A Country Quandary

Tales from Tottenbridge #1

by Vicki Hilton

From high-powered lawyer to high-maintenance farm hand in 48 hours. What can go wrong?

Losing her job is the worst thing Kitty can imagine, but overseeing her aunt’s hobby farm may just be a contender.

The word ‘challenging’ doesn’t cover it. Kitty’s a neat freak who can’t stand dirt and is terrified of anything bigger than a Chihuahua. A city slicker who’s never owned a pair of gum boots, she’s hardly the perfect choice to run the show.
If that’s not enough, she finds herself torn between two men.

Daniel, the local pub owner, is a sexy playboy who tries to seduce Kitty every chance he gets. He’s got the looks, the charm, and the reputation to match. Not to mention top-notch sexting skills. Will she give in to temptation before she returns to her real life?

Then there’s Josh, the childhood friend turned local vet. He’s easy-going, passionate about his job, and has grown up to resemble a Marvel hero. With his four-legged sidekick, Wendy, and a mean game of Twister, will he be the one to steal Kitty’s heart?

Head spinning, Kitty navigates her new surroundings and her blooming love life. Choosing between cow patties and city streets was never on her to-do list; but here she is.

Will Kitty embrace the country life and find love with Josh? Or will she return to the city after falling for Daniel’s smooth talk?

Find out in this feel-good romantic comedy, filled with laugh-out-loud moments, quirky characters, and unexpected twists. One thing’s for sure, this is a summer that Kitty will never forget.

A Country Quandary is the first book in the rom-com series, Tales from Tottenbridge. If you love a sexy, slow burn love triangle, Vicki Hilton’s book will leave you laughing, swooning, and maybe even reaching for a pair of gum boots yourself!

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Slow Burn, Fiction, Ebooks

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2023

About the author

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Writing about love, passion and all things tingly has always been a dream for me.

Originally from rural England, I now live in Sydney’s glorious Northern Beaches, where I’m steadily gathering freckles and dipping my toes into the ocean for inspiration.

With a focus on smart, quirky heroines and sensitive, sexy heroes, I create steamy, slow burn, contemporary romance. Always on the funny side, with a nice touch of spice.

I’m a devoted wife, mother of one beautiful daughter, a wrangler of assorted animals, and a lover of Skittles.

It’s a mix made in heaven.

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Reviews

[Linda Dominick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review
A Country Quandary
By Vicki Hilton
When Kitty is asked to leave her job as a lawyer in London, she heads back to Tottenbridge. Her aunt lives there and needs help while her hip heals. Kitty can’t think of anything else she would rather do than leave the city for a while, it will be a good way to pass the time. Just like it sounds Tottenbridge is a small town, but something must be in the water because the men are gorgeous there. There’s Daniel who runs the family pub and is a bit of a player and is the tall dark and handsome type. Then there’s Josh, the kindhearted veterinarian who Kitty knows and hasn’t seen since they were kids. He has grown up to be a tall muscular blonde blue-eyed dream. Kitty has never been someone to get a lot of attention from men, but Tottenbridge it is a different story. As part of the agreement with the law firm she left, she cannot work for three months. Daniel and Josh, both want her, but who would be a good match for her? Will it be Daniel the player with his good looks and sexy banter, or will sweet hardworking Josh find his way into Kitty’s heart?
My thoughts: This is the first book in the Tottenbridge series, and it lays down an excellent foundation for the other books (this would do well as a standalone as well) I read the second book first, and now I see why people disliked Daniel so much. It was fun to see how everyone knew each other and get the history behind all the attitudes. In a Country Quandary, I fell in love with the small town and people. Everyone has their quirks and I really enjoyed getting to know Kitty. She was eager to find another job and get back to her city life, but the more small-town life she experienced the less London appealed to her. The more she became involved in helping her aunt and the local animal sanctuary, the more Tottenbridge began to feel like home. She did continue to look for work back in London as a lawyer, but instead of being excited about leaving, she was feeling more confused. Will Kitty decide small town life is for her? Will it be Daniel or Josh who plays a role in her staying or leaving? Can we ever get enough of the people of Tottenbridge? The answer to the last question is never. I loved the banter, and all the emotions of the people. I also enjoy the little life lesson of be open to new experiences because you never know where they will lead. Cheers to another great slow burn, Vicki!

[JoAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Country Quandary is a quick reading romance set in the countryside of England. There are tons of animals, a sexy vet, a Casanova pub owner and other quirky and fun characters. There's a triangle between Kitty, a high-powered attorney, the vet and the pub owner. She's looking for a new job in London and is staying with her aunt after her aunt had surgery and couldn't care for her own animals

There are many laugh out loud moments along with many events in Tottenbridge. Kitty is attracted to Daniel, the pub owner but knows she shouldn't be anything but friends, or does she? Will Daniel get the message? She and Josh, the vet, rekindle their childhood friendship from when she used to spend summers there. She has trouble communicating and expressing her thoughts when not related to her job and that almost cost her everything.

