Falling in Love at Nightingale Farm

by Emma Bennet

Polly Pressman just got fired from her hectic 9–5 job in London. She’s pulling pints in a dingy pub to pay the rent when she gets a phone call that changes everything.

Her mum begs her to help an old family friend, John, with his struggling farm down in Kent. Polly’s business skills might be just the thing to turn the place around.

Polly arrives at Nightingale Farm trying to make a good impression in her best pair of heels, when she hears a furious shout. A very angry but not entirely unattractive man strides forcefully towards her, demanding to know why she left the gate open.

John’s gruff-but-hunky son Mark thinks Polly clearly has no business being on a farm. She’s a city girl — what can she possibly know about mucking out animals?

But Polly comes up with some great ideas to get the farm back on its feet. Then, one night after too much of John’s homemade cider, Polly and Mark find themselves alone and unable to deny their attraction . . .

The next morning Polly is embarrassed to realise she has no idea how Mark really feels. Was it just the cider talking?

Then she discovers a shocking secret. If she speaks up, she risks ruining everything with Mark, but keeping quiet would mean John could lose everything.

Polly must own up to the truth — and her feelings — if she has any chance of making things right and finding true happiness at Nightingale Farm.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Slow Burn, Chick Lit, Fiction

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 3, 2023

About the author

Emma grew up and lived in London, before falling in love and moving to Wales to marry her own hero. Emma now lives with her husband, 4 children, and many animals a few miles outside of a small Welsh market town. She can often be found in rivers attempting to control two overexcited chocolate labradors.

Seven charming romances are currently available from the Amazon bestselling authoress:

Number 1 Australian kindle bestseller, 'His Secret Daughter', is the heart-rending story of Iris, a woman falling in love with the father of her child. The only problem is she never told him they had a daughter.

The beautiful landscape around her home gave Emma the inspiration for 'The Green Hills of Home', a tale of love and duty in which country girl Gwen struggles to save her family home and avoid her feelings for her handsome, suave new boss. Is he quite all he seems?

'Snowed in for her Wedding Day' is a novella picking up Gwen's story as her wedding day approaches, but with terrible weather, and an absent groom, will she have the happy ending she so deserves?

'Just Desserts' is a novella about confused chef Leah, who's falling for her handsome French co-worker Jean-Claude, but meant to be marrying to Dan in just a few weeks! Who will she choose?

'Her Perfect Hero' was released in July 2015 as 'I Need a Hero', it's a lovely comic romantic read for anyone who's ever searched for Mr Right (and failed to find him!). Despair of Bronte, a romance writer, incapable of spotting when the perfect man is right next door! Full of horses, country houses and dentists, just beware of the foul-tempered cat Mr Darcy!

'Starstruck', proves that falling in love with a rock star is harder than you'd think! When newly divorced Kate finds school friend, now super famous rock star Joseph Wild, on her doorstep, her whole quiet, ordinary life is thrown into disarray. Is the attraction between them enough to make up for all the hurdles they have to cross if they want to be together?

Latest release, 'Her Sister's Baby' is a beautiful and emotional story about grief, the promises we make and finding love in the most unexpected of places.

Emma likes (in no particular order): cake, books, Cary Grant films, prosecco, chocolate, guinea pigs, knitting, quilting and happily ever afters!

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon.

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet cozy read it was a very short story but enjoyable. As the title suggests the book was set in a farm that was struggling and run-down. So the main character was sent in to give advice and help on the farm. The ending although predictable was still lovely. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Falling in Love at Nightingale Farm, by Emma Bennett, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Polly is forced to help John save his farm, but John does not want help from Polly. Polly falls in love with Nightingale Farm, but not John. I liked this story, Polly is a strong female character, I liked her and Mark together.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a touching love story that made me want to go visit a local farm with a petting zoo, cute coffee shop, and strawberry picking. You learn early on that the main character, Polly, has a “situation” that she’s keeping from her family. This is a huge part of the story and was a nice added twist. I noticed that Polly likes to really read into situations & people and she’s well organized when it comes to her job duties - all things I can relate to which helped me establish a connection to her character. I definitely recommend this book - 4 stars! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

[Kim]

A very cute read. My only complaint is the romance felt a bit rushed, particularly at the end. Also an evil character just seemed to get away with quite a bit in the book! I felt they really needed some justice. Polly and Mark were cute together. I enjoyed reading about the farm updates.

