Hannah Langdon’s Escape to the Country Kitchen*l, the first book in The Sisters of Feywood series, is a heartwarming and enchanting tale of love, family, and personal growth set against the picturesque backdrop of an English manor. This women’s romantic fiction novel is a perfect escape for readers seeking a blend of emotional depth, culinary delights, and charming romance.

The story follows Juliet Carlisle, a shy and world-weary woman who retreats to her family's dilapidated manor house in Feywood after suffering a painful heartbreak. Expecting solitude, Juliet is instead greeted by a bustling new cookery school run by the charming yet infuriating French chef, Léo Brodeur. Amid the aromas of baking croissants and fresh garden herbs, Juliet's life becomes entangled with Léo's, leading to a series of humorous, touching, and romantic moments.

Langdon excels in creating a richly textured setting that brings the story to life. The manor house, with its crumbling grandeur and bustling kitchen, serves as a perfect backdrop for Juliet's journey of self-discovery and healing. The cookery school adds a delightful culinary element to the narrative, appealing to readers who appreciate detailed descriptions of food and the camaraderie found in the kitchen.

Character development is a highlight of Escape to the Country Kitchen. Juliet is a relatable and sympathetic protagonist whose journey from heartbreak to hope is portrayed with sensitivity and nuance. Her interactions with her meddling but well-meaning sisters and the cheerful, enigmatic Léo are both heartwarming and realistically complex. Léo, with his blend of French charm and hidden depths, is a compelling romantic interest. His backstory and the reason for his sudden departure from France add a layer of intrigue to the romance, making the blossoming relationship between him and Juliet all the more captivating.

Langdon’s writing style is engaging and evocative, perfectly balancing humor and emotion. The dialogue is witty and authentic, capturing the nuances of familial relationships and the tentative steps of a new romance. The chemistry between Juliet and Léo is palpable, building gradually through shared experiences and the warm, inviting atmosphere of the cookery school.

Fans of romantic fiction will find much to love in Escape to the Country Kitchen. The novel’s themes of healing, resilience, and the transformative power of love are universally appealing. Langdon deftly explores Juliet’s internal struggles and growth, making her journey deeply relatable. The subplot involving Léo’s past adds a touch of suspense and complexity, enriching the overall narrative.

Moreover, the novel beautifully highlights the importance of family and community. Juliet’s interactions with her sisters and the students at the cookery school create a sense of warmth and belonging, emphasizing that love and support can be found in the most unexpected places. The detailed descriptions of cooking and baking sessions further enhance this sense of community, drawing readers into the sensory experience of the kitchen.

Escape to the Country Kitchen is a delightful start to The Sisters of Feywood series, showcasing Hannah Langdon’s talent for crafting emotionally resonant and charming romantic fiction. With its well-drawn characters, engaging plot, and evocative setting, this novel is sure to enchant readers and leave them eagerly anticipating the next installment. Langdon has created a story that is both heartwarming and inspiring, perfect for anyone looking to escape into a world where love and family triumph over adversity.

DNF at 30%.
Unfortunately I just wasn't being drawn into this book. The characters weren't appealing, the main female Juliet was actually quite frustrating and the story itself was just a bit boring. Unfortunate because I did quite enjoy Hannah's last book but I just didn't want to continue reading this one. I may come back to it at some point but for now I'll be putting it down. I appreciate the chance to read an early copy.

Rating: 3.5

Juliet feels as if she is the black sheep of her family. A family filled with highly gifted artists, her cartoon drawings never met her mother's expectations. So, she distanced herself from her family and created a new Juliet, one who accidentally fell into an abusive and controlling relationship. With her mother gone and finally free, she has come home at last, but sometimes, the past is hard to let go of. Enter Leo, a sexy French chef opening a culinary school with her aunt. He is hiding from his own shameful past. Can the two learn to trust again and maybe find love, or are they both too damaged to let someone else in?

