When Noelle Cooke inherits a quaint English cottage and an art gallery from her famous Aunt Joy, she welcomes a departure from her San Diego routine. But the lure of the Cotswolds, combined with a locked cottage room and a revealing journal, entice her to stay and discover more, including a way to save the gallery from financial ruin. And that means remaining in England.
When her childhood sweetheart, Adam Spencer, begins work on a restoration project in Noelle's village, their friendship blossoms. But as her feelings for Adam deepen, she struggles with memories of what might have been and yearns for a future once thought lost. Faced with a life-altering revelation Aunt Joy took to her grave and a wrenching choice regarding the man she loves, Noelle could lose far more than her heart.
Painting the Moon 4.7 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 17 reviews.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story set in the English Cotswolds. This is a story of a young couple who discover they are still in love after several years of not seeing each other. But the things that happen along their way to getting there will hold your attention to the very end. Noelle inherits her aunts cottage, along with a few hidden secrets, her aunt has left for her to discover. One discover allows her to keep her aunts art gallery which has a large balloon payment due. She is soon accepted as one one of the village people joining in their activities. You will not want to put this book down until you have read it to the end.
A very good read. I stayed up way too late on work nights to get this book read in three evenings. I'm hopeful this author gets more stories published.
If you are looking for a charming series, set in the idyllic countryside of Cotswold, filled to the brim with delightful and charming characters, you can't help but love, then look no further than Tracy Borum's Chilton Crosse series. In Painting the Moon, the first novel in the series, we are introduced to the small town of Chilton Crosse, buried in a quaint English village. Noelle Cooke has made the journey to the town after hearing of her late aunt Joy's death. She has 3 days leave from her employer in San Diego to settle the affairs and get back to work. Among those details are not only getting her Aunt's cottage ready for sale, but sorting through the years of belongings to decide which must stay and what she can donate or ship home. What she doesn't expect to find is a locked door upstairs and no apparent key. Thinking she will tackle that one later, she heads to the gallery her Aunt also owned and finds that it is bordering on bankruptcy unless she can raise enough money to salvage it. It's been quite some time since Noelle has been back and is looking forward to connecting with her childhood friend Jill while she is in town. She just never expected Jill to invite her former crush Adam Spencer who is working nearby on a renovation project in the town nearby. However she tries to fight her emotions, she knows that Adam is the one man she wishes she could have fallen for many many years ago. Even though for Noelle, the relationships she has attempted to have, have all fallen flat. As the time draws to a close, Noelle realizes that 3 days isn't enough time to settle what she needs to accomplish in England, however when her boss gives her an ultimatum, she immediately considers the implications of staying. Would it be possible to find a job if she stayed? Would there be a future with Adam? Did her Aunt Joy have more in store for her than just what her eyes can see? Only time will tell! I received Painting the Moon by Traci Borum compliments of Red Adept Publishing for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review. This is such a heartwarming series and I can't wait to pick up the next one, Finding the Rainbow! The characters you meet in this village are as real as the pages in the books from Mac MacDonald, the local handyman with a strong Scottish accent that always dispenses wisdom along with a sharing a cup of tea to the 90 year old gentlemen outside the bakery passing out samples of his daughters blueberry scones. You might just want to brew a pot of tea, pick up some biscuits or scones and settle down for a evening by the fire for this one. Well worth all 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.
Love this new (to me) author! Great story, excellent character development and just plain fun to read.... I want more from this awesome author!
Couldn't put it down, yet didn't want it to end! Loved the setting, the characters & most of all the story! This is the 1st book by her I've read, will definitely look for more!
I really enjoyed this book - "just right".
So... what r we gonna do?