Cover Image: Foxglove Farm

Foxglove Farm

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Member Reviews

Just finished reading this one and it was great. I love the love heart lane series. The books leave me feeling very happy like I've just made some very special friends. Keep writing these wonderful books.

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I really enjoyed this book, the second in the Love Heart Lane series. I am planning to continue reading future books in the series. It's always great to revisit previous characters and explore the story of other people in the village.

This book explored topics such as Farmers and Men's Mental Health, which aren't always talked about, but really should be. It's great this was part of the theme of the book.

I enjoyed reading Isla and Drew's story and how there have managed to come out the other side of their problems. I like imaging the village of Heartcross and wish it was a real place I could visit.

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It was so lovely to return to Heartcross.

Isla and Drew seem to have it all, two lovely sons and an idyllic life on Foxglove farm but when the perfect life seems to be unravelling are they strong enough to overcome the obstacles life is throwing them.

I really enjoyed going back to the Love Heart Lane series and it was good to see how Flick and Fergus were doing.

This was another fabulous written book with characters you came to care about, and it deals with some really tough issues, sensitively and thoroughly.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review

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A super book. I really enjoyed this book by Christie. I loved the characters and will be reading more in the future. Thank you.

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This book is part of a series, I hadn't read the first book but I will for sure go and look for it. I enjoyed this book a lot, and it didn't feel confusing having not read the first one.

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A great tale of the community coming together to work as one for a good cause. I really enjoyed this story and will seek out more by the author.

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The perfect summer holiday read for fans of Cathy Bramley and Phillipa Ashley

Return to Love Heart Lane for friendship, romance and a community who will be be there for you no matter what.

Foxglove Farm is the second book in the Love Heart Lane series but you can read it as standalone. Loved the characters and atmosphere.

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Brilliant feel good novel that you can get lost in. Fantastic that it’s a series where we can regularly catch up with all our favourite characters. Well written couldn’t put down
Highly recommend

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Having read and enjoyed the first in the Love Heart Lane series, I was really excited to be back in the lovely village again, almost with old friends.

This story focuses on Isla and Drew and the problems they encounter when Isla discovers Drew has been keeping secrets from her and they are faced with the possibility of losing their beloved home.

Once again, the community is at the heart of this story and it was a joy to read about them coming together to help one of their own.

A lovely addition to a much loved series.

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Favorite Quotes:

I’m absolutely telling you my seventy-year-old gran is on Tinder and probably has a more active sex life than all of us put together…

‘I’ve got a match,’ squealed Rona. ‘Oh my … he’s got no teeth and looks like he would be better fitted in a police line-up … look!’ ‘I told you, you were swiping the wrong way … let’s have a look,’ chuckled Martha. ‘He’s not too bad, maybe a little overweight, bald and probably has his own teeth – well, the ones he has … well worth a date, I say.’

My Review:

This was a more tense and angsty read than I was expecting, but thankfully a lively and feisty rolling stone of a grandmother and the unusual addition of an alpaca herd was on hand to provide periodic scenarios of comic relief from the marital and financial strife. Following a tragedy, Isla discovered that her husband Drew had been keeping devastating secrets, which yielded rather dire results and significant hurdles which caused the couple to struggle with nearly every aspect of their lives.

The original storylines were active, relatable, cleverly creative, and unpredictable while the writing style was easy to follow and engaging. I enjoy Ms. Barlow’s characters and writing style so much I plan to dive right back in with the next installment in this series and her latest release of Clover Cottage. I’m hoping the cute little alpacas make a repeat appearance.

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Liked the story that for change was not a love story about people who met, but about people who were already together.

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I didn't realize this was series, but it was a very good story. This is the true story about marriage and how important communication is. It's very easy to get into a rut when you are in a marriage or long term relationship. I related to the characters and loved the setting and everything about this. I also love the alpacas!

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Isla and Drew are living a prefect married life on Foxglove Farm with their two adorable children. Well that’s what Isla thinks until Drew starts behaving strangely. She begins to doubt everything.

When the secret is revealed it’s up to Isla to put on her thinking cap and save the family farm. With the community behind her can Isla do it?

I really felt as though I was involved in the whole community with this one. The characters were charming. My only gripe was that if I were Isla I would have said something to Drew long before she did.

