Creature Comforts

by Trisha Ashley

Creature Comforts

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Contemporary, British Literature

300 pages, Hardcover

First published February 26, 2015

About the author

Trisha Ashley is now a full-time novelist, but she has been known to work for stained glass makers and/or plumbers. She likes to paint, eat, drink, and read literary biographies. Her previous hobbies included getting divorced and packing to move. She claims to have once actually eaten Bronte burgers at the Branwell café, but her publisher declines to verify this. She lives in North Wales.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always eagerly look forward to Trisha Ashley’s books, and Creature Comforts was no different – I couldn’t wait to start reading!

After breaking off her engagement to her fiance Kieran, Izzy returns to her childhood home, the sleepy village of Halfhidden. Back in her home village, she soon realises that life there is anything but peaceful, and Izzy still has a lot of unanswered questions. When she was a teenager, Izzy was involved in a terrible accident involving various members of Halfhidden. As she tries to discover what actually happened that night, she realises her past is standing in the way of any future happiness. Can a handsome stranger help her let love back into her life?

I really enjoyed reading Creature Comforts! Izzy in particular is a very likeable character. What I liked most about her is that she is very realistic and I think many readers will relate to her. I loved Izzy’s personality, and I especially admired her determination and bravery in revisiting her past and wanting to find out more about the accident and discover what really happened. Rufus is a fantastic addition to the novel, I very eagerly looked forward to his scenes with Izzy and I raced through the story because I constantly wanted to know what would happen next between them!



There are a wonderful selection of characters to get to know! I really liked Izzy’s aunt and all of the dogs in her life….I am a huge dog and animal lover so this part was a big hit for me! There are also a vibrant range of villagers who appear and whilst reading I really felt part of the community of Halfhidden. I really loved the village life and the atmosphere, and as I read further I felt so much at home among all of the residents! The descriptions of Halfhidden are beautiful and it truly sounds like a lovely place to be. I could picture Halfhidden in my mind, the homes and the little shops and the landscape make it seem like a magical place!

Creature Comforts is a delightful story! Trisha Ashley has created a romantic, warm story set in a beautiful village and it is truly an absorbing novel that you can completely immerse yourself in! Thouroughly enjoyable.

[Natalie TBGWP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being totally honest here, what started out as a book I thought I really would like because at first it had me pulled in with drama, suspicion, and curiosity, totally let me down.

At 30% in I realised that it would no longer be holding my attention, and that I could have told you the ending to the book there and then. I couldn't find a way to connect with any of the characters, especially heroine, Izzy. And what I usually love about books set in remote villages, I hated in this. I truly was shocked to be thinking like that because I love Trisha Ashley and her novels.

Whilst sitting after finishing the read, thinking about the book overall and how I felt about it, but more so on how on earth I was going to write a review for it, I knew I had to be blatantly honest and say it wasn't for me. It was slow, predictable, sometimes roll-your-eye worthy, and I felt it was for more a mature reader. At 32 though and knowing that realistically I'm in the target age group for this book made it just that little bit worse.
Yes, it's full of drama. Yes, the overall plot is a good one. But for me that's unfortunately were it stops. So for them two reasons alone I can only award Creature Comforts 2/5.

[Kathryn Laceby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes

Creature Comforts was such a simple title but I found the novel to be very complicated. There were, unfortunately, a vast number of characters and almost every one of them was starting their own business or changing jobs/romantic partners and they all had a parent/aunt/guardian/mad uncle that was mixed up in our protagonist’s search or one of her friends’ lives. At the end of the novel I still didn’t know who everyone was and had no clue which business title belonged to which character. I felt almost as if I’d been dropped into an episode of something already in progress and I was struggling to catch up.

Because of the confusing nature of the narrative I struggled to get into the story and had a hard time connecting with Izzy. I understood that she had returned to her village of Halfhidden to get the whole story about an accident she had been involved in in her teens. It seemed really peculiar to me that, now in her mid-thirties, was the first time she was attempting to put the pieces together of that night. It was explained that she had spent the intervening years putting her life together but I never really got the feeling that the accident was interfering in her current life-plan? It was almost as if there were two stories in Creature Comforts and neither one was focussed on properly. One about Izzy’s search for the truth- which could have made a great story and the other about Izzy returning to her home town- having left her fiancée, to start a new business.

Having said all that, there were several interesting villagers that kept me entertained (Debo and Cam for instance) and I liked the village of Halfhidden quite a lot also!

