Book: A Secret at the Cottage by the Loch
Author: Kennedy Kerr
Pub Day: April 24th 2023
About the Book:
The endless green and purple of the Scottish hills stretch as far as Liz can see, curving up around the loch to meet the wide blue sky. She takes a deep breath and hopes this beautiful place will help hide her secrets…
When thirty-seven-year-old Liz Parsons first sets eyes on the cosy, whitewashed cottage perched on the edge of the loch, she feels the knot in her chest begin to unwind. After a terrible tragedy and sudden break-up, she’s looking forward to putting the past behind her and focusing on her new job running the tiny Loch Cameron Whisky Distillery, nestled between the highland hills.
With the villagers welcoming her with open arms, she meets ruggedly handsome distillery owner Ben Douglas and feels inspired by his passion for the history of the local area. Although Liz and Ben have very different ideas for the future of the business, their hectic days spill over into long walks exploring the wild landscape, and Liz feels lighter for the first time in months.
When Ben confesses he is considering selling his family’s legacy, Liz is desperate to change his mind. The small community relies on the distillery for jobs and tourism, and she can’t let her newfound friends lose their livelihoods.
But just as she hears whispers in town that there’s more to Ben’s story, she receives a letter at the cottage that could change her future. The thick paper and faded postmark are a heart-wrenching reminder of the life she left behind.
Can she trust Ben with the shocking truth about her past? Or will she be forced to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and run away from Loch Cameron forever?
A gorgeous page-turner from USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Kerr that will sweep you away to the Scottish Highlands. Fans of Susanne O’Leary, Debbie Macomber and Mary Alice Monroe will love this emotional and gripping read about second chances and finding where you truly belong.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'A Secret At The Cottage By The Loch' by Kennedy Kerr.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Kennedy Kerr, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 24th April 2023.
This is the six5h book I have read by this author. It is also the second book in the 'Loch Cameron' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously 'The House At Magpie Cove', 'Secrets of Magpie Cove', 'Daughters Of Magpie Cove' and 'Dreams Of Magpie Cove' all from the 'Magpie Cove' series plus 'The Cottage By The Loch' which is the first book in this series and all of which I would also highly recommend reading.
I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'this book is A gorgeous page-turner from USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Kerr that will sweep you away to the Scottish Highlands. Fans of Susanne O’Leary, Debbie Macomber and Mary Alice Monroe will love this emotional and gripping read about second chances and finding where you truly belong. ' I am a huge fan of Debbie Macomber and Susanne O'Leary so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Kennedy and if this is half as good as 'The House At Magpie Cove', 'Secrets Of Magpie Cove', 'Daughters Of Magpie Cove', 'Dreams Of Magpie Cove' and 'The Cottage By The Loch' it is sure to be a gorgeous read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 40 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Scotland 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited and had holidays in Scotland on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere that Kennedy has based the book on.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Liz Parsons. The benefits of third person perspective with are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
'A Secret At The Cottage By The Loch' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Kennedy discusses infertility and miscarriages.
Aww and yet again ANOTHER stunner from the extremely talented Kennedy!!! Well done Kennedy on yet another absolutely beautiful and perfect read!! This is the ideal beach read where you could sit there and turn around and just imagine Loch Cameron and Loch Cameron Castle. If you are ever looking for a stunning book perfect to make you feel good then any of Kennedy's books are absolutely perfect!!
The book is extremely well written with beautiful descriptions that completely drew me in. I could feel the sun on my skin and the sea on my toes. The synopsis and the cover match the storyline perfectly!!
This book is another one of this amazing authors stunning successes and as with all the books I have read by her so far this one also had me turning the pages with tears streaming down my eyes so make sure you have tissues at the ready and clear your schedules as once your hooked there's no leaving Loch Cameron until you turn the very last page and even then it will be in your mind for an extremely long time!!! The second I read the first page it felt like I had only just finished the first book in this series 'The Cottage By The Loch' as I was swept straight back to Scotland and Loch Cameron. I was so pleased after I finished that book that it was the first one in the series and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one as I quickly discovered it was going to be one of my favourite books, favourite places and filled with some of my favourite people!!! In this book we meet 37 year old Liz Parsons who only ever wanted was to be a Mum and have a child to call her own. Sadly after countless rounds of IVF with her partner Paul she still finds herself without a child. Liz sees herself as a failure and Paul cannot take anymore heartache and ends up leaving Liz adding more heartbreak to Liz who is on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Liz decides to start a brand new life leaving the city, moving to Loch Cameron and starting a job as a sales director of the Loch Cameron Distillery. The amazing and friendly community of Loch Cameron welcome Liz with open arms and surrounds her with love, friendship, guidance and support. Liz moves into Gretchen's cottage by the Loch after Gretchen moved into the nursing home and when she starts work meets the owner of the distillery Ben Douglas. Liz is determined to help Ben to turn the Distillery around from the state it it is in while using this as a chance to keep her mind busy from her emotions and thoughts of motherhood. Liz and Ben form a friendship but will she listen to the local rumours and destroy any chances? You will just have to pick up your copy today to find out!!! This is a stunning story filled with friendship, heartache, emotions, mystery, romance, hope, healing, second chances, community, family and absolutely everything you could ask for in a gorgeous page turner!!! It kept me absolutely hooked and I ended up walking around glued to my kindle. Every time I told myself one more chapter and then I will do x, y or z the chapter ended in a way where I just HAD to know what was going to happen next so I said OK just one more then until I ended up devouring the whole book several hours later!! I shouldn't have been surprised really as every time I pick up a book by the amazing Kennedy I am sucked straight in from beginning to end and am unable to put it down!!! I absolutely fell in love again venturing back into Loch Cameron and Kennedy portrays life in a small village absolutely perfectly, bringing the neighbours to life and showing that when you live in a small place everybody knows everybody else's business. Living in a small village myself and, ironically enough, one that also has a castle Kennedy's descriptions are perfect. In a way I became so invested in this book that it actually felt like going on a holiday and I absolutely dreaded coming to the end where I had to unpack my suitcase and get back to reality especially as it had felt like returning to visit friends this time and then have to leave them all over again!! I don't want to say much more about the book as I don't want to give it away but I love the fact that Kennedy doesn't just write the one storyline but there are always several going on and just the right amount so you don't get confused. It was an absolutely compelling and addictive heart lifting read that kept me turning the pages until late at night. I loved discovering the pasts of many of the characters, meeting ones I have already met in the first book and discovering new characters along the way and I was absolutely swept away in the story lines. I just cannot wait to return in the next book in this absolutely stunning series. The ending was absolutely perfect as always with Kennedy. Kennedy manages to tackle very difficult subjects in many of her books and in this one she brings up infertility. Kennedy does an amazing job of raising awareness in a respectful way weaving it into a beautiful storyline. Well done and Thank you to Kennedy for approaching this heart-breaking topic sensitively and showing how much support friends can be during times of need. This book would make a beautiful movie!! I really do love this series and I cannot wait to jump into the next book and visit the beautiful Loch Cameron again. Congratulations on the fact that you have done your research and that fact absolutely shines through during the story. There is not much worse than when an author does not do any research into their chosen topics and locations which leads to needless mistakes throughout the book but you don't have to worry about this in this book or any of Kennedy's stunning books.
