The holidays are here, and down in Cornwall Lorna’s cottages are fully booked. The sun loungers are lined up beside the swimming pool, the sky is blue and a new set of arrivals are on their way . . .
Em’s planned the perfect break with her teenagers plus her new boyfriend, George . . . but now his difficult six-year-old is coming too. Will their romance survive the realities of parenthood?
Maggie’s hoping a seaside holiday will bring her and her daughter closer together, but when her ex makes a surprise reappearance, it changes everything. Can she trust the man who broke her heart?
Olivia has escaped the domestic grind, only for the past to catch up with her. Maybe the time has come to confess all – if she can find the courage . . .
Meanwhile, the teenagers are running wild and love is in the air. With friendship, heartache and secrets in the mix, will this holiday turn out to be a scorcher – or simply too hot to handle?
Review: I have read and enjoyed quite a few books by Lucy Diamond, so when this new title popped up, it was an automatic purchase for me. The book has a very attractive cover, promising a seaside holiday with lots of sunshine, something we could all do with from time to time. Once I opened the book and started to read, I found a group of three holiday cottages set around their own exclusive pool and with views over the fields down to the sea where I was sure I could spend an enjoyable summer holiday. The story of the visitors to these holiday homes was really absorbing, making the book a quick read for me.
What could be nicer than a family holiday in a luxury cottage in the Cornish countryside? That is what has attracted two mothers here to spend a fortnight of the summer holidays with their children. In the case of Em, she has arrived with not only her teenage children, Izzie and Jack, but also her boyfriend and his 6-year-old daughter. She’s hoping that they are all going to get along. Maggie, on the other hand, has come with her teenage daughter, Amelia, thinking that some time together might give them the chance to build some bridges. The third cottage in this small development was to be occupied by a young couple, but they have cancelled at the last minute, and instead Olivia has arrived out of the blue, escaping from a very stressful life she suddenly couldn’t cope with, and bringing with her memories of the area. A combination of teenage pranks, long-held secrets and interfering ex-spouses could conspire to spoil things, but how will these three ladies feel about their holiday when it’s time to go home? There is also a fourth woman on the scene who is struggling with her own problems. Lorna, the owner of the cottages, is grieving for her son as it approaches the 20th anniversary of his death.
I very much enjoyed and would thoroughly recommend this book. The story deals with four very different women, each dealing with challenges in their lives, but brought together by their choice of holiday venue. I liked that although each lady had their own storyline, their paths kept crossing. I’m sure that lots of readers would be able to identify with at least one of these women, pulled as they were in many directions at once due to demands of children or just life in general. There was a gamut of emotions in play here, problems ranging from bringing up or being a teenager to living in a blended family to coming to terms with loss of a child. Lucy Diamond dealt with all of these skilfully and sensitively.
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