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Claire Huston
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The Only Exception: A sweet, heart-warming romantic comedy (Love in the Comptons) Kindle Edition

by Claire Huston (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 238 ratings
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "There is so much to love about this book. It is sweet, and funny, and romantic, and uplifting. The ultimate feel-good story! So beautifully written. I LOVED it!"

Lucinda Green knows something is missing from her life. But what? Her catering business is enjoying modest success and she loves her cosy house, even if she does have to share it with her irritating ex-fiancé.

Whatever’s making her unsettled and edgy, Lucinda’s certain that a lack of romance isn’t the problem. How could it be when she doesn’t believe in true love?

But Lucinda’s beliefs are shaken by a series of electric encounters with Alex Fraser, a newly notorious actor who gradually proves himself to be infuriatingly funny and smart, as well as handsome.

Not that any of that matters. Because Lucinda doesn’t believe in all that ‘The One’ nonsense. That’s the rule.

But doesn’t every rule have an exception?

A sweet, slow-burn romcom perfect for fans of Portia MacIntosh, Trisha Ashley, Kathryn Freeman and Katie Fforde. This standalone, grumpy-sunshine romance is part of the Love in the Comptons collection.

Book Two in the Love in the Comptons series. These are standalone stories and can be read in any order.
1. Art and Soul (Becky and Charlie)
2. The Only Exception (Lucinda and Alex)
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  1. Part of series
    Love in the Comptons
  2. Print length
    327 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    June 7, 2022
  5. File size
    688 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09Z9H6RVP
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Goldcrest Books International Ltd (June 7, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 7, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 688 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 327 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 238 ratings

About the author

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Claire Huston

Claire Huston

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Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire, UK, with her husband and two children. She writes uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but sometimes need a little help to realise it.

Her fourth novel, Clues to You, won the 2024 Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award.

A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for all the cakes mentioned in her first novel, Art and Soul, on her website along with over 150 other recipes. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.

As well as her website, you can find her on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
238 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Yvo @ It's All About Books
    5.0 out of 5 stars An uplifting, fun and charming dose of romance
    Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2022
    There was just something about the blurb that caught my attention immediately, and I really liked the sound of the characters and Lucinda's angle of being sceptical about love. I've been looking forward to read this story, and now that I've finally done so I can say that The Only Exception is without a doubt her best book to date. It's an uplifting, fun and charming dose of romance I simply couldn't get enough of!

    This story is, like her debut Art And Soul, set in the Comptons and can be considered a sequel because you will see a familiar character popping up again. That said, The Only Exception focuses on a completely new set of main characters, so you can easily read this newest story as a stand-alone as well without missing out on any background information. Her debut is well worth the read though! The Only Exception uses a dual POV structure, where we slowly get to know our main characters Lucinda and Alex and their background better. There was just something about both characters that made me warm up to them immediately, and the secondary cast is brilliant as well. And who doesn't like the appearance of a dog in the plot?!

    I do love stories with a more slowburn romance; add a dose of bickering and an enemy-to-lover vibe and I'm all in. The changing dynamics between Lucinda and Alex have been really well done and while I never like a love triangle angle, as a whole the story made up for this element. The banter was great and the scenes set at Carol's mansion were particular hilarious. The focus on food, acting and family added extra dimention to the plot and turned this story into so much more than just a simple romance-focused plot... And like I said before, the secondary characters also helped taking this story to the next level for me.

    All in all The Only Exception ended up being such an enjoyable experience and exactly the type of slowburn and charming romance that is a perfect fit for me. The characters are extremely easy to warm up to, and you will love spending time with them! This story is perfect for anyone who likes their romance to be uplifting, on the sweet side and with a healthy dose of banter.
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  • Proud Book Reviews
    4.0 out of 5 stars A will they - won't they romance that has you on the edge of your seat
    Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2022
    Trigger Warnings
    This book contains:
    • Serious cardiac event of a minor character
    • Invasion of privacy (online/background search).
    Characters
    Lucinda is a chef with her own catering business with serious doubts about the concept of love even though she’s previously been engaged (to the man she’s still sharing a house with). And yet, for all her convictions, romance seems to find its way into her life at every turn.
    Alex is an actor living with his girlfriend who annoys him to no ends. And yet, he can never bring himself to do anything about it.
    Storyline
    Lucinda and Alex meet in an elevator where a freak cardiac event draws them together in ways they couldn’t expect. While Lucinda is trying to keep her business running smoothly after losing a key client, Alex is trying to get over some unwanted notoriety and extricate himself from his tiring relationship.
    Overall Thoughts
    I had such a strong feeling for a significant portion of this book that cheating was going to happen and I was really nervous about that. I really didn’t want it to happen, but at the same time it felt like Lucinda and Alex needed to be together.
    Luckily that never happened, so no need to fear there!
    Instead, I was treated to a “will they – won’t they” feeling romance as they navigated their complicated situations while trying to save both their careers and domestic lives. The nervous adrenaline I was feeling as I read this meant I skipped uni work just to find out what would happen because I knew I wouldn’t be able to focus if I didn’t find out.
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  • Susandyer1962
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Heart Warming Story.....Grab your copy today and get on the couch!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2022
    THE ONLY EXCEPTION is the second book in the Love in the Comptons series. It is also a slow burn contemporary story that I was pulled in to immediately. THE ONLY EXCEPTION is filled with second chances and starting over and I loved every minute of it. I truly mean I loved everything about this beautiful story and I’m excited to recommend it to my reading friends. Claire Huston has a way of grabbing her reader’s hearts and she never lets us go.

