Reviewing The Perfect Hideaway by Alys Murray
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Alys Murray has done it again by writing a wonderfully, heartfelt and charming novel. This is the third book in the Full Bloom Farm series, which is a series I’ve grown to adore.
If you enjoy the lovey, butterflies in your stomach and heart melting moments Hallmark movies deliver, then you’re going to absolutely love this novel.
The story takes place in the perspective of Annie Martin, the Anderson sisters’ best friend who joined the small town of Hillsboro two years ago. Being a social media influencer, Annie puts on a persona that everything is perfect, her hair, nails, her smile and that she is perfectly happy. But the catch is, she’s not happy. She’s happy for her newly wedded brother and her friends, but she is lonely.
At the same time, we’re also taken into local reporter and well-known grouch’s point-of-view, George Barnett. George is looking for his big break in a story so that he can earn a spot at a national newspaper, and he’s going to get that break by investigating into the Martin family. George believes that there is no way that the well-off family must have some secrets that need to be exposed.
George finds his chance to uncover the Martin family’s secrets when Annie approaches him with an exclusive, as long as he helps her find a match for the last single Anderson sister, Rose. It seems like an easy exchange, but both parties don’t account for the growing feelings they develop for one another.
I loved the banter between Annie and George, which brought a nice touch of humour into the story. There was enough intrigue into Annie’s hidden past that caused her to always have her guard up that was an interesting twist, and I really loved that George wouldn’t give up trying to get to know her. But both protagonists are complex characters, and that gave the story much more depth.
Their love story was such a sweet account two flawed and hurt people who find love, while embracing each other’s many facets.
I really enjoy Murray’s style of descriptive and witty style of writing, which has led me to becoming a big a fan. The Perfect Hideaway is a wonderful romance novel that shouldn’t be missed.
And with that, I'll leave you with the best quote in the book:
A family was more than just a place to be loved and to feel like you belong. It was also a place to make others feel loved, to help others belong.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Book Description
Annie Martin is thrilled to have moved from the hectic buzz of L.A. to the small town of Hillsboro, Northern California, where the most happening bar only plays honky-tonk and nowhere does a good matcha latte. But the best thing about Hillsboro? The Anderson sisters. At their noisy family dinners, Annie can almost forget the mistakes she made back in the city, trying to fit in. Annie has repaid the sisters’ friendship with some obvious-but-effective matchmaking and now there’s only one Anderson still looking for love. But Rose is surprisingly prickly about an enforced happy-ever-after, and when a meticulously planned meet-cute ends drenched in the town fountain, Annie realizes this project calls for someone with a deeper knowledge of the Hillsboro bachelors. Local reporter and all-around grouch George Barnett has been a thorn in Annie’s side since she came to town. He knows all too well that everyone has secrets and he thinks the story of why social media darling Annie Martin swapped stilettos for sneakers might be the scoop that makes his career. Annie is sure her skeletons are under triple lock and key, so she offers him an exclusive, if he’ll help her find a match for Rose. But the more George and Annie try to control the love lives around them, the less they’re able to sway their own hearts. As Annie’s infectious laugh begins to bring down George’s barrier of surliness, can he open his heart and let her in for real? And can Annie be brave enough to trust the man who could be her future, with the secrets of her past? A heart-warming story of friendship and finding love in the most unlikely of places, fans of Robyn Carr, Debbie Macomber and Carolyn Brown will adore The Perfect Hideaway.
Author Bio
Alys Murray is an author who writes for the romantic in all of us. Though she graduated with a degree in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Master’s in Film Studies from King’s College London, her irrepressible love of romance led her to a career as an author, and she couldn’t be happier to write these stories! Currently splitting time between her home state of Louisiana and London, she enjoys kissing books, Star Wars, and creating original pie recipes for all of her books. Tobey Maguire is her Spider-Man. https://www.facebook.com/alysmurrayauthor https://www.instagram.com/writeralys/ https://twitter.com/writeralys
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