He expects his meals to be ready whatever time he arrives in from work, and all laundry to appear, clean and perfectly ironed, whenever needed. He seems to consider Tish’s writing career as little more than a hobby, and treats her more like a housekeeper than a wife. James, it turns out, is thoughtless, snobbish, and something of a male chauvinist. However I soon lost any sympathy I had for him, even before his inevitable dalliances with other women. So I felt quite sorry for James at the start of the book he seems a rather worthy, caring man, if somewhat dull. Going by her other books, I decided that they would most likely have some conflict, and then finally get together. That’s how Trisha Ashley’s novels work, and since there are also brief snippets from Fergal interspersed with Tish’s accounts, they are obviously going to meet again. It’s fairly clear from the beginning of the book that Tish’s teenage romance with Fergal is going to be re-kindled. So they move, and Tish sets about turning into the house of her dreams.

This means that when the offer is accepted, he can hardly refuse.

James is not keen at all, and insists on offering a ludicrously low amount for it. While house-hunting, Tish falls in love with a country cottage in need of a great deal of renovation. She will happily mix with anyone interesting, from the local general shopkeeper to a local hard-working lad who is not very bright and likes to be paid in colourful magazines. But Tish prefers jeans, and thinks for herself. He wants to mix with the right people, and would love Tish to have permed hair and wear smart dresses, like his colleagues’ well-behaved wives. James is a solicitor, with upwardly-mobile desires. but she was badly hurt by Fergal when he left her to go on tour in America, and is trying to forget him. She writes popular romantic fiction, some of which is inspired by her memories of her first love. Now thirty, comfortably married to the hard-working and somewhat stolid James, she longs for a place in the country. The majority of the book is then told from Tish’s point of view. Regularly in the news for various scandals, he is introduced in the prologue to this novel when he recalls his first, somewhat dramatic meeting with 17-year-old Tish, and the year-long romance which followed. Summary: Light-hearted village novel predictable but enjoyable chick-lit for the middle-aged.įergal is part of a popular pop band.

Husband material review