    THE ONLY EXCEPTION is the story of Lucinda who is a chef and lives in a house she bought with her ex fiance. The ex fiance also lives in the house with her. Trust me, you are going to be unable to put this beautiful story down. Lucinda is on an elevator when one of the passengers suffers a heart attack. This is how she meets Alex. Neither Alex or Lucinda are looking for a relationship, but they can’t seem to ignore their growing feelings. It was cute watching these two dance around their feelings for each other.

    THE ONLY EXCEPTION is filled with twists and turns and had me staying up way too late one night to finish! I had to know where Claire Huston was taking us and what would happen to Lucinda and Alex. I loved that the main characters were in their 40’s. Lately it seems most of the books I read are people in their 20’s. There is so much heart in Claire’s writing that I was left with a huge smile on my face and my heart very happy. All of the characters are very interesting and believable, so much so that I felt as if I’ve known them for a long time. I am now a Claire Huston fan and look forward to reading all of her books in the future!

    I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • B.R. Maycock
    5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid, vibrant and perfect!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    We meet Lucinda and Alex, two strangers, in the most exceptional (see what I did there?!) of circumstances. I remember years ago in a writing workshop the fab crime writer Louise Philips said about how you can classify people into how they’d react if they were stuck in a lift. In this situation one rises to the occasion, the other zones out until they’re pushed to action (horrendously the person zoning out until someone woke them up would be me!)

    We already have an idea of Lucinda, but as we met Alex I felt for him, panic attacks but not sharing them with his girlfriend, both of them existing in a bubble of the glitz of the entertainment business. It was well done how Alex and Lucinda were reunited, and made me nod as we came to realise how Lucinda was very much not a believer in love as we untangled Alex’s ways too.

    This book was gorgeously done. The vividness of the scenes- how you saw everything unfold as if in a film, the unpicking of their personalities so you were so invested, with some funny bits I really appreciated and of course that beautiful romance that I just fell deeply for! A fab book that is so recommended!

    Rating: 5/5
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  • E who Reads a Thousand Mysteries
    4.0 out of 5 stars Well written
    Reviewed in Canada on September 15, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This well written rom com is sweet, funny and entertaining. The vibrant and bright storytelling really brings the story to life.
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  • Kerry Parsons
    5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate feel-good story!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Having read and loved Claire Huston’s first two books (Art and Soul & Elle’s A to Z of Love) I was very excited to read The Only Exception and I have not been disappointed!
    Lucinda is a bit of a prickly character to begin with but as we get to know her, we start to realise why she is how she is. I really warmed to her as the story progressed. Her first meeting with Alex Fraser is under rather stressful circumstances but it’s obvious they left an impression on each other. Lucinda doesn’t believe in true love though or that there is any such thing as ‘the one’. Her mother has always told her so.
    Alex is such a lovely character. He is in a stale relationship with his younger actress girlfriend, and I couldn’t help but feel for him. I always find it quite sad when people feel they must settle for what they have when they could be destined for real happiness. The same goes for Lucinda’s situation.
    I loved the time Lucinda and Alex spend together when invited to the grand home of the lady they saved. She’s a fabulous character! Not altogether likeable, but definitely interesting. The dog stole the show though!
    There are some lovely characters throughout this story who add such depth and warmth.
    There is so much to love about this book. It is sweet, and funny, and romantic, and uplifting. The ultimate feel-good story! So beautifully written. I LOVED it!
    All the stars for me!
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  • LJ Nelson
    5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars – For every rule there is an exception… especially in matters of the heart!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Hello and thanks for joining me! Today I’m excited to share the Tangents recipe (read: review) for baking the perfect romcom à la Ms Huston.

    Take one love-averse (with very good reasons) catering business owner with a dash of self-defence grumpiness, mix with a liberal amount of Laura shouts of ‘Lucinda!’ at the kindle screen and face palming. Add a memorable not-so-meet-cute with Mr-Hot-Right-Now actor, Alex Fraser (easily wounded but hopeless romantic), along with a continual craving for sticky toffee pudding and leave to prove.

    Be careful to check your resting dough regularly as timing is key, and while it may be out of sync for Lucinda and Alex to begin with, fate or rather Cupid’s arrow, has other ideas *winks*.

    Combine with a snarky no-nonsense head chef (love Jay), a pair of ‘out of the mouth babes’ nieces, emotional backstories, a chemistry laden midnight feast and a dollop of Wham! (gotta love a bit of I’m Your Man!) then finally bake low and slow for a HEA to remember.

    *sighs*

    In case you haven’t already guessed, and imho, TOE is a must-read for all romcom lovers. I’m sure I’m not the only romance reader with a soft spot for the frenemies-to-lovers and miscommunication tropes. All that friction… *snorts*

    Suffice it to say Claire Huston has a place on my one-click cover/blurb sight unseen list aka auto-buy author’s list.

    Okay, enough of my waffles. Just know happy hormones await within! What are you waiting for?
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  • Alex
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read it :)
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    It really is a joy to read Huston's works. There's always a space for warm, engaging feel-good stories and Huston captures it again in her third book. What I like most about her writing is her confidence with the characters. You really do grow with them and understand why they feel like they do. And you will root for Alex and Lucinda this time around too. Can't wait for her next one.
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