Review of 'The Chase at Brighton Court' by Amber Jakeman

Review of 'The Chase at Brighton Court' by Amber Jakeman

Release date: October 27th, 2025

Publisher: Lorikeet Press

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REVIEW

What an exhilarating start to a fantastic new series! The Chase at Brighton Court by Amber Jakeman is a modern warm, witty, heart-squeezing romantic story. This delightful feel-good read provides colourful characters and plenty of action, tension and twists. There’s never a dull moment with major emotional mood swings. Once I got into the groove, I could not put it down as I wanted to see where the plot would take me. And it certainly took me on a scenic trip around the block where I got a full three hundred and sixty degree view of life’s ups and downs, through an eclectic mix of characters who are fresh, intriguing and genuinely endearing—even with their foibles, stubborn wills and frustrations!

The main characters are perfectly developed and vividly portrayed so I could picture their appearances, mannerisms and hear their voices in my head: including the banter, arguments and passion between a certain two! As for the supporting cast of a son, two daughters, an ex-husband and his ‘minx’, close friends and intriguing neighbours such as a Celtic singer songwriter book reviewer, and a confined silent apartment building owner— we are given enough of a glimpse of their lives to make assessments and to guess how future books might draw upon them for possible stories.

This is definitely a novel about relationships such as between father and son, mother and daughter, neighbour and neighbour, employer and employee, friends old and new, divorced or deceased spouses, and new romantic encounters. In certain cases, the persons left behind need a fresh start after enduring some heavy bumps in the road.

This novel centres on two delightful though challenging characters, Lucy and Dirk, who reside in Brighton Court apartments. I loved the feisty, determined Lucy who is stylish and caring. She works hard at all she attempts and has had some success in her past business life.  But her personal life has fallen into disarray. Trust is an issue for her after losing her tv celebrity husband, to a younger woman. It has made her question her identity at times which also makes her work harder to prove herself, her worth, her need for independence. Her directness, humour and sunniness are sometimes over the top but it may be her way of compensating for her hurts, disappointments and loneliness. She never wants to feel so dependent on someone again, that if they leave her, it will put her at a severe disadvantage. Which is what happened when her husband left their marriage. Although we see him briefly in the novel, he does not garner much sympathy, especially after hearing how he has lied to cover his own deceitful tracks and actions. Their grown daughter gets caught in the middle of this marital breakdown, as is often the case, and she develops bad feelings toward her mother. We learn how this happened and whether the relationship between mother and daughter ever improves.

Dirk, a retired doctor, is suspicious of women who wear a lot of diamond rings (and Lucy has inherited a lot of them). A friend warned him these types are often gold diggers so that thought gets lodged in his mind and creates a concern. Since his own wife passed away, he is dealing with the legacy of their past life together. Which seems to be a big house and garden she adored. But for him it has a different meaning. And now that he has moved out and into an apartment, he must put the homestead up for sale. It isn’t an easy process for he feels divided. He does not want to dishonour his wife’s memory by selling it, and it has been his children’s home. But as we all know, life must move forward after loss. Yet Dirk, now a retiree, struggles with what needs to be done, all the while trying to navigate his unexpected feelings towards Lucy. He is attracted to her but tries hard to ignore, suppress and deny it. Until something major happens that pulls everything important into focus. And Dirk begins to realise that Lucy has become a vital part of his happiness.

I often go back and re-read the start of a novel when I finish it. It is fun to see where a character started from and where they end up after their experiences. From the moment these two meet in a dress shop, I knew their journeys would be fun and enlightening. And even humorous at times. Lucy notices Dirk is attractive, drives a red sports car but is a true blue gentlemen. They have some emotional skirmishes but it is easy to see they are good together. And although Lucy’s brashness gets her into trouble at times, we know it is initially a reaction to her insecurity. The breakup with her husband was humiliating and her daughter’s response to her, unfair. Despite these issues, she smiles and ‘fakes it until she makes it’ while she waits in anticipation for her world to turn right side up.

This novel is filled with charm, humour, heart, honesty, desire and good intentions, romance and new beginnings. Then there are lovely moments of kindness shown between neighbours and friends that demonstrate the importance of community spirit. It also shines a light on businesses, the good and bad of them, the lessons people learn or need to, to prevent repeating history. The realities of buying and selling real-estate—including bidding wars, divorce settlements, renovations and designs. Then there’s the topic of changing career paths—that are sometimes forced upon a person when life sends a curve ball. As always Amber digs into the psychological aspects of her characters and unfolds the layers of their personalities to show what has led each one to act and react in their positions.

I can truly say I thoroughly enjoyed The Chase at Brighton Court from start and to finish and look forward to the next instalment. I can also imagine what stories might unfold from these and upcoming characters. So well done, Amber, in delivering another great romantic reading adventure! A must read for happy ending lovers!

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Amber Jakeman for a review copy.