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Love Heart Lane is a community in Heartcross which has its residents at the centre of everything. This is another endearing story of this community, with great characters, secrets, shocks, accidents and surprises in a delightful page turner. Mind you, I wouldn’t expect anything less from this talented author!

This is a story where striving to solve things on your own proves so wrong. It is only when others are aware of your problems that they can help! However, sometimes you really do need to check things out more carefully . . . if it seems to good to be true, maybe it really is? It is a story of a couple who really need to start communicating with each other more, sharing their worries and fears before those things drive them irrevocably apart. It really is ok not to be ok and the reasons why should be shared with those you love so you can work together to help resolve them. Secrets lead to misunderstandings and wrong assumptions. Can Isla and Drew learn to work together to help save their home and their marriage? You’ll just have to read it yourself to find out!

With alpacas, strangers, dangers, rustlers and revelations this is a fantastic addition to the series. I don’t think you’d need to read the earlier book to enjoy this one – but be warned that it may well tempt you to read it, too, and I don’t think you’d be disappointed if you did – I loved reading that one, too! I have absolutely no hesitation in highly recommending this book to anyone who enjoys small communities with believable characters and plenty of surprises.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

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Wonderfully written book telling the story of Isla and Drew Allaway and their two boys Finn and Angus. Drew works all hours running the farm and Isla between looking after the boys seems to fritter money away whilst catching up with her friends. Drew starts to become distant and Isla is worried there is something wrong and that cracks are starting to appear in their relationship. Not helped by the arrival of her Grandmother Martha. Christie has a way of enveloping you in the lives of her characters and leaving you wanting more.

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I didn't read the first book in the Love Heart Lane series so I felt like I was missing some information going in. The start was very slow-paced and a bit difficult to get into. However, once you start understating a bit more what's going on the story picks up. Overall I thought it was an interesting read and I would probably read more things from Christie Barlow, but it wasn't a super memorable book.

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oh wow!!!!!! i loved this second part of this series so so so much! First of all, it's very well written and then this book is a page-turner! you just can't stop reading! There is a lot of suspens, you want to know what's going on and what will happen. It's almost like a thriller at some point! It's so so good! I can only warmly recommend this book by Christie Barlow! She is a fabulous women's fiction author!!!!

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I‘ve read an other book written by the same author so I guess I had some high hopes that this book might be quite similar.
Unfortunately I have to admit that though I‘ve tried several times to continue reading, I did stop it by now. Why? Somehow I did not get along with the main characters and couldn‘t find a way to really understand them. The story could not catch my attention, either . ‚A home at honeysuckle farm‘ was totally different. I‘m really sorry but this book was really not was I thought it might be ☹️

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Foxglove Farm is meant to be a sweet romance. I suppose that it is - to a point. Isla and Drew are experiencing marital problems and Isla is unaware of exactly why. The man she loves is suddenly withdrawn and sullen but refuses to tell Isla why or what might be wrong. When a birthday surprise blows up in her face, she flees with her infant until she can sort out what to do. The fact is that they are having financial difficulties which Drew has not share with Isla. He is depressed and angry at not being able to provide for his family. Together they find a way to persevere and rekindle their love for one another once more but the journey is a difficult one.

There were multiple issues that the author introduced: lies and secrets in a marriage, the difficulty of having a newborn on a marriage and, of course, male depression and mental health. While all of these are very important topics - very - at times there was just too much hardship to be believed. There was one problem after another after another in such a short period and within a relatively short story. Yes, there are those who are faced with mounting challenges and generally when it rains, it pours. However, for the good of the novel and to really explore any of these topics thoroughly, either the book needed to be longer or there should have been fewer fires. Regardless, the story itself is well told, well-written and uplifting. This is the second in a series and each set of characters is different from the last, however, I felt as though I was missing some backstory that others might have known from reading the first book in the series. I would suggest reading them in order. They are quick reads so that shouldn't be a problem.

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Isla and Drew have always had a rock steady marriage with two lovely boys so why has Drew suddenly started getting so moody and criticising Isla all the time? Work on the farm is hard and Drew works long hours but they had always agreed that Isla would stay at home and look after the children so what has changed? When Isla discovers Drew's secret, that they are nearly broke and could lose their beloved farm she is devastated but she will rise up to the fight and get everything back on track

Another lovely book by this writer and great to be back in Heartcross with all the characters from the first book, a perfect warmhearted summer read

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