Charlotte Kingston is at a crossroads in her life. After ending a long-time relationship, she's sent to Morwen Island, a place she hasn't visited since her grandmother's funeral. As a school inspector, she's there to write a report, to see if the small school should be kept open. It's a straightforward job, as the school has two pupils. However, when Charlotte meets the children, and their families and uncovers secrets from her grandmother's past, is closing the school the right decision to make, or is there more than one reason for it to remain open and for her to stay on the island she loves?
Jenofeve
"Jenny" Huon lives in Usant at the time the Germans invaded
and occupied France. As someone who speaks the native language of
Breton, French, as well as English and some Cornish, she is quickly
recruited to translate messages for the resistance movement by Laurie
Byers. However, as she falls under the radar of Kriminaldireftor
Wolfgang Albrecht, she is in danger, as are others on the
island…
This
is another beautifully written novel by Ms. Alexander with
this one
triggering
so
many emotions, as the narrative flows effortlessly between 1940 and
the present. In the past, we are confronted with the fear of the
unknown versus the anticipation of the unexpected as we hold our
breath as Jenny and the Keller family attempt an escape from Ushant
under the noses of the German occupiers of the small Breton Island.
Equally, the present is emotionally charged, as Charlotte's daily
routine becomes more complicated, as her life takes on a new
direction.
The
author does a tremendous job of building these emotions, keeping the
readers’ adrenalin
flowing and causing
an
occasional tear to fall. The result is a stunning blend of the past
and the present set against two beautiful backdrops.
This
is the second novel in the Cottage by the Sea series and can be read
as a stand-alone. As someone who has read The secrets of the Cottage
by the Sea, I heartily recommend that one too.
***arc
generously received courtesy of Bookouture
via NetGalley***
As
she inhales the salty sea air, Charlotte glimpses the island on the
horizon. Seeing it after all these years still sends a shiver down
her spine. Should she be returning to this place?
When
teacher Charlotte Kingston is sent to close a school on an isolated
Scilly Isle, it is her first time on the island since summer holidays
spent there with her grandparents. But with a newly broken heart,
she’s desperate to travel as far from her life on the mainland as
possible.
Not
long after she arrives, two visiting children find themselves in need
of a place to stay when their grandmother falls ill. When Charlotte
agrees to take care of the boys, she suddenly has a reason to keep
the school open a little longer. With a renewed sense of purpose,
Charlotte begins to connect with the local islanders who tell her
more about her family.
Intrigued,
Charlotte decides to decode her grandmother’s old letters from the
Second World War. They reveal a story of a forbidden love that defied
the darkness of war, and of a beautiful, brave young man who would
risk everything for his country, even if meant losing the woman he
loved…
Just
as Charlotte realises the secret will change her life forever, the
children’s handsome, enigmatic stepfather, Ash, arrives to take
care of them. But Charlotte doesn’t trust him – he left the boys
once before, why wouldn’t he do it again? But as the tension grows
between them, Charlotte feels an attraction developing, too. And
although she can’t stop thinking about Ash, and his soft, full
lips, she’s afraid to open her heart again.
But
rereading her grandmother’s story, Charlotte realises there is
courage and redemption among the pages. Is this a sign that everyone
deserves a second chance, maybe even Ash? And, if she is brave enough
to let him in, will she be able to put her fractured heart back
together once and for all?
