A COTTAGE FULL OF SECRETS
Author: Jane Lovering
Year: 2022
Edition: 2023 Paperback
Pages: 244
Genre: Romance
Additional info: By the Bestselling Author of The Country Escape
Winner of the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel Award 2023
Summary
The cottage at Bracken Ridge Farm holds the promise of a new start, but it is also full of secrets…
Fifty years ago, newly-wed Stella is relishing making the cottage a happy home. But Stella’s dreams of married life jar painfully with the truth.
Fifty years later, the cottage is a new beginning for Tamzin. Determined to get away from her previous life, she makes the move to the vast Yorkshire countryside.
When Tamzin finds a photo of Stella standing in the cottage’s garden, there’s a sadness in her eyes that Tamzin recognizes. As the cottage reveals more of its secrets, Tamzin is desperate to find out whether Stella got her happy ending, while she dares to dream about her own happy ending too…
Why I chose to read this book
The cover art on A Cottage Full of Secrets drew me in, and I wanted to find out what exactly the secrets were…
Thoughts & Opinions
I guess I missed the memo that this was a romance novel, that’s on me! I thought this would be a mystery book, given the title. The back of the book does mention that A Cottage Full of Secrets is the Winner of the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel Award 2023, which, I completely skipped over!
There are two stories happening in parallel, one in real-time and the other fifty years ago. The older story, starring Stella, a young naïve girl married to an abusive man, starts off strong and is quite captivating. The short snippets into her life makes you want to know more about her and her precarious circumstances.
Tamzin’s story, which happens in real-time, quickly got boring. She moves into a little cottage (hint: where Stella previously lived) and is immediately obsessed with her neighbor. And in case you forget, she has brought along a fox, which pees everywhere. I’ve read enough about fox pee and their smell for a lifetime.
Tamzin’s story eventually does get more interesting, the more she gets to know her neighbor, the more they find out how much they have in common, as well as the unfortunate commonalities they have with Stella.
“Survivors know survivors.”- Jane Lovering, A Cottage Full of Secrets
Although A Cottage Full of Secrets includes a cute relationship story, it is not a light one as the connecting theme is abuse, whether physical or emotional – both heartbreaking in their own way. Unfortunately, I can relate as I was in an emotionally and verbally abusive relationship for many years when I was younger. As a young impressionable girl, I was very much in love and blinded by it. The abuse made it hard to know my worth and eventually broke me down completely. Luckily, I ultimately found the strength to end it as I had finally realized I deserved so much better however it wasn’t easy, and it took years to accomplish.
If you are suffering from an abusive relationship, please get help by contacting your local resources. Don’t stay in the dark and please know there is nothing shameful about it and it is not your fault.
Read my other reviews here.
Discussion Points
- Have you read this book? If so, what did you think?
- I’d love to discuss this book with you in the comments below, looking forward to reading you!
- Which book should I review next?