Some houses won’t let go of the past. Some people won’t, either…
When single mum Libby is offered a life-changing sum of money to clear out an old cottage in the woods, she expects dust and decay. She doesn’t expect a house full of secrets, a room full of birds,
and a woman who refuses to leave.
The handsome but stressed architect who hired Libby is also a puzzle. Why can’t Ross empty Elm Cottage himself? What can he possibly see in Libby, who has been burned by love and is wary of attachment? How can they persuade the mysterious but kindly Isobel to move on?
As Libby is pulled into the cottage’s story, she must face up to her own deepest fears. Can she help Isobel, fight the past that haunts her, and learn to open her own heart to love once more?
Jane Lovering’s new novel is a delicious, romantic mystery where secrets, love and healing weave through every page.
Jane Lovering is the bestselling and award-winning romantic comedy writer who won the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel Award in 2023 with A Cottage Full of Secrets. She lives in Yorkshire and has a cat and a bonkers terrier, as well as five children who have now left home.
Facebook: @jane.lovering
Twitter: @janelovering
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Bookbub profile: @janelovering
My thoughts: Everyone in this book is struggling with their lives in some way, from Libby who has to find a job and somewhere to live, to architect Ross who has a pretty big deadline to deal with, and Isobel who lives in a falling down cottage with her birds, avoiding contact with people. But somehow, the three of them are going to help each other and find a way to solve some of their problems.
Libby is hired by Ross to encourage Isobel to vacate the cottage he’s bought in order to demolish it and build a fancy eco home on TV. Isobel has lived there a long time, and is very reluctant to leave, it’s her home and her beloved birds know to find her there.
But Libby is dealing with her own demons too, and she doesn’t even realise some of them yet. Her budding friendship with Ross and the bond she’s trying to build with Isobel are helping her get there though.
It’s a bittersweet, not always sunny sort of book, there are damaged people here and Libby in particular needs real help to deal with things. Moving and thought provoking, this was an interesting read that made me think.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 