Liliana Marsh has spent nine years building a life where everything adds up. Spreadsheets. Projections. A Casio calculator she trusts more than most people. It works. She’s fine.
Then her uncle Somboon passes away and leaves her his teak estate in the Mae Rim hills of Northern Thailand—with one condition. To inherit, Liliana must spend fourteen consecutive days on the property with the one person she never planned to see Henry Rhodes, the man who walked out of her life nine years ago without explanation.
She arrives expecting a fight over the estate. What she gets is fourteen days of mountain rain, night markets, and a version of Rhodes that doesn’t match the story she has carried all these years.
Liliana came prepared for a negotiation. She did not come prepared for him.
Perfect for readers who love second-chance romance, forced proximity, emotional slow burns, and stories that transport them to 2005 in Thailand.
I recieved an advanced reader’s copy and this is my honest review.
Second chance, slow burn, dislike to lovers (her end), open door spice, snarky FMC.
Liliana was raised by her somboon (uncle). When he passes, he leaves her his Mae Rim estate. The catch is, it is a joint ownership with a man who broke her heart 9 years ago, Henry Rhodes. She never got the answers on why he left years ago, and hated him sever since. Liliana and Rhodes must stay at the estate for 14 days or they will no longer have it. Staying at a team estate with the man she has mixed feelings about wasn’t in Liliana’s future.
When I say this is a slow burn, it’s truly a slow burn. There is a lot that happens though. Liliana has truly been angry at Henry for the longest time. She didn’t have answers and was truly wondering if the small moments they had years ago was even real.
Through being together in a forced proximity setting, Liliana tries to keep the boundaries clear and keep their business partnership professional. Although circumstances make her see a different view of Henry.
I loved learning more about the Thai culture in terms of food, landscape, and language. Sedona uses Thai words which makes the experience more fun and I loved learning the words and food.
When we finally got to the climax it was so good! I didn’t expect it.
The spicy scenes were done beautifully. It wasn’t high spice. The love that they had for each other was shown through the spicy scenes. It wasn’t raunchy or anything crazy. It was sweet.
Overall, I’d recommend this book was a true lover of slow burn where questions aren’t answered right away. It was a journey but worth it in the end.
Nine years apart, Liliana and Henry Rhodes inherit a teak estate and have fourteen days together before they are separated again. What starts as a pragmatic arrangement slowly turns into a journey of old wounds, unresolved feelings, miscommunications and the chance of finding their way back to each other.
“Fourteen days is enough time to put down something you have been carrying alone for nine years.” 🥹 This line says it all about the heart of the story. Sedona Li does a great job of mixing slow-burn romance, emotional depth, and organic banter, while painting a vivid picture of the estate. Liliana’s drive and Henry’s reserve was my favorite aspect of this story as well. This couple has a lot of depth, and I loved seeing them tackle their issues from their past. Sedona Li has written a beautiful story of love, healing, trust, and all those things left lingering after the end of the relationship.
The author has done an excellent job with descriptions and character-building to make the book more immersive and enjoyable. What I particularly liked is the way in which she developed their connection instead of hurrying their process. If you enjoy second chance romance novels with chemistry that just won’t disappear, this one is for you!
Boy did I enjoy this book ! One of my fave reads on the months of I’m being honest.
Liliana and Henry have history from nine years ago and things happened that now you are left wondering what went on with them that now they can’t be around each other and somehow they now have to work together and live across the hallway which according to Liliana is 16 steps away.
I loved the tension and the plot ! Now I want to go to Thailand even more ! Really recommend if you love rivals to lovers and close proximity!
*Review of an advance copy received from the author - thanks!*
Fortnight in the Valley is a beautiful story of love, loss and second chances, set against a vivid, rich backdrop of Thailand.
We follow our main character Liliana. She’s tightly wound and emotionally stunted, leaning on numbers and spreadsheets ever since a betrayal by the man she thought she trusted. But when her beloved uncle dies, leaving his stunning forest estate to her and that very man she hates - Henry, an equally-emotionally-stunted and seemingly cold hearted businessman - on the condition that they must live there together for fourteen days before deciding what to do with the estate, everything begins to change.
Perfect for fans of the lyrical romance and sizzling chemistry of authors like Emily Henry, Fortnight in the Valley features strong character development, fanfiction-levels of sexual tension and slow burn, and beautifully imaginative prose. The side characters serve clear purpose towards developing the main relationship, but also feel fleshed out in their own right, including setting up for potential future books (which I will eagerly anticipate!) Finally, the setting feels like a character itself, and as I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance book set in Thailand (with a Thai main character) it felt unique and fresh.
