For the past few years, Karen Stewart has had to put up with her husband Harry’s alcohol problem and when he dies from a heart attack, she can’t help but wonder if she could have done more to help him. Support comes from the most unexpected of sources in the form of local reverend, William Haskell. And Karen finds herself struggling to control her feelings for this married father of one. Once again Boyd strikes at the moral heart of a relationship dilemma and draws her readers into the thorny debates. Hers are never safe and uncomplicated novels, however at times the route in this one was overcomplicated, not least in the situation between Will and Karen. Their relationship too proved a bit problematic, adultery aside, the issue was more about trying to understand the logic behind their decisions and to get a grasp on Will. And this made it hard to engage with their story with full emotion, although it’s impossible not to do so with the epilogue. Stepdaughter Sophie and late husband Harry felt more like caricatures than characters despite both having potential to add significantly to the story, and friend Mike was something of a red herring. Nonetheless Hilary Boyd continues to deliver interesting and unexpected stories and I always look forward to seeing what she does next. (JC)
Meet Me on the Beach, by Hilary Boyd, asks where do you run when your heart's breaking all the rules. The summary says: "When pillar-of-the-community Harry Stewart dies of a sudden heart attack, the whole village is devastated - except for his wife Karen, the only one who really knew the abusive alcoholic Harry had become. Suddenly freed from this oppressive marriage, Karen is nonetheless wracked with guilt about the circumstances of her husband's death, and sees the presence of her spoiled step-daughter, Sophie, as a suitable purgatory. Her only comfort in her grief and isolation is William, the sympathetic local vicar. As Karen shares her secret, William's listening ear soon becomes a shoulder to cry on, and before long Karen realises she is falling in love. But William has a wife and teenaged daughter, not to mention a parish to watch over - and be watched by. As the pressure becomes too much to bear, Karen flees to the seaside and to Mike Best's beach cafe. But when William suddenly turns up again in her life, can they persuade each other to take one final leap of faith together?" Meet Me on the Beach is out in August 2015.