I enjoyed this book. It's well-written and the characters are well-drawn, and appealing. But my enjoyment was spoiled by the amateurish portrayal of the solicitor. I used to be a probate solicitor, and can assure the author that no solicitor would write such a vague and oblique letter to a beneficiary. No solicitor would refer to "inheritance taxes" (there is only one) and I am really not sure why a beneficiary would be summoned to the solicitor's office to sign so many forms. I appreciate that this is done for good plot reasons, but it it is irritating nonetheless.

A lovely easy read about a feud between 2 families. This is a predictable but enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I loved this book. Great characters, a bit of a mystery, a centuries old fued between two families, and all set in the idyllic sounding Dragonfly Farm, an old farmhouse in Somerset surrounded by acres of ancient apple trees - and cider making, what's not to like!

The story is mainly set around two cousins, Tabitha and Georgia. Tab lives at Dragonfly Farm with her great uncle and Georgia is a script writer who lives in London. Tabitha has lived at Dragonfly Farm since a troublesome teenager when her parents split and she wasn't really wanted by either of her flighty parents, so ended up with her great-uncle and aunt who were more like parents to her over the years. But her great aunt died a few years ago and it had been Tab and her great uncle keeping things going until now.

Then a tragedy happens and in the will the farm is left between Tab, Georgia and, unexpectedly, Gabriel Culbone, a supposed member of the 'enemy' family, and no-one, including Gabriel, has any idea why, as he doesn't even know his relatives. We also have another Culbone who moves back to the family home across the river from Dragonfly Farm, and he is drawn into the mystery too.

The story flips back and forth a little bit to another tragedy years ago, and there are definitely a couple of mysteries that finally get revealed as the story goes on, one I didn't see coming! But just such a lovely story about families and the secrets that are kept, or hidden, over the generations.

You can't really go wrong with a Veronica Henry book, I've loved every one I've read, she just draws you into the story and makes you want to keep reading. Perfect!

A perfect summer holiday read being Veronica Henry at her best. Her writing grabs you from the first page and you know you're going to be in for a relaxing time with plenty of feel good factor. Lovely ordinary characters with a touch of individual eccentricity. Gentle but not slow moving with plenty of family secrets and some romance all based in the delightful Somerset countryside. A most enjoyable escape.

Being a huge Veronica Henry fan, I was looking forward with great anticipation to her latest novel. This one turned out to be quite a family saga, with lots of back stories for the characters; definitely one of those books it is difficult to put down.

The main story concerns Dragonfly Farm, not a farm with animals or crops, but just the farmhouse, outbuildings and apple orchards. It is rather run down to look at, but there have obviously been many happy times for the Melchior family, who have lived there for generations, in recent times producing a very palatable cider. As we join the story, great uncle Matthew, the last of the older generation, has died, and his will has caused quite a stir amongst his surviving relatives. Tabitha, who has lived at the farm for years, and her cousin Georgia, who looks on the place as a second home, find that, as they hoped, Matthew has left them the farm, but has also left an equal share to someone they have never heard of, Gabriel Culbone. His very name is enough to raise hackles, as the Melchiors and the Culbones have long been at loggerheads following an incident a few generations ago. When all parties start digging into the past to find out Gabriel’s connection with the farm, there emerge all manner of revelations.

As I expected, I really enjoyed this book. Events spanned long periods of time, although the main focus was on the present and what was going to happen to the farm. It certainly kept me guessing until the end. I liked the fact that there was an air of mystery mixed with romance; so many secrets binding together the two families. I can recommend this book, with its strong, mainly likeable, characters and a surprise round every corner to Veronica Henry fans and those new to her work alike.

Dragonfly Farm has been the home of the Melchiors for many generations since they won it in a gambling debt from the Culbones. Cousins Tabitha and Georgia have loved it there and Tabitha lives there with their Great Uncle Matthew. then tragedy strikes and Great Uncle Mathew dies - what will happen the the farm now.
There are many secrets to be revealed in the aftermath and all their lives will be changed forever. Can the Melchiors and Culbones ever be friends instead of enemies?
This is lovely summer read which will transport you into the countryside and leave you wanting to know more about the families.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Having read most of this author's work I was looking forward to reading this and it did not let me down full of intrigue loved this excellent summer read can highly recommend

This is a story of the love/hate relationships of two families, set agains the peaceful backdrop of rural Somerset. The setting is lovingly described and there are some complex characters from various generations of each family. A great summer read.

Having enjoyed my first Veronica Henry book last summer (The Family Recipe), I have enjoyed reading her earlier books and was keen to read her latest book.

I'm happy to confirm that this is another excellent read and my favourite Veronica Henry book so far. We discover how the lives of the two neighbouring families (the Melchoirs and the Culbones) have become intertwined over various points in the past century.

This is a book to curl up with and enjoy - independent women, family secrets, cider making, work/life balance, marketing, entrepreneurship and romance - are mixed together and brought to life at Dragonfly Farm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion books for my digital review copy in exchange for this honest review.

