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The Cottage on Wildflower Lane

Liz Davies

4.45 · Rating details · 665 ratings · 33 reviews

Esther's life isn’t perfect (whose is?) – but she’s happy enough living in her little flat with her boyfriend, Josh. But that’s about to change. Bored out of her mind in work, she wishes that something, anything, would happen to liven her life up. Unfortunately, her wish comes true when Josh calls her from the airport to tell her he’s going to work in a bar in Spain, and s ...more

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Kindle Edition, 209 pages

Published February 14th 2020

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· 665 ratings · 33 reviews

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Feb 25, 2020 DJ Sakata rated it liked it

Shelves: british, contemporary-romance

My Rating:

3.5

My Review:

This rather sweet story was slowly evolving, amusing, and chaste enough for my elderly mother’s book club. The main characters were gentle and likable people who were struggling with transitions and disappointments from betrayals by those they thought were most dear, but apparently, they were so very wrong. The storylines were rather predictable but with a few interesting webcam twists. I had never considered the implications of these hidden cameras and Ms. Davies now has ...more

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Feb 27, 2020 Berit☀️✨ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020, cozy-romance, advanced-reader-copy, clean-romance, blog-tour

This was such a sweet, charming, and feel good story! Esther gets dumped by phone by her tool of a boyfriend. He calls her from the airport to tell her not only is he leaving her but he is leaving the country to go to Spain and work in a bar. When Esther goes online to find the website for the bar she also stumbles across a WebCam with a live feed inside the bar. So Esther does what we all would probably do, tortures herself by watching her ex-boyfriend hook up with other girls. Ester becomes a ...more

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Jan 24, 2020 Zoe rated it really liked it

Sweet, heartwarming, and delightfully charming!

Full review to follow shortly.

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Jan 24, 2020 Rachel Gilbey rated it it was amazing

Incredibly lovely story, that really does highlight how easy it could be to become hooked on watching strangers via webcam!

Ok it's not exactly as creepy as it sounds, well apart from the webcam that Esther finds that is focusing on a home, and being streamed online, she is guessing without the owner knowing. And its this handsome stranger on webcam that is far healthier for her to obsess over, than the other one she is watching of her ex-boyfriend who called from the airport to let her know he ...more

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Feb 20, 2020 Elaine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult, funny, contemporary, romance, contemporary-romance, puzzles, 2020, adventure, authors-to-look-out-for

This really lives up to its tag in being an uplifting and heartwarming romance - I loved reading it and can't recommend it highly enough.

Esther has a boring job, a boyfriend who dumps her by phone and then leaves the country and then she finds she can watch him at work via a webcam, chatting up the girls in the bar. She's now hooked on watching that web cam and others - especially one on a country cottage with a hunky male occupant . . . She never expected a blind date to end up with her going f ...more

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Feb 11, 2020 Anne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle

Esther’s relationship with Josh has never really been love’s young dream – he’s clearly a bit of a selfish git – but she could live with that, with the prospect of a white wedding and a happy ever after. She really wasn’t expecting to be dumped by a phone call from the airport as he heads off to work in a bar in Malaga.

Her life does rather lack excitement – her temp job at the bank is mind-numbingly boring, she doesn’t have much spare cash and has nothing to look forward to – and when she finds Esther’s relationship with Josh has never really been love’s young dream – he’s clearly a bit of a selfish git – but she could live with that, with the prospect of a white wedding and a happy ever after. She really wasn’t expecting to be dumped by a phone call from the airport as he heads off to work in a bar in Malaga.

Her life does rather lack excitement – her temp job at the bank is mind-numbingly boring, she doesn’t have much spare cash and has nothing to look forward to – and when she finds the bar in Malaga has a live webcam, she becomes just a tad obsessed with watching Josh having the time of his life (and rather rubbing her nose in it). But there are live webcams all over the place, and she stumbles across one focused on a man, living on his own in a beautiful cottage in the country, who seems totally unaware that anyone is watching.

She has well-meaning and supportive (well, mostly!) friends, she dips her toe into internet dating (with hilarious consequences), and then, by pure chance, manages to secure a permanent job at a garden design company based in a beautiful village a short drive away. She explores a little in her lunch breaks, finding the village a balm to her troubles – and then she spots an idyllic cottage that looks disturbingly familiar…

The story is just wonderful – distinctly quirky, depending on a quite bizarre series of coincidences, and the humour (that veers between the gentle and sheer slapstick) is perfectly judged. The romance at the book’s centre is simply perfect – full of stumbles, setbacks and misunderstandings – and really enhanced by the insights into the trials and tribulations in the life of her new love interest. The writing may be in the third person, but Esther’s “voice” is strong and clear, and I absolutely adored her – and alternated between wanting to give her a hug, cringe with embarrassment, and rage at the way she was sometimes treated.

