Magnolia House by Angela Barton
Published: 29th January 2019
Publisher: Choc Lit UK
Pages: 333
Available on Kindle
Rating: 5/5
Blurb
Rowan Forrester has
it all – the happy marriage, the adorable dog, the good friends, the promising
business and even the dream home after she and her husband Tom win a stunning
but slightly dilapidated Georgian townhouse in London at auction.
But in the blink of an eye, Rowan’s picture-perfect life comes crashing down around her and she is faced with the prospect of having to start again.
To make ends meet she begins a search for housemates, and in doing so opens the door to new friends and new beginnings. But could she be opening the door to new heartbreak too?
But in the blink of an eye, Rowan’s picture-perfect life comes crashing down around her and she is faced with the prospect of having to start again.
To make ends meet she begins a search for housemates, and in doing so opens the door to new friends and new beginnings. But could she be opening the door to new heartbreak too?
Review
I loved Angela Barton’s previous novel Arlette’s Story so
was really looking forward to reading Magnolia House, it may be a different
genre but once again Ms. Barton has succeeded in creating a richly detailed and
emotional story.
When Rowan and her husband first see Magnolia House its love
at first sight, together they do a wonderful job of renovating it and bringing
it back to its former glory. Everything is perfect for Rowan and husband Tom,
until one frightful evening when Tom has a heart-attack and dies. Now Rowan’s
facing life alone in the huge house it doesn’t seem so perfect, after months of
soul-destroying heartache Rowan finally decides it time to move on and turn Magnolia
House into three separate flats. The arrival of new flat-mates Mason and Nora, marks
the start of a new beginning for Rowan but will it be a happy one?
Rowan is a lovely main character she’s fun, warm-hearted and
creative about to start the next phase of her life when everything falls apart.
Yes she grieves for a long time but then she decides its time to move on and
build a future for herself, I really admired her resilience and determination to
make her little business work. For me though the star of the book was Mason, he
added some fun and humour back into Rowan’s life and with brother James the
possibility of romance. He was there for Rowan when the story takes a darker
turn and provides the ideal confidante.
Magnolia House was a wonderful emotional read. I cried along
with Rowan at the beginning but also found myself laughing at some of the
situations Rowan ends up in and I loved the intrigue and mystery behind the
letters Rowan received. For me this was a perfect novel full of heartbreak,
romance and mystery, Angela Barton really brought Magnolia House to life and I
loved it.
I highly recommend Magnolia House, it’s a book I know I will
read again for sure. I’d like to thank the publishers Choc Lit for sending me a
copy to review and Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the blog tour.
About the Author
Angela
Barton was born in London and grew up in Nottingham. She is married with three
grown up children and adorable four-year-old twin granddaughters. Angela is
passionate about writing both contemporary and historical fiction and loves
time spent researching facts for her novels. Having signed publishing contracts
for three of her completed novels with Choc Lit’s new imprint, Ruby Fiction,
Angela is excited to be working alongside such a lovely team.
Angela and
her husband, Paul, recently moved to France and planted a lavender field. She’s
looking forward to spending more time writing in the beautiful Charente
countryside working from her new writing room, a beautiful shepherd hut. Angela
is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and Nottingham Writers’
Studio.
Purchase Link - smarturl.it/fttfc2
Website: https://www.angelabarton.net
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/angela.barton3
Twitter: https://twitter.com/angebarton
