When Alice Met Danny by T A Williams

Out now
Published by Carina UK
Purchase from Amazon


The Blurb:

Devastated after losing her job, eternal pragmatist Alice leaves London for a new start in Devon. It’s there that she meets Danny.

Then she meets another Danny.

And then she meets Daniel – Danny to his friends…

In fact, there seems to be a Danny at every turn! Her neighbour’s a Danny; there’s little baby Danny; there’s a vicar, a windsurfer, even a dog called Danny! And whether it’s laughter, comfort, a flutter of romance or a walk along the beach, they each bring something special to Alice’s new life.

You might say it’s a coincidence. Alice certainly would… at first! But when she suddenly risks losing not just one Danny, but all of them, she begins to wonder: might there be more in a name than she ever guessed?

My Review:

When Alice Met Danny is a lovely, easy read. The main character is Alice. When we first meet her she is working in London, and her life revolves around her career. That is until one day when she is made redundant. This comes as a massive shock to her but is the catalyst for huge changes that see her buying a house in Devon.

A big theme throughout the book is Danny. Not just one Danny, but many of them. It seems that everywhere Alice turns she meets yet another one. Yes, there is a Danny love interest, but there are also dogs and babies named Danny too. It would be true to say that Danny brings her laughs, intrigue, heartbreak, adventure, and love....but I won't tell you which Danny brings what!

I found this book really easy to follow. It felt light and warm and a nice pace. I loved the character of Alice who seemed to change once she left London. I love country life and would love to move to the country myself so it helped me identify with her.

I loved the use of the other characters, particularly the love interest Danny. He's a windsurfer so I could picture quite a heart throb. Meeting the local characters really helped build that country life feel with the local gossip, the vicar, the caring older lady, The Lord of the manor etc. each of them felt warm and I could picture myself getting to know each of them.

As part of Alice's re-evaluation of life she decides she would like to return to study at university, and the topic was WW1. This was very moving and poignant to me given the recent D-Day commemorations. I know that was WW2 but thinking about the atrocities that the soldiers went through was really sad. Alice stumbles across some letters written by a soldier during WW1. I don't want to ruin the storyline but it adds another dimension of  beauty and sadness to the book.

I have never really read books of this genre written by a male author so wasn't sure what to expect in terms of writing style.....lets just say I will be looking out for his next book and buying it for certain!