Elle’s A to Z of Love by Claire Huston

Synopsis

Haileybrook, a beautiful village in the peaceful Cotswolds countryside, is most people’s idea of heaven on earth.

Born and raised in this small slice of paradise, Elle Bea can’t wait to leave.

It should be easy, but every time she packs her bags for exotic adventures, old loves and loyalties pull her back.

Will Elle be forced to forget her dreams of far-flung places and epic romance, or can she grab one last chance to have it all?

Review
We all need a bit of escapism and a book that leaves you feeling good and warm hearted, something Claire Huston does well. The eponymous Elle has always dreamed of leaving the idyllic village of Haileybrook and moving to London and travelling the world, but we all now how ‘the best laid plans o’mice n’men … (Robert Burns). With loyalty to friends and family and the chance of love all make Elle change her plans, the question is will she ever be able to follow her dreams.

Elle is a character I would love as a friend, she is warm, witty, loyal and plenty of fun. She has grown up in the beautiful village of Hailybrook, where everyone knows each other and a great sense of community where people help each other. She has had a difficult relationship with her mother, an ambitious lawyer, who is away all the time furthering her career, but her father has always been there for her. Elle hasn’t missed the maternal love though with their neighbour, Aunt Cath taking Elle under her wing, and he matriarch of the Cooper family who would love Elle to marry her grandson Toby.

Claire Hustion cleverly includes three love interests for Elle to keep you guessing. There is Adam, whose father ownes the village pub where Elle worked. He is good looking, charming, and Elle has been a bit in love with him since he saved her from some bullies at school. Toby is taking over the family farm and has known Elle from school where him and his brother Seth walked Elle to the bus. He is certainly the eligible batchelor and if his grandmother had her way he would marry Elle. Finally there is Zach who literally fell for Elle in the university library, hitting his head with a book. They never get a chance to go on a date but keep in touch via email, and these are some of the funniest parts of the book.

Claire Huston is such a wonderful writer who creates memorable and realistic characters. I have to say I loved Mrs Cooper, who ruled the roost and enjoyed playing matchmaker. She may seem authoritarain but she helped Elle during her school days and encouraged her love of reading, and has a soft spot for Elle. The theme of this book is the importance of family in its many guises, and Haileybrook is one big family where they look after each other.

Elle’s A to Z of Love is happiness in a book. It is warm, witty and heartwarming and left me with a smile on my face, epsecially the conclusion. Elle is the perfect heroine and you can’t help but like her, although she can be too nice and can let others abuse her friendship. Romance, friendship and family combine to make this an engaging and compelling read.