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The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts
(Riverside Lane, #1)
by Alison Sherlock

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

‘Love may be blind, but it’s marriage that’s the real eye-opener,’ she told him, glancing behind her as the shouting became even louder.

A facelift? The shop needed a full makeover, complete with major heart surgery.

‘It’s going to look worse before it looks better,’ she told Grandma Tilly. ‘Then perhaps I think you’re at rock bottom now, my dear,’ said Tilly, with a wink.

‘I don’t know what’s in it,’ Molly told them, making a face. ‘It’s pretty disgusting, but after a couple of glasses you lose all feeling in your tongue so you don’t care!’ … ‘That punch could strip paint off the walls. Although the wallpaper in here appears to be doing that all by itself.’

I didn’t even have time for a nightcap last night. I think my body’s gone into toxic shock.

My Review:

This was a wryly amusing, sweet, and insightfully written story filled with a full complement of likable, hard-working, and well-meaning characters who were struggling with lives that didn’t turn out as planned while residing in a small rural village that had seen better days.   The writing and storylines were easy to follow, engaging, and held my interest with humorous banter, family issues, and a slow-burn romance that did not progress beyond igniting the pilot light until the very last chapter. I admired the characters’ creativity, initiative, and innovations in attempting to save their business and community.