The Road to Lilyfields

by Lottie Bloom

A fresh start in the country is just what Rosa needs. But love has a habit of taking hold in unexpected places.

All Rosa wants is to trade her fast-paced city life for a simpler country existence. A run-down cottage in need of some TLC seems the perfect place to recover from a bruising break-up and to reconnect with her country roots. But when Rosa falls for Jack, the only other full-time resident in the bay, the simple life she craves seems in danger of slipping away.

Just when she is learning to trust again, Jack's mixed messages leave Rosa bewildered and confused. Desperate to understand why he remains so distant, Rosa seems to push him only further away. Will her obsession with Jack's past ruin any chance of being with him? And what is the mystery that binds him to the Hatherley sisters?

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2015

About the author

Lottie Bloom is a New Zealand writer, who after years of city living has retreated to a simpler life in the country. She now writes romance novels, set in the kind of isolated spot she has come to call home.

Reviews

[Penguin Books NZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Debra) Any woman who has thought of retreating to the country to recover from a bruising break-up, or simply craved a slower pace of life, will relate to Rosa's story in The Road to Lilyfields. This is a delightful rural romance, written by an accomplished storyteller. It's hardly smooth sailing for Rosa and Jack, but what romance is? I was hooked, right to the end.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

More of a 3.5 star book - I'm rounding up bonus points for being set in New Zealand!
The setting of this book was amazing - kind of a country setting, but also right by the beach and only a short drive from the city, it makes me want to visit (I've never been to Christchurch or the Akaroa Peninsula before).

Rosa as a character was a little weak willed for my taste, prone to jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst of people. You can see that part of this lack of willfulness comes from her disastrous former relationship with the manipulative Michael, who was so smarmy and yet managed to get Rosa to doubt herself and her abilities.

Jack was a real 'manly' man, good with his hands, if a little prone to being mysterious and not saying what he was thinking.

The story was good, I would have liked more of it, the thing that happens almost right at the end of the book felt a little rushed to me, and I would have appreciated maybe a chapter from Jack's point of view at that moment in the book. I would have also liked flashbacks to Rosa growing up on a farm, to see where her love of the country comes from.

One thought I did have while Rosa was trying to guess the connections between Jack and the Hetherley family, was why didn't she just google their names? Even in the rural areas outside Christchurch i'm pretty sure they would have event notices in the paper, just saying.

Overall this was an enjoyable, quick read, which had just enough romance without being explicit, and it made me want to move to the country and grow fruit and make jam.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

From New Zealand author Lottie Bloom comes a story of a woman jilted from a relationship she thought was to be "the one" when Rosa walks in on her long-time boyfriend Michael having sex with a mutual acquaintance , she knows that it's really a time for a change and like most people who go through a major upheaval as she was in a long term relationship with Michael, she decides to move away. Sick of the city and fast-paced life , she decides to move to the country-side and start fresh with her inheritance money and a bit of savings. Rosa has found the perfect little cottage "Lilyfields" and despite her brother's constant worry as the house is in dire need of a fix-up , Rosa is determined to make it work and she does for a while as her neighbour - the countryside's local Jack of all trades and appropriately named Jack, has been keeping her company and it seems that Rosa might have found someone new to start a relationship with as the pair get closer and closer. What will happen though when Christmas rolls around and each of them receive blasts from the pasts ? Each blast from the past which holds the key to whether they are strong enough to stick together and work through the kinks or is their relationship still in the flimsy stage where the pair of them are letting their past lives hold them back and hinder them from moving forward ?
The Road to Lilyfields was not only a nice Kiwi Contemporary Romance Chick Lit but also a tale that sometimes a change in scenery and people does help you in the journey to move forward and start new but in doing so , you must still mend the past as it has a way of coming to bite you on the bottom at the most inconvenient times.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this book from when I read the first page. I didn't know this was written but a New Zealander until I saw the references to the Maori language and the descriptions about our country. I love the setting and the characters. This book is perfect for me in everyway! I am sad that I have finished it but so glad I found it. I look forward to reading the next book by this author.

Recommend for:Those who love romance books, lovely descriptions about old cottages, the forest, the sea, nature.

[Alison Hydes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read .

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable east read. Loved that it was set in NZ in a location I had been. I could picture almost all the places they went.

[Alex Valley]

Review to come, but thinking a 3 to 3.5 star book at this point.

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed reading. I loved the fact that it was based in NZ and that I have visited both Christchurch and Akaroa. I found the central characters of Rosa and Jack quite enigmatic and harder to identify with but this added to the mystery in the storyline rather than subtracted from it. I also enjoyed the less central characters, particularly Mel who I thought was very well described. I could imagine her rollicking like the puppies.

The intrigue in the storyline made you want to keep reading to find out what the great mystery was and the ending rounded up the whole book on the typical chick lit happy ending.

Much better than the average chick lit, very well written.

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Lillian Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great easy read. Loved the characters Rosa is looking to start again away from her old life and she has found her place and maybe the person that will make her live again. Jack befriends Rosa and makes her feel welcome and they get to know each other but could Jack be hiding something. Rosa knows that something is up but when she asks him she says nothing. She doesn't believe him. A friend from her past arrives and places Rosa in the middle as the friend she is ex Micheal. Jack is not too sure about him and where he fits into Rosa's life. Has she messed things up with Jack? A great story of finding a new you. Enjoyed it from page 1 to the end. I received a FTC from Goodreads. Thanks so much Lottie for a lovely story.

[Jessicars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved it because the location is some where that I have been to, and I'm a sucker for the romance of living in the country that this book captures perfectly. The characters and story I found didn't have heaps of depth and I felt a little frustrated with the main character but a great mindless read if that's what you're after!

[Rebecca Waugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad - slow in some spots