I am obviously in the minority in my feelings about this book- most people seemed to enjoy it immensely and weren’t nearly as befuddled as I was. I’ve also read novels by Trisha Ashley before and loved them so I’m going to put this in the “huh?” pile and move on!


Thank you to Harper Collins UK for our review copy. All opinions are our own.

[P.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are going to read this book you need to know that it's been written for dog lovers. Had I known this, I wouldn't have bothered - I'm not that keen.

Other than the dogs, I found this a rather mediocre read, and disappointing because I do enjoy this author when she's on form.

Two stars: 'it was OK' says it for me. Would I read it again? No!

[CK · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose I will probably be in the minority here as it seems a lot of people really liked this book.

Admittedly this is the first book I have read by Trish Ashley and I have heard good things but I am hoping this book is not representative of her usual standard of work.

When I read the cover I do have to say that I did find the story interesting and intriguing. However, I felt the actual story about Izzy and her recovering her memory in regards to the horrific and life changing accident she was involved in as a teenager was really much shorter than this book. So the author then had the need to add a lot of filler as well as a lot of other characters to keep the book moving along. There is quite a lot of the story that honestly could have been left out.

I wouldn't say the book was horrible but nor would I say that it was really good, just a general basic story that didn't have too much to it and a fair bit of predictable material as well.

I give the author credit for creating so many characters but I suppose that was necessary as she needed to create distractions or conflicts for nearly everyone involved to make the story more complicated and keep everything from happening much too fast. As another reviewer said, seemingly ever character had an aunt/uncle/friend/parent/sibling that was creating conflict and mixed up in Izzy's search for the truth, which was just too much. But at the same time I suppose the author needed to have enough characters so she could find enough people to tie up all the loose ends at the end of the book and make everything nice & neat for a happy ending.

It was just too soppy at the end as well when Rufus basically said for the author "and they lived happily ever after" by proposing and actually saying "shall we live happily ever after".

[Telma Oliveira · Rating 1 out of 5]

A premissa parece fantástica, uma rapariga que sofreu um acidente de carro com mais 4 pessoas e não se lembra de nada, apenas lhe é dito que era ela a conduzir, além de ela não ter carta e achar que não foi isso que aconteceu e anos mais tarde tenta encontraras respostas...

O problema é que este livro tem tantos assuntos e nenhum deles é desenvolvido devidamente, alem de que quando algo acontece é descrito mas depois ainda temos de ler a mesma coisa outra vez porque aquela personagem está a contar a outra :
-Abrigo para cães e como vão perder aquele terreno (a unica coisa que gostei no livro)
- A loja que a personagem principal quer abrir
-Final do relacionamento com o noivo
-Novo rapaz da vila
-A vila que é infestada por fantasmas (o que eu achei completamente estúpido)
- A vida de toda a gente com relacionamentos em part time
-O acidente

A personagem principal passa quase o livro todo a dizer que tem de falar com as pessoas envolvidas no acidente e nunca fala com ninguém porque ninguém quer falar com ela, a 10 páginas do fim marca uma reunião todos aparecem e surpresa das surpresas tudo fica resolvido e todos ficam amigos e todos se entendem.... algo compreensível visto que ela apenas ficou a ser culpada injustamente durante mais de 10 anos pela morte de outra pessoa...

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story of love and loss, with a few complicated twists too. The characters are well-rounded and kept my interest, making me want to read on to find out what happened in the accident many years ago, and how the answer to this question would shape Izzy Dane's life going forward. Tricia Ashley must be a dog-lover as there are many canine characters in this story too! A very satisfying read.

[Angie (mushmysteriesandmore) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the main part but felt the romance went from 0-60 in very short space of time.

The mystery of the accident was good though but the sub plot with Lulu and Guy was again rushed to get resolved

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always enjoy her books as a counter balance to heavier reading.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was lovely. Would highly recommend. And I love the dogs!

[Carol Sheppard]

A good one amongst the many romance novels. Likeable characters and good plot

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izzy is 16 and loves living in the small rural village of Halfhidden. On a fateful night the last thing she remembers after waking up from a coma is setting off home from her part-time job in the local pub. She doesn’t remember the accident that killed one of her friends; and she doesn’t remember how she became the one to blame for the accident. Fast forward 19 years and Izzy returns home to Halfhidden following a fallout from her fiancée and from working abroad researching for her new online clothes business. She feels that the time is right to return home where she feels the most happiest with her Aunt Debo and Judy who run the local Desperate Dogs Rescue Centre. Her two best friends, Lulu and Cam, have also returned to the village to start afresh. Izzy is excited to launch her own unique clothing business but prior to the launch she wishes to find the truth of the fateful accident years ago.

