The Cottage
by Michael Phillips
Well, just look at the cover - it calls you to read it! Grab a good cup of coffee, or in the case of Whale's Reef, a good cup of tea, and enjoy this read!
The Cottage is book two in the Secrets of the Shetlands series by Michael Phillips, you can see my review of book one The Inheritance on a previous post.
I received a copy of this book through the Bloggers program at Baker Publishing/Bethany House in exchange for an honest review and to facilitate this post. I thank the publisher and the author!
I am a huge fan of the genres of Historical Fiction and Inspirational Fiction and this book is just that. The entire book has moral, christian, and spiritual lessons weaved seamlessly in to the story. The novel is an amazing mix of historical and contemporary fiction as it flips back and forth telling the story of the past and the story of the present. And to understand the present we have to learn about the past.
Loni Ford receives a letter that she is the heir of an island in the Shetland's, Whales Reef, and has also inherited The Cottage. Her first reaction is to turn down the inheritance and continue on with her life, her job. But at the urging of her boss, and best friend, she decides to visit the island with the intention of seeing it, then signing the papers to pass the island to the next heir in line. But, the longer she stays, the more she learns about the island, it's people, it's history. She is compelled to figure out how she is the heir, what is her connection to the island and it's people, and where she fits in. Throw in some elements of danger and a protagonist or two, the longing for connections and a link to her unknown family history and you have an awesome story! So Loni "Alonnah" Ford learns about her past, her history, and then is torn as to what is the right thing to do, for herself and the island. She learns bits and pieces of her family's past from different people on the island. She meets David Tulloch, who is the island's Chief and who most of the people on Whale's Reef think should be the rightful heir. She is surprised at all she can learn from him and that there is more to him than she ever imagined.
What will she decide? How will David Tulloch react? What is to become of Whale's Reef?
What about the evil cousin or the oil tycoon?
You'll have to pick up a copy and find out - I know you will enjoy it!
Here is the official summary as found on the Baker Publishing Group's website, which I am permitted to share.
The Cottage
About
Is the Future of Whales Reef in the Hands of an Outsider?
When Loni Ford is informed that she has inherited property in the Shetland Islands, she laughs. She wants nothing more than to sell it and be done with it. But when she arrives in the North Sea enclave, she is stunned to find that "the Cottage" is not at all what she expected, nor is David Tulloch, the man most of the islanders believe to be the rightful heir.
The locals could hardly be more surprised that the heir is a woman--and an American. Loni, in turn, finds the islanders quaint and a bit behind the times. Expecting David to be as provincial as the rest of his clan, she discovers that there is far more to the man than meets the eye. And there is something about the peaceful atmosphere of the place--and the character of its most prominent citizen--that soon gets under her skin.
Beneath the peaceful surface, however, change is threatening the island of Whales Reef. David's cousin Hardy Tulloch, whose claim to the inheritance now in Loni's hands was backed by oil investors, has not been deterred in his aim to control the island. But his co-conspirators have plans of their own, plans that put Loni's very life in danger. . . .
Grab a copy for yourself!!
