The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage: Book 1 (The Mystery Series)
- Downloads：2320
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-11 09:51:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Enid Blyton
- ISBN：1444960075
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
USA Today bestselling author Sally Thorne bursts on the scene with a hilarious and sexy workplace comedy all about that thin， fine line between hate and love。
Lucy Hutton has always believed that the nice girl can get the corner office。 She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone。 Everyone except sarcastic， cynical， and intimidating Joshua Templeman。 Her nemesis。
Josh is the dark and brooding to Lucy’s light and cheery， the crisp pressed suit to her retro outfits and bright red lipstick。 And he gets under her skin like no one else can。 Trapped in a shared office together five days a week， they’ve become entrenched in an addictive， never-ending game of one-upmanship。
When a new executive position is announced， Josh and Lucy are top contenders for the promotion， but the idea of working for the other is so unthinkable that they strike a deal: whoever doesn’t get the job will walk away。 The stakes have never been higher and as the competition heats up and the barriers between them begin to fall down， Lucy starts questioning just who her opponent truly is and whether this man she’s hated all this time is even the real Josh。
Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman。 And maybe， he doesn’t hate her either。
Lucy Hutton has always believed that the nice girl can get the corner office。 She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone。 Everyone except sarcastic， cynical， and intimidating Joshua Templeman。 Her nemesis。
Josh is the dark and brooding to Lucy’s light and cheery， the crisp pressed suit to her retro outfits and bright red lipstick。 And he gets under her skin like no one else can。 Trapped in a shared office together five days a week， they’ve become entrenched in an addictive， never-ending game of one-upmanship。
When a new executive position is announced， Josh and Lucy are top contenders for the promotion， but the idea of working for the other is so unthinkable that they strike a deal: whoever doesn’t get the job will walk away。 The stakes have never been higher and as the competition heats up and the barriers between them begin to fall down， Lucy starts questioning just who her opponent truly is and whether this man she’s hated all this time is even the real Josh。
Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman。 And maybe， he doesn’t hate her either。
Reviews
Orissa
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Okay。 So。 A bit about me - I usually enjoy enemies to lovers （preferably: rivals to friends， to pining， to soulmates）。 I enjoy romantic comedies。 I have watched the entirety of Sex and the City。 And I did not like this book。 I think that if the first half （more？） of this book was entirely rewritten - like rip up the pages， start from scratch - and every reference to how SMALL the protagonist is （I'm guessing there were ~50） was removed， this would almost be a decent book。 Go a few steps further Okay。 So。 A bit about me - I usually enjoy enemies to lovers （preferably: rivals to friends， to pining， to soulmates）。 I enjoy romantic comedies。 I have watched the entirety of Sex and the City。 And I did not like this book。 I think that if the first half （more？） of this book was entirely rewritten - like rip up the pages， start from scratch - and every reference to how SMALL the protagonist is （I'm guessing there were ~50） was removed， this would almost be a decent book。 Go a few steps further and take out the threats of violence， the red flags， the fatphobia， the sexual harassment， and we could be set。The only word that describes how I felt reading this book is flummoxed。 It's been a long time since I've felt so lost while reading a romance。 What on earth did these people do for their jobs？ Why do they hate each other？ Why does Lucy constantly think Josh is going to murder her？ Just HOW BLUE CAN SOMEONE'S EYES POSSIBLY BE？？I believe this book would've been more enjoyable if the author didn't have such an overwhelming fascination with height and size difference between Lucy and Josh。 Over and over again， we are told （and shown） that Lucy is tiny and Josh is massive。 At one point， Lucy gawks at the sheer size of his elbow and remarks that it doesn't "fit in her hand"。 His ELBOW。 And this is why I mentioned Sex and the City at the beginning - it felt like a complete rehash of the Carrie/Big relationship （she's a tiny hot mess with wild curly hair， he's a massive dude with shields up but is also a gentleman） [Context: Lucy is about to drive Josh's car]。 "I have to jiggle the driver's seat forward about a mile， necessitating quite a lot of jerky pelvic thrusts。 He slides the passenger seat back without comment and watches me as I struggle。 I snap on my seat belt and angle the rearview mirror down about a mile。" Oh， as well as the 7-8 times Josh says that he likes how "tiny" she is， the constant mention of her putting on heels so she's finally 5'5"， saying how her jacket looked like a child's jacket when he held it。。。 This one will be short because others have mentioned it in more detail， but Lucy being fearful of Josh physically hurting her was super uncomfortable。 "He raises a hand and once upon a time I would have flinched， but now I lean into his palm。" Um。。。how romantic。In this alternate universe that The Hating Game takes place in， blue eyes are seen as unattractive。 