A COUNTRY AFFAIR

Author: Rebecca Shaw ISBN: 1400098203 5/2006 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: THREE RIVERS PRESS

Welcome to Barleybridge, a small village nestled in the Yorkshire hills of England, where sheep graze on the nearby slopes and everybody knows their neighbors. Young, inexperienced, and somewhat shy, Kate Howard arrives in this idyllic setting to embark on a new adventure and begin a job as a receptionist at the Barleybridge Veterinary Hospital. The busy practice sees creatures large and small, from pets to farm animals, and the staff she meets there is friendly and welcoming. As Kate learns the ins and outs of her job (from who to never let through on the phone to which dogs—and owners—need to be kept away from each other), handsome Australian vet Scott Spencer takes an interest in her and encourages Kate to pursue her dreams to become a vet herself. His advice is solid, and his charm is intoxicating, but Kate is well aware that she is hardly the only woman to fall under the dashing doctor’s spell. Add to this the pressure of her longtime but rather dull boyfriend, Adam, who is not at all happy about her newfound aspirations to return to school, and Kate has some decisions to make, decisions that are growing more complex at every turn.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Aside from a terrific sense of setting and flavorful English dialogue, A COUNTRY AFFAIR fairly bursts with a liveliness reflected in its lead character, Kate Howard.

Ms. Shaw once again gives readers a glimpse into the lives of employees and clients as she continues her Barleybridge series. This series centers around the bustling veterinary hospital in a small English village.

The setting is quaint, the characters are everyday people involved in realistic struggles with themselves and with others. Some of these characters are nice, some are nasty and some are decidedly eccentric. Most all are appealing... in differing degrees.

While the ensemble of characters could have been confusing, Ms. Shaw skillfully maneuvers readers through this array without losing focus of the lead character, Kate Howard, and to her romantic interest, that bad boy, Australian vet Scott Spencer. That Ms. Shaw would pit sweet, innocent Kate with a womanizing, somewhat jaded Spencer is a nicely done version of the opposites attract thingie. Except Kate and Scott have a lot in common—among them a strong love of animals.

Warm, often witty and sometimes touching, A COUNTRY AFFAIR is a real charmer.

For readers who love anything English, I would strongly recommend giving Ms. Shaw's Barleybridge series a try. Although I haven't had the pleasure of reading the first two novels in the series, A COUNTRY AFFAIR stands alone extremely well.

And I can't wait to pick up the next of the series to continue with the lives of some of the folks whose storylines were left dangling at the end of A COUNTRY AFFAIR.