Unexpected Lessons in Love: The heartwarming Sunday Times bestseller

Lucy Dillon

Dec 2019 · Random House

About this ebook

**Now with an exclusive extract from Lucy Dillon's uplifting new novel, After the Rain**

'Real, heart-breaking - I loved it.' Katie Fforde
'My heart is smashed and repaired for reading this wonderfully romantic and strong piece of fiction.' Milly Johnson
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What happens when 'I do' turns into 'I don't know'?

Jeannie always wanted to fall in love, and now she's finally got the whirlwind romance she dreamed of. Dan's gorgeous, he's a successful young vet, and he flew her to New York and proposed on Brooklyn Bridge. Jeannie has to remind herself this is actually her life. It seems too perfect, too magical, to be real. Yet it is.

But now she's on her way to the wedding she can't shake off the tight sensation crushing her chest. Is it just nerves . . . or is this all happening a bit too fast?

Jeannie has one last chance to shout, 'Stop!' But just as she grabs it, a twist of fate throws everything she knows into the air like confetti. What Jeannie learns about Dan, about her own heart, and about the power of love itself, will change her world for ever . . .

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Readers adore Unexpected Lessons in Love

***** 'An absolute delight . . . I enjoyed every moment.'
***** 'I couldn't put it down. Lovely story about finding love and being honest with a little twist.'
***** 'A story of family, friendship, loyalty, relationships and new beginnings. This book made me smile but also broke my heart.'

Ratings and reviews

Oh this was such a lovely book! I've read all Lucy Dillon's other books (apart from her first one - must remedy that!) so it was really nice to go back to the lovely sounding Longhampton from previous books. You don't need to have read the others though to enjoy this book, but I would highly recommend them all as well. Jeannie and Dan are about to get married, after a whirlwind courtship, when something happens to completely throw them off course. Jeannie had started to feel that everything was too rushed anyway and the arrangements had taken on a life of their own, completely out of her hands. Did her and Dan know each other well enough to be getting married? While Jeannie was having this 'wobble' (on the way to the church!) Dan had a bad accident, and everything went on hold anyway, with family rallying around and lives on hold waiting for Dan to recover. Of course life goes on and in the meantime Jeannie gets closer to Rachel and her rescue dog centre, as Jeannie and Dan's new home is owned by Rachel and her vet husband George, and Dan had been expected to start his new job with George before the accident. I really loved most of the characters (apart from selfish Edith) and kind and gentle Owen, Dan's best friend, was such a great character. Jeannie had a bad experience with her 'friend' from childhood, who was always the more outgoing of the pair, and then was with Dan, so she started to learn to live on her own and get a bit more assertive (eventually!). There's always dogs in Lucy Dillon's books, and again there are plenty in this book too. Some quite sad parts though, there's a puppy farm rescue and there is a (older) dog death later in the book which had me crying buckets - so be warned! Just a really lovely, feel good (mostly - apart from the doggy death) book that I really enjoyed. Another hit by Lucy Dillon. I can't wait for her next book now.

This one is totally different to any other book I've read! Jeannie is in the car with her father on the way to her dream wedding when she realises that the inability to breathe isn't entirely due to the boned corset of the fabulous frock she's wearing. After all, following a whirlwind romance how much does she really know about her fiance Dan? When Jeannie finally faces up to her feelings and braces herself to call off the wedding, fate intervenes . . . This is not a scenario I've ever thought about; I'm not into the whole 'big white wedding' (despite having tied the knot twice) but author Lucy Dillon has done a fine job of getting under my skin with her latest book. There is no way of telling exactly how the story is going to play out, and it's skilfully crafted to keep the reader guessing. As well as dealing with the aftermath of the circumstances of the wedding, the writer brings the whole matter of the abhorrent 'puppy farms' to the fore. As someone with two labradors - from a reputable dealer - this is something which matters and I was pleased that the story included the results of such practices. It doesn't take away from the main tale of Jeannie and Dan's relationship though and I loved how the story developed, ending wonderfully. A worthwhile and entertaining read full of flawed characters which kept my attention right to the very end, earning it a full four stars from me.

It's Jeannie and Dan's wedding day but Dan gets injured on the way to the wedding and Jeannie starts to realise that maybe she doesn't know Dan very well at all. As Dan lies in hospital Jeannie starts a new life in a new village alone, trying to understand this man she was going to marry based on stories from his family and friends, trying to find a motivation for herself. Given the blurb it's difficult to say more without giving away huge spoilers. I enjoyed this, I enjoyed the characters and the plot (albeit I knew how it was going to end - but that's romance for you). It's got loads of dogs and wedding dresses and ukuleles, perfect feel-good reading. Although having said that there were some very teary moments when reading this novel. This is the first book I have read by Lucy Dillon and I thoroughly enjoyed - I will look out for more books by this author. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Bumped for release.

About the author

Sunday Times bestselling author Lucy Dillon grew up in Cumbria and read English at Cambridge, then read a lot of magazines as a press assistant in London, then read other people's manuscripts as a junior fiction editor. She now lives in a village outside Hereford with a Border terrier, an otterhound and her husband.

Lucy won the Romantic Novelists' Association Contemporary Romantic Novel prize in 2015 for A HUNDRED PIECES OF ME, and the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2010 for LOST DOGS AND LONELY HEARTS. You can find out more at www.lucydillon.co.uk, follow her on Twitter @lucy_dillon, on Instagram @lucydillonbooks or find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/LucyDillonBooks.