A Shot at Love: Village Romance Series 1

The Village Romance #1

by T.B. Markinson

Can the sassy American win the shy Brit?

Josie Adams had a brilliant speech writing career in American politics - until a scandal destroyed everything. Unsure what to do with the rest of her life, she moves home with her mother in the Cotswolds.

Journalist Harriet Powell ditched London after getting sacked and divorced within six months of each other. She hopes to find peace in the village, but after meeting Josie, Harry's world will never be the same.

While the two don't see eye to eye on the professional front, it's hard to deny their connection, even if Josie's mum is determined to set Josie up with anyone who isn't Harry.

Can the two conquer their personal and professional struggles to let the other in?

Contains mature themes.

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Lesbian Romance, Lesbian, Audiobook, Fiction, Lesbian Fiction

Audible Audio

First published July 4, 2019

About the author

T. B. Markinson is an American writer, living in England. When she isn't writing, she’s traveling the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs in England, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order.

Reviews

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

One village, multiple idiots!

This book was giving me some serious Poppy Jenkins vibes in the beginning but that quickly came to a screeching halt. Though it has its (very) funny, charming and sweet moments there are some things that I couldn't get passed and it seems the author couldn't stop writing about them either.

Fair warning, if you're an American, get ready to hear about every annoying stereotype out there. If you're a Londoner, you won't be spared either because throughout the entire book the author doesn't stop taking jabs at the loud & obnoxious American vs the toffee nosed Londoner. In the beginning it caused a chuckle or two but it got really tiresome after a while.

My other main issue with this book were the inconsistencies of the characters. In particular Josie, who one moment is making grand declarations to herself about wanting to be a 1950's housewife to Harry to then questioning Harry's morals.

The other character that gave me whiplash was Josie's mother Eugenie. Her emotional outbursts and vitriol towards Londoners and Harry in particular were so random it made me wonder if Markinson was throwing darts at a dartboard to decide which direction to take her character in the next chapter.

Then there's Harriet, or Harry. Part of me wanted to tell her to pack up and run far far away since no matter what she did, it never seemed to work in her favor. I have a soft spot for that nerd who's to curious for her own good.

This book has some great banter with really funny and witty dialogue but Americans and Londoners, you've been warned!

Dear Diary Moment #349
GF, yesterday: "Omg you do that too."
"She's also addicted to google."
"She spouts off random facts like you."
After she finished the book.
Me: "What are the chances you're about to call me Harry?"
Her: "I don't know, google it!"

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This took me so long to read. It was really had one to connect with. I kept trying because that one dimple fact made me smile. Unfortunately it never got better for me.

[Gaby LezReviewBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 1 of ‘The Village Romance’ series of three standalone romance novels by T.B. Markinson, Clare Lydon and Harper Bliss set around a small town in the Cotswolds, England. Josie Adams is a political speechwriter whose career implodes after a press-fueled scandal. She leaves America for the Cotswolds to lick her wounds in the town where her mother lives and owns a pub. There she meets Harriet Powell, a nerdy but lovable journalist, and despite Josie’s wariness of anyone working for the press, their attraction is hard to deny. Will they have their happily ever after?

Even though I’ve read several hundreds of lesfic books, I’m baffled by the fact that this is my first by this author. I’m not sure why but I’m planning to rectify that soon. Ms. Markinson is a wordsmith, readers can tell that her choice of words is not accidental, she puts them out there to shine and to surprise us with their wit and playfulness. I’m aware that this might not suit every reader but it worked on me big time.

There is no better way of showcasing this talent with words than to put them in the mouths of a political speechwriter and a journalist who are distrustful of each other. To stir things up more, make Josie a walking American cliche and Harry the embodiment of the stiff upper lip Brit. All this, in theory, is a recipe for disaster but Ms. Markinson makes the romance work beautifully.

