Emma's Review: The Wife at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Emma breathes a sigh of nervous excitement as she hangs up the beautiful ivory dress. Heartbroken and with her divorce freshly signed, the anonymous donation of a stunning wedding gown is just what Emma needs for her new adventure: selling unique clothing from her own vintage shop, tucked away amidst the winding streets of Heaven’s Cove.

Not everyone in the village is welcoming. Handsome Leo runs the bespoke suit shop next door – and his uptight father Robert doesn’t approve of the vintage store’s quirky style. But Emma’s fears that she was wrong to uproot her old life fade the more time she spends with Leo. Because a warm heart lies behind his brooding exterior…

Their new connection is called into question when Robert sees the silk wedding dress. The usually emotionless older man is shocked at the sight of the gown: but refuses to say what’s wrong. Together, Emma and Leo promise to solve the mystery of who the dress belonged to – and why Robert is so shaken. Their questions around Heaven’s Cove lead them to an empty manor house, a wedding that happened years ago, and a family who haven’t been seen around the village since…

But the closer they get to answers, the more pain they could cause Robert. And when a shocking revelation about Leo’s family comes to light, Emma must question everything. Is it time to run from Heaven’s Cove as quickly as she arrived? Or if she finally finds the truth about the wife who wore the wedding dress, could it heal her – and Leo’s – heart for good?

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Emma's Review: The Diary at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

‘Dear Diary, I have so much to keep secret. Maybe I am cruel to leave. But I have no choice…’

Thirty-one-year old Clara’s family have called their cosy cottage in the grounds of Brellasham Manor ‘home’ her whole life. And when River, the owner’s son, returns after sixteen years away, at first Clara is wary. They shared their first kiss as teenagers before River moved halfway around the world, and his soulful brown eyes look just the same.

Clara’s first heartache isn’t the only memory overshadowing the manor. More than fifty years ago, Audrey Brellasham lived here as a young bride and filled the house with love, laughter and dancing. Until one night, she walked into the stormy sea and was never seen again.

When Clara finds Audrey’s old leather-bound diary tucked away, she’s certain that deciphering the coded messages inside will reveal the secret truth about this mysterious woman. And as River helps her explore Audrey’s locked attic bedroom, preserved from the night she disappeared and filled with her beautiful ballgowns, they’re soon laughing together and forgetting all the reasons they drifted apart.

But when River’s father announces the manor, and the cottage, will be sold to developers, Clara’s mother is devastated that everything she knows and loves is disappearing. And with the elderly owner clamming up at any mention of the past, it seems Audrey’s story is lost forever.

But if Clara keeps searching, will she be able to save her mother’s home? Or will solving the secrets of the diary tear apart River’s family, and destroy any chance of happiness between them?

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Emma's Review: The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

Sitting by the window with views of the shining sea, a white-haired woman seals an envelope with trembling hands and thinks of her grandchildren – two sisters who haven’t spoken for years. Will her final message bring them back together?

Ever since her sister Caitlin left the village of Heaven’s Cove, Isla has cared for their beloved grandmother Jessie in her cosy red-brick cottage by the sea. Now, heartbroken after Jessie’s death, Isla hopes to bond again with her sister. Until Caitlin insists she wants to sell the cottage they spent their childhood in.

But their grandmother, who always had a twinkle in her eye, had other plans. At her will reading the sisters are handed an envelope containing a cryptic riddle in Jessie’s handwriting. Certain their grandmother, who loved puzzles and crosswords, wanted them to solve it together, Isla begs Caitlin for more time.

Then Isla meets tall, brooding Ben in the village, come from America seeking answers about his own family history. One of his ancestors was close to a relative of Jessie’s… did Jessie mean for them to meet?

As Ben and Isla walk together on the wild Devon beaches, they discover a heartbreaking generations-old story of a woman who chose her family over true love. But Isla and Caitlin are no closer to solving their grandmother’s riddle: and when Caitlin finally shares a shocking secret about her life back in London, selling their grandmother’s home seems the only way forward.

Without their grandmother to guide them, will the sisters ever rediscover the meaning of family? Or will Isla be forced to leave Ben, and Heaven’s Cove behind forever?

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Emma's Review: The Path to the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Fleeing from a heartbreaking mistake, all former nurse Alyssa wants is to focus on her new job giving tours of Heaven’s Cove to visitors and sharing the myths and legends of this beautiful place. Nobody needs to know the real reason she came to the village…

Over cups of tea with elderly resident Magda she soon makes a friend who is alone in the world too. For decades, Magda has been secretly in love with her best friend Stan. Desperate to return Magda’s kindness, Alyssa is eager to bring these two lost souls together. But meeting Stan’s tall, handsome son Jack scuppers her plans.

