Appleby Farm Part Two - A Family Affair by Cathy Bramley - 5* review

Appleby Farm Part Two on Amazon.co.uk

It’s impossible not to feel cheerful at Appleby Farm, so Freya is putting her doubts about her love life to the back of her mind for now.

But when she discovers the truth about its financial troubles, Freya has to face up to reality: they might lose the farm. There’s only one person she can ask for help, and it’s the last thing she wants to do… Can a trip to Paris change the farm’s fortunes?

As Appleby Farm’s fate hangs in the balance, Freya is surprised as her own dreams for the future take shape. But who will be at her side as her dreams become reality?

Appleby Farm is an irresistibly charming novel told in four parts – following the adventures of Freya Moorcroft in love, friendship and a spot of farming. A Family Affair is part two. It features some friendly faces who appeared in Cathy's bestselling series, Ivy Lane, but it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story.

Each part of Appleby Farm contains 10 chapters.

Getting back into the familiarity of Appleby Farm didn't take a second, and I was pleased to find Freya back at the farm she loved, with her equally beloved aunt and uncle.
Remembering that she rushed back to be with her uncle that had suffered a heart attack, we find all is relatively well with Uncle Arthur although he is still ill in hospital, but it's the farm that is suffering worse health, albeit financially, as Freya remembers the red reminder bill that she saw.

Freya puts her thinking cap on and draws on every resource she can, until she can go no further and has to take the leap of contacting her parents who she has always vowed never to go cap in hand to, but when needs must...she makes a trip to Paris to see them even though she doesn't have the best of relationships with them. The scenes with her mother are touching and give away a lot of background story as to why she grew up on the farm with Aunty Sue taking the mothering role.

She just seems to be making a dent in the debts and getting Appleby Farm on the up when another disaster strikes, which could be last straw for Appleby Farm, even with the new workforce she has managed to get in place. 

Another really lovely story, beautifully researched as ever and plenty of cliffhangers to keep the reader guessing until part three - although I really with there were to be ten parts, not just four. I am already enjoying this series even more than Ivy Lane (which I adored) and cannot wait for the next installment. 

Another...

Here's my review of  Appleby Farm Part One 5*