‘A shot at love’ is the definition of an opposites-attract lesbian romance book and the leads’ differences also include their personalities. Josie is brazen and confident while Harry is shy and nerdy. Their cultural and professional clashes are reflected in the witty dialogues, funny lines, and banter that act as bold but very effective foreplay. Slowly but surely, the author builds up the mains’ chemistry to high levels and doesn’t disappoint in the intimacy department. The sex scenes are sizzling hot.

Depicted in the background is this Cotswolds’ town with its quintessential beauty and its small-town dynamics in which everybody is minding everyone else’s business. As in any small place in the UK, the pub is at the centre of the community with its regular patrons, quizzes, and even an endearing pub dog. Ms. Markinson got that aspect of British culture spot-on. Josie’s mum, the pub owner, is very well portrayed as a typical well-intentioned though sometimes meddling mother. Complete the cast with town Casanova Uncle Clive and Harry’s self-centered cousin Camilla to bring the town alive.

Overall, a very entertaining opposites-attract romance, filled with witty dialogues, nerdy random facts, and sizzling chemistry. 4.5 stars.

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book full of crazy British small village characters, some with charm, some with silly or annoying attitudes. In between the two main characters Josie (American/British) and Harriet (British), both working with words, Josie as a speechwriter and Harry as a journalist. But as good as these two are at written words, communicating with a potential lover isn’t their strongest part.

Josie is at a loose end in her life after being betrayed and losing her job in America, where she was working for a political candidate, is coming to her mothers home town Upper Chewford in South Central England to unwind and find her new path. Here she meets Harry, the owner of the local newspaper. Harry fled from London to this village and took over the newspaper of her uncle. The sparks are flying from the beginning, but will their love and connection be strong enough for Josie to change her lifestyle from the glamour life in America to the small town in England?

The most enjoyable part of this book is the witty and funny banter between the characters and the description of life in a small town. They had me laughing more than once. Also, the author is very good at creating some quirky characters with one annoying bitch mixed in a bunch of characters. I really loved the nerdy Harry very much, she needs to know everything, even if it is unimportant.

The chemistry is great and the romance is sweet with some challenges in between. It’s a very enjoyable read, highly recommend to romance fans who like some banter and crazy small-town life.

My rating 4.5 stars.
An ARC was given to me by the author.

[Jo reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Elske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely light read for the holidays. I laughed out loud several times. Very nice and funny dialogues. This is an well written book with a very nice cast of characters. Nice story too. There is one thing that is still not clear to me: why did Eugenie dislike Harry so much? I feel that the reasons she gave are too weak to be a good explanation.
Recommend, 4 stars.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and sweet

I absolutely love stories like that. I can't even describe how calming it is reading book of this type. It gives you light feelings and makes you happy.

[F.]

DNF

After reading this for a week I hadn’t even made it halfway.... I found this utterly boring. Sorry.

[Les Rêveur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josie’s career is over as a speechwriter for American politics. She decides to take a break from her American life and head to her Mum in the Cotswolds for some space and soul searching. She’s not looking for romance, just a place to hide out until she can move forward with her life, that is until she meets Harriet.
Harriet is fresh from a divorce and looking for an escape when her uncle offers up the chance to run her own ‘small town’ newspaper. She jumps at the chance and is settling into her life in the village.
When Harriet and Josie meet, they have a connection from the very beginning. But with Josie not looking for romance and Harriet not believing anyone like Josie could want her for more than friendship, can they ever really make it work?

I am really on board with the new style of each book in the series, having a different author. From reading them in the past, I think the authors draw strengths from each other, and the series, in general, turns out great.

This book is so very charming and would be perfect for a holiday read while lying by the pool or on the beach. It’s funny, and the characters are really well-formed. I especially liked the secondary characters and the central location being in the pub. It gave it a great British feel and set the scene to the humour of the locals and their antics.

My favourite part of the book was the epilogue, which tends to be the case in most books. But this epilogue, in particular, was really great.

I felt the book lagged a little in the beginning. After the 20% mark it picked up, and I settled in for a great read. At one point the conflict between Eugeuie and Harriet felt a little much, but by the end, I liked that it was part of the story.