This is a story of long established animosity between two families. I found it a very easy read, not at all demanding.
The story is simple with few sets of characters and feels rather one dimensional. The difficulty between the families is established and then resolved. It is quite a nice story but the ending is really predictable. there are no "baddies" at all!!
The characters are not complex and the story concentrates on resolving the feud with these really nice people!
I was able to predict the ending really early in the story.
A good sun lounger read perhaps?

What a delightful read, another Veronica Henry belter.
Modern day Montague/Capulet feud that has been running for years.
An excellent story, credible characters that held me from start to end

I am a great fan of Veronica Henry but I think with this title she has surpassed herself. The characters have real depth whilst the twists in the plot are guaranteed to keep you awake and reading just one more chapter!
For many generations the Culborne family at Rushbrook and the Melchior family over the river at Dragonfly Farm have held a bitter grudge due to an ill-fated love triangle.
Thirty years ago, after a tragic accident, the Culborne’s moved away- but now Dash Culborne has returned.
Meanwhile at Dragonfly Farm cousins Tabatha and Georgina attend the funeral of their beloved Great Uncle; but they are astounded when the content of his will is revealed.
Read and enjoy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this modern day Montagu /Capulet type story.
Tabitha/Tab and her cousin Georgia ate left the family apple farm by their beloved uncle. They have plans to develop it and build on the family name and local knowledge. A third person, unknown to them is left the third share. He is, although he does not know it, a member of another local family with whom there has been a history of tragedy and disagreement.
The story tells of the background and history to what has happened. The relationships cover three generations and are appropriate to their times.
The story unwinds well, the characters are interesting and the locations well described and although predictable it's a happy friendly read and one I would enjoy on holiday.

Veronica Henry is a brilliant writer when it comes to family drama, infused with warmth and great compelling characters. This is no different, set primarily in rural Somerset, where Tabitha resides at Dragonfly Farm with her Great Uncle Gum, Matthew Melchior, who along with his now deceased wife, Joy, rescued the troubled Tabitha who went off the rails when her parents separated and she learned that neither wanted her to live with them. The hard working Tabitha in independent, emotionally wary, and rushed off her feet as she exercises racehorses for Jimmy O'Gowan, is a barmaid and pie maker at the Swan, and helps to manage the orchards and make cider at the farm. When tragedy strikes and her beloved Great Uncle Gum dies, it brings Dash Culbone into her life, whilst leaving her griefstricken and worried what it means for her future. The Melchiors and Culbones have a long running feud with each other, the product of a tragic history and the acquisition of Dragonfly Farm through gambling.

Rushbrook House, the family home of the Culbones has been left for a considerable number of years and is in a poor and dilapidated state, Dash has returned to live there, with plans for the house and land that is just across a stream from Dragonfly Farm. Gabriel Culbone lives in London with his wife, Lola, a model, and his daughter, Plum. He is an artisan knife maker, but the business is struggling and the rent has been increased to a level he knows he is unable to afford. He is happily married, but Lola has been trying for some time to get pregnant again, and the strain is beginning to tell on both of them. Out of the blue, Gabriel is invited to Matthew Melchior's will reading at the offices of a solicitor. He is not sure why he is there, he has no idea who Matthew is, only to be shocked when he is left a third of Dragonfly Farm. Tabitha and her cousin, Georgia, have inherited a third each too, but neither can afford to buy out this stranger that has entered their lives. Gabriel visits the farm, and he, Lola and Plum are enchanted by it, but their lives and family issues means he needs money desperately.

Henry writes a story of families, secrets, tragedy, loss and grief with expertise, creating characters that you invest in and become emotionally attached to, all set amidst a bewitching rural background and family farm. Georgia is an upcoming script writer with dreams of writing about their family saga and history, particularly the long running conflict with the Culbones, and is to learn that her mother has her own secret with regard to this. Gabriel is to find that he has surprising connections with the Melchiors that make him yearn to have him and his family live at Dragonfly Farm. This is a wonderfully warm hearted read, entertaining and just so engaging. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.

I haven't read many Veronica Henry novels before but I really did find myself lost in this one. From the start I really connected with the two main characters, Tabitha and Gabriel, and found myself flying through the pages. It was captivating, heartwarming and a joy to read. I would highly recommend you give this a read, the perfect way to spend a few hours.

Love Veronica Henry I’ve been reading her since her very first book Honeycote. Dragonfly Farm is the idyllic home to the Melchior family and across the river their rivals the Culbones own a home . When Great Uncle Matthew leaves the farm to Georgia and Tabitha but also to someone they have never heard of and a Culbone can they find a way to heal past rivalries and keep the farm in the family. A beautiful setting and a family with many different characters. Couldn’t put it down.