Lucy constantly harps on about "tall Blondies" with brown eyes and tans who make her feel so inadequate - because we all know that men love tall women with brown eyes， right？？？？ Short brunettes with blue eyes and dark hair？ Yuck！！！！！ （view spoiler）[Him painting his BEDROOM the same colour blue of his eyes was creepy， not cute。 （hide spoiler）]"Goddamn it， why are they always Tall Blondies？ I bet she has brown eyes and a tan， and her dad is a plastic surgeon。" "You've been reading my diary。" He looks faintly disturbed。I press my face into his shoulder。 "I was guessing she's my polar opposite too。""She was。。。" He lets out a wistful sigh and my heart twists。 [。。。] "She was just so nice。""Ugh， nice。 Gross。""And her eyes were brown。" He watches me mull this over。"Sounds like a legit reason to break it off。 You know what？ Your eyes are too blue。 This just isn't going to work。" Do I recommend it？ No。 And don't trust the high rating。 What you should read instead: Read some enemies-to-lovers fanfiction of your favourite fictional couple - it may have some red flags， but at least it'll be better written。 。。。more
Sagarika
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4。5 I finished this book in one day。 It was so cute and I couldn't help me smile randomly at the banter throughout the book。 Both the characters are well thought out and don't seem so boring。 If you want an easy read and enjoy romantic comedies， you will love this book。 It's a mix of traditional hate to love stories however， it has waves of different plot twists thrown in that keep you on edge。 Beware that the first 80 or so pages are a bit boring but after that， it is a fast-paced storyline wit 4。5 I finished this book in one day。 It was so cute and I couldn't help me smile randomly at the banter throughout the book。 Both the characters are well thought out and don't seem so boring。 If you want an easy read and enjoy romantic comedies， you will love this book。 It's a mix of traditional hate to love stories however， it has waves of different plot twists thrown in that keep you on edge。 Beware that the first 80 or so pages are a bit boring but after that， it is a fast-paced storyline with loveable characters。 。。。more
Madame Onyl Layla
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Some things are best left untouched。
victoriareads
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i really enjoyed this book i was able to read it in one sitting with occasional 10 minutes breaks the plot was really satisfying;two colleagues who hate each other fighting over a promotion the writing was good as in depth as it can get for a contemporary romance i wish we could have have josh’s pov aswell but i still liked the perspective of lucy and the “enemies to lovers trope” was amazing and fast-paced but in a good way。surprisingly the book was also was a little spicy which was such a surp i really enjoyed this book i was able to read it in one sitting with occasional 10 minutes breaks the plot was really satisfying;two colleagues who hate each other fighting over a promotion the writing was good as in depth as it can get for a contemporary romance i wish we could have have josh’s pov aswell but i still liked the perspective of lucy and the “enemies to lovers trope” was amazing and fast-paced but in a good way。surprisingly the book was also was a little spicy which was such a surprise。 moments in the story had me laughing and really relating with the characters i only really give it three because it wasn’t extraordinarily great it was good and enjoyable but not an exciting and hooking story but i still really liked the book there was nothing about the characters plot or writing that made me give it three stars but maybe just the concept of it all。it was just a cute feel-good book ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 。。。more
Corinn
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Oh my gosh！ I think this is my favourite book of all time。 I was thinking about the characters whenever I wasn't reading and could not put the book down when I was。 The character development was amazing！ The plot didn't feel so predictable like romance novels often do。 I will definitely be reading this again！ Oh my gosh！ I think this is my favourite book of all time。 I was thinking about the characters whenever I wasn't reading and could not put the book down when I was。 The character development was amazing！ The plot didn't feel so predictable like romance novels often do。 I will definitely be reading this again！ 。。。more
Colleen
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People who know my book interests know that I just DON'T like pure romance novels （I end up reading maybe one every other year for my book club）。 I usually find them contrived， and the long， drawn-out reasons for the main characters not to be together always just annoy me and make me roll my eyes。 I do usually enjoy the hot scenes when the characters finally get together， but it's too-little too-late to make it worth the time investment for me。 Maybe I should check out romance short stories - is People who know my book interests know that I just DON'T like pure romance novels （I end up reading maybe one every other year for my book club）。 I usually find them contrived， and the long， drawn-out reasons for the main characters not to be together always just annoy me and make me roll my eyes。 I do usually enjoy the hot scenes when the characters finally get together， but it's too-little too-late to make it worth the time investment for me。 Maybe I should check out romance short stories - is that a thing？The Hating Game was highly recommended by enough of my friends （and even a friend's husband）， that I gave it a shot。 I actually enjoyed it - it avoided nearly all the pitfalls that I encounter with romance。 The main characters felt real and relatable， and with a few small eye-rolling exceptions， acted logically and not purely to drive a plot designed to keep them apart for a prescribed portion of the book。 And when they finally get together？ WHEW。 H。 O。 T。 Let's just say my husband had a really good evening！ETA: I just saw that a movie is in post-production。 I fully approve of the casting for Josh - the actor looks so much like what I pictured！ 。。。more