Dedicated to caring for Stan, Jack says Alyssa’s focus on legends keeps the village in the past. But when Alyssa finds an old map revealing the true story of a Heaven’s Cove couple who sacrificed everything for love, she’s sure the romantic tale could bring Stan and Magda together… and although digging up old secrets soon ruffles feathers in the village, with Jack and Alyssa growing close, she can’t help but think she might find happiness after all.

But will Alyssa ever be able to open up about her own past? Or will the truth tear them apart?

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Emma's Review: The Key to the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

With her back to the sparkling sea, single mum Nessa stands in the doorway of the stone cottage her grandmother left behind. If she can just fix up the crumbling walls and make the empty hearth cosy again, it will be the perfect home for her little daughter Lily – and their only option if they want to stay in the village of Heaven’s Cove. But a rap on the door soon shatters her plans…

Although Gabriel Gantwich has a smile on his handsome face, the papers he’s clutching say his father’s company owns the house. They plan to knock it down, destroying Nessa’s last link to her family history – and Lily’s last hope for a home in Heaven’s Cove.

Reeling, Nessa is furious that an outsider could take away her child’s future. She has just thirty days to renovate the cottage – and prove it’s hers. As she and Gabriel clash over every detail, Nessa barely notices that even though they argue, their talks are fuelled by the same passion. And beneath his tough exterior, Gabriel appreciates the beauty of the sunset bathing the clifftop cottage in soft pink light as much as she does…

But one stormy night, Nessa gets a desperate phone call about Lily. Forced to choose between her family’s past and her daughter’s future, will she end up losing everything? Or will Gabriel finally realise what truly matters, and help Nessa make this beautiful place a home?

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Emma's Review: The Girl at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Freya is desperate for escape from her messy break-up when she’s offered a job caring for elderly Kathleen in the seaside village of Heaven’s Cove. Kathleen’s once-red hair is now a brilliant white, but there’s always laughter in her Irish lilt – until the day Freya finds her weeping, her gaze fixed on Driftwood House, perched on the cliffs above the village. She refuses to say what’s wrong…

Kathleen’s son Ryan, quiet with striking emerald eyes, resents that a stranger is caring for his mother. But as Freya presses him for answers on a long walk across a windswept beach, Ryan finally admits that Kathleen breaks down in the same way, on the exact same day every year – never telling anyone what is causing her pain.

Finding a photo of Kathleen as a young girl standing outside Driftwood House years before she says she moved to the village, Freya is determined to find the source of Kathleen’s heartache. But as she gets closer to Ryan, and to the sad, forgotten history of the house, Freya is faced with an impossible decision…

Should she share this heartbreaking secret with Ryan and risk their chance of happiness together? And will facing the truth bring Kathleen peace in her final years – or will it tear them all apart?

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Emma's Review: A Letter to the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Lettie Starcross makes her way along the cobbled streets of Heaven’s Cove, clutching a little key and searching for answers about her kind, twinkly-eyed Great Aunt Iris, whom she misses terribly. With no job back home, and no-one in her family understanding how adrift she feels, Lettie wonders if her aunt was lonely just like her – is that why she fled this pretty seaside village years ago and never returned?

Staying at Driftwood House where Iris lived, now a cosy B&B, Lettie can almost hear Iris’s laughter on the breeze. And when she locks eyes with brooding fisherman Corey as he’s singing a haunting sea shanty in the local tavern, the sparks that fly between them are a welcome distraction from her grief.

But everything changes when Lettie meets Corey’s grandmother. Hearing the name ‘Iris Starcross’, her wrinkled face turns pale. Then she tells Lettie a devastating secret: seventy years ago, a choice Iris made tore apart this tight-knit community.

Heartbroken, Lettie questions if she ever really understood her beloved aunt – and if Corey knew about this shocking rift all along. So when her sister calls begging her to come home, Lettie is torn. If she stays to find what the key unlocks, can she discover the truth about what Iris did – and fight for her own fresh start? Or will she be the next Starcross woman to run from Heaven’s Cove forever? 

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Emma's Review: Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles

 Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Back in the tiny seaside village of Heaven’s Cove after the death of her mother, all Rosie Merchant wants is to hide her tears, rent out her childhood home, and get back to her ‘real’ life, away from the gossiping villagers and wild Devon weather she escaped from years ago.

She’s surprised to find a smiling man in hiking boots – local farmer Liam – waiting on the stone doorstep. His kind offer to help clear crumbling, isolated Driftwood House is hard to refuse, and despite Rosie’s determination not to let anyone get close, soon they’re walking and laughing together along the clifftops. As clouds scud across the endless sky and green waves crash against the shore, Rosie is reminded that nowhere is more beautiful than home.