Home for Tabitha Melchior is Dragonfly Farm where she lives with her great-uncle Matthew. It’s the life she loves and her great-uncle and his wife, who were sadly childless, had taken her in and taught her every aspect of farm life, especially cookery and the art of making cider from their abundant apple trees in the orchards. When her great-aunt dies it leaves just the two of them. They rubbed together well; they suited each other, so when Tabitha hears the news that Matthew has died in a car crash just minutes from home she is totally distraught.
Her cousin Georgia, for whom Dragonfly Farm is a home from home, immediately drops everything and sets out to the farm to comfort Tabitha and help with all of the funeral arrangements. The funeral is sad, but the church is packed to the brim with relatives, friends and neighbours. Everyone assumes Tabitha would be bequeathed the farm in Matthew’s will, but at the solicitors office they learn that this is not so. The farm will have three joint owners, Tabitha, Georgia and a perfect stranger, a man called Gabriel Culbone. The two cousins are in shock - the Culbones live across the river in their ancestral home and are sworn enemies of the Melchiors. That certainly raises a few eyebrows and causes all kinds of speculations.
Gabriel is very impressed with the farm when they arrange for him to pay a visit. He is an artisan knife-maker and has never even heard of the Matthew Melchior, and so the investigations into this burning mystery begin, as to why Matthew has never told his family about his proposed triple bequest. As the secrets of the past begin to spill out, Gabriel reveals he must regretfully sell his share of the farm to accommodate his family plans. This is the story of what happens to the two cousins, who certainly cannot afford to buy Gabriel’s share of Dragonfly Farm. It’s a dramatic story about secrecy, pride, two feuding families and also a fledgling romance that initially sets off on the wrong path.
‘A Home from Home’ is an involving story most beautifully told. The gorgeous farm setting and its descriptions certainly cast a rich visual image in the reader’s mind. It’s an image of ‘the good life’, living off the land, idyllically rural and peaceful The characters are also well cast and soon become familiar as they are developed along with the story board. I always enjoy Veronica Henry’s novels; she never fails to satisfy. She handles her plot twists with aplomb so that you never see what is going to happen. I enjoyed everything about this novel, from the beautiful front cover to the satisfying ending. I received this book through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Orion, sent to me in return for an honest review. Thank you most sincerely for my copy. I recommend this as a lovely, warm read about a family having to overcome their setbacks. It’s a 3.5* review from me.

Sometimes your name can dictate where your home is meant to be. 

The Culbones have always lived in Rushbrook House, across the brook from them is Dragonfly Farm home to the Melchiors. The well to do, rich, higher in society than the rundown farm and the farmers across the water. 

The differences between the families goes back years but the feud is still very much in the present and when events unfold after the death of Matthew Melchior it seems perhaps a bridge can be built between these families. 

Tabitha and Georgia are Matthew's great nieces who assume that their Great Uncle Matthew will have left the farm to Tabitha if not both of them. It has been their haven when they were growing up and Tabitha's home for a long time. The life line she needed to survive. 

But Matthew has a surprise for them - the farm is to be split into three. The other benefactor is a Gabriel Culbone. 

Why would a Melchior leave something to a Culbone?

Gabriel Culbone is none the wiser and knows nothing of Matthew's existence or the farm. His mother is no help and his grandmother is in a rapid decline from dementia. 

Will the secrets that are revealed through both families go some way to start building bridges?

This book drew me in straight away, two seemingly separate storylines, both fascinating and in contrast to each other were at some point going to have to intertwine - I couldn't see how (this is sign of a good writer in my humble opinion) and when they did more questions were raised than answered. 

There is a lot to take in with the book, especially when you get to all the family relations but as we go back in time to see what happened to more than one of the present characters at no time does it become confusing. There is so much to learn and piece together it will have you reading well past your bedtime. 

A family saga set in Somerset, with secrets, cider, romance, friendship, new beginnings and a place for everyone to call home.

A fine example of Veronica Henry's work which I have been reading for a long while and they keep getting better and better.

A home from home

A delightful experience in Somerset. Set in Dragonfly Farm, the land is primarily used for apple orchards, no livestock or fields full of grain. Dragonfly Farm is the seat of the Melchior family. Tabitha and her elderly great uncle live on the farm. The farm has been in the family for generations after being won in a card game from the neighboring family, the Culbone’s. A rivalry started with that win more than one hundred years ago and hard feelings between the families remain.

Throughout the years, experiences and tragedies have divided the families and brought the families together. Each generation has kept their secrets and finally with the death of Uncle Malcolm, the truth comes to the surface with amazing consequences for the youngest generations.

Well written with a strong sense of place, and likable characters, A home from home is a pleasure to read. Veronica Henry is a new author to me, but I will definitely be reading more of her books.

Thank you to netgalley and Orion Publishing.

A delightful book centred around two families living close, but preferring to ignore each other. Cousins Georgia and Tabitha have each been left a third of their family home, Dragonfly Farm by their great uncle GUM (shades of Noel Stretfield's Ballet Shoes?) The other third is left to Gabriel, and the mystery starts here.
It was fascinating to see how the story unfolded, and indeed how it progressed and ended. A happy book, with lovely descriptions of the country side and cider making..
Thank you for a review copy which I did enjoy reading.