The House Beneath the Cliffs by Sharon Gosling #Review #Giveaway

 

I am delighted to be taking part in the celebrations for Sharon Gosling's The House Beneath the Cliffs, which was published by Simon & Schuster on 19th August. I am doubly delighted to have a great giveaway with the chance to win a print copy, open to the UK and ROI. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.

A remote yet beautiful village. A tiny kitchen lunch club. The perfect place to start again.

Anna moves to Crovie, a tiny fishing village on the Moray Firth, for a fresh start. But when she arrives, she realises her new home is really no more than a shed, and the village itself sits beneath a cliff right on the edge of the sea, in constant danger of storms and landslides. Has she made a terrible mistake?

Yet as she begins to learn about the Scottish coast and its people, something she thought she’d lost reawakens in her. She rediscovers her love of cooking, and turns her kitchen into a pop-up lunch club. But not all the locals are delighted about her arrival, and some are keen to see her plans fail.

Will Anna really be able to put down roots in this remote and wild village? Or will her fragile new beginning start to crumble with the cliffs . . . ?

Beautiful, moving and utterly absorbing, The House Beneath the Cliffs is a novel of friendship and food, storms and secrets, and the beauty of second chances.

 My Thoughts

Set in a remote fishing village in Scotland, the dramatic setting of the book is an intrinsic part of the story, with the ever-present threat from the elements always in the background. The sea and the cliffs feature so much in the story that they almost seem like a character in their own right, part of the appeal of the place and yet also a threat to the villagers' safety. You also get a sense of the history of the village and the ties which bind people there going back in some cases for generations. Not everyone, however, was born there yet they still seem drawn by its beauty and wildness.

    Starting over and second chances are also central themes to this affecting story. Anna has moved to Crovie after an unhappy relationship and senses the space and sense of belonging which help her to blossom and to find what she really wants to do. There are some surprising turns of events in the novel but you are always aware of her strength of character and talent. The romance in the story is gently told, simmering just below the surface. For the most part, Robert presents a reserved and slightly sad exterior to the world but you do discover his true thoughts and emotions, partly through his actions and his love for his son. Also intriguing are the reported words addressed to the, at first, mysterious 'selkie lass'. This is ultimately a hopeful story of the strength of friendship and family. The village has a real community feel which is a testament to endurance.

In short: A story of starting over

About the Author

Sharon Gosling lives with her husband in a very remote village in northern Cumbia, where they moved to run a second-hand bookshop, Withnail Books in Penrith. She began her career in entertainment journalism, writing for magazines in the science fiction and fantasy genre, before moving on to write tie-in books for TV shows such as Stargate and the ‘re-imagined’ Battlestar Galactica. She has also written, produced and directed audio dramas based in the same genre. When she’s not writing, she creates beautiful linocut artwork and is the author of multiple children’s books. The House Beneath the Cliffs is her first adult novel. 

You can follow Sharon here: Twitter  |  Website

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Sharon Gosling, Simon & Schuster and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

 

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Giveaway (UK and ROI)
 

To win a print copy of The House Beneath the Cliffs, just Follow and Retweet the pinned tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!

 

Closing date is 28th August 2021 and there is one winner.    

 

*Terms and Conditions –  UK & ROI only  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.