The chemistry between Josie and Harriett was tremendous, and I enjoyed all the moments where they were on their own. Look out for the tree moment… Wow!

I really enjoyed A Shot at Love, and I think this is already shaping up to be a great series. I can’t wait to see what Clare Lydon and Harper Bliss have in store for the next two books.

Star Rating: 4

[Corporate Slave]

DNF

[TheAvidReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this. I ended up not even liking it. Took me forever to read and it was boring. I wanted to love it because it's a cute village and has a pub. I mean, really! On to the next

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to read a story with every single stereotype of Americans crammed into one book, than this is the book for you. I don’t think a single page went by without one.
If you want to read a story with hatred of Londoners, albeit less hatred than for Americans, than this is the book for you. I think I recall a snide comment about a German tourist too.
If you think the villagers of Cotswolds are gods gift to mankind and everyone else should just disappear off the face of the earth, than this is the book for you.
If you can get past all that noise, which in all honestly really is quite distracting, from the story, you will find a sweet story of two women who have been unlucky in love and life, but are a perfect match. I fell completely for Harry, so sweet and utterly clueless at times, but that just adds to her charm. I was put off by the constant bitterness towards Americans and Londoners, but once that kind of lessoned at the 80% mark, I actually enjoyed the book.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much I was anxious to read the trilogy. It had enough drama, misconceptions, flirting, real life issues, and chemistry to kept me captivated. It was the right amount of funny and relatable. Not because I’m a speechwriter for a politician nor because I inherited a paper in 2019 AND this economy, but because we all have jobs, professional goals, dreams and expectations and life can’t be all about “I just fell madly in love so real world issues don’t affect me anymore”.

[Best Lesfic Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is silly and funny in the typical Markinson way.

Read the full review @ https://bestlesficreviews.blogspot.co...

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

How two brilliant, educated women could misspeak and misunderstand each other so frequently is beyond this reader, but with TB's natural flair for writing humorous, nerdy personalities, I enjoyed every page. She delightfully and seamlessly wove back and forth from American to British dialogue. In addition, the author paints a beautiful picture of the village, the pub life and all the crazy characters that enter the lives of Josie and Harriet. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in the trilogy from Clare Lydon.

[Cal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a bit to get going with the story but I enjoyed the story. I loved quirkiness of the Harry and I liked the way it meshed with Josie. I was not as fond of the supporting cast and didn’t find them as endearing. I didn’t care much for the mother. I found her more annoying than anything. I understand the role Camilla and Clive played in the overall plot but I almost felt like you could have removed them and it wouldn’t have hurt the story. Overall, there were enough sweet moments, good scenes, good banter and interesting main characters to make this an enjoyable read.

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real old fashioned romance- quaint village, lots of gossip, reality vs fantasy, full cooked breakfasts, humour hiding serious issues, rudeness hiding genuine feelings... really enjoyed it, thank you.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Josie Adams was a speech writer for politicians in America and when her last candidate chances go up in smoke, she has not choice but to retreat to her mother's home town. Her mother owns a bar, the Golden Fleece in Cotswolds in the United Kingdom. She must figure out what to do next with her life, as she does not have a plan. She meets Harriet Powell, a woman who moved from London and owns and runs the local paper in town. They feel an instant connection to each other when they meet on a bridge and cannot help but spend some time together. Their relationship is complicated when Josie does not know if she will even stay in the town.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I read it all in about a day and could not put it down. I enjoyed the dynamic between Josie and Harry as they try to not fall in love with each other. There are enough complications and reasons for them to not get to together to make the book interesting and make me want to keep reading it. I really wanted to see what happened next with the two of them and how they would maneuver their relationship. I recommend this one.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of books this year and this is one of the better ones. This is such a cute love story based in a small tourist town in England. The two MCs Josie and Harriet (Harry) have an instant spark and they both recognize it at the same time. There are a lot of supporting characters in this one and they all add to the story. Josie and Harry are quirky characters and they may turn off others but they just get each other. They do struggle with communicating their feelings for each other, but they do get to know each other which is nice. Markinson also does a good job with the sex scenes and the angst. I just really enjoyed it.