Heidi
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I don’t read romance novels。 This book may have changed my mind。 The dialogue was well written and believable。 Its the sexiest book I’ve ever read。
GingerOrange
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Exactly what I needed。I haven’t often stumbled across enemies-to-lover tropes so this was a big treat。 I really liked Lucy and I loved how their relationship progressed。 It didn’t feel forced and it felt quite organic。 It was very sweet and light and funny。 Sometimes， stories like these are such a breath of fresh-air。 I loved it。
Montse
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ME GUSTÓ， pero siento que pudo haber sido mejor， creo que hubieron varias cositas que se pudieron desarrollar mejor， me agradaron los personajes principales， pero no me enamoré de ellos， creo que hubieron varias cositas que no me terminaron de encantar。 Pero fue una buena lectura， entretenida y ligera。
Nicole Melo
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Literally read in a day。 Joshua Templeman is just。。。too much。 I don’t have the words to review。 Deserves the hype。 This has been my first romance-centered book in like 4 years and damn。 Maigat。 I’m out。 If you’re questioning it， do it。
Daniela Godreau
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Light， fun， and kinda JUICY。 This made me excited to read and got me out of a small reading funk。 （However please aware the characters are not the most likeable and personally thought the writing went down as the book went on）
Lecturana
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Aaayyy （largo suspiro）。。。 Me ha gustado mucho。 Muy sencillo， fresquito y bonito。
Nati
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Me da pena， pero no me gustó nada。 Estuve a punto de abandonarlo， pero seguí porque se lee muy rápido。 No logré empatizar con las actitudes y decisiones de los personajes y me parecieron muy superficiales。 Mientras iba por la mitad del libro pensé que le daría 2 estrellas， porque lo encontraba una lectura muy meh， pero detesté el final。 Este libro no fue para mi。
cristine
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It wasn't bad， but I think my expectations were way too high。 It wasn't bad， but I think my expectations were way too high。 。。。more
Celeste
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Just barely hit 2 starsI feel like the plot changed 3 times， from the immature games in the office， to pure lust， then the wedding。Needless to say I cringed a lot while reading this book， especially with the stereotypical 5’ tiny girl （so unique） and 6’4 buff man and Lucy calling her hands “tiny paws” or just comparing a body part to a cute animal’s。The only part that had me intrigued was during her sickness and the wedding where the drama came in （not after， which was like 35 pages the most in Just barely hit 2 starsI feel like the plot changed 3 times， from the immature games in the office， to pure lust， then the wedding。Needless to say I cringed a lot while reading this book， especially with the stereotypical 5’ tiny girl （so unique） and 6’4 buff man and Lucy calling her hands “tiny paws” or just comparing a body part to a cute animal’s。The only part that had me intrigued was during her sickness and the wedding where the drama came in （not after， which was like 35 pages the most in total）， then I just started getting bored again。Overall they both acted like children， and god damn is Lucy so horny， but I feel like it had a good ending， I didn’t hate it， it was a well deserved one for both。 。。。more
Harshita （harshita。books）
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3。75
Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession
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1。5 Did I read a different book from everyone else？ Stars Here is another book that everyone loves but me。 God I wanted to like it I really did。 All those 5 star reviews。 I felt like I was reading a totally different book than everyone else。 I have been going through a lot lately and really needed a good book to make me smile， and take my mind off stuff for a bit。 Instead this book bored me and drove me nuts。 Normally I would list all the things I liked about a book then all the things I didn 1。5 Did I read a different book from everyone else？ Stars Here is another book that everyone loves but me。 God I wanted to like it I really did。 All those 5 star reviews。 I felt like I was reading a totally different book than everyone else。 I have been going through a lot lately and really needed a good book to make me smile， and take my mind off stuff for a bit。 Instead this book bored me and drove me nuts。 Normally I would list all the things I liked about a book then all the things I didn't like， but really I can't think of anything I really cared for。 I didn't like Josh。 