The House that Florence Left

Portuguese Paradise #4

by Chris Penhall

ESCAPE TO PORTUGAL FOR SUMMER SUN AND SECOND CHANCES.

Could an unlikely inheritance be the secret to Bella’s happiness?

Bella Cresswell likes her life organized. But when she inherits her great-aunt Florence’s house in the Algarve, her life gets decidedly disorganized.

Bella flies to Portugal hoping for a quick sale. Except there’s a clause in Florence’s will stopping her. Before she can sell the house, Bella must ‘make it better’.

As she tries to fix-up the dilapidated property Bella finds herself caught up in the charm of the gorgeous Portuguese village. She meets the eccentric and friendly locals — including a pair of storks, Harry and Sally, who have taken up residence on her roof. Not to mention her handsome, yet mysterious, neighbour, Hugo.

Perhaps there was more to Florence’s wish for Bella to make it better than she first thought. And when it’s time to sell and say goodbye will Bella be able to return to her old life?

Or will she discover that some things are meant to be held onto forever?

Genres: Fiction

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2024

About the author

Chris Penhall writes uplifting stories set in gorgeous places..

A lover of books, music and cats, she is also an enthusiastic salsa dancer, a keen cook, and loves to travel. She is never happier than when she is gazing at the sea.

You can find more information about her on www.chrispenhall.co.uk
or folllow her on twitter: @ChrisPenhall
Instagram: christinepenhall
Facebook: ChrisPenhallWriter

Reviews

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

This is one of those slow and cozy romances that is just a simple, feel-good book. And I would definitely say this has a rom-com feel to it as well. And that's always fun.

This was also only about 300 pages, so it was pretty easy to speed through without even trying.

This follows Bella as she tries to restore and organize the house that her aunt (Florence) left for her to inherit in Portugal.

She meets many of the people in the surrounding area, including a love interest for herself!

For some reason, this feels like the type of book you should be reading on your summer vacation. Sitting on a beach somewhere - that's where this book belongs. That is where this book should be read. I don't know why, but that just feels right to me.

This is a part of a series, this is book four, but they are interconnected standalones, so you can read them in whatever order you want!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strictly speaking, this is book four in the Portuguese Paradise series, but don’t worry if you’ve not read the previous books, while they give you insights into some of the characters, this book is about a journey to understanding for Bella, our British workaholic whose great aunt left her The Nest with a stipulation that she can’t sell it until she’s “made it better.”

As I read this book, not only could I see the beautiful area, the traditional houses and the marvellous cafes, Chris Penhall, really brought the scenes to life such that I could feel the sun, hear the waves, and smell both the sea and coffee imagining sitting outside such a cafe.

Bella is a bit of a stereotype for such a task. More used to spreadsheets and check lists than geckos and wayward donkeys. And at times it felt like a book of two halves, the yesteryears holidays and memories of being there before interspersed with reminders of a more recent break up which changed more into developing the house and “outside forces” that would have her fight for its future. This didn’t detract from the story but I would have liked more of the whimsy and less of the property developers. Personal preference. I was enjoying the sights and sounds so much that for me, Bella’s decision would have been a no-brainier!

It’s a great read and perfect for either down the beach, or curled in a blanket looking forward to your next holiday.

[Barbara Deeprose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Read

When Bella finds out her great aunt Flo has left her a house in Portugal, Bella immediately flies out there with plans to sell it, and use the money to help out her parents as her father had been hurt in an accident some years ago and she wants to try and make their life easier for them, but when she arrives she soon realises it isn’t going to be that easy. Her aunt has stipulated that it cannot be sold until Bella has made it better. There is a lot of work to be done and with property speculators circling round eager to buy the house and land Bella has her work cut out. This is a good read although I did find Bella a little irritating as she would not listen to what her mother was trying to tell her. Bella knew best!

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bella Cresswell has just inherited her Aunt Flo's house on Portugal.
When she gets there it's beautiful but also very old and run down.
The codicil from her aunt is to "make it better" and she cannot sell it if she wants to for at least six months.
Confused by this level headed Bella sets out on a mission to do it up and sell it as quickly as possible to get back to the UK and her parents too as her father is ill.
But slowly the house, the country and the neighbours, especially the dashing Hugo weaves their way into her heart.
I adored this, a perfect summer romantic escape filled with a whole host of memorable characters, cats, donkeys, dogs and storks!
A brilliant read and would definitely read this author again.
Charming story.

[Isabelle D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fourth visit to Portugal with this series, and it might be my favourite. This time the heroine is a "city girl" and "career woman" who inherited a property, plans to sell it but finds herself falling in love with both the location and a handsome neighbour... which may sound like nothing special but can make a really lovely read, especially when it includes some cute animals (cats, a neighbour's dog, and even storks in this case) and familiar characters from previous books (but this story works entirely by itself, so there would be no inconvenient in meeting the locals alongside Bella instead of starting with book 1).

[Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely read - wish I’d had it in time to read on my beach holiday! However it was a perfect pick me up on a cold and very wet September day too. It must be everyone’s dream to inherit a house in a beautiful area of Southern Europe but of course if it’s too good to be true, it probably has drawbacks and this house certainly does! However we get embroiled in Florence’s exciting history, in the atmosphere of the village and of course in the will they/ won’t they love affair. By the end I just wanted to go to Portugal ! A very enjoyable read indeed!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly enjoyable tale set mainly in Portugal. It tells the story of Bella after being left a house in that country by her aunt. However this house comes with conditions in the will 'to make things better'. The story is gripping and we are told little by little Bella's life before her inheritance and how the ownership of said house changes her.
Having read this, I have my mind set to visit Portugal. It was so well described.
Not only do we have an adventure in love, but we are treated to another love story together with twists and turns along the way. I loved Harry and Sally, the storks.
A great read.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bella inherits a house in Portugal from her Aunt Flo and leaves her London job to go to check it out. She is a successful career woman who prepares to list out every plus and minus to keeping the house, along with all of the items that need to be fixed. The will that she has been left includes a task to 'make it better' which Bella finds somewhat nebulous. Bella starts to succumb to the charm of oceanfront Portugal and her neighbors. This is the perfect book to read when it's cold and rainy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review.

[Sarah Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous and enchanting book, just brimming with terrific characters, a wonderful story line, it's well written, and I have to admit the ending had me in tears of happiness, hope this isn't too much of a spoiler - just read it! I haven't read the first three books in the "series", but I cannot wait to do so!

[Maddi Girling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely book. The storyline was enjoyable and was easy to pull you in. All the characters were interesting and helped you connect with the book. Such a fun book to read.

[Patricia McPherson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sat up late at night reading this book because it was hard to put down. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. Some very interesting characters in this book.