TL;DR: I loved this book, I loved the characters, I loved the moment when their hands finally touched after a million chapters of slow burn, I would recommend to anyone, and I can’t wait to see what the author does next!
ARC received from the author and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Lily inherits a historical property from her uncle and has two weeks to get paperwork in order to preserve it. The only Problem is Henry Rhodes is there for the two weeks as well. They have been estranged for nine years after a falling-out after which Henry vanished.
This has all the good stuff of a romance: beautiful, strong-willed FMC with brains and an attitude (plus BFFs who always have her back) plus a tall, dark, and handsome love-interest (who broods and does that thing where he forgets that umbrellas exist and stands outside in the pouring rain). The history the two have is a source of tension, their conversations are filled with business topics and verge on personal with both shying away from saying the difficult things. Sometimes the dialogue seemed overly formal, but for a debut novel, it’s consistent and flows well.
Technically, the novel is very strong. It is written in first-person present from Lily’s POV. There are several short scenes at the end of the book retelling different parts of the novel from Henry’s POV which is an interesting choice. I skipped them, but I think some readers would enjoy seeing what Henry was thinking at the time.
The setting itself is fascinating, as the book is set in 2005 Thailand. The details of the local markets, the festivals, local attractions, food, all come across as well-researched and conveyed in an interesting way. I liked all the food that was mentioned—I had to look up some dishes and now I want to try them!
This is an MF romance, and there are a couple love scenes which are not overly detailed (bonus points for including safety!).
My overall rating: four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy pepper rating: 0.5 spicy peppers 🌶️
Memorable quote:
The house, apparently, has decided to continue being itself without asking anyone permission. The mustard vase sits dead center on the veranda table. It is stuffed with jasmine and marigolds in an arrangement so aggressively triumphant it has to be Khun Malee’s doing.
I stop walking. “Absolutely not,” I say.
Henry looks at it with satisfaction. “It has finally been promoted.”
DISCLAIMER: I am not typically a romance reader, but do enjoy some romance in my books when I'm in the mood. I tend to prefer books with a romantic subplot rather than a full romance. I'm writing my review from the perspective of someone who isn't so familiar with the Romance genre and its conventions, but who still enjoyed it!
First and foremost, I think Sedona's setting work was incredible. Fortnight in the Valley takes place in Thailand, a place I've never personally been to, but felt like I'd traveled there by the end of the story. Her prose describing the country's beauty and it's culture brought it to life and really immersed me. A love letter to Thailand, it made me happy to see this author pour her family's culture onto the page. It felt like the setting itself was a character who I fell in love with alongside the heroin. Some other points I enjoyed was the exploration of grief through the characters' relationship as it blossomed, the witty dialogue, and a few laugh-out-loud moments. I won't spoil anything, though! Lilliana, our FMC, is so hard-headed and confident, and I have a big soft spot for stubborn women because I love to write them myself. Both characters really give each other a run for their money! I do have a couple minor issues, but they largely boil down to personal taste. There were a few times I felt the dialogue between the FMC and MMC was too samey, their cadence and speech patterns too similar. But as an author myself I totally understand that struggle. As for a matter that boils down to personal taste, there is a sort of bonus chapter for the MMC that rehashes the whole story from his PoV at the end, after living in Lily's PoV the whole story. Personally I didn't care for it, as it came off redundant for me, and took away some of the fun of interpreting Henry's actions and pondering his thoughts and feelings myself. But I know dual PoV is quite popular in romance, so I'm certain a lot of people will really enjoy that bonus. I did struggle through some of the business talk and jargon, because this is something of a corporate romance. The premise was interesting though, and I think people who like that corporate/office romance vibe will appreciate Sedona's knowledge and unique spin. I'm looking forward to seeing what she puts out in the future!