[Angela Y (yangelareads) ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Copy provided by Joffe Books.

Polly Pressman just got fired from her hectic 9–5 job in London. She is pulling pints in a dingy pub to pay the rent when she gets a phone call that changes everything. Her mum begs her to help an old family friend, John, with his struggling farm down in Kent. Polly’s business skills might be just the thing to turn the place around.

Polly arrives at Nightingale Farm trying to make a good impression in her best pair of heels, when she hears a furious shout. A very angry but not entirely unattractive man strides forcefully towards her, demanding to know why she left the gate open. John’s gruff-but-hunky son Mark thinks Polly clearly has no business being on a farm. She is a city girl — what can she possibly know about mucking out animals?

But Polly comes up with some great ideas to get the farm back on its feet. Then, one night after too much of John’s homemade cider, Polly and Mark find themselves alone and unable to deny their attraction. The next morning Polly is embarrassed to realise she has no idea how Mark really feels. Was it just the cider talking?Then she discovers a shocking secret. If she speaks up, she risks ruining everything with Mark, but keeping quiet would mean John could lose everything. Polly must own up to the truth if she has any chance of making things right and finding true happiness at Nightingale Farm.

This is a a brand-new to me author so I really didn't know what to expect, but the cover was delightful and I loved the premise, so I dove in. This was really wholesome, light read. The characters are loveable, I wanted to hug John so many times. The writing style had me questioning whether I would like it in the beginning but the characters and plot quickly took over. The descriptions of the farm really made me wish I could visit. Some of the writing gets very repetitive, especially because the author seems to never use pronouns. This book did not wow me though or have me desperate to know what was coming next, but it was a good read. If you like hallmark style romances with no spice, this one is for you.

[Mks Bookcorner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, publishers and Emma Bennet for gifting me a copy of Falling in Love at Nightingale Farm in return for honest review.

3/5 stars

Polly is recently unemployed and working at a bar to make ends meet. To make matters worse she hasn’t informed her family about her recent bad luck. When her mom recommended her help assisting a failing farm she finds the opportunity too good to turn down. It also helps that her client (John’s) son is very good looking! Polly has ideas to improve the farm but when secrets start to get exposed who will everyone trust and what happens when feelings start to become involved?

I had so many thoughts about this book. If you are the type that doesn’t dissect books and characters then you will really enjoy this cute romance. The characters and romance is fun and light hearted.

Unfortunately I am not that person. First off the author compares the male character to Poldark and I have no clue what that is… I googled and saw it is a British historical drama… so an old fashion guy?

The plot was very predictable and and as soon as one of the characters showed up I knew immediately that they were doing something shady. Also Polly knew that this character was shady and she took their word and believed them during multiple instances! Like come on girl really?

Which brings me to Polly, she wasn’t that enjoyable of a character to me, from pointing out all of her flaws, to coming off abrasive and immature. It took me a while to like her once I did her obliviousness at the end ruined it for me.

Mark is your typical grumpy, moody, and dull character that we have all grown to love. Other then his easy to love father he was second on my list of favorite characters.

I would recommend this book to romance lovers that want a quick fun read, but if you are like me and look too in-depth into books this might not be for you.

[Kirsty (BookBlogger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling in Love at Nightingale Farm by Emma Bennet

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Polly Pressman just got fired from her hectic 9–5 job in London. She’s pulling pints in a dingy pub to pay the rent when she gets a phone call that changes everything.

