Author: Portia Macintosh
Narrator: Karen Cass
Publisher: HQ Digital
Publication Date: May 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Lily Holmes is ready for a fresh start. And there’s no better place to begin again than the idyllic seaside town of Marram Bay.
All Lily wants to do is focus on making her new deli a success and ensuring her son’s happiness. Not the postcard creeping out of her handbag, and definitely not finding a new man in her life!
But this isn’t going to be as easy as she first thought. The town is in an uproar about the city girl who’s dared to join them and she’s fighting a battle at every turn.
Perhaps with a little help from the gorgeous cider farmer next door, she may be able to win them over, but her past secrets threaten to ruin everything…
My Thoughts: Falling for You by Portia Macintosh caught my attention when I realized I owned the third book in the Marram Bay series but had not yet read the first two. Since I am determined to read every series in order, this was the perfect opportunity to start at the beginning—and the story’s strong autumn atmosphere made the timing even better.
I loved the setting of Marram Bay and the vivid way Macintosh brings it to life. At first, it seems like the kind of village where everyone knows one another and neighbors readily lend a hand. That impression changes when Lily Holmes and her eight-year-old son, Frankie, move there from London. Lily plans to open and manage a new deli, but the locals make it clear that they are not pleased. Their protests—complete with signs and cow-dung decorations—quickly turn the village’s cold shoulder into open hostility, and even Frankie feels the effects.
Lily soon meets her neighbor Alfie, a cider farmer who understands her situation because he also had to earn the village’s acceptance. I loved their easy rapport and his determination to help Lily win over the town. The supporting characters were equally enjoyable, especially Alfie’s pug, Pugsley.
Although the story is lighthearted, full of laugh-out-loud moments, and populated by appealing characters, it also delivers plenty of drama. The townspeople’s hostility creates ongoing tension, while the arrival of Frankie’s father—a man who has never made an effort to know his son—raises the emotional stakes.
My Final Verdict: Falling for You is a warm, charming read that blends small-town drama, humor, and romance with an inviting autumn atmosphere. Lily’s fresh start, her easy connection with Alfie, and the lively supporting cast kept me invested, even when Marram Bay was not especially welcoming. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy uplifting contemporary romance, close-knit communities, and stories about finding where you belong.
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