A Village Vacancy by Julie Houston #Review

 I loved Julie Houston's A Village Affair, so I am delighted to be taking part in the celebrations for A Village Vacancy. It was published by Aria on 22nd October. 

From the bestselling author of A Village Affair comes a laugh out loud new Westenbury tale...

As the Yorkshire village of Westenbury mourns the loss of one of their own, the women can't help but contemplate who will fill the vacancy in one handsome widower's life...

Grace Stevens has decided it's time to move on without her husband. He's off gallivanting around Devon in search of a new life, and good riddance. It's time to go back to teaching, so Grace returns to Little Acorns and takes on an unruly class of pre-teens.

As she deals with disasters in –and out of –the classroom including an accidental dalliance with her most troublesome pupil's dad, helping track down a drug ring and keeping up with her closest girlfriends, Grace begins to wonder moreand more about the sparkle in David's eyes and the sparking chemistry between them.

Could Grace be the one to fill this village vacancy?

My Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed another visit to Westenbury Village and to find out what all the friends were up to. There are some lovely humorous touches and the children are as amusing as ever. There is a large cast of characters to meet but the main focus is on Grace who is undergoing some real changes in her life. There is a lot of background information to digest about her past life and you really get the sense that the characters are rooted. 

    This isn't just a single narrative. There are numerous other strands running through and there is a lot to learn about June, the local GP. Not everything goes to plan for her and there are a few surprises in store. There are also some unsavoury elements in the background and the outside world does intrude, involving the younger members of the community. This is a great story to escape into and does not disappoint.

 

In short: A warm, witty tale 

 

About the Author

Julie Houston is the author of THE ONE SAVING GRACE, GOODNESS, GRACE AND ME and LOOKING FOR LUCY, a Kindle top 100 general bestseller and a Kindle #1 bestseller. She is married, with two teenage children and a mad cockerpoo and, like herheroine, lives in a West Yorkshire village. She is also a teacher and a magistrate.

 

You can follow Julie here: Twitter   | Facebook   |  Website 

Book links: Amazon UK   |  Kobo  |  i Books   |  Google Play 

 Aria Books: Website  |  Twitter  |   Facebook  |  Instagram

Thanks to Julie Houston and Victoria Joss and Aria Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Check out the rest of the tour!