There are twists and turns to the story. It has a good flow as we are introduced to many different characters. Josh's sister and niece, round out the story nicely and add another layer to it. The story has some surprises and a few loose ends. There is some heat and the potential for a happily ever after once Kitty and Josh get on the same page. I was happy to see this is the first book in this setting and I look forward to reading more.

I received an advance review copy in exchange for my review.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 in Hilton's new Tales from Tottenbridge series. A well written, slow burn romance that was an absolute treasure to read. This is a new author for me and I can't wait to read more! Sweet and funny with a love triangle and all the feels! Emotional twists and turns but I loved it all switching between team Daniel or team Josh depending on where this read took me! Kitty is our female lead and an attorney who's worked hard and got passed over for a promotion so, she quits and heads for the country life to help her aunt Julia at an animal sanctuary - the thing is that Kitty doesn't like dirt, or animals for that matter (I can relate - I want to like the country life but I just don't do critters, except my pups). Daniel is the local playboy who has Kitty in his sights and Josh is a childhood friend and now local big animal vet who blows hot n cold due to past relationship issues. Great characters and I loved the backstories of these main characters so we get totally vested in their outcome. Wonderful storyline with perfect levels of drama, humor, twists and so much more. Entertained from start to finish and loved every minute of it and can't wait for more!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Helen Causer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitty, a high-powered London Lawyer loses her job, and with free time on her hands, accepts a request to help her aunt out with her menagerie of animals, whilst she is recovering from a hip operation.

Daniel Cunningham runs the local pub, and is handsome and suave, and a hit with the ladies.

Kitty stops at the pub to buy a bottle of wine to take as a gift for her aunt, and Daniel is more than interested in getting to know her.

Kitty spent Summers with her aunt when growing up, and became friends with Joshua Fox, now a Farm Vet, but has no recollection of him until reminded by her cousin Jonty of their fun together.

This is a fun read, with both men vying for Kitty’s attention, and of her escapades with the animals she is tasked with looking after.
I really enjoyed it, and was invested in her choosing the right man. Misunderstandings abound, as all parties try to, but fail to voice their feelings, and their best laid plans come to nothing. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in this series, as book 1 thoroughly deserved 5 stars.

I received an advance review copy for free, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitty is a lawyer who works hard but has not been appreciated and is passed over in her law firm. She quits and moves to the country to help take care of her Aunt Julia’s farm animals after hip surgery. She hates dirt, horses, and goats. Daniel is the local playboy with a body to match and is bound and determined to score with Kitty. Josh was a childhood friend she enjoyed being with when she came to visit her aunt as a child. Josh is now the large animal vet, still attractive, and harbors a broken heart from the gal who moved away. Josh is the one she is attracted to, but Daniel flirts and gives her lots of attention. I loved Josh’s work ethic and his dedication to the animals and his sister and niece. He has always had a crush on Kitty, enjoys her company but is afraid to give her his heart. It was fun watching Daniel try to win Kitty’s attention through her aunt. I enjoyed watching Kitty see him for the playboy he was. I liked Kitty’s efforts to help with Josh’s sister’s animal sanctuary. Their friendship was special. The small town was portrayed so well with great characters and activities to bring the community together. Lots of love and fun in this book!

[Judy Gittleson Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitty is a lawyer without a job and goes to stay with her aunt Julia, in the country. She gets involved with Small Oaks Animal Sanctuary, helping with the animals and becoming an asset to Thea and her adorable four year old Ammy. Thea has a brother, Josh, who along with his dog Wendy, who fall for Kitty. On the other side, Daniel is a playboy who spies Kitty and tries to get her, too. When Josh goes hot and cold because of a previous bad relationship, Daniel plays dirty with comments to get her with him. The characters are well developed, with great backstories and interesting personalities. The storyline has drama, hidden agendas, twists, surprises, lots of animals and mud pies, a cricket match and ball, a severe storm and rising water danger, steam that keep building and much more. Totally entertaining from the start and hard to put down for even a second. Loved the chemistry and vivid locales, with an amazing ending that brings it all together. I am leaving this honest review after receiving a copy from the author.