I read this book in an afternoon, quite enthralled by it – such clever writing, and a great story that kept me thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. It’s definitely uplifting, unquestionably heart-warming, very different, full of love, and quite glorious – I recommend it really highly. ...more

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Feb 16, 2020 Karen Mace rated it it was amazing

With a stunningly dreamy cover, this was a story that captured my heart and had me tempted to start searching for cameras online to follow to see if the man of my dreams was out there!! If he is half as good as Kit in this story then I'd be a lucky woman!!

Esther is the focus of this story - her life is tripping along with very little excitement and she thinks she's in a happy relationship with Josh, but he drops a bombshell when he calls from the airport to say he's moving out to Spain to work a ...more

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Feb 12, 2020 Adele rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020

What a blooming lovely story! I fell in love with this romantic comedy from the start, it was sweet and effervescent just like the wild blooms left to shine in a meadow. The Cottage on Wildflower Lane is the second book I've read by Liz Davies and the author has charmed and delighted me on both occasions.
Esther is heartbroken when she learns that her boyfriend of two years has dumped her and is off to work in a bar in Malaga. She is shocked by this sudden change of events so googles the bar and ...more

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Feb 29, 2020 Amanda rated it it was amazing

I read the synopsis for 'The Cottage On Wildflower Lane' and it certainly sounded like just the kind of fun and uncomplicated read that I so needed at that moment in time. It certainly ticked both boxes and then some. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Cottage On Wildflower Lane' but more about that in a bit.
It took me a little while but I did eventually warm to the character of Esther. She got on my nerves to start with but as time went on and I learnt more about her, I felt more sympathetic tow I read the synopsis for 'The Cottage On Wildflower Lane' and it certainly sounded like just the kind of fun and uncomplicated read that I so needed at that moment in time. It certainly ticked both boxes and then some. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Cottage On Wildflower Lane' but more about that in a bit.
It took me a little while but I did eventually warm to the character of Esther. She got on my nerves to start with but as time went on and I learnt more about her, I felt more sympathetic towards her. She is working as a temp in the finance sector and to say that she is bored is an understatement. Her boredom is in part why she seems to be glued to her phone or to the computer. She is dealt a huge body blow when her supposed boyfriend dumps her and takes off to work abroad. Esther wallows in her misery a bit and becomes a bit stalkerish. I could see where she is coming from in that she wants to find out what it is that her ex-boyfriend is hiding. Accidentally, she comes across the webcam footage of an altogether nicer sounding chap, who lives in an adorable cottage. Will Josh try to wheedle his way back into Esther's life? Is Esther destined to find happiness with the mysterious man from the webcam? Well for the answers to those questions and so much more you are going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my goodness, as soon as I started to read 'The Cottage On Wildflower Lane' that was it. I was drawn into the story from the start and reading this book became a serious addiction. It was an addiction that I wasn't going to break either. I became so wrapped up in the story and in Esther's life that I was able to shut out all other distractions and focus my concentration on the book and on the book alone. The pages turned increasingly quickly the further into the story I got. I would say that the latter half of the book passed by in a flash and all too quickly I reached the end of the story which I was so disappointed about. I don't mean that I was disappointed with how the story ended but I was enjoying the book, the author's writing style and the characters so much that I just wished that the book had been a lot longer.
'The Cottage On Wildflower Lane' is extremely well written. The author has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact, reading this book felt like more a chat between friends and not as though I was reading a book. I hope that makes sense. Liz draws you into the story from the first word onwards and then she closes the net around you as it were. The story isn't particularly fast paced but that didn't matter to me. It meant that I could get to know the characters better. Whilst reading this book I did feel as though I was part of the story myself and that's down to Liz's fabulous writing.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Cottage On Wildflower Lane' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will definitely be reading more of Liz's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

...more

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Apr 13, 2020 Kay M rated it it was amazing

This is a wonderful heart warming read that I was hooked on from the first page to the last and read in one sitting.

Esther is working as a temp doing some admin jobs. She is happy with her life, she has a boyfriend she adores and they share a flat together. Esther is finding her current job rather slow and is just sat wishing that something exciting would happen just to perk up her day. What Esther wasn't expecting was a phone call that will shake up her whole world and leave her broken hearted ...more

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Feb 28, 2020 Gmr rated it really liked it

The story is split between two viewpoints...that of Esther, and that of Kit. Honestly, I was SO MUCH closer with Esther's story, I was having a very hard time initially connecting with Kit. I think because his chapters were so few and far between with seemingly no connection to Esther at all...at least, until there was a tenuous thread spun, a tiny seed of potential planted, and the rains of change started pouring down making what lay mostly dormant, truly blossom. Now don't go getting all googo ...more

