When artist Violet Brooke leaves her engagement ring on top of a Chinese wedding cabinet and runs away from the trendy apartment in London’s Brick Lane, there’s only one place to go – Sunrise Cottage.
All she wants is to cosy up in her rural retreat, concentrate on her painting, and forget about Jayden Fox, bad boy of the East End art scene – he’s certainly forgotten about her.
The last thing she needs is romance. Then handsome antique dealer Max Finch shows up in the middle of a field and the problem is, he’s impossible to resist.
For Max, meeting Violet – and falling in love with her at first sight – is a turning point. His ex-wife, Sarah, has bipolar, and Max still feels partly responsible for her well-being. But Sarah has others to care for her now, and Max knows that if he is to win Violet’s trust, he must put her first.
Max is not the only complication in Violet’s rural idyll. Before long, she’s shocked to discover that somebody wants her gone from the village, and they’re making sure she knows about it.
But who? And why?
Is this Violet’s cue to head back to London and pick up her real life?
Or is Sunrise Cottage – and Max Finch – as real as it gets?