Everything is finally coming together for single mom Annie O'Harran. She's engaged to a London doctor, she has a book deal in the works for her first novel and an upcoming trip promises a few weeks away at a peaceful summer house. She also hopes this vacation will give her a break from her ex- husband, a wayward impoverished actor whom she can't seem to get over; he's infuriating, yet charming, and they're ever-connected through their adorable daughter.

Her fiancé, David, is obsessed with trying to make a baby and can't wait to get married, set up a home together and live happily ever after. Annie and her 12-year-old daughter, Flora, drive to David's aunt's estate on the Camel estuary in Cornwall, expecting David to follow on the weekends as he's able to get away from his patients.

In the middle of their first night in the house, Annie encounters American psychiatrist Matt Malone, who's rented the house for the summer for his family, who are arriving later. Annie realizes that she and Flora should technically return to the city, since Matt has a lease for the property, but Flora looks so crushed at the idea of leaving this natural paradise that Annie and Matt reach a tenuous agreement to temporarily share the spacious property for a few weeks. Secluded in the country and removed from everyday life, Annie and Matt are aware of a growing attraction, but they spend their days distracting themselves with writing projects. Soon Matt's son arrives, and Annie and Matt are frequently left alone while their children swim and fish at the river.

Annie's trip to Cornwall is anything but relaxing between her ex-husband's unexpected visit, her fiancé's inability to get away from the city and the constant temptation of sexy Matt under the same roof. Annie should be busily planning her own wedding, which is only six weeks away, when everything begins to fall apart and she realizes that nothing is what it seems. The last thing on her mind is THE WEDDING DAY!

I enjoyed the English countryside setting and a romance novel that featured a woman with a pre-teen daughter. Flora's insightful and sarcastic comments made me smile, and I identified with her embarrassment about most of her mother's actions. Alliott delivers a complex romance that quickly moves beyond straightforward boy-meets-girl into the messy vortex of real human relationships.