I will rate this one 4.25 stars

[Em Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This romance set in a charming English village and the story full of English wit and some Americanisms thrown in.
The 2 main characters who are both wordsmiths who keep miss communicating until they don’t. Cross Words, a search for a missing ginger, stargazing, a pub called the Golden Fleece are all thrown into the mix to make this a light hearted read with romance thread through all of the humour.

[AL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just perfect

I was looking forward to read this book and the waiting was so worth it. Excellent story, so realistic characters and dialogues. Intense scenes but also pure romance together with a mix of core family values. A book that I couldn't put down and now I am waiting the 2nd one. Thank you so much just pure excellence!

[Alamine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't seem to finish this book, it so wordy

[Lady Olenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The nuance between American and Brits, mostly. Stiff upper lip versus brash and open. The conversations are funny, the banter is witty and the characters are definable apart by their personalities (which are all specific). I enjoyed reading the book. Although the jury is still out regarding my opinion on podcasts.

[Sterling Sapphic Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet small town romance.

This was a sweet love story. I enjoyed the chemistry between Josie and Harry and their banter. This was the first book I've read by this author and I'll be finding more of her books. Very enjoyable read

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - This just didn’t really catch me. I like the second book in the series better. 😊

[Carol Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ultimate cosy romance

The story follows Josie, a speechwriter whose life in the USA has crashed and burned following political scandal, and Harriet, a journalist who has moved to the Cotswolds to escape after her career, and personal relationship came to an end. Both Josie and Harriet find themselves in the village for very different reasons, and despite their conflicting views about each other professions, they strike up an unlikely friendship.

What I loved about A Shot At Love was T.B’s quirks were apparent from the very first chapter. It was cute, fun, filled with humour and innuendo, as well as nerdy, cute characters who were just perfect. The story was cosy and heart-warming, perfectly capturing the essence of the British need to play matchmaker, and be involved in one another’s lives in small villages.

It perfectly captures the way opposites attract – literally, and how when you think love isn’t a possibility for you, it is most likely going to find you. It will be in the last place you expect, and with someone most unlikely but happiness is right there just waiting for you. The story just painted beautiful how romantic falling in love can be, and how it’s the gestures that make the difference, the actions, as well as the words.

I genuinely loved every second of reading this book. There was absolutely nothing that I didn’t adore.

Josie and Harriet’s chemistry was amazing! I’ve never experienced anything like it. They just clicked and every interaction had me emotionally joining them in their journey to finding true love.
Harriet was definitely my favourite character, even though I adored Josie, with her sarcasm and quick wit, Harriet’s slightly awkward nature just made my heart warm to her. I wanted so much for both of them to fall in love, and I was rooting for them the whole time, even if obstacles kinda stood in their way for a while.

The romance to read by the fire, whilst sipping cocoa (or wine – of course!) and just fall in love with. Can’t recommend this enough, and excited to see what the next instalments in this collaboration series holds!

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute read that I nearly gave up on. Took a bit for me to get into it, but the character of Harry kept me going. It’s rare when I find myself identifying with a character as much as I did with Harry. All in all a light, fun read, even when I wanted to throttle Josie’s mum for being an interfering nag most of the book.

[Xan]

Content Warnings Controlling family. Sexual harassment. References to cheating. Sex on the page.

I liked the central couple but the secondary characters dragged this one down for me, especially Josie's mom and how controlling she was, and the fact that the ongoing sexual harassment of her uncle was treated like it was a joke.

[Cathy Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since my memory is sometimes fuzzy on all the authors I have read let’s just say this is first book I read by this author. I definitely enjoyed the book!!

Main characters were well developed and it had a good plot.

Will definitely be reading more by the author in the future!

[Lorraine Rusnack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great beginning

Love the characters and the setting. It really tugged at my heart strings. Can wait to get started on the next one.