A newcomer to the village ruffles a few feathers but his brooding good looks and persona soon spark a mutual connection between himself and Izzy.

In between all this the residents of Halfhidden are trying to regenerate the village and increase visitors to boost the local economy.

The village has a wonderful magical, mysterious quality about it. I love Trisha’s description of the heritage of the village and its earlier occupants. Trisha’s writing is charming; the landscapes in her stories are detailed and sound idyllic and the characters involved are very likeable and you feel like you want to join in with the village life. I also like the little references to locations in Trisha’s previous books. Throw in some loveable animal characters and you’ve got the making of a wonderful, warm, uplifting, fun, beautiful, romantic story. A gorgeous 4.5/5* read.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izzy believes that she is responsible for a car crash that killed a friend, when she was only 16. Various parts of the memory of that night seem to be coming back to her and when she returns to Halfhidden she is keen to speak to everyone who was part of the interviews and investigations of that evening.
She’s back to her childhood home after breaking up with her fiancé Kieran and is setting up her own business selling clothes inspired by work she’d done setting up self supporting businesses in India, with the local women. They have inspired her with beautiful fabrics and she is keen to make a success of her new venture and helping her aunt to save the Desperate Dogs ‘sanctuary’- where she’s unable to turn any dog in need away. She takes on the ‘desperate’ ones- but they are trying to find loving homes for them. Unfortunately her aunt hasn’t been so proactive taking care of the business side and there are many unpaid bills.
There are threats to close them down and the new owner of the estate seems to be unhappy to have the ramshackle kennels on his property.
Their past lives are linked by tragedy and when Izzy and Rufus get to know each other better- there is a spark between them. You can’t choose your family after all!
I absolutely loved the cast of characters – feeling like I was getting to know the villagers as they come together to plan a haunted trail to rejuvenate the local businesses. I loved the idea of visiting pretty cafes, local galleries and an evening listening to terrifying ghost stories in the snug. Where can I book?! I loved the dogs adding more character to the story.
A really gorgeous read- I’d love to return to Half Hidden and visit more of the villagers.

http://kims366.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02...

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izzy is returning home to the village of Halfhidden in Lancashire after a stint working for charity in India. She has split up with her fiancé Kieran who expected her to move to Oxford where he is joining his parents' GP practice. Izzy intends to set up an internet business selling her own designs of clothes. Her old friends, Lulu and Cameron are starting their own new ventures too and everything is looking good if Izzy could only find out exactly what happened when she nearly lost her life in a car accident which killed a friend and alienated several of the villagers.

Izzy is threatened with reprisals if she keeps trying to talk about the past and Debo and Judy, who run a dog sanctuary and with whom Izzy lives are also threatened. Then there is the unknown Rufus Carlyle who is moving into the village and who has enough reasons not to like Izzy. This is a well written and interesting story, narrated by Izzy herself. It is quite light-hearted in places but all the characters must face their problems before they can reach their happy endings.

I found it absorbing reading and wanted to know, just as much as Izzy did, precisely how that fatal accident occurred. If you've enjoyed Trisha Ashley's previous books then you will almost certainly enjoy this one. If you've not come across her books before then you have a treat in store. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.

[Verity W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I do love Trisha Ashley's world. Every time a new book comes out and introduces me to a new part of the corner of Lancashire that she's invented, I want to go back and read all the others again as well.

I managed to control myself (for me) and made myself pace myself - and took three days to read this (I've been known to gobble Trisha's books up in one sitting) and I really enjoyed it. Another set of quirky and fun characters and an interesting and compelling plot.

Now I've got to wait for the next one...

[MB (What she read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/12/15 3 stars first read. Cute. Slow starting and a little more boring than her normal. I liked it, but found myself irritated by the many times law enforcement should have been notified but wasn't. (Okay, it's a cozy. But in reality, things like this are not likely to turn out so happily.)

Reread 11/26/16. I think I enjoyed it a little more on the re-read. Bumping it up a half star.

[Jo]

Another gem by Trisha - loved the characters, the country setting - and the dogs. And always love a happy ending.

[Nicki Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a while to get into, well written. Second half definitely more enjoyable.

[Gem · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of Trisha Ashley’s books are exactly the same, and that’s exactly why I enjoy them. They’re always fun, fluffy, slice-of-life romances that I find to be great palate-cleansing reads. I have also never given any of them more than 3 stars, as objectively I don’t think they’re worth more than that, no matter how much I actually enjoy the reading experience, and Creature Comforts is no different.

