Monday, May 28, 2018

Review: Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill

Summer at the Cottage of the Hill
Summer at the Little Cottage of the Hill
by Emma Davies

My rating: 5 Stars

Isobel has is the first to have rented a cottage at Joy Acre for six weeks. She is working on a music composition with plans of possibly jumpstarting her career as a violinist. She has a lot angst resulting from a troubled past. Tom is a thatcher who is working on the cottages at the farm. Isobel is quite uncomfortable around the affable Tom, who is quite drawn to her. Meanwhile, the rest of the folks there, Seth, Maddie, Clara and Trixie, as well as Tom, are quite like a family, one where Isobel doesn't fit in. These relationships are all important, however, and in time, Isobel begins to relax.

Tom has his own demons. He is finally overcoming them as he gets deeper involved in his work on the farm. Meeting Isobel is truly a balm to his soul. Not only does his music affect him in a powerful way, her beauty, as well as her reticence makes her quite desirable to him. Their relationship begins to build as they develop trust in one another's feelings. At one point Tom is asked by Clara if he believes he has found a kindred spirit in Isobel. Indeed, they are perfect for one another, as they  can read each other quite well, despite Isobel's initial reluctance to draw close to Tom.

Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill is the second in a four-part series. I read and reviewed the first book immediately before reading this one. This helped me to feel strongly connected to all of the characters. Continuity in stories is highly favorable to me. Just as Tom, I was a strong fan of Isobel's violin playing. I sensed that I could hear the plaintive notes playing! I was also drawn to the intensity of emotion shared between Isobel and Tom. Kudos to Emma Davies for delivering such a powerful connection to her readers. Quite well done! This is truly a feel-good story. I so look forward, not only to the other books in this series, but to the rest of this author's work.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review.

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