First of all I fell in love with the hard-to-resist cover of Aunt Ivy’s Cottage. Don’t you think it’s beautiful?
Aunt Ivy’s Cottage
Clearing out the attic, Zoey opens the carved trunk and smiles as she picks up the small, leather-bound diary hiding inside. Curious, she leafs through the pages, and realises this will change everything…
All Zoey’s happiest childhood memories are of her great-aunt Ivy’s rickety cottage on Dune Island, snuggling up with hot chocolate and hearing Ivy’s stories about being married to a sea captain. Now, heartbroken from a breakup, Zoey escapes back to the island, but is shocked to find her elderly aunt’s spark fading. Worse, her cousin—next in line to inherit the house—is pushing Ivy to move into a nursing home.
With the family clashing over what’s best for Ivy, Zoey is surprised when Nick, a local carpenter and Ivy’s neighbor, takes her side. As Zoey finds comfort in his sea-blue eyes and warm laugh, the two grow close. Together, they make a discovery in the attic that links the family to the mysterious and reclusive local lighthouse keeper…
Now Zoey has a heartbreaking choice to make. Nick’s urging her to share the discovery, which could keep Ivy in the house she’s loved her whole life… but when Zoey learns that Nick and her cousin go way back, she questions if the man she‘s starting to have feelings for really has Ivy’s best interests at heart. Will dredging up this old secret destroy the peace and happiness of Ivy’s final years—and tear this family apart for good?
A stunning and emotional read about old secrets, new love and never forgetting the importance of family. Perfect for fans of Mary Ellen Taylor, Robyn Carr and Mary Alice Monroe.
My Review
A delightful story of complex family relationships. I’ve not read this author before, but I did enjoy how well she writes.
The book had a great cast of characters. Zoey of course with her determination to do the right thing for everyone was a loveable heroine. As she struggles with her own losses – financial loss at the hands of a deceitful boyfriend, loss of a job and the death of her sister and more recently a beloved aunt, she manages to stay strong enough to fight on Aunt Ivy’s behalf and be there for her niece, Gabi. The characters of Aunty Ivy, Gabi, Nick, Aidan, Mark and even the mysterious lighthouse keeper are very well drawn.
The story had just enough of mystery, humour and romance to keep it really interesting. The story will keep you guessing till the end.
As much as I loved the writing and the story, I found the resolution of the problem with Mark too hurried and the ending a little hastily written. I would have enjoyed the last chapter a lot more if it kept pace with the rest of the book.
Having said that, I’d be happy to read more of Kristin Harper’s writing anytime.
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Meet The Author
Ever since she was a young girl, there were few things Kristin Harper liked more than creative writing and spending time on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her family. Eventually (after a succession of jobs that bored her to tears), she found a way to combine those two passions by becoming a women’s fiction author whose stories occur in oceanside settings. While Kristin doesn’t live on the Cape year-round, she escapes to the beach whenever she can.
Connect with Kristin on her website and TwiKHarperAuthortter
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