He came off like a jerkface not shy。 I didn't like Lucy either。 They both acted like little children and it was stupid not cute。 Their little wars drove me crazy and felt like long winded book filler。 If I heard about Josh's shirts or Lucy's shortness one more time I might have snapped。 I felt little to no chemistry between Josh and Lucy。 They really seemed silly and petty for full grown people working in important positions in a company。 Especially their HR complaints about sexual harassment on each other。 Sexual harassment in the work place or anywhere really is not a joke。 They both should have been fired for lying to HR about something so serious。 That alone put a really bad taste in my mouth。 I never warmed up to either of them。 I didn't care for the Danny/Mindy drama。 I found myself super bored and it took me 7 days to finish it。 The ended was rushed and unsatisfying I wish I would have passed on this one。 PS this is just my opinion and I'm the odd woman out。 Everyone I know loved this book so don't let me stop you from trying it。 。。。more
Alyssa
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BITCH PUT THIS BOOK IN THE GOT DAMN LOUVE！！ I will never be over it。。。。。。perfection *chefs kiss*
Jessica
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I thought it was entertaining。 There were some parts I didn’t like but it was cute overall
Aileen
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Wow！ This took me forever to read！🤦🏻♀️I didn’t love it or hate it。 Maybe I had read to much romance/light books in a row。 I probably would have loved this in between heavier reads （which I prefer）。Glad I finished though。 It was a cute ending。3-3。5/5⭐️
E
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*3。75！！ - character's were amazingly developed and you got a real sense of their personalities， but i found the hating section of the book most enjoyable and fun to read， which only took up a quarter of the story ;-; *3。75！！ - character's were amazingly developed and you got a real sense of their personalities， but i found the hating section of the book most enjoyable and fun to read， which only took up a quarter of the story ;-; 。。。more
Vedhika
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i loved it。 its just a happy read。 im literally smiling as i write this so。
Sarya
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3。5/5It was cute， but some scenes were really cringe。 Also josh was being an asshole for no reason sometimes， it also felt like Lucy/ Lilly I don’t know what her name was， was trying to hard to be “quirky”。 Like we get it， you collect smurfs， and were raised on a strawberry farm。
Read Reviews By Jess
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Friends。。。don’t hate me but this one fell a little flat for me。 😭 I was so excited to read this one because I’ve seen a lot of great reviews and love a good book to screen adaption。 Maybe I went in with too high of expectations or maybe I’ve read too many 10/10 books recently but this book was just okay IMO 🤷🏻♀️I really liked Josh！ He does not even come close to Josh Im， from Josh and Hazel， but I thought he was sweet and caring but misunderstood。 I hated Lucy。。。I thought she was pushy， cringey Friends。。。don’t hate me but this one fell a little flat for me。 😭 I was so excited to read this one because I’ve seen a lot of great reviews and love a good book to screen adaption。 Maybe I went in with too high of expectations or maybe I’ve read too many 10/10 books recently but this book was just okay IMO 🤷🏻♀️I really liked Josh！ He does not even come close to Josh Im， from Josh and Hazel， but I thought he was sweet and caring but misunderstood。 I hated Lucy。。。I thought she was pushy， cringey， and I did not vibe with her at all。 😬 I think the only time I liked Lucy was when she stood up to Anthony at breakfast。 I felt the steamy scenes in this book were so awkward and featured the weirdest dialogue。 I also felt like they were hard to follow， I was rereading sentences trying to make sense of who said what。Don’t get me wrong， there were definitely some good parts of the book。 The banter between Josh and Lucy was laugh out loud funny at times。 The whole publishing house aspect was super interesting。 And were a lot of “awe” moments。Overall， this is a fine book but not my favorite？ 。。。more
Hanna
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⭐️4。5I WANT THIS， I WANT THIS SO MUCH。 I JUST WANT TO BE IN LOVE 🥺😭
Lurdes Oliveira
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Dnf
Brittany
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3。5 stars— review to come。
Hanna
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4。5🌟enemies to lovers>>>>
Christa
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Oh eleven minutes in and I have my first DNF， she said she wishes this man was an ugly troll with a cleft lip so she could justify hating him。 I mean， I guess at least she didn't use the term hare lip like jkr did？？？ But it's too gross to hear for me to be able to go on reading as a person with such a ~ hideous ~ cleft lip， I hope the author can feel justified in hating me now Oh eleven minutes in and I have my first DNF， she said she wishes this man was an ugly troll with a cleft lip so she could justify hating him。 I mean， I guess at least she didn't use the term hare lip like jkr did？？？ But it's too gross to hear for me to be able to go on reading as a person with such a ~ hideous ~ cleft lip， I hope the author can feel justified in hating me now 。。。more
Yashweena
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