Favorite Quotes:
Zander struggled not to laugh at Mary who was dressed as Madonna complete with a pair of the largest conical breasts he’d ever seen… ‘They’re more like traffic cones.’ ‘Mind where you’re pointing them things, Mary, you’ll have someone’s eye out,’ Jimby said, chuckling. ‘Aye, they’re like a couple of nuclear weapons, Big M,’ said Camm.
‘And who’s this bonny lass here, then?’ Gerald asked, eyeing Livvie up and down. He reached into the pocket of his skin-tight leopard-print leggings and pulled out a pair of false teeth, popping them into his mouth with a rattle. Molly leaned in to Livvie. ‘And there was me thinking he was pleased to see me.’ Livvie did her best to suppress a giggle. ‘Ah, you can always tell when he spots a bonny lass; the teeth go straight in.’ Mary put her hands on her generous hips and rolled her eyes.
‘Granny Aggie.’ ‘Yep, it’s Granny bloody Aggie; up to her usual with the vicar.’ ‘Sounds ominous,’ said Zander. ‘You’ve no idea,’ said Jimby. ‘What’s she said now, Moll?’ Molly sighed. ‘You know how she’s been feeding that stray cat?’ ‘Yes.’ Rosie looked worried. ‘Oh, God, I think I know what’s coming next,’ said Violet. ‘Well, she’s only gone and sent Rev Nev a text telling him that she has a lovely pussy and asked him if he wants to go and stroke it. Told him it purrs if he does it gently.’… ‘Please tell me she’s done that in innocence.’ Molly snorted. ‘Like bugger she has; the wicked old bat knows exactly what she’s doing, pretends it’s innocent though.’
My Review:
This was a delightfully fun and deftly written book with a few absorbing and intriguing dashes of vile and villainous behaviors. The premise was entertaining, the storylines were humorous and impeccably well-crafted, and the nimble writing was easy to fall into yet cunningly perceptive, cleverly witty, and comically detailed. I wore a near-constant and gleeful smirk while reading and barked out a few chuckles and giggle-snorts as well. Eliza J. Scott has discovered the recipe for the secret sauce and has generously applied her savvy word magic throughout this divinely entertaining and effortless read.
Two city dwellers find themselves thrown together in a quaint and quirky little village inhabited by the most supremely odd yet uniquely appealing, thoughtful, humorous, and pleasantly beguiling residents. The extremely likable two main characters were strangers yet they were immediately comfortable with each other. They were both unexpectedly taking a last-minute separate holiday away from their own unpleasant and dissatisfactory relationships, which had reached their expiration date. A computer glitch and inclement weather found them sharing a holiday cottage as well as snow and ice adventures, village holiday fun, dispiriting and cringe-worthy ex moments, a precious rescued Labrador, an instant kinship and rapidly blossoming yet tacit attraction, and a hilarious 80’s theme party with an elderly woman dressed as the conically corseted Madonna. I may now be Ms. Scott’s most fervent and rabid fan for that diabolically clever scene alone.
I found treasure with several exciting new additions for my Brit Word List with aud mucker – old friend; nithered – very cold; and skew-whiff – crocked or twisted to one side.