Her mum begs her to help an old family friend, John, with his struggling farm down in Kent. Polly’s business skills might be just the thing to turn the place around.

Polly arrives at Nightingale Farm trying to make a good impression in her best pair of heels, when she hears a furious shout. A very angry but not entirely unattractive man strides forcefully towards her, demanding to know why she left the gate open.

John’s gruff-but-hunky son Mark thinks Polly clearly has no business being on a farm. She’s a city girl — what can she possibly know about mucking out animals?

My Opinion

This is a sweet and cosy, quick read. When Polly arrives at Nightingale Farm John and Mark are struggling financially, can Polly help them? This is an ideal book to get lost in for a few hours. If you want a quick escape to the countryside then this is a book you should give a read.

Can you make it through this book without wanting to spend some time on a farm?

Rating 4/5

[Melissa Kapow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a a brand-new to me author so I really didn't know what to expect, but the cover was delightful and I loved the premise, so I dove in.

We start off with a perfect grumpy-sunshine, Mark and Polly's meet cute had me grinning ear to ear and I was SO excited to see these two dingdongs flail around before falling in love. Truth be told, it was more like a grumpy-anxious than grumpy-sunshine which ... let's be honest, is more relatable. I was positively giddy as I soared through all the awkwardness. Mark is a quiet country boy who's always working and glowering, with his sleeves rolled up, natch. I was positively thrumming with excitement until their first kiss and then -I'm not sure what happened. They both pull away after a miscommunication but it never resolves for the entire second act. Where did the romance go? At about the 70% mark I was pretty sure this was women's lit instead because the entire focus of the book is on Polly at this point and there is zero relationship building, because there is zero relationship.

The black moment is very black, the antagonist is beyond unlikeable, which is super effective! I mean you end up hating this person, so that's successful. But with the lack of humor overall in the book, it felt super heavy and I was anxious to get through this part, especially because we didn't have an actual romance cooking along to buffer it. The story arc finally comes back around to the romance at the very end and you get an HEA in the epilogue.

As far as heat level, this book features two kisses as love scenes and that's it. There isn't even closed door or implied door, there is no door. On the bright side, this would be very suitable for a younger romance enthusiast, but was too tepid for my taste. I wanted slow burn, anguished looks, accidentally uncomfortable seating arrangements up the wazoo where you could really feel the attraction building. You don't need lovemaking on the page for it to feel intense, but something has to happen. Instead, feelings happened in exposition instead of encounters on the page.

I loved the world building of the farm, I wanted to be there in front of the Aga cooker with my feet up and the dog at my feet, I wanted to feed the baby lambs and get coffee from Maggie's shop and pet the soft grey bunnies. She did an amazing job of creating this place and it's very soothing and swoony in its own right, I just wish that kind of focus had been given to the romance.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A feel good contemporary romance. I enjoyed Falling in Love at Nightingale Farm. Bennet sets up the story well, with the main characters having a meet-cute go wrong, and then continues to have the characters have misunderstandings interspersed with promising encounters. This back and forth keeps both of them, Polly and Mark, in a state of simultaneous confusion and interest.

Plot wise, I like how Polly is brought in to help save Mark and his father John's farm; she has good business sense and that is ultimately appreciated by the two men. Along the way, there are situations where nothing is at seems, but they do work themselves out well. Given it is a romance, one could anticipate the ending a bit; however, there are a few surprises and revelations thrown in too.

An easy read, I enjoyed the book and hope Bennet offers another book about Polly's sister, as there were quite a few references to her life circumstances that seem to lend themselves to their own story.

(I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and have written an objective review)

[Ebony Foreman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost DNF’d this book at the start due to disinterest. I found the POV’s confusing and didn’t realise until half way through that Polly was this main character. I found the book difficult to keep myself invested into the book. The initial chapter didn’t captivate me and there wasn’t enough description for me to fall in love with the farm idea.

