Thursday, July 31, 2014

Book Review: Painting the Moon

Book Description:  

When Noelle Cooke inherits a cottage from her British aunt, she also inherits a cottage full of secrets--a locked room, an old journal, an art gallery in financial ruin. Noelle never planned to abandon her life in San Diego, never intended to move across the ocean to live in a tiny Cotswold village.  But the idea becomes irresistible, especially with the possibility of saving the gallery. 

And just when Noelle settles into her new village life and starts to discover the cottage's mysteries, someone from her past reappears—her first love, Adam Spencer.  But an impossible barrier stands between them, and Noelle is forced to make a choice.  Will she risk her heart?  Or will she walk away…and lose him all over again?


My review:

When the author approached me and asked if I would read this book, she described the genre as contemporary romance/women's fiction.  I can't remember the last time I read a romance novel of any sort so I wasn't sure what to expect as some romance novels can be a little over-the-top for me, or the characters can be a bit, well, mindless and annoying.  But luckily, this book definitely fell more under the category of women's fiction and it was a book that I really enjoyed.

I knew early on that it would be a book I would enjoy as it is set in England and I am a sucker for books that are set abroad.  Noelle was a likeable character and the town where the book was set sounded so charming and was easy to envision.  I enjoyed the love story aspect of the book but what I liked even more was the storyline of Noelle discovering the secrets from her aunt's past, either by finding things in her home or reading a journal her aunt kept.

This was a light, easy read that would be a perfect summer or vacation read.  

Do you find yourself drawn to books that are set in certain areas?  I enjoy reading books set abroad, especially those set in France!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishing company.  I was not compensated for this review, and the opinions are my own

9 comments:

Marlys said...

I'm glad you enjoyed the book and that it was not the typical "romance" novel! I have done so little reading this summer that I yearn to sit back and do that!

Traci B said...

Hi Lisa,
Thanks for taking the time to read and review the book. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Traci Borum

Stephany said...

I tend to be drawn to stories set in the South. I just feel like there’s this slower, easy pace to the books and the characters feel so real to me.

Sounds like an interesting read!

Jeanie said...

I love books set in France or England -- pretty much that's all I've read this summer!

Abby said...

Sounds like a good read! I don't have a specific setting that I like - but I do enjoy books that are in places that I've traveled to before. It just makes the book come to life for me!

Shoshanah said...

I read a ton of books set in both England and France. Although in general, I love reading books in slightly different areas. I think it kind of fine being able to travel to a new place in a book, and I love learning more about different locations.

Amber said...

That sounds like a good book! I do enjoy books set in different areas. I really enjoyed reading a book set in Scotland during our trip over there!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

I love books set in the South. I've read a lot of them recently!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

I haven't found myself particularly drawn to books set in any certain place ... but then again, I usually reach for non-fiction.