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Feb 22, 2020 Sara rated it really liked it

Reviewed on Chick Lit Central (www.chicklitcentral.com)

We never really know at times why (or how) people will come into our lives, and The Cottage on Wildflower Lane is further proof that even the most unconventional ways can be the most beneficial! I would have never thought to look at webcams or anything of the sort and having that experience lead to potential love. But it’s what Esther experiences, during a time in her life where love is the furthest thing from her mind, given what happens wi Reviewed on Chick Lit Central (www.chicklitcentral.com)

We never really know at times why (or how) people will come into our lives, and The Cottage on Wildflower Lane is further proof that even the most unconventional ways can be the most beneficial! I would have never thought to look at webcams or anything of the sort and having that experience lead to potential love. But it’s what Esther experiences, during a time in her life where love is the furthest thing from her mind, given what happens with her ex.

And what a cold way to drop someone. Too much of a coward to cut ties with Esther, he tells her by phone that he’s moving away to work in a bar in Spain, and that he’s not coming back, and that she’s not invited. Which prompts Esther to try and keep tabs on him through the webcam. Much like the type of person who becomes obsessed with looking up someone’s social media pages until they drive themselves sick, the webcam becomes a bit of an obsession for Esther, up until she discovers another site that falls under an entirely different category. What is this, and is this stalking?

There were a ton of sweet innuendos and near misses in this story, particularly where Esther and the mystery man from the pretty cottage (Kit) are concerned. I really enjoyed the story slowly unfolding, usually from the same vantage point but from an entirely different point of view, whether that be Esther’s or Kit’s. The way it all is laid out was done organically and didn’t feel rushed or totally out of place, either. I could imagine these scenarios happening for someone in the real world. It brought an element of realism to everything.

It appears that both characters here aid in helping one another move on from past hurts in their lives, and while there is the sense of hesitancy, due to trust, it added to that realism in that, we’re all a bit cautious after we’ve had our heart hurt. Along for the ride is the beautiful scenery that is mentioned, particularly that pretty little cottage on Wildflower Lane. When I read scenery like that, it makes me want to physically be part of it. This really was a delightful read! ...more

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Feb 23, 2020 Laura rated it really liked it

Funny and emotional, this will make you take a second (or third) look at your own life and the people you meet. If I wasn't paranoid about porch cameras before this, you should be in my head now!

Esther is bored out of her mind at work but temp jobbing has been what she knows and does. To stay in one job for a long period of time would be so much worse, right? Until the day her oft traveling (without her) boyfriend calls her at work and tells her he is never coming back.

Kit and Nancy were not hap ...more

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Mar 01, 2020 Kerry https://likeherdingcatsblog.wordpress.com Robinson rated it it was amazing

Esther has been dumped by her boyfriend Josh who has decided to live in Spain. Bored, lonely and heartbroken she becomes addicted to watching him, and other places on live webcams which is where she finds herself drawn to watching a dishy but often forlorn man in a cottage. She has a secret admirer, she is the secret admirer and experiences a string of 'interesting' dates but will Esther finally find true love?

I was in love with this novel by the end of the first chapter and simply co ...more

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Apr 06, 2020 Kristin rated it really liked it

The Cottage on Wildflower Lane is a sweet, upbeat, and lighthearted book. The pages turned quickly for me as I dove into the story of Esther and Kit.

Both characters are dealing with current breakups. As they pick up the pieces of their lives, events keep bringing them together – even though they don’t realize it. Although the story is somewhat predictable, I still found myself smiling.

It took me a little while to warm up to the character of Esther. Her choices, somewhat ditziness, and obsessiven ...more

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Feb 24, 2020 Lucy Mitchell rated it it was amazing

Fabulous read!

I really enjoyed a romance which starts after a webcam link mix up. 
Esther was a great character and I connected with her straight away. She has a good sense of humour and as the book progresses I could see her as one of my friends. The sign of a good character is one who you are sad to see go at the end.  
Reading the story from both Esther and Kit's perspectives was great. Both characters were really well developed and I enjoyed my time with them. 
There were some really funny bit ...more

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Mar 22, 2020 Cara Ross rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc

When I first read the blurb to The Cottage on Wildflower Lane I honestly didn’t think that’s would be a book I would enjoy as it’s not one that I would normally pick up, but what I found was a sweet love story, where our hero’s struggle to get over their toxic ex’s and missed connections, serendipity finally strikes and everything finally happens how it should.

I really enjoyed this book, and loved Esther’s character, though I will totally admit I really struggled with her “so-called friends”, u ...more

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Aug 04, 2020 Claudete Takahashi rated it it was amazing

A love story to dream of, so beautiful, poetical and so relatable. The main characters are normal people leading their daily lives with their ups and downs. The description of the gardens and locations through where the story develops is so well done that you can almost smell the flowers and see the butterflies!
A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining love story.
I downloaded a free copy of this book through Story Origin and this is my unbiased review.

