The Colonel and his Daughter (by Teresa Ashby)

A couple of years ago, I read a short book by Teresa Ashby after a recommendation online. It was free for my Kindle, and I liked it, so when I saw another of the same author’s books, also available free, I downloaded it. However it’s taken me a couple of years to get around to reading it.

The Colonel in this story is known as Potts; he’s a widower, with a slightly depressed daughter called Diana. However, the main protagonist is Trudy Benson, who is a slightly eccentric woman living in a village, who cleans for the Colonel, and also organises most of the local events. We meet her when she’s on her way to visit the Colonel to discuss - as she thinks - a cake for a party.

It turns out that the Colonel has a different request of Trudy, and as they’re talking about it, his daughter appears unexpectedly, and sees something which she misunderstands. Her mistake is compounded when an annoying visitor tries to accost Trudy… and suddenly she and the Colonel are at the centre of a confusing web of deceit.

It’s a light-hearted book, with some caricatured people, and one or two bizarre scenes that entirely suspend reality for a while. That doesn’t matter; it’s not intended to be taken seriously. It’s a book about love, and finding the right person, and I enjoyed reading it.

This is a short novella, originally published as a serial in a women’s magazine, and I could have read it in one sitting if I’d chosen to. It’s the ideal kind of book for a flight.

No longer free for the Kindle, but fairly inexpensive; not available in any other form, as far as I know.

Review copyright 2015 Sue's Book Reviews