Book Review: Creature Comforts, by Trisha Ashley

Can Once in a Lifetime Happen Twice?

Fall in back in love with life in this gripping read about fate and second chances. Izzy has broken off her engagement to her feckless fiancée Kieran and returned to her childhood home – the sleepy village of Halfhidden.

She soon realizes that life in the village is anything but peaceful – for one thing she’s living with her mad aunt Debo and her pack of dogs, and for another, Izzy has a lot of unanswered questions.

When she was a teenager, Izzy was involved in a terrible accident, involving various inhabitants of Halfhidden. As she sets out to discover what actually happened on the night of the accident, she realizes that her painful past is actually standing in the way of her future happiness. So when a handsome stranger comes to Halfhidden will she let love back into her life?

***

I have to admit, I’d never read a Trisha Ashley book before. It’s not for lack of wanting, I just haven’t managed to get round to one. So when I saw Creature Comforts on NetGalley, I requested it without pausing, knowing I’d have to make it a priority to read.

Unfortunately, I think I picked the wrong book for me personally to start on. It’s making this a very difficult review to write, and is why I guess I’ve put it off for a while, but I know I have to be totally honest. I really just couldn’t get into it.

I was intrigued at the very beginning, but it quickly faded and I struggled to give the book my attention, constantly putting it down feeling defeated (which I very rarely do) then going back later to try again, with no luck. I can’t even really put my finger on what it was. It has all the ingredients for things I would normally love, especially the whole retreat-to-an-idyllic-country-village type feel, and all of the lovely dogs, but I just couldn’t connect. I felt somewhat disconnected from the characters, Izzy in particular, which does not make for a good start, and I found it a bit too predictable, even the plot twists were what I’d expected.

I do have to point out, the writing itself was lovely, and by the end, I had actually managed to get into the story…it just took until about 70% of the way through for it to happen, by which point it was kind of just a pleasant predictability.

I definitely won’t let this deter me from reading more Trisha Ashley books, as I’m sure I’d get on much better with them, unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me.

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