Then, up in the attic of Driftwood House, Rosie stumbles across a photo which exposes the heart-stopping truth about how her mother came to live at Driftwood House years ago… and Liam only seems concerned about the implications for his own nearby farm. Did he know this painful secret all along, and should she run from Heaven’s Cove for good? Or will facing up to her devastating family history mean Rosie can finally put down roots in this beautiful place?

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Emma's Review: A Summer Escape and Strawberry Cake at the Cosy Kettle by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When Flora finds out about her husband’s secret fling, she escapes to the one place she feels safe: her beloved café, The Cosy Kettle, in the charming village of Honeyford. Serving up cream teas to her café regulars is the perfect way to soothe her broken heart, and although she’s never lived in the area, the little community welcome her with open arms.

She’s soon lodging with local eccentric Luna in her remote and beautiful Starlight Cottage, snuggled between rolling green hills. Luna’s handsome son Daniel lost his wife several years ago, and as Flora gets to know him, sharing walks through the blossom-scented woods, they both slowly begin to heal… and she realises that behind Daniel’s quiet exterior, there’s a passionate nature that makes her forget all about her ex-husband.

As she settles into her new life, hosting a baking competition for the village’s summer celebration seems like a great idea… but with Daniel’s mysterious silences leading Flora to believe he’s hiding secrets, she can’t help but wonder if she can really trust him. And when the race to bake the perfect Victoria sponge stirs up old rivalries between locals, Flora starts to feel like she’s bitten off more than she can chew.

After her new start, will Flora ever truly belong in Honeyford? And, this summer, can she risk opening up her heart again? 

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Emma's Review: New Starts and Cherry Tarts at the Cosy Kettle by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

After yet another failed romance, twenty-six-year-old Callie Fulbright is giving up on love. She’s determined to throw all her efforts into her very own, brand-new café: The Cosy Kettle. Serving hot tea, cherry tarts and a welcoming smile to the friendly locals proves to be the perfect distraction, and Callie feels a flush of pride at the fledgling business she’s built.

But her new-found confidence is soon put to the test when her gorgeous ex reappears in the quaint little village. She’ll never forget the heartache Noah caused her years ago, but when they bump into each other on the cobbled streets of Honeyford she can’t help but feel a flutter in her chest…

As Callie and Noah share laughter and memories, she starts to wonder if this could be her second chance at happiness. But when Callie discovers that someone is mysteriously trying to ruin the café’s reputation… she has an awful suspicion that Noah knows who’s involved.

Was she wrong to ever trust him again? And can she find out who’s behind the lies and rumours, before it’s too late for the Cosy Kettle?

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Emma's Review: Annie's Summer by the Sea by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When Annie Trebarwith unexpectedly inherits Tregavara House, her much-loved family home atop the cliffs of Salt Bay, she begins to wonder: with all the good friends and warm memories she’s made in the village, could it be her forever home? 

Luckily her gorgeous Poldark-lookalike boyfriend, Josh Pasco, has exactly the same idea. High on the Cornish cliffs he gets down on one knee, and Annie has everything she’s ever dreamed of.

But when a summer storm causes catastrophic damage to the beautiful but aging house, Annie and Josh are faced with tumbling tiles and a massive repair bill – and a roof that’s leaked straight onto her wedding gown…

Can the Salt Bay community save Annie’s house and her wedding – and give Annie the happy-ever-after she’s always wanted?

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Emma's Review: Annie's Christmas by the Sea by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Annie Trebarwith is happily settled in Salt Bay with her beloved great-aunt Alice and gorgeous boyfriend Josh Pasco. Snow is in the air, and Christmas is just around the corner.

But when the father she’s never met, aging rock god Barry, turns up with the half-sister Annie didn’t know existed, life suddenly gets complicated. Barry and Storm are soon clashing with the entire village, and their antics are even driving a wedge between Annie and Josh.

Can Annie prevent her new family ruining the festivities and repair things with Josh in time for a cosy Christmas? Or will their relationship end up as frosty as the Salt Bay air?

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Emma's Review: Annie's Lovely Choir by the Sea by Liz Eeles

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When twenty-nine-year-old Annie Trebarwith receives an unexpected letter from a great-aunt she’s never known, she leaves her shoebox-sized flat in London and catches a train to the rugged Cornish coast.

Salt Bay is beautiful and Annie begins to kindle a bond with her great-aunt Alice. Even though there is zero phone signal and the locals – including the gorgeous but brooding Josh Pasco – can be decidedly grumpy at times, Annie starts to feel at home in Salt Bay.

Soon Annie’s love of music leads her to relaunch the Salt Bay Choral Society, and she’s surprised to see how just much the choir means to the community – and she even starts to break through Josh’s surly exterior…

But London is calling Annie back, and she has to make a decision. Give up her old life completely, or leave Salt Bay, her new-found family – and the choir – behind?

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