The summary, cover and title drew me in to reading this book. The idea of finding love on a farm is such a swoon moment for me but this book didn’t live up to the hype unfortunately. There wasn’t enough spice for my particular taste and I couldn’t deal with the amount of ‘ , ‘ and ‘ - ‘ throughout the grammar.

Overall I think there is massive potential for this book, maybe just needs a little longer for reviews and the author to take on the criticism as it is tough out their in the writers world.

I thank NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Kathleen Ryder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falling In Love At Nightingale Farm is the first book I have seen by this author, so I wasn’t sure going in what to expect.

The cute cover and promising blurb drew me in initially, but sadly the content failed to impress.

I had issues with the POV in this book, it is told from the main female character (Polly) POV, in the third person. The issue I had was that there was no use of pronouns. At all. Even when there were multiple characters in one scene. It made for a very confusing read, trying to work out who was actually saying what.

To me, Polly came across more as a teenager than a supposedly successful businesswoman as well, which did nothing to help me as a reader connect with her character.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

[Nix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect read for a lazy day when you need some happiness and feel-good vibes.

Fantastic, engaging feel-good story about Polly who's just lost her job but not yet told her parents as she's hoping she'll find a new one and not appear as a "failure".
Her mum introduces her to John, the owner of a struggling farm and asks Polly to try to help him turn the farm around assuming she'll be able to do it as part of the big company she's working for.

Knowing nothing about farming, Polly decides to make a good impression turning up at the farm in high heels - oh, yes, she's very much a city girl!

The slow romance part was a sweet read, but I wish the 'baddie' wouldn't have got off so lightly.

[Demi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wholesome, light, easy read!

Polly is a city girl, who’s recently been made redundant.

Mark is a carpenter who gave up his business to help on the family farm after his mum died, and his dad was struggling.

Their parents know each other and Polly’s mum suggests she helps the farm start getting back on its feet financially. Polly is reluctant but becomes captivated by the farm and agrees to help out, developing her own little love story along the way.

It’s a really wholesome, light read. The characters are loveable, I wanted to hug John so many times. The writing style had me questioning whether I would like it in the beginning but the characters and plot quickly took over.

If you like hallmark style romances with no spice, this one is for you.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book with an enjoyable farm setting. Visiting a care farm once a week, makes reading about the farm life really relatable.
Polly has recently lost her job, but is keeping it secret so as not to disappoint her family. When her mum calls asking her to take a failing farm on through her company, she decides to visit to use her skills to help them save her farm.
She doesn't make a great first impression on Mark, the farmers son. But she soon has them impressed with both her ideas and her desire to help.
As I mentioned, I love a farm setting, imagining them making a success and free of worry, bringing 21sr Century ideas into place to help them diversify.
I absolutely loved this book

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and found it a light hearted, quick, easy, feel good kind of read. I really liked the two main characters Polly and Mark who meet when Polly goes to Nightingale Farm under false pretences to help Mark and his father turn a struggling farm into a successful, profit making one. The book has a cast of likeable characters with the exception of one who I couldn’t take to. It was written well and pulled me in from the first page to the last. It didn’t wow me though or have me desperate to know what was coming next - overall it was a good read and I’d probably read more books from this author.

3.5 stars

[ZiesLibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Falling in love at Nightingale Farm” by Emma Bennet is the story of Polly, a young woman from London who has decided to help John and his grumpy son Mark save their broken farm. As Polly is helping out with the farm, we see her struggling with a secret. We also see Mark grow softer and much less grumpy. This sweet little romance is truly like a hallmark movie. It was such a nice cozy read. I couldn’t put the book down. We see how the farm makes out, how all the characters grow from the hardships they are struggling with. “Falling in love at Nightingale farms” is heartwarming and welcoming. I absolutely fell in love with the farm as well as the characters.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super sweet, quick read, I devoured it in one sitting. I loved Poppy, I quickly felt like I could relate to her character and found her enthusiasm towards the farm contagious, it made me want to borrow some wellies and go find some goat parkour. I loved the focus on the family in this book, the male love interests Dad is just the sweetest and immediately made you feel welcomed into the story at the farm, I loved that he had a romance as well.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley UK for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[BB · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well paced romance novella. Polly is just about keeping a roof over her head by pulling casual shifts in a local pub after her marketing job unceremoniously makes her redundant.