Although Ashley’s books are generally marketed as romances, I tend to find that the romance is usually something of a subplot, and that the majority of the focus tends to be on the journey of the FMC, and all the day-to-day shenanigans in the small community she finds herself in. Creature Comforts does fit this mould, although I will say that I did find the development of the relationship between our FMC Izzy and MMC Rufus to be quite well handled. I could actually sense the slow burn through the course of the novel, as opposed to the romance suddenly coming out of nowhere in the last 15% of the story, as has happened previously.

I also found the depiction of the terrible relationship Izzy was escaping from at the start of the book to be better done than usual as well. Often in Ashley’s books, it’s transparently obvious within about two pages how awful the previous partner is, and the reader is left wondering how much of an idiot the FMC has to be not to have noticed she’s been in a relationship with a total cad for years. But the reasons given for Izzy not realising this were more plausible than in other books, which meant I rolled my eyes at that plot thread somewhat less than usual!

All the other usual Trisha Ashley elements are in evidence: the minutiae of day-to-day life – which I actually quite enjoy; the cast of eccentric characters that populate the small village of Halfhidden; and of course the assemblage of despicable characters who are always trying to throw spanners in the works. In this case of this last group it did feel like there were perhaps an implausibly large number of them, and as usual none of our ‘good guy’ characters felt moved to call the police on the ones who were actually engaging in illegal activities, as that would have stopped the plot thread in question cold, but it’s always fun to see what such characters will get up to next!

The main issue I ended up having with this book was something that perhaps there was no need for me to focus on quite so much, but which nonetheless felt like a big plot hole. Despite the fact that Izzy was involved in a serious car crash about twenty years prior (as depicted in the prologue), there appear to have been no legal ramifications of what happened. There are a few vague mentions of an inquest, but beyond that, no one has suffered any consequences, which it feels like they absolutely should have. It feels like Trisha Ashley just didn’t want to deal with that kind of thing, especially in relation to her FMC, so she just ignored it, which felt rather unrealistic to me…

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't decide whether to give this 4 or 4.5 stars. I think with a second reading then it will go up. I enjoyed this book immensely. It is not my usual type of read at all, but I got it in a 3 for £5 deal and took a punt. I've never read anything from this author before so had no idea what I was going to get.

The truth is that there was nothing that I disliked about the novel. I liked the characters, they were well developed and interesting. I liked the plot. Izzy breaks up with her fiancé and moves back to her home village in Lancashire and faces up to (and delves into the mystery) of the car accident she was involved in twenty years previous. Along the way there are several English eccentrics, lots of dogs, a sprinkle of the paranormal and a dollop of romance. There were some aspects of the writing style I found unusual -there were many exclamation marks in the third person narration, as well as in the character's speech. There was also much repeating in the narration when one character was retelling a conversation that I'd just read.

The only thing which I thought could have been more thoroughly developed is the romance aspect. I know this wasn't strictly a romance novel, and I did feel the romantic tension between the main characters and I wanted more!

I doubt I will actively sniff out more by the same author, but if I come across others of hers in the same sort of book deal then I'll happily buy them.

[N.W. Moors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trisha Ashley's books are always good reads, immersing the reader in the English countryside and small villages. That said, this wasn't one of my favorites.
Izzy has returned to the small village of Halfhidden to open her textile business and live with her dog-crazy Aunt Debo. Izzy grew up here but her teenage years were marred by a fatal car accident of which she has no memory. She wants to remember what really happened, but there are a lot of secrets to bring to light first. Rufus is the new owner of the estate where Izzy and her aunt (and a lot of dogs) live. Though neither is particularly looking for romance, Izzy and Rufus gravitate towards each other as the new people in town.
Ms. Ashley always writes good stories about older women who are maybe ready to settle down. I certainly enjoyed this one though this one wasn't a particular favorite, 3 1/2 stars rounded up. Maybe I just read too many of her books in a row, but this felt a bit repetitive. Still, it's worth the read as are all her books.

[Ruth Haigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this because I enjoyed a leap of faith so much and although it was really good I have to admit that I enjoyed and laughed far more at a leap of faith.
Izzy returns home after 2 decades to live with her aunt and friend who are eccentric (to say the least) and run a charity for desperate dogs. The number of dogs is completely got out of control meaning not only are they in serious debt but they have also built temporary kennels on land that is not theirs. Izzy decides to use part of her inheritance to help out her aunts charity on the provision that they find homes for as many dogs as possible and only home the truly desperate dogs.
Whilst doing this she sets up her own design business (women clothes) , helps her friend set up a regeneration scheme for the village of Halfhidden , interview people from her past to get answers to questions about an accident which changed her life and fall in love. So quite a lot going on.

