Trisha Ashley

This book is filled with utterly colorful and quirky people living in the small, sleepy village of Halfhidden (and happily reminded me of the small village in mid-Wales where I lived for a time). Izzy has just returned to her childhood home after working for a charity in India. She discovers her fiancé, Kieran, has his own selfish plans for her inheritance and has mapped out a future together entirely different from what she thought they had planned. An unfortunate incident with his father show more triggers memories of a fatal car accident she was involved in as a teen and shows Kieran not to be the man she thought, so she breaks off their engagement.
Izzy settles back into life in Halfhidden where she must help save her colorful aunt Deb’s “Desperate Dog” rescue as well as help her hold on to the home when the property gets a new landlord, Rufus, and help her good friends Lulu and Cameron with a regeneration project for the village. As memories from that long ago accident start to emerge she begins to think that she doesn’t have the whole truth about the incident and begins to investigate; meanwhile something starts to spring up between her and Rufus.
Will a relationship develop with Rufus, or will her fiancé try to get her back? Does she save the Rescue? Does she discover what really happened in that accident for which most of the town holds her to blame?
Did I say quirky? Creature Comforts is filled with fabulously quirky characters, all the sort that make a small village interesting. There are several storylines winding through the book, and the mystery of the accident had me racing to the end all while I wanted more of Izzy’s story – including more of Babybelle, the Newfoundland from Deb’s rescue that adopted a rather unwilling Izzy. This would make a lovely read for the beach (or another rainy weekend as we’ve been having).
I was provided an ARC by NetGalley and Avon UK in exchange for my honest review. show less

Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley is first and foremost a romance novel, but along the way, there are tarot cards, Mayan charms, guardian angels, an eccentric family – and chocolate, plenty of chocolate. Chloe, who is now in her mid-thirties lives with her younger half-brother Jake and her grandfather, Grumps, who is an author and a practising warlock. They have a colorful housekeeper called Zillah and are moving to the fictional village of Sticklepond. Grumps plans on opening a museum of show more Pagan History while Chloe is about to expand her business of making chocolate wishes, sort of a fortune cookie but consisting of chocolate shells with little printed messages inside.

Chloe has been disappointed with life and love in the past, her mother abandoned her, she’s uncertain as to who her father was, and her heart was broken by Raffy Sinclair who had a brief career as a rock star while Chloe was responsible for bringing up her younger brother. She learns that the village is excited about the new vicar who it turns out is ex-rock star Raffy Sinclair.

Written in a light and breezy style, the village of Sticklepond forms the heart of the story along with its many varied inhabitants. Chloe is satisfied with her life and her successful business but running into her ex-boyfriend, who was the love of her life, brings up many old feelings and resentments from the past. It was pretty easy to see where this story was going, but the author delivers the story with a great deal of charm and this, along with its cozy rural setting, made Chocolate Wishes an enjoyable read. show less

Wedding Tiers by Trisha Ashley is pure chick-lit. A delightful, clever, breezy story of a woman’s slightly bumpy ride to her happy ending. Set in the tiny village of Neatslake, Lancashire, Josie Gray lives an idyllic, back to nature life with her childhood sweetheart until it all goes wrong and she finds herself facing life alone. Luckily her best friend comes up with an idea to set up a wedding business with Josie as the perfect person to bake the wedding cakes and help with the planning. show more Being busy is a great way to cope with the loneliness, but although surrounded by wedding romance, Josie finds herself becoming more and more of a cynic. It appears it is up to photographer Noah to lure Josie into giving romance another try.

What made this book so enjoyable is that the romance was mostly on the back burner, growing slowly, but not dominating the story. The setting of the quaint English village and it’s quirky inhabitants made for a lot of humor and added to the feel good atmosphere. At times I found Josie a little too much of a floor mat and wanted her to grow a backbone, but overall this was a well done “kissing book”.

The story flowed effortlessly and the romance, recipes and humor kept it light and entertaining. Wedding Tiers was a relaxing read that make a great escape from everyday life. show less

More a 3½ than 3 star read.

I've never read any Trisha Ashley before and I'll admit to thinking that from the covers (yes I know - never judge a book...) that her writing would be quite light, frothy and superficial. I'm pleased to say, it was not. While clearly in the chic lit genre, it had a warmth and depth that made the characters and the plot come alive.

Izzy has returned to her home village of Halfhidden to discover what really happened in a fatal driving accident she was held show more responsible for when she was 16, 19 years earlier. At the same time she is endeavouring to start up her new clothes business after splitting with her fiance, while also sorting out the finances of her Aunt Debo who runs a sanctuary for unwanted and homeless dogs. While some in the village are pleased to have her back, those involved with the accident are less than happy to be reliving the past.

The village she's returned to is attempting to re-invent itself as a tourist destination based on it's resident ghost and a few more imagined ones; while both Izzy's erstwhile fiance and her friend Lulu's past lover also make unwanted appearances so there is plenty going on. Throw in the newly arrived Rufus, who is the new estate owner as well as the newly discovered half brother (you'll need to read it) of the teenager who died in the crash and it has all the ingredients for tension, misunderstanding and hopefully love.

It was an enjoyable read, the village was an idyllic mix of craft gallery, hotel and cafe peopled with characters who were a mix of pantomime villains and wholesome heroes/heroines (both 2 and 4 legged) that had you rooting for a happy outcome and a final answer for Izzy as to what did really happen the night of the accident.

I received an ARC in return for an honest review


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