While I found the country setting charming and can relate to Juliet's self-doubt, I did find it difficult to fall into this novel. By the end, I was frustrated with both Juliet and Leo, and while I enjoyed the ending, it just felt slightly drawn out to me, and so many things were left unfinished. I know this is meant to be a series, but I would have liked some resolution where Frankie was concerned. I found it hard to believe these close-knit sisters would be okay with not seeing her for months on end. Overall, it was a sweet, clean romance with forgiveness, self-identity, and self-discovery themes. If you are looking for a casual book to read, then this may be just right for you.

Escaping an abusive relationship is hard, it costs much. Juliet is not only in the middle of that, but rebelling when family ties are forcing her to return to the family home she had left behind. The one thing I didn’t get was how quickly she changed her mind just because she was being offered a rather rundown lift to stay in. Didn’t make sense. Overall the story was a bit slow for me, with less comedy, but interestingly I felt empathy with the characters. The bits that rang true, Juliet’s broken relationship, Juliet and Leo’s thoughts about each other, the wider family relationships. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This was just lovely. A lot of suppressed painful feelings over the death of Juliet’s mum runs through the book. It was great to follow through her working a little bit out, and all the time torn between a bully of an ex and an enigma of a new possible love, all of this is done with greatest French cooking, beautiful art and a family dynamic that is a little bit mad and eclectic.

Escape to the Country Kitchen by Hannah Langdon is a cute romance. A light, easy read. The main characters Juliet and Leo have scarred previous relationships that interfere with their ability to move forward in a new romance. Overall, I found the character development to be a little weak.
Releases Jun 13th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the first in the Sisters of Feywood series and the main character is Juliet. Feeling obliged to return to the crumbling family home to help out, and put money towards keeping it from going into total disrepair, Juliet returns to also mend her heart. What she hadn’t realised was that the family had set up a cookery school and easy on the eye French chef Leo Brodeur is in residence and there is an attraction. Can she trust again after what she went through with her manipulative ex and plus Leo has his own past to deal with. This had family dynamics, quirky characters and relationships that were not straightforward! Although I enjoyed this there were a few times where I struggled to stay engaged. Saying that I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series to find out what happens to the other sisters. Thank you to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

Cute story. Out of family obligations Juliet is coerced into moving home to help with making the family home pay for itself. This proved to be life changing. Butting heads with Leo at first turned into something more. I found the story slow in some parts but overall a happy read. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy.

Escape to the Country Kitchen was ok. It was a quick read, and some of the story was very fun. Unfortunately, I just didn't really find the characters very likable, and the relationship between Juliet and Leo didn't feel believable to me. Both of them seemed like they would have been better off taking more time without being in a relationship. There were also a lot of details that didn't really make sense--the family is broke, but somehow has the money for starting a cooking school? There's a lot of talk in the first part about what might be in a French article about Leo, but somehow it never occurs to the women to try using Google Translate to translate it?

I also didn't like the way Martha and Frankie's storylines never got resolved, although I assume that's because they're going to be expanded in future books. The ending was also really abrupt; the climax gets resolved in a few pages, and then the book just kind of ends. Overall, I don't regret reading it, but I probably won't be seeking out the other books in the series.

I really wanted to enjoy this but it was just OK. Not a real strong romance, and too many unlikable characters. I was never really invested in any of the characters. While it wasn't a DNF, it was a bit of a struggle.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

I wanted to love this book. The cover is adorable, the description sounds great. Unfortunately I found the book a bit slow going. I found myself struggling to stay focused at some points. I got a feeling that maybe Juliet's sisters will have their own books going forward. If so, I hope that things are explained more in depth, like why Juliet's mother was so terrible to her. I did really like all the characters in the story. Léo was great, although the chemistry between he and Juliet didn't quite hit the mark. The book was enjoyable overall.

Oh how I wanted to love this book but it was just alright for me. At times I found it hard to stay engaged.

