Honeycote by Veronica Henry

Synopsis: The Liddiards have lived at Honeycote House for generations. But all that might be about to change…

Mickey Liddiard adores his wife, Lucy. So why is he cheating on her with Kay? He knows it’s wrong, but he can’t help himself.

James, Mickey’s brother, has been in love with Lucy since the day he met her. He can’t betray his brother - but he’s not going to stop the truth coming out.

Kay only married Lawrence Oakley for his money, and he knows it. But is it Mickey who holds the key to her happiness?

For each of Mickey’s misdemeanours, somewhere in the seemingly peaceful village of Honeycote there is a knife being sharpened. Ambition, greed and good old-fashioned revenge all conspire to bring about his downfall - but will true love save the day?

My thoughts: Mickey is hiding a lot of things from his wife: his affair, his drinking and his massive debts. The family-run brewery is on the verge of being repossessed by the bank and he doesn’t know what to do about it. Gradually his secrets start to be found out by various characters in the book, and eventually everyone knows what a mess he’s in.

Alongside the main story, there are other side-stories involving Mickey’s family members and acquaintances.

The book is set in a fictional Cotswold village and I felt like I really got sucked into life in Honeycote, where it seems like there’s always something interesting going on.