Willett started writing aged 50, for financial reasons during the
1991 recession in the UK. Many of her novels were set in
South Devon, and she uses the real names of businesses and the people who run them. The
Plymouth Extra wrote of it "It has a nice gossipy feel, enough tension to keep the pages turning over, and is well-written ... There's an old-fashioned feel to the well-drawn main characters who are surprisingly snobbish (are Navy wives really this class-obsessed?) ... [a] very amiable book". The people she writes about are
upper class and educate their children privately. Willett's publisher compared her books to those of
Rosamunde Pilcher. When the rights for American publication were sold to the American publisher
Transworld in 2002, it was for a six-figure amount, influenced by the comparison to Pilcher. There was a "mighty marketing spend" as part of the American launch. Her novels have been translated, and are popular in France and Germany. They have been described as "gentle". As well as to Rosamunde Pilcher, she was compared to
Maeve Binchy. For
Echoes of the Dance (2006),
Publishers Weekly found the characters "Appealing, durable, human", but the ending "stagy sentimentality".
Christmas in Cornwall (2011), set in a convent, was described in
Booklist as "a deeply meaningful story about the power of family and finding the strength to face the future".
Kirkus Reviews wrote of the same book "For the right reader, this book has charm, appealing characterization and a sprawling, unhurried storytelling style - though Willett's present-tense writing and occasional head-hopping may be distracting. For most contemporary
romance fans, the lack of a convincing happily-ever-after ending and the not-quite-concrete plot wrap-up that speaks to more spiritually decisive conclusions, rather than romantic ones, will likely make them feel disappointed and misled by the romance designation".
Book Reporter said of
A Summer in the Country (2002) that "Two of the women are treated badly by men to a ridiculous point. Readers will wonder why they cannot find other fulfillment, such as in a satisfying hobby, a career, or at least some self-respect". Of her books as Willa Marsh,
Facing the Music (1997) was reviewed in the
Edinburgh Evening News as "a sharply detailed account of modern marriage and the unexpected fall-out of 1960s living".
Sisters Under the Skin (1998) was described as a
black comedy. ==Personal life==