this book as much as the previous titles I had read, they may save lives but leave marks across the torso, left to right or right to left depending on which side of the car the individual was sitting. Once this issue had been explained my impression of the story improved greatly. Like the previous books it is a decent portrayal of family and friendship but doesn't quite manage to convey "romantic" love as o
...more

3.5 stars really. This had a lot of promise initially, but I thought there was just too much going on. Too many different plotlines so that in the end it felt a little forced. Still really enjoy the style of Tricia Ashley and her forthright heroines, the community spirit and the locations, but I'd have been happy with fewer intrigues & interwoven stories. Guy was unnecessary, and I felt that plotline was a bit of a parody of emotional abuse, not sure it really did justice to the subject. Not one
...more

Oct 15, 2019
Karen
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
library-books,
family-relationships-love
This book was a fair read I enjoyed the other one by this author more. Characters and storyline have depth and lots of various stories lines that twist and turn copied with each other and spin off again. I felt at times a little repetitive and able to work out what may happen before it did. But that being said a enjoyable light read that kept me hooked.

I really enjoyed this book, the red herrings kept me guessing right up to the last Chapter. I think I changed my mind numerous times, as too who was driving the night of the accident. I did think it was Kara, but then I convinced myself it was Simon. Another great story from Trisha Ashley, with a very satisfying end.

This was a charming rom-com/cozy mystery with some ghosts, lovely dogs, and some threatening bad guys. I especially liked Ashley's way with drawing villainesses; quite some lovely exchanges with the heroine take place. All takes place in the lovely village of Halfhidden, whose name never does get explained.
...more
...more

2 1/2 stars really.
The storyline was promising but I couldn't care for the characters. The sentences and the characters' lines were a bit weird too. I thought I'd love it but idk something was missing. ...more
The storyline was promising but I couldn't care for the characters. The sentences and the characters' lines were a bit weird too. I thought I'd love it but idk something was missing. ...more

A light read before bed. A young woman is wrongly accused of causing a horrific collision. No matter how hard she tries, she can't seem to remember exactly what happened that night. Of course there are lots of people eager to continue to remind her!
...more

A puppy dog tale
A truly delightful romantic comedy, with many interesting characters and quite a few dogs! I really enjoyed reading it, just as I have enjoyed reading many of Trisha Ashley's books. ...more
A truly delightful romantic comedy, with many interesting characters and quite a few dogs! I really enjoyed reading it, just as I have enjoyed reading many of Trisha Ashley's books. ...more

I found this book a little slow to start off with but it got better as sit went along. I did enjoy the story of Izzy and how her character progressed during the book. I didn't get what happened in the car right so that was a nice twist at the end.
...more
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Trisha Ashley is now a full-time novelist, but she has been known to work for stained glass makers and/or plumbers. She likes to paint, eat, drink, and read literary biographies. Her previous hobbies included getting divorced and packing to move. She claims to have once actually eaten Bronte burgers at the Branwell café, but her publisher declines to verify this. She lives in North Wales.
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