Charlotte Spencer unknowingly meets her new competion when she steals his parking space. She is an estate agent in a small town in England, having taken over the business 6 years ago when her father became ill, and although her plans of living in London were derailed she now finds she shouldn't like to leave, and she quite resents the thought of a new estate agent coming in to capitalize on the influx of yuppie types, forcing out the young couples, etc. In fact Charlotte is quick to think the worst of Oliver Tennant, although its not entirely her fault as she is being manipulated by Vanessa a local woman who derides Charlotte's bachlorette status, calling her a feminist!
Oliver however has come in peace and is looking to settle down in town and sell up his share of the real estate company in London. Much of his thoughts and motives remain unclear to us, but he is soon renting a room from Charlotte (aided by Charlotte's office manage Sheila and Sophy a young widow who she has just hired part time despite the increased competition - as well as Charlotte's own need to stand up to Vanessa). With all this physical proximity the question is how close will they get?
Charlotte is the sort of woman who has been beat up emotionally (particularly by her father after her mother died when she was 5) so much and so often that she thinks of herself as somehow less of a woman. There's an emotionally poignancy throughout much of the book as Charlotte has trained herself to find disappointment with just about everthing - she isn't cynical about situations, just sort of resigned to the worst case interpretation. Like when Oliver first kisses her she assumes it's out of pity, or when Mrs Birtles asks both Charlotte and Oliver to come by to look at her house and Charlotte finds ponders why she would have bothered when it is so "obvious that she was going to commission Oliver." The book is painfully delicious to read, particularly as we know the irony that just about the opposite is true for most situations.
I further appreciate that the changes that for Charlotte her image trouble isn't a case of how she dresses (as is so often the case - stories where the heroine is thought to be frumpy because she wears baggy clothes and glasses abound!), but it's about her self-image and self-confidence, and the characters and situations are realistic and believable.
Visiting Penny Jordan's England is always a pleasure and this book is no exception.
