Frogmorton Farm Books in Order

The Frogmorton Farm books are Jodi Taylor's answer to the question of what happens after a fairy tale ending. They begin with Jenny Dove, a painfully shy, stammering young woman who has been told for so long that she is nothing that she almost believes it. On the edge of giving up, she is interrupted by Thomas, a giant golden horse only she can see, who simply refuses to let her disappear.

Under Thomas's sardonic guidance Jenny dares to imagine a different life. That possibility arrives in the chaotic shape of Russell Checkland, who comes with a ramshackle farmhouse called Frogmorton, a tangle of debts and a wildly impractical plan. A marriage of convenience suits them both, at least on paper. In reality it drops Jenny into a world of leaking roofs, unpaid bills, misfit animals and an extended family who are not always on her side.

The first novel, The Nothing Girl, follows Jenny as she learns to cope with marriage, a new home and a string of unnerving "accidents" that suggest someone would rather she was out of the way. She has to untangle whether the danger is coming from old enemies, Russell's past or her own long buried family secrets, all while trying to find her own voice. The tone is warm and funny, but there is real suspense underneath the jokes about neurotic horses and the ever hungry donkey Marilyn.

In The Something Girl Jenny has grown into her life at Frogmorton Farm, but normality never lasts long. Patagonian attack chickens, more wayward livestock and Russell's ex girlfriend ensure the household is never quiet. A familiar, unwelcome figure from Jenny's childhood seems to be back from the dead, and once again Thomas nudges her toward courage she is not sure she has. The story deepens the relationships from the first book and shows Jenny dealing with the long tail of old trauma.

Shorter pieces such as Little Donkey, Joy to the World and Storm Christopher drop in at Christmas and other turning points. A borrowed donkey wreaks havoc with a village nativity play, a storm cuts the farm off just when Jenny and Russell were hoping for a peaceful weekend, and their daughter Joy tests the boundaries between stubborn teenager and anxious father. These stories lean into seasonal chaos and family comedy, while still touching on the fears that sit under the jokes.

Taylor herself has described Frogmorton Farm as a fairy story for adults, and that fits. There is a thread of magic in Thomas, the invisible horse who is part guardian, part conscience and part exasperated commentator. At the same time the problems are rooted in very ordinary worries about money, safety and being good enough. Readers who enjoy the humour and heart of St Mary's but prefer contemporary settings and romantic arcs will find a lot to love here.