One Enchanted Evening: From the #1 bestselling author of uplifting feel-good fiction

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Published since 1995, her romance novels are set in modern-day England. She is the founder of the "Katie Fforde Bursary" for writers who have yet to secure a publishing contract. Katie was elected the twenty-fifteenth Chairman (2009-2011) of the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is delighted to have been chosen as Chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association and says, "Catherine Jones was a wonderful chair and she's a very tough act to follow. However, I've been a member of the RNA for more years than I can actually remember and will have its very best interests at the core of everything I do." I have read a couple of Katie Fforde books before and really enjoyed them and this one didn’t disappoint either. A beautiful setting at Nightingale Woods Hotel in Dorset, one of my favourite places. The story is set in the 1960’s and followed Meg’s story. Enter Justin, the son of the hotel owner and professional chef… you see where I’m going with this?!! Total enemies-to-lovers vibes *nods*

Katie Fforde - Book Series In Order Katie Fforde - Book Series In Order

This is 1966 and a pivotal point in history when life is gradually opening up with new opportunities for women. Meg comes across attitudes to her working in a professional kitchen that seem alien to us now. In some ways women’s lives have changed a lot for the better, but then again there is always room for improvement. First published in 1995, this was to mark an introductory effort by Katie Fforde that was to be warmly received by her many readers and critics. Featuring much of her now trademarked style and wit, it’s written in a light-hearted and easily accessible style that allows both casual and committed readers alike to delve right in. That’s not to say there isn’t substance there, as the tone and ambiance of the novel convey a realistic portrayal of the characters throughout that’s instantly relatable. As expected, there is a happy ending which ties everything together nicely - it was enjoyable to witness Meg's journey come full circle by the end of the book. This is the first time I've ever read anything by Katie Fforde, although I am of course familiar with the name and the kind of books she writes. Meg is such an optimistic and enthusiastic heroine. Though Justin, is admittedly not my favorite. He pops around, here and there, and I kinda wish we could get into his head, (I understand why we can't). He can be frustrating, but he makes up to it, almost like-- pound for pound. He does grow on you and it does pay off in the end,..eventually.Meg is a very talented cook who is planned to stage under a chef in France to be trained. She travels to Dorset to lend a hand when disaster strikes in the hotel her mother works for. But just before the important banquet, the owner's son, Justin shows up to take over the kitchen. One Enchanted Evening is a literary hug that filled me with a comforting warmth and made me crave for more .' I have to give a special mention to Ambrosine. I could have happily sat beside her for hours as she regaled me with her life stories *sighs*.

Katie Fforde: Official UK Homepage

When Meg's mother, Louise, called and asked for help, Meg couldn't refuse. Louise was working at a beautiful Georgian hotel set in the equally beautiful Nightingale Woods in sleepy Dorset. The hotel owner had died and one of his his sons, Andrew, who Louise had more than a passing acquaintance with, had gone to France to sort out his estate, Meg was to take over the kitchen, she didn't know if she was up to this but the hotel didn't have many guests and the staff were brilliant. It's 1964 and Meg's mother asks her to come to Nightingale Woods to help out with a big event. Nightingale Woods is a quaint, rather rundown hotel in Dorset and Meg is a cook. She hotfoots it there, happy to help out, even when Justin, the son of the owner, turns up and is rather rude to her, especially about women in the kitchen (he's a chef too). Meg longs to be a professional cook, but in 1964 the idea of a female chef running a kitchen is considered ridiculous. Undaunted, she has plans to travel to France and work on her already impressive skills to chase her dream of becoming a pastry chef.Without a doubt, Meg is definitely the one who was destined for a future in food. Creating beautiful dishes at the cookery school, she also appeared in A Wedding in Provence with a showstopper cake that proved to be far superior to anything that a local pâtissier could produce.

Katie Fforde | Waterstones One Enchanted Evening by Katie Fforde | Waterstones

I loved this book so much that I devoured it in a day and a half. The characters were very well rounded and you instantly become invested in the storyline, the characters, and the beautiful old hotel.' It’s Spring 1966, Dorset. The owner of a hotel known as Nightingale Woods has passed away leaving the property to his sons Andrew and Colin and a mysterious third person, much to Colin’s distaste. Andrew has been running the hotel for two years but has to go to France to sort out some legal things regarding his father. Louise had been hired as a receptionist and office manager, but now it’s down to her to run the place. Andrew’s son, Justin, is only a short distance away so she can ask him if she needs to make any decisions, only problem is Justin thinks Louise is a gold digger and is after his father for money or the hotel. Among the Characters, I love the play on "found family" trope going among the staff of Nightingale Woods. I rooted for Meg, Ambroisine, Susan and her many relations. I find that they have great team work.Katie Fforde does an excellent job of painting beautiful descriptions of scenery throughout the story - readers will feel like they're right there with Meg whether she is in the delightful Dorset countryside or the rolling hills of Provence. All the elements that make up a classic Katie Fforde novel are here. I always read her new books when they come out, though over the years some have not been as memorable as others. In fact, this is the first book of hers in recent years that reminds me of her early novels which I have read many times over. Justin and Meg may clash in the kitchen, but their chemistry is strong and there is enough interaction for their relationship to be credible.

Books UK One Enchanted Evening - Penguin Books UK

Set in 1964, OEE follows the adventures of 22-year-old Meg as she sets off to help her mother run a small hotel in Dorset. I absolutely adored this book as much as the previous instalments that helped us navigate through the ongoing lives of this trio of novice cooks. Of course, there are cameos from the other key characters and it was a treat to learn more about their ongoing lives. One Enchanted Evening is a literary hug that filled me with a comforting warmth and made me crave for more.' One Enchanted Evening is set in the 1960s, I did love the descriptions of Nightingale Woods hotel in the beautiful countryside of Dorset. The hotel was brought to life perfectly and I had no trouble imagining myself staying there in one of the charming rooms. Katie Fforde is excellent at creating worlds. The romance bit was also frustrating because I'm not such a fan of witholding information til the very end, so I didn't appreciate that we actually confirmed from Justin that he WAS with Laura, already quite near the end. Even with his feelings, it was always other people who spoke for him. I'm not a fan of that at all. because he was so silent about things, not clarifying his actions, I felt so confused for Meg.

Living Dangerously

The last few chapters seemed a bit unedited. They chopped around with oddments of text that I think should have gone somewhere else, and they felt a bit rushed. But my biggest bugbear was the number of characters in the story, and particularly when another boatload turned up for the finale/closing image. If you love feel good romances and you haven’t read any of Katie’s books yet then WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? She’s a national treasure at this point. We love Katie. I could go on and on about how great she is so please just go and grab some of her books so you can love her writing too. British author of romance novels, Katie Fforde is well known for her contemporary and ever appealing style of fiction. Easily accessible as it is textured, she has managed to amass herself a sizable audience throughout the many years of her career. With both commercial and critical success, she continues to attract audiences to her unique and distinctive works. Early and Personal Life What I thoroughly loved about this story was the twist though, especially as it involved my favourite character. It added a little bit of mystery to the book, and it wove beautifully through the romance without seeming like a side quest. Although predictable, it is after all a 'feel good' romance novel, it is very well written. I loved the setting in Dorset and when I thought it a tad old-fashioned, I remembered it was set in the 1960s. I thought some of the characters were lovely, such as the elderly and mysterious Ambrosine, and I even enjoyed the stereoptypes too, who I think were written a bit tongue-in-cheek.