When her mum, who doesn't know that she no longer has a job, begs her to take on John (an old family friend) and his struggling farm, Polly isn't sure that she's the best person to help.

While doing a recce at the farm city girl Polly fails to impress John's son Mark. However after testing some homebrew sparks and ideas begin to fly.

[Valerie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This is a pleasant, clean romantic read. The setting is lovely, clearly described with the passing of the seasons recorded by different crops and events on the farm. The characters are realistic, even with the reliance on family jealousies and a desire to keep some secrets. The plot doesn't hold any surprises but I enjoyed the book nonetheless and would read more by this author.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has introduced me, not only to a brand new author but to Joffe books as well! A very sweet little read and just what I needed. I like the characters and think they could absolutely appear in a sequel as well if the author wanted. A good read that doesn't always go the predictable route. Very much enjoyed. Thanks to the author and Netgalley for a temporary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[WhatFrizRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Polly has lost her job but her family don't know; when one of her mum's friends reaches out with an opportunity, Polly decides she can make it work. As she helps turn Nightingale Farm a profit, she gains much more in the process.


This is a really easy, feel good read; the characters are likeable, the setting idyllic and the story a nice bit of escapism. There's nothing ground breaking about the plot, but it warms your soul as only a nice formulaic romance can!!

[Can Dragons Read? · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

This sweet, short story was so cozy and enjoyable that it honestly felt like a warm hug. It's been awhile since I've read a romance that was just so sweet and pure and grounded. I also fell in love with the farm, it was so easy to imagine it and imagine what it would be like to be there. Definitely something you should read if you just want to be happy.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute romance story, perfect for a younger audience or readers who prefer closed door.
This book does read very young, but I appreciated the plot, the romance, and the characters. The descriptions of the farm really made me wish I could visit! Some of the writing gets very repetitive, especially because the author seems to never use pronouns.
Overall the book was fine, but forgettable.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very charming romance novel. The kind you can get lost in on a Sunday afternoon or on a beach holiday. The characters are delightful, as is the setting and premise. It’s the first time I’ve read a novel by this Author and won’t be the last.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary digital ARC and the opportunity to give an honest review of the story.

[Emma Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falling in Love at Nightingale Farm is as charming as the book cover implies. For anyone looking for a quick and easy feel-good countryside romance, this is it. While I am a general skeptic of many rom-comesque tropes, I still found myself coming back to see how the pieces would fall together. I recommend this to anyone looking for a short literary escape!

[AmandaJR · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet cozy read that I wanted to like but didn’t quite make it. Polly was difficult to like because she kinda came off as a kid instead of an adult. It was a bit slow and then felt rushed to wrap it all up.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

[Gea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polly and Mark’s relationship gets off to a rocky start, but Polly is determined to help Mark and his father,John save the farm by focusing on ways to bring in much needed income. When Polly discovers the truth about the farms’ finances, she must make a difficult decision, which may impact the lives of all concerned.

[Jaclyn Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this ARC from net galley*


Tropes: miscommunications, small town farm, slow burn

This book was cute - I loved seeing the Polly and Mark’s character development in the book. There’s a huge miscommunication trope which is not typically my favorite. This book was truly a slow burn, but in the last 2 chapters, everything felt very rushed.

If your looking for a cute, hometown, novella- this is a good book for you!

[Omnia Atef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her books is what I need easy-going fast paced with no ignoring to any details and not much unwanted drama. Polly and Mark eas great loved how the author built the characters relation and then their workplace love with no cringe but everything in the perfect amount also loved John and Maggie. Loved all the characters devotion and passion for making the farm back to work brilliant