The Cheesemaker's House by Jane Cable

Alice Hart has just gone through a divorce because of an affair her husband had with his secretary. The escape route was already in place for Alice because three years earlier she and her ex had bought their retirement home, New Cottage. The house had been built many years ago by a businesswoman, the village cheesemaker. New Cottage needed renovating and Alice hires Richard Wainwright, a local builder. Richard had been recommended by Owen Maltby, a man Alice recently met at a Cafe. Both Richard and Owen are attracted to Alice, but it soon becomes obvious that Alice is falling for Owen. The problems soon unfold when Alice is told by a friend that Owen is a wierdo and rather creepy. Owen is known as the local village charmer. People went to Owen for minor ailments and sometimes more serious problems. Many of the village people swear Owen is better than a doctor with his herb mixtures and concoctions he uses for treatments.

Strange things begin to happen. Richard is working in the barn and discovers a tiny skull. Alice hears strange crying during the night and is seeing Owen in places where it just isn't logical that he could be. Alice was finding it hard to trust Owen. She was not a great believer in the paranormal, but strange things were occurring and there just didn't seem to be a normal explanation.

The story has a mixture of mystery, drama, romance, and paranormal happenings. The premise of the story grabbed my attention early on, but it was just too drawn out and my enjoyment of the book soon diminished. On a positive note - the author had a creative way of weaving this multi-layered story together and it did have a satisfying conclusion. It was a deep and thought provoking storyline with many twists and turns throughout. But, unfortunately, I found this book to be just lukewarm, falling a bit flat for me. My rating - 3 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this book. The opinions shared are solely my responsibility.