1942, land girl Nancy arrives on the island to help with the war effort. She meets injured airman Oliver but she has her own emotional scars to contend with. Present day, Libby returns to the island she grew up on. She is engulfed by memories, happy and sad, but also has to deal with the reality of meeting up again with her former love Jory…
Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is the fourth book in a series but the first that I have read. We meet other islanders who I presume appeared in earlier books so there may be spoilers about the outcomes of their stories.
The book has a dual timeline, set in the present day as well as during WW2. The perspective alternates with each chapter so I felt equally absorbed into the lives of both Nancy and Libby. It was easy to follow the different plotlines and developments and I really enjoyed the style of writing.
There is a huge amount of emotion in both timelines as for both main characters. However, it was Nancy and Ollie’s story that really pulled at my heartstrings. Both have been through so much physical and emotional pain in the past but are bravely fighting for what they believe in. Libby in the present is trying to forget Jory and focus on her career but forms a new friendship with an actor that could turn into more. This added a more lighthearted dimension to the book and I was keen for her to find happiness.
Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is an enjoyable and emotional book.
Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea: An unputdownable and unforgettable emotional page-turner (The Island Cottage Book 4)
As Olivia watches the island grow larger on the horizon, she wonders if returning to this place was the right decision…
When Olivia Elliott decides to spend the summer on the remote Morwen Island where she grew up, she can’t help but wonder if returning home is a good idea. After all, she still remembers the heartbreak she left behind on those shores many years ago.
Back on the island, Olivia soon adjusts to life as an islander and rents a cottage for the summer. But, before long, she runs into her first love, Jory Trethewey, a handsome local boatbuilder who never left the remote community. And despite the fact she can still recall their painful breakup, Olivia finds she now can’t stop thinking about him…
When Jory offers to help Olivia fix up the cottage, the two begin to spend more time together. And as they renovate, they realise the house has its own secrets and they decide to put the past behind them and investigate its history.
Soon they uncover a story dating back to the Second World War, of a wounded airman who came to this island to hide from the world, and of the woman who fell in love with him, and risked everything to be with him…
As Olivia tries to find out what happened to the young woman and her airman, she finds herself frustrated by the lack of answers. What became of their story? Did risking everything for love work out for them? And, if it did, should she follow in the lovers’ footsteps, and finally trust her heart?
A totally heartbreaking and unputdownable read, perfect for fans of gripping family dramas, and for those who enjoy the novels of Debbie Macomber, Fiona Valpy and Nancy Thayer.
Rebecca Alexander was born in Malta and grew up on the south coast of England, becoming a psychologist. She escaped parenting six children to study writing in 2011, and the Secrets series of novels was published in 2013. A Baby’s Bones and sequel followed. Rebecca lives in a haunted 300-year-old cottage in Devon where she grows fruit, paints, and bakes. She reads and writes all sorts of genres, from women’s fiction to fantasy to crime. She is married with four chickens, two grandchildren and a cat.
