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The Lighthouse by the Sea by Margaret Amatt #Review #BarraSeriesBook2

  We are returning to the beautiful island of Barra for Margaret Amatt's Barra Series, The Lighthouse by the Sea. Castle in the Bay , the second in this new series was published on 27th March by Leannan Press . You can read my review  here .    His love might be the light she’s looking for After a string of disasters, music teacher Lottie Ashford is out of options. So when her well-meanin We are travelling to the beautiful island of Barra for Margaret Amatt's new Barra Series, The Castle in the Bay. The first in this new series was published on 12th April by Leannan Press . His love might be the light she’s looking for After a string of disasters, music teacher Lottie Ashford is out of options. So when her well-meaning   mother suggests she restore an old family property – a crumbling lighthouse on the remote island of Barra – Lottie reluctantly agrees. Local fitness fanatic Ruaridh Griffin has been unlucky in love. When Lottie turns up at his sister’s...
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The Start of the Story by Jane Lovering #Review

 

We are back to the Yorkshire Moors for an uplifting story from Jane Lovering. The Start of the Story was published by Boldwood on September 17th.

 
Rowan Thorpe can be forgiven for living with one foot in the past.

Since having to say goodbye far too young to the future she had planned, moving on still feels a daunting task. So, when historian Connor O’Keefe strides purposefully into her office and life, looking far too handsome for his own good and threatening to undermine the local legends she holds close to her heart, she is more than a little unsettled.

Connor has a past too, and his own reasons to keep his heart under wraps. But when a combination of fate and an unexpected snowstorm mean that Rowan and Connor have all the time in the world to swap stories, it may finally be time for an end and a new beginning.


 My Thoughts

This is a story with real bite. Rowan is living a semi-reclusive life in her cottage up on the Yorkshire Moors. Her work in academia researching folklore puts her apart from history approaches, based as it is on oral traditions rather than written evidenced facts. A visiting historian, Connor, is researching possible roman links on the moors. This brings him into  confrontation with Rowan, When they end up sharing her cottage, Rowan's life gets very complicated. 

    As the story develops you learn more about both Rowan and Connor's pasts and previous relationships. There is a lot of sadness in Rowan's life which takes Connor by surprise but which shows his empathy. The mystery of a stone slab up on the moors is a source of conflict between them. When you find out the actual reason for its existence, it is quite a shock. This story does draw you in and is a rewarding read. 

In short: new beginnings which are hard won.

About the Author

 


Jane Lovering is the bestselling and award-winning romantic comedy writer who won the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel Award in 2023 with A Cottage Full of Secrets. She lives in Yorkshire and has a cat and a bonkers terrier, as well as five children who have now left home.

 

You can follow Jane here:  Twitter  | Facebook |  Website   |  Bookbub  |  Newsletter Sign up

 Purchase links 

Thanks to Jane Lovering, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

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