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Aug 16, 2020 EssexReader92 rated it it was amazing

This is the first book I have read by Liz Davies, and it definitely won't be the last. This is a wonderfully sweet, and funny book about finding love when you least expect it. The initial relationship between Esther and Kit made me smile, and it was lovely to watch the relationship grow and change to something sweet.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. ...more

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Feb 07, 2020 Proud Book Reviews rated it really liked it

Liz has a way of writing her stories that just captures you in the moment and the feel of the quintessential English countryside. I’ve read one or two of her other books and I always feel like I’m in amongst the beautiful countryside. This one wasn’t any different.

The sight, smell and general vibe of well developed and established garden always has me instantly relaxing and getting back to nature. Liz was able to give me this vibe without leaving my couch. Her ability to describe the surrounding Liz has a way of writing her stories that just captures you in the moment and the feel of the quintessential English countryside. I’ve read one or two of her other books and I always feel like I’m in amongst the beautiful countryside. This one wasn’t any different.

The sight, smell and general vibe of well developed and established garden always has me instantly relaxing and getting back to nature. Liz was able to give me this vibe without leaving my couch. Her ability to describe the surroundings the characters are in is amazing and I love it. It makes the time reading it so much more relaxing and enjoyable.

The trials and tribulations Esther goes through in this time is pretty heart breaking. I can’t believe how horrible Josh is and yet his mum thinks Esther isn’t good enough for Josh? Seriously?! How delirious can some parents be?!

Kit on the other hand is amazing. What he goes through, what he does for Esther and how he makes it through these issues is far superior to Josh. He carries himself with such compassion, consideration and confidence (I totally didn’t mean to make that 3 C’s!), all of which make him highly attractive. Especially since he listens to explanations (mostly) which things seem a bit weird.

For the most part, I loved the build up and romance of this book were so sweet, and actually doesn’t focus on the obvious romantic element of the story. My problem with the romance came at the end. I think I would’ve preferred to end the story maybe a month or two after the second last chapter where they are seeing where the relationship is going rather than the ending it got. Especially because we don’t know how much later that final chapter is. Is it one year? Or more?

For a romance taking it slow, as they said, I’d think it’d be 2+ years later. But we don’t know which annoyed me just a little.

Otherwise, it was a great romance that followed in the footsteps of The Summer of Going Topless where there’s more to romance and relationships than just meeting someone and falling in love. ...more

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Feb 18, 2020 Bookietracey rated it liked it

I was immediately drawn to this book by its gorgeous cover.
This is the story of Esther who is in a relationship with Josh. Then, Josh calls Esther from the airport, to tell her that their relationship is over as he is moving to Spain to work in a bar.

The book also tells the story of Kit, who is going through a divorce and all the stress that goes with that.

This book was easy to read and a page turner. The characters were well developed and easy to relate to.
The book was filled with humour and it ...more

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Mar 29, 2020 Tara rated it it was amazing

I was given a copy of this book for an honest review. Wow! Absolutely magnificent!! Talk about a page turner & one that has ALL the feels! I fell in love with Esther & Kit’s story. I laughed, cried, and even got mad a couple times. The characters are so well written & relatable. I recommend reading this book.

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Oct 26, 2020 hilary j macaulay rated it really liked it

Delightful!

The rash of coincidences is a little hard to swallow, but it makes for a feel-good, happy romance. The characters are pleasant, apart from the egregious Josh and Nancy -I distrusted/dis!liked Josh from the moment he appeared, Esther was well rid of him! Nancy=gold-digger.

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Mar 23, 2020 Lenda Burns rated it it was amazing

What a delightful, warm read.
The characters are so engaging and quickly become my friends.
The plot has many emotions that make it so enchanting.
I really like this author and look forward to more from her.

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Aug 02, 2020 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Wild flowers and wild romances!

I really enjoyed this story. Some ups and downs together with humour and great characters. An easy read and of course best of all it all sorts out to a happy ever after! I recommend this to you all.

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Feb 16, 2020 C.E. Hart rated it really liked it

Review to come...

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Mar 10, 2020 Claire Frost rated it it was amazing

Shelves: feel-good-romance

Really nice uplifting, feel good book. Really enjoyed this

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Apr 08, 2020 jane harman rated it it was amazing

OMG I totally loved this book I just couldn’t put it down, a perfect read for an early spring break

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Apr 12, 2020 Lily rated it it was amazing

Great little read

Read this book in an afternoon. Says it all. Couldn’t put it down and now supper is late. Took me away from the corona virus lockdown we’re all in. 😀.

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