With Love From Wish & Co is an engaging novel from bestselling author Minnie Darke.

Marnie Fairchild has worked hard to establish and build her business, Wish & Co, a gift boutique that also offers unique services to its clients including a bespoke gift-buying service. She dreams of relocating the store to the heritage listed building that her grandfather once owned, but her uncle has always refused to sell, until now. Raising the money needed will be a challenge, her uncle makes no allowances for family, especially given Marnie’s late father was the black sheep of the Fairchild clan, but business is good and she thinks she can just about swing it. And then she makes a mistake.

Brian Charlesworth is one of Marnie’s best clients, for the last five years she has carefully been selecting gifts for every occasion for the wealthy businessman’s family, and most recently for his mistress too. Marnie has two presents prepared on Brian’s behalf for events that fall on the same day, a 40th wedding anniversary gift for his wife Suzanne, and a monogrammed birthday gift for his mistress, Leona, which are inadvertently switched, and sent to the wrong woman. When Brian threatens to ruin her, Marnie comes up with a plan she hopes will save Brian’s marriage and her dream.

Exploring themes of ambition, family, love and sacrifice, Wish & Co is light fiction delivering a good balance of drama and romance.

The story unfolds from the perspectives of multiple characters, namely Marnie, Brian, Suzanne and their son Luke, and briefly, Leona. I liked Marnie as the lead character, she’s worked hard for her success, though has perhaps become a little obsessive with regards to her grandfathers store. How far she’s willing to go becomes something she must ask herself, especially when she gets involved with Luke. Suzanne easily earned my sympathy, I think I gasped out loud when she opened the anniversary gift clearly meant for Leona. Unsurprisingly I didn’t care much for Brian. I found it interesting that Darke decided to end the book with Leona’s point of view (and a recipe for her Passionfruit Sponge).

Marnie’s profession is a fun element of the novel. I can see how it would fill a need, and I could use a workshop on how to wrap presents. Luke’s objection to the gift buying service initially struck me as silly, but it did make me think about the real value of a gift.

A pleasant and entertaining read, perhaps With Love From Wish & Co would make a thoughtful gift for someone you know. ( )