Darren, Andrew and Mrs Hall by R J Gould

 

R J Gould is back with another page-turner. His story telling style is quite addictive, his characters are well established from the start and it becomes interesting immediately (and fun) to follow them on the paths life chooses for them.

Kelly and Darren and Emmy and Andrew meet when they move into their new homes, number 34 and number 38 on either side of number 36. Kelly is a receptionist for a car sales business and Darren, her husband, has a security alarm business; Emmy and Andrew are both teachers and Andrew is a published poet. Although the women are drawn to each other as friends, the men don’t like each other at all; however, in spite of this they try to form an amicable relationship and begin meeting regularly at A Street Cafe Named Desire which readers will remember from a previous book as being owned and operated by the charming Rosemary and Richard.

As usual, I’m trying hard not to throw in any spoilers and I’ll just say that while Kelly and Emma go away together for a short break, taking up a course in weaving in Scotland, something happens to Andrew and Darren which causes them to re-assess their lives in general and their respective attitudes to their wives in particular. This is the main theme of the story.

It’s always a joy to read a new book by R J Gould and this one is terrific! As a man writing in the female-dominated contemporary romantic fiction genre, he has a style of his own, even while making all of his characters, male and female, absolutely believable (well, maybe there’s a tiny touch of male fantasising in this one but it doesn’t get out of control!).

 Congratulations, Mr Gould on your latest lovely, unputdownable novel. You are a master story teller!