Tess and Simon Sparrow may have a few more grey hairs than they used to, but that doesn’t stop them from being swept up in a whirlwind romance and starting over.

Swapping their city lives for an escape to the Cornish countryside, they fall in love with a crumbling hotel and impulsively buy it to renovate as their forever home.

But soon the newlyweds have had their first fight (and their second and third...) and building costs are spiralling out of control. Their families think they’re mad and Tess is starting to agree – she just wants to escape back to civilisation.

Doing up the glorious wisteria-clad property was meant to be a delightful retirement project. But the electrics are faulty, there’s no central heating, and the kitchen ceiling’s fallen in: the dream has become reality and things only get more chaotic when the first guests arrive...

Mysterious Celia, hapless romantic Dominic and tarnished, lovelorn actress Titania are all looking for a fresh start. Everyone in this eclectic group has their own reasons for being in Cornwall, but the summer is full of secrets and surprises. As plans go awry and truths are revealed, Tess and Simon realise that they’ve taken on a bigger challenge than they intended to: can their happily-ever-after survive the chaos or will this end up being the biggest mistake of their lives?

From the bestselling author of The Runaway Wife and The Silver Ladies of Penny Lane, this is a completely uplifting book about embracing new friendships, finding love and making each day count. Perfect for fans of The Kicking the Bucket List and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

Top 50 Amazon UK author

Aged 18, Dee arrived in London from Scotland and typed her way round the West End for a couple of years before joining BOAC (forerunner of British Airways) in Passenger Services for 2 years and then as a stewardess for 8 years. She has worked in Market Research, Sales and at the Thames TV Studios when they had the franchise. Dee has since relocated to Cornwall, where she spent 10 years running B&Bs, and only began writing when she was over 70! Married twice, she has one son and two grandsons.