[Kerry Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word ‘challenging’ doesn’t cover it. Kitty’s a neat freak who can’t stand dirt and is terrified of anything bigger than a Chihuahua. A city slicker who’s never owned a pair of gum boots, she’s hardly the perfect choice to run the show.
If that’s not enough, she finds herself torn between two men.
Such a cute and fun romcom, love triangle read. Mitty was hilarious and adorable, and Josh so divine. Then there is Romeo, Daniel who also has a thing for Kitty. All the characters were funny and sweet, and I'm so pleased Kitty chose the man I was rooting for.
Hilton's writing is full of fun and wit, her characters are well developed and could easily pass as friends of yours. I love how she pulls you into the setting from the start and Kitty's fun loving aunty.
If you like Jenny Colgan, Carole Matthews I'd say you'd love this upbeat read.
Looking forward to reading Amber and Daniel's story
Kerry Kennedy Author

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t. It had the potential to be really good but it just fell short. It’s an easy read for sure. It’s also just an okay book in my opinion.

Small town grew up gal moves to the big city for her career then ends up moving back home temporarily and finding herself again and wondering why she ever left. Then finds herself in a love triangle where she continues to see one of the men even though she’s completely hung up on the other.

Sweetheart you really don’t need to keep seeing someone because “they deserve a chance” when you know dang well you’re just leading them on. That just ruined it for me. Now it’s a SLOW SLOW burn which didn’t bother me much because I kinda figured that’s how it was gonna do anyway.

It did piss me off that they couldn’t just talk like the adults that they are and instead chose to basically ignore each other and move about their days instead.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A country quandary is a slow burn small town cozy romance with a bit of a love triangle. There are so many emotional twists and turns that I felt like I was on a roller coaster. This book had me feeling very team Edward or team Jacob in deciding who I wanted her to end up with. I was hoping for a bit more spice, but every now and then it’s good to slow it down and just enjoy the banter and the plot. The world building in this book was amazing and although I did find it slow to get interesting, once the plot picked up I couldn’t put it down. I’d recommend this book if you’re a fan of hallmark movies because reading this felt like I was reading a hallmark movie. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Coffeenbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute rom com about starting over. I enjoyed the inner dialoge of Kitty when she met each of the men for the first time.

Kitty is a lawyer from London who leaves her job after her boss takes credit for a client she brought to the firm. She is now jobless and homeless (her apartment is owned by the firm).

With perfect timing, her aunt Julia asks Kitty to help out on her homestead while she is healing from surgery. Although Kitty is not a fan of dirt or animals, she agrees to help.

She first meets Daniel at the pub where she stops for a gift for her aunt. He is so handsome! Then she is reunited with Josh, whom she knew from visiting her aunt. He has grown into a stunning man.

Both men begin to court Kitty, but who will she choose?

[Lex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was free on a stuff your kindle day event and the overall story line fit the contemporary romance genre. It read really easily and was entertaining. There were sections that needed some editing and formatting help.

I didn’t love some of the characters’ dialogue that included the FMC describing herself as “OCD” (when not clinically diagnosed) and one of the MMC’s being referred to as “emotionally retarded” (when really he was avoiding talking to the FMC). The author would’ve benefited from some sort of sensitivity reader to catch those.

It also had the trope that I struggle with of both MC’s not talking to each other/avoiding one another rather than telling one another how they feel. They eventually do get to that point, but I have a hard time not getting frustrated with that trope, personally.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC, for my honest review.

Such a good read. I have never felt so invested in a story and it's outcome, than I did with this one.

With two love interests, Kitty really had a tough time choosing between head and heart. Vicki's writing really takes you along for the emotional ride throughout the book, along with the characters. I felt every bit of laughter, pain and anger and was gutted when the story ended. I just wanted it to keep going.

The only thing I would have liked more, would have been more of their HEA at the end of the story, I felt like there was more to come.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. Kitty goes to stay with her aunt in Tottenbridge to help her look after her animals when she is laid up. Having recently lost her job as a lawyer, she has three months to find another job. While there she reconnects with Josh who she vaguely remembers from summers spent with her aunt. Josh is now a vet and still harbours a crush for Kitty from those summers. Bartender Daniel is a complication though as he pursues Kitty as well. Kitty ends up helping Josh's sister at her animal sanctuary and her feelings grow for the hot vet as she wards off advances from Daniel. Some laugh out loud moments especially from Josh's adorable niece, Ammy.

[Krista Uhrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that this is called a "slow burn" and in chapter two the one male character is talking about his genitals... However other than that this is a VERY slow burn (like we're talking last chapter slow). It's a very predictable story of course but overall it was entertaining and the writing was pretty good. Unfortunately I did not really connect with any of the characters, especially the "bad boy" love interest. Their personalities were a little shallow for me and it could have been probably 5 chapters shorter. I'm also not a fan of changing narrators, but that's a pretty common theme in this kind of book. Overall an okay read.

