The Love Heart Lane series of books by Christie Barlow, while all set in the same Highland village and featuring the same cast of characters, work just as well as stand-alone books. This is just as well, because the one I picked up, Heartcross Castle, is book Seven.

Heartcross Castle features Grace and her three boys dealing with the unexpected inheritance of the titular castle. Not that they inherit any money to go with the castle, and it isn’t in the best of conditions. Hasn’t been, really, since Grace ran away from it, aged sixteen, following an argument with her grandfather, vowing never to return.

Never say never, of course, and now, her grandfather dead and having just kicked out her abusive husband, Grace has nowhere else to go. No money, either: just enough to get her and her boys from Devon to Love Heart Lane in the Highlands. Fortunately, the castle comes with a tenant (celebrity chef Andrew: very wealthy and sexy, of course) in the servants’ quarters, paying a regular rent and rent-day turns out to be shortly after Grace arrives. It’s a start, although it’s almost immediately required to pay for her grandfather’s cremation.

Heartcross Castle is relatively simple and straightforward. Not much thinking involved in reading it, very few surprises. I was more surprised by the fact that the newly-ditched ex-husband never reappeared, nor was there ever talk of divorce or lawyers (beyond the solicitor dealing with Grace’s grandfather’s estate). Or death-duties, for that matter. I feel sure that a castle that size, however derelict (Andrew’s mother talked of offering several million for it), would probably come in for some. Perhaps there was an unmentioned trust to get around that. I know, such tedious mundane Life Admin has very little place in such a lighthearted read, but still, I would have thought a glancing reference, maybe. A worried thought from Grace, while she tries to work out how to make some money, or suddenly thinks that perhaps her husband might have some claim to her inheritance. They’ve been married for the best part of a decade, after all. But no, nothing. Unless I skimmed over that bit and didn’t register it.

Anyway, a comfortable sort of read. Even with a busy toddler, I still managed to get through this in less than a day. Holiday reading of the gentlest kind, just right for lazing by a pool or on the beach when the sun gets too hot for anything more strenuous.

It gave me People’s Friend vibes, in the style of writing, although Grace “sharing” rather than just “saying” did cause the odd eye-roll. A bit like when an angry character “grinds out” whatever they say (it happens a lot in a certain style of Regency romance). That doesn’t happen in Heartcross Castle, though, so I can cope with the occasional sharing.

I expect I’ll read the others of the series if I happen across them in the library.