I finished reading this book the day before yesterday & no, I won't say that I finished it in one sitting or two sittings...tbh, I didn't want this book to end so, I took my time & read a few pages on a daily basis✨
First of all, I loved the chemistry between Liliana & Henry...oops I meant, Rhodes🤭 yes, I fell in love with Rhodes✨He has such a charming personality & the way, Liliana shows him attitude...aah I loved it! If you're a girl, you'll relate to Lily a lot! She's a confident, passionate, kind-hearted soul. I also liked the personality of Ryn & can't wait for her book. I legit wanted the author to write a book on her & then the author stole my heart at the end by announcing Ryn's book😭
The whole concept and plot was perfectly set. The storyline is well-written. I loved the concept of Fortnight. It's something new & captivating✨ the hot sizzling chemistry scenes were fire🔥 I've highlighted so many dialogues from the book & made numerous reels cz I got obsessed with this book 📖
Another thing which I loved about this book was the ending - MMC's pov. I love reading men's pov & that was one of the reasons why I loved this book even more🌸
ARC READER For anyone who likes slow-burning stories full of tension and romance, Fortnight in the Valley is a must-read. The story follows Lily (Liliana) and Henry Rhodes as they get caught up in complicated business deals involving old properties. It is the little details that give the story its own special touch, like food eaten from thick earthenware bowls, the terracotta pot of jasmine that blooms in the cool valley air, and Lily's use of personal notes instead of expected mathematical calculations. Driven by a slow-burn romance, Fortnight in the Valley has it all.
The story starts with the will reading where Liliana Marsh finds out she has to spend fourteen consecutive days with whom she hates the most from her core, Henry Rhodes to inherit her uncle's teak estate in Mae Rim hills of Northern Thailand.
Henry Rhodes is the man who walk out of Liliana Marsh's life without any second glance back and any explanation to her. Finally after nine years later they met again but she wasn't going to forget and forgive easily and it was her total rights to feel and act that way.
After having a week of banter and every possible account they set off for the teak estate in Mae Rim hills. Day after day Liliana and Henry got awkward, aggressive, tired, betrayed and finally close..
The book was written so beautifully and the banter was something which I love the most in the book. Not to mention the last chapter for Henry pov was such a chef kiss, knowing what he was thinking at that time really made me swoon over him.
And at last i really can't wait for ryn and Marcus' story (secretly hoping they have enemies to lovers trope 👀)
Henry and Lily had me HOOKED😭 and the banter, the sass, those tiny almost moments between them... I NEEDED MORE!!! Their chemistry was so effortless and watching Henry bring out this whole new, wonderfully sassy side of Lily was everything! Henry was insufferable at times but honestly, I kind of loved it because Lily gave it right back to him😭 I also loved her friends, Thara and Ryn, especially how they supported her no matter what! And Lily🥹 I empathized with her SO much! Then there was Somboon who felt like a lost, forgotten uncle I never knew I had but somehow felt like he’d always been there!
I just wanted more of all of them, especially Henry and Lily because those crumbs were NOT enough!😭
First, I am very honored to be an arc reader for this masterpiece. Thank you:)
This is a beautifully poetic page turner that made me feel cozy and very hungry. Lily and Henry’s poultry talk with cooperate framing are some of my favorite moments in this book. I love chickens and I love banter, you can’t go wrong there. The confrontation had me tearing up along with a few other moments. I love Ryn, she is such a good friend and I can’t wait to read her story. Lastly, his post epilogue yearning!!!>>
The premise of Fortnight in the Valley immediately caught my attention. Liliana Marsh has spent nine years building a life around structure, predictability, and things she can control. But when her uncle leaves her his estate in Northern Thailand, inheriting it comes with an unexpected condition: she must spend fourteen consecutive days there with Henry Rhodes, the man who left her nine years ago without an explanation. What begins as an inheritance arrangement becomes an opportunity to confront a past that neither time nor distance has necessarily erased.
What interests me most about this setup is the emotional complexity of being forced to face someone who once played such an important role in your life. Nine years is a long time to carry unanswered questions and memories of someone who left without giving you closure. I find the idea of Liliana arriving prepared for a negotiation, only to encounter a version of Henry that challenges everything she has believed about him, particularly intriguing. The forced proximity creates room for uncomfortable conversations, unexpected realizations, and the possibility of understanding what happened between them. The Northern Thailand setting, with its mountain rain and night markets, also sounds like a lovely backdrop for a romance rooted in memories, vulnerability, and rediscovery.
Overall, this sounds promising for readers who enjoy second-chance romance, emotional slow burns, and characters who must confront their past before deciding what they want from the future. I'm especially curious about the reasons behind Henry's departure and how their fourteen days together might change their understanding of each other. The central question is compelling: can two people find their way back to each other after nine years, or has too much changed? I'm interested in seeing how the story explores that possibility and whether their connection can become something worth choosing again.