[Anita Fuhrmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! This was my introduction to this author's writing and I immediately became a fan. I thought her portrayal of the three MCs, was excellently done. The internal thoughts that Kitty had each time she met Daniel, the playboy, and Josh, the local large animal vet, were priceless. There were humorous interactions with a number of adorably quirky animals that will win the reader's hearts, too. This book is a definite recommend! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lisaduhaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review It’s a starting over story. Starting over with work with the place and the guy. Taking that leap of faith is so scary. Then there are circumstances that just happen and there is no choice. Now this story begins . Its a heart warming tale filled with anger, laughter and love. The characters have great depth and growth to them . the dialogue at times is quite witty . I read this book in one nite. Read it you will be quite refreshed in humanity.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

🥴 this book was rough for me. It was supposed to be a love triangle but the Daniel character was such a creep who clearly can't take no for an answer. His dialogue was like a 12 year old who recently figured out innuendos and uses them every chance he gets. The main female character was also annoying. She continues to see Daniel even though she is clearly hung up on the other guy because she needs to "give him a chance". No actually you don't. You are allowed to invest your time and energy where you want. The only redeemable character is Josh in this story. He is the only reason I finished.

[Sabaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a dark romance girlie i read this as a palette cleanser and thought I would get bored but i actually really enjoyed it! It was a slow burn without being too slow. It was a cute and fun story with fun moments but also moments that made me giggle and blush even if the spice was low.
I wanted a love triangle where the choice wasnt obvious and the author did a good job making both men likeble

I will definitely look for her other books!

[Debra Soehner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitty has lost her job and agrees to help her aunt while she is on the mend in a small town. There she meets a pub owner Daniel and sparks fly, can this playboy settle down and can this workaholic lawyer settle for small town life. Or will she choose her childhood best friend Josh who is now a hunky Vet. Only time will tell, a delightful romance.

[Teri Ruscak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vicki Hilton
A Country Quandary: A laugh-out-loud, slow burn, small town love triangle. (Tales from Tottenbridge Book
A Country Quandary
This rom-com will have you laughing out loud! I loved reading Kitty's thoughts about the 2 men vying for her attention.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mrs Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous read! Laugh out loud hilarious, real-life characters, a smattering of handsome men to get into trouble with.....I want to live in Tottenbridge!!
Any woman can relate to the scrapes Kitty gets herself into. I really didn't want this book to end. Made me laugh, made me cry, and made me want Kitty's love life 😉

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and characters (I’ve read the third one and was familiar with the ‘cast’).
Funny, little slow sometimes.
Kitty, Josh, Daniel, Julia and the rest make a nice group.
Kitty is a city lawyer who goes back to the town she spent summers in to care for her aunt Julia.
Josh is a farm vet, friend of Jonty, Kitty’s cousin.
Daniel owns the bar.

It only has a hot scene, at the very end.

[Stephanie Burton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not entirely sure if I read a different book to everyone else in the reviews, but this was awful. Predictable, horny drivel from start to finish. Both male povs was about how much of a hard-on they got around Kitty and Kitty’s pov was just about how crazy it was to have 2 potential suitors when she’s always been the most undesirable female in the room. Please give me a break.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure about the tri-romance, but I ended up really enjoying this. It’s sweet, lightly funny, and a little spicy. The characters all had their appeal.

I received a free copy for review and my opinion is my own and voluntary.

[Jeanne Feeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who wouldn’t want to live in this country town with two hot guys chasing you! But who will get who? Super fun rom com. And I want to know more about some of the supporting characters. This town is a blast.

[Brier · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book!

I really enjoyed reading this story by a new to me author!

I got lost in Tottenbridge and can't wait to make another stop in town!

The characters are relatable, and I loved the boys in competition with each other.

And I thought the ending was perfect!

[Melissa B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a slow-burn and slow-paced romance that was predictable and could have been shorter.
It has its funny and fluffy moments.
I was given a free copy of this book and I'm voluntarily leaving an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Ashley Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. From page one, I was hooked. I had been on a spicy/dark romance kick, and this was a great change of pace. When I wasn't laughing out loud, I was swooning. I can't wait for Vicki's next book!

[RoshiReadsBooks (Roshi) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute!! At first I didn't really know who Kitty would end up with (but I'm so glad it was who it was 🤭🤭).

Definitely slow burn. But I did very much enjoy the characters!!!! I love a little love triangle - so this was great!

[Anne Opel · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025 Reading Challenge: A book that takes place on a farm

Cute little love triangle story. Spicy scene at the end. If you are unsastisfied with the finsl choice, it looks like book 2 is about the other guy.