Do not turn a single page of this book until you have cleared your schedules and when you do get ready to go on a stunning holiday you will not want to leave!!
Although this is the second book in the series I would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I was completely invested in the characters, along with the storyline, who were all absolutely fantastic with their own individual personalities and quirks. Many of the characters had started feeling like friends so quickly having got to meet so many of them so well in 'The Cottage By The Loch' and I have grown even more attached to previous characters and new characters in this book and I was devastated to have to leave them yet again. Whenever I finish any of Kennedy's books I feel like I am leaving amazing people and friends and I always feel a bit sad about it but am happy in the knowledge that Kennedy is hopefully writing her next book and bringing them alive as I write this (hint hint Kennedy 😉). I loved watching how Liz's character and personality developed and went from strength to strength from the first page to the last. My heart went out to as I cannot even begin to imagine the pain she must have gone through and then continued to go through in her wish to become a Mum. I found her to be a likeable, strong and realistic character who was extremely hardworking, successful and confident when it came to work but struggled when it came to her personal life and lack of children. I enjoyed her character development throughout the storyline and was intrigued to see where her friendship with Ben would go. This is the only thing I disliked about Liz and it is the fact that she listened to rumours which is one thing I cannot abide is village rumour mills, in fact any rumours and I always decide to make up my own mind when it comes to people, sometimes I wish I hadn't bothered as rumours were true and yet others they are the complete opposite to what I was told they were like. Which will it be when it comes to Ben though? Are the rumours going around true or should Liz have found out more herself? I wont go into any more detail as I don't want to give too much away and neither do I want to bore you by turning this into an essay but if you want to know how I felt about other characters in the village then check out my review of 'The Cottage By The Loch' and keep your eyes peeled for my review of the next stunner in this series when it comes out (hopefully very soon as I am having withdrawals already!!) I cannot wait to meet most of them again in the next book in this series which I really, really, really hope is not going to take too long to come out!!!This is one of those series which could go on and on and I wouldn't get bored. Here's to meeting them all again along with the next new faces of Loch Cameron!!
Congratulations Kennedy on another gorgeous success!!! Looking forward to my next holiday to Loch Cameron!!! This is exactly why you are one of my favourite authors!! If you have never read any books in this or the Magpie Cove series (which I also absolutely LOVE!!!) pick one up today, you won't regret it and you are definitely missing out if you don't!!
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and the first chapter of Kennedy's absolutely addictive and stunning 'The House At Magpie Cove' which is another gorgeous page turner and one I have read myself and would highly recommend!!
Overall another perfect, stunning, page turning beach read by an amazing author with a great gang of characters that will sweep you away to Loch Cameron from the very first page to the end!
Genres covered in this novel include Friendship Fiction, Women's Domestic Life Fiction, Holiday Romance, Romance Literary Fiction, British & Irish Contemporary Literature, Women Writers & Fiction, Women's Romance Fiction, Women's Contemporary Fiction, Romance Novel, Domestic Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, Women's Literary Fiction, Women's Friendship Fiction, and Holiday Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of as well as fans of Fiona Valpy, Mary Alice Monroe, Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal., Jojo Moyes, Debbie Macomber, Susanne O’Leary, Pamela Kelly, Nancy Thayer. Amanda Prowse, Diane Chamberlain, Shari Low, Veronica Henry, Heidi Swain, Nicholas Sparks and any lovers of a book that you can float away with at the beach!!!
325 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £8.99 in paperback (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Kennedy Kerr is a USA Today Bestselling fiction author. She adores beaches, lochs and stone circles, and loves writing about small communities, mysteries and family secrets. She has a very cuddly cat called Twinkle who spends her days sleeping: Kennedy aspires to having Twinkle's nap schedule one day.
Kennedy also loves cooking and baking all types of food, which is almost as much fun as eating it. Her favourite foods include (but are not limited to) Indian food, Victoria sponge, breakfast pastries with coffee and sushi. The only thing she's not particularly keen on is artichoke, and she'd eat it, anyway.
Social Media Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KennedyKerr5
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Bookouture Email Sign Up: https://www.bookouture.com/kennedy-kerr
Purchase Link
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BSVDTPYLsocial