[Renee Delcourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cute book. I think that is the best way to describe it. The plot of Izzy searching for the bits of missing memory of the night she and three others were in an accident, was a very back burner story line, which was slightly disappointing to me. I think that the story was divided kind of too much between the different plot twists... It makes it difficult to really develop a great plot line. I was confused for a bit in the middle where the story was going. I still very much enjoyed the book I was reading regardless and really loved the characters. I found them funny if a bit cheesy and completely relatable in different ways. I think this is a fun and easy read when you're just looking for something easy going and light on vacation.

[Lauren Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful but heartbreaking tale. I throughly enjoyed reading Izzys story and the heartbreak and guilt she has had to live with. The ending couldn't have been more apt (I won't spoil that with what happens)

Izzys childhood was taken from her when at 16 she killed her friend Harry in a driving accident. Izzy was in a coma but awake with no recollections of what happened. She spent the next years of her life bouncing from disaster to disaster before ending it with her fiancee and heading home to halfhidden.

Halfhidden.. a quaint village with wonderful members such as Debo, Judy, lulu and cam (amongst other wonderful characters) is the place where Izzy grew up and where she wants to go home to.settle. With her determination to finally find the truth of what happened she certainly ruffles a few feathers. While many greet her with open hearts and love, she is also welcomed with hate and anger.
Can Izzy finally put the past to bed and start again? And what happens when Rufus appears in her life... surely they can't be friends let alone lovers??

Amazing storytelling as always Trisha and I look forward to reading the next story in your halfhidden collection

[Bronwyn Mcloughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harmless enough, but I had the feeling that it was a barely fleshed out timeline of the plot - the characters were always rushing around the countryside, running businesses, attending meetings, going to the pub. A clear set each of goodies and baddies, and lots of dogs. Very formulaic and fairly predictable fare, which has the narrator Izzy trying to piece together what actually happened in a disastrously fatal accident in her youth, as she returns home to set up a fashion business, recovers from a broken engagement and falls into marriage. I suppose I can be thankful there were no attempts at including ghosts.

[Pippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until it was revealed that Izzy was not wearing a seatbelt I was finding it hard to enjoy this book as much as the previous titles I had read, they may save lives but leave marks across the torso, left to right or right to left depending on which side of the car the individual was sitting. Once this issue had been explained my impression of the story improved greatly. Like the previous books it is a decent portrayal of family and friendship but doesn't quite manage to convey "romantic" love as opposed to familial love, however as that is only a small part of the story I'm not that bothered, I'd rather have it underdone than overdone. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Loved the dogs!

[Nicola Hawkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars really. This had a lot of promise initially, but I thought there was just too much going on. Too many different plotlines so that in the end it felt a little forced. Still really enjoy the style of Tricia Ashley and her forthright heroines, the community spirit and the locations, but I'd have been happy with fewer intrigues & interwoven stories. Guy was unnecessary, and I felt that plotline was a bit of a parody of emotional abuse, not sure it really did justice to the subject. Not one of her best, but still not bad.

[A.A.B · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very slow and meandering. And way too long for the story it tried to tell - at least twice as long as it should have been!

Aside from the decades old mystery and petty squabbles in the present there isn't much to drive the pilot forward.

The meticulously described mundane day to day activities of every character added generously to the page count, but didn't do much for the character definition/development or the story. 

I was bored and unimpressed throughout, but the book was not awful and I managed to finish it, so the final reaction is just 'meh'.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many good things to say, I'll limit myself to a few: tempo is great, opening premise is solid, protagonist is a fully-fledged character with a great personality, supporting cast is funny, quirky and endearing, and the romance is sooo well-paced and the hand holding! *swoon* And the dogs!

Really, the only and very minor things I could pick at as negatives are a tendency to repeat details just a few times too many and the recipe for the lemon marmelade cake (400g of dried fruit is so British mid-century it should be illegal).

Definitely recommend!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fair read I enjoyed the other one by this author more. Characters and storyline have depth and lots of various stories lines that twist and turn copied with each other and spin off again. I felt at times a little repetitive and able to work out what may happen before it did. But that being said a enjoyable light read that kept me hooked.