This book started out stronger than it finished. It had all the elements of a great feel good romance book but, it didn’t quite deliver. I didn’t feel a believable connection to the two main characters, Leo and Juliette. With all their baggage and lack of communication skills, I think they should have ended up as just friends and worked on themselves for a bit.
I am intrigued by Juliet’s sisters’ storylines and assume they will become their own books. I think I’ll enjoy them more than this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Great start to what is hopefully a series featuring Feywood House.
Juliet has always been in awe of Feywood and what it means to her. Her sisters love the place but she has a difficult relationship with the house which she associates with her mother.
She has never felt good enough thanks to her mother’s constant put downs but she is convinced into returning to help with the cookery school her aunt is starting. Leo has a past in France which he is running from and together they both find out that being in ,I’ve isn’t always easy.
Hoping to return to Feywood house soon.

Having loved Hannah Langdon’s previous book, I was keen to read this one. Artist Juliet and French chef Leo were interesting characters and I was glad they achieved their happy ever after. I enjoyed the descriptions of the foods and the settings, which were very well written.
Some of the scenes between Leo and Juliet were lovely, but overall this story wasn’t as uplifting and cheerful as the author’s Christmas book. It felt much more serious in tone, and dealt with some big issues around family life and abusive relationships.
There was a lot of internal monologue in this book, as both main characters had a lot of previous experiences to process and heal from. I found this often insightful and I liked the character of Sylvia who was a bit of a mentor to them both.
I was less keen on the way some aspects were left unresolved and others were introduced with little apparent reason - eg the dad’s new girlfriend, the reason why Juliet’s mother was so horrid to her, and the sisters’ romantic relationships, as well as dealing with the narcissistic/slanderous exes. This is possibly going to be dealt with in future books, as I note this seems to be the first in a series about the sisters. Still, I was left feeling a bit dissatisfied at the end of this one. 3.5 stars for me.

More like 2.5 stars- this book had some good stuff in it, and I never wanted to DNF, but...

The way the two main characters were written at times really just annoyed me. The inner dialogue of both created conflict, but not well. A simple, honest conversation would have resolved these conflicts and made room for more interesting scenarios rather than make me want to roll my eyes so hard that I got a headache.

*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

There was so much that was good in this book, but also so much that did not ring true to me. I think the author is a good writer and has a strong voice, but sadly I didn't’’t enjoy this story. Too many really unpleasant characters. Juliet’s ex Toby is nauseatingly horrible and I cannot understand how Juliet allowed him to control her as he did. I know this is a problem for many women but I think the reader has to be shown how this can happen and I didn’t feel the author succeeding in doing so.

Poor Leo suffered with a vicious ex too - the horrendous Veronique. It just seemed to me that the ‘villains’ were one dimensionally horrible like cartoon caricatures.

The ending was too fast and hurried and after the angst of previous events - it lacked credibility for me.

There was lots to like about this.

2.5 Stars 🌟

Juliet is a political cartoonist from a family of fine artist who returns to her family's home in the English Countryside, Feywood, to help save the property from dire financial straits. Here Juliet mets Leo a charming French chef who has been brought into to help her Aunt run a cooking school out of the old stables on the property. Leo and Juliet have both been burned by bad relationship in the past but overcome their trauma to find love with each other.

Overall the book feels quite rushed and the characters are not given much time to develop. This causes their relationship to feel very abrupt and lack any potential stakes. On their own, the characters are also fairly unlikealbe and often feel one-dimensional. This is true for the entire cast not just Leo and Juilet. For example, Juilet's sister Martha is presented as a kind, meek, and romantic girl but is not given any more development beyond that.

The setting of Feywoods does provide readers with a charming backdrop and hopefully the characters will be further explored and developed in future books in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Hannah Langdon for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

An uplifting and fun book about sisterhood, following your dreams and love after heartbreak.
Whilst I did struggle at times with the pacing and how many characters there were with unexplored subplots (I presume for future books) this was a good book for just picking up and escaping into.

Plenty of family drama drives this book. Didn’t really care for any of the characters though as they just didn’t ring true for me. I loved the premise of opening a Cooking School to help with the financial issues but how did they afford to do that when they can’t even replace a roof? Also the relationship was defined at lightning speed. There is the usual misunderstanding but then BAM she sees the light and everything is instantly resolved, jump 10 months to finish the wrap up and the book is over. Thank you to the publisher for a free NetGalley copy of the book in return for an honest opinion.