Mary Ellen Taylor is a new author to me and I really enjoyed her book, Winter Cottage. The novel starts out as a seemingly simplistic story that morphs into three storylines that draw you into the novel. Lucy Kincaid was asked by her mother to bring her ashes back to her home for burial. Lucy also found out she was the owner of a place called Winter Cottage. Lucy had no idea that this was the town her mother came from. The story moves between the present, the near past and the past.

I enjoyed how the story was laid out and found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next. I think one reason I enjoyed the book so much was the drama in the past and how that information played forward into the present. I think one of my favorite characters was the unexpected visitor, who ended up staying. Having said that - I also felt that was unrealistic for this present time period. I also enjoyed have the story be centered around women within differing generations - seeing the strength of character. Mary Ellen Taylor is an author I will look for and read again. Winter Cottage was a good read.

This book hit almost all the marks for me. I love books that mix the past with the present and "Winter Cottage" definitely provided me with a wonderful read! I have never read any books by this author and will definitely be seeking more books written by her in the future.

The story is fairly simple. Girl's mother dies, she finds that mom had inherited a cottage near the Chesapeake Bay. Girl goes because she hopes to find her father there. The simplicity ends there. Lucy, the primary character, finds more questions than answers. She also discovers a lot more. But the reader should discover that! I loved the story and the characters! The reason for the one star is that I kept getting confused with the names and dates. That may be just a "me" thing, but it put me off just a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Cape Hudson, Virginia - 1988

Mrs. Catherine Buchanan, age 100, is sitting with Beth Jessup who is recording Catherine’s stories as part of a school project Beth is working on. Catherine was born in Cape Hudson in 1888. When her mother died giving birth to her seventh child and when Catherine was just age 12, the children were sent various places. Catherine went to work for the Buchanans and they book her to New York. She helped the ladies maids and soon became personal maid to Miss Victoria Buchanan who would one day be her sister-in-law. Catherine is intrigued by Beth who is interviewing her and Beth agrees to return to talk to her. They do a number of recordings as Catherine relates the history of the Winter Cottage and the Buchanan family.

Cape Hudson, Virginia - 2018

Lucy Kincaid has arrived in Cape Hudson with an urn holding her the ashes of her mother. Beth. Just before she died, Beth had inherited property which now belongs to Lucy. It is a very large home called Winter Cottage. She has driven her rickety car from Nashville bringing her mother’s dog, Dolly. She had promised her mother that she would take care of Dolly and bury her mother’s ashes in the Buchanan family graveyard at Winter Cottage. Beth is surprised how large the place is.

She meets with Hank who is handling the estate. By rights, it should have been left to him. But the will states that Lucy must life in the house for a short period of time. If she wishes to remain, she can and use the monies to fix up the place. If it’s not where she wants to live, Hank will buy her out for significantly less than the worth of the house and she must leave.

Beth had told Lucy some of the history of the place and she is intrigued to find the tapes that Bath made. Lucy is hoping to learn more about her mother’s past and maybe even find out who her father is.

The Cottage is located not far from the water and the town is small. Because there is not a lot of employment, many people have left. However, there are still those who remember Beth and word quickly gets around that Lucy is is town and people want to meet her.

The story switches back and forth in time as all of members of the wealthy Buchanan family spend some time at the house. We learn about their romances and their secrets. Even today, Beth is still trying to find the secrets that have been kept for many years.

I grew up in the Tidewater, Virginia area and am somewhat familiar with this area. The story is well-written depicting the different time periods. There is love, hate, romance, and death. If you like a small town story with secrets, this may just be the book for you.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a beautifully crafted tale artfully dancing between the past and the present. It’s a story that pulled me in and immersed me in the characters from the past as well as the present. I want to say that I felt absolutely at home reading this book.

Winter Cottage review - no spoilers -
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I got major Kate Morton vibes while reading this one - which isn't a bad thing!
Take a mysterious house, multiple time periods, and mix in some family drama and you've got the makings of a great book. Winter Cottage crosses three timelines which all link together to tell the story of the winter cottage and what it means to the main character, Lucy Kincaid who has recently returned to her late mother's hometown to honour her wishes.
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Upon her arrival she is told she has inherited the Winter Cottage (which is more like a mansion) and under certain circumstances can keep it with zero cost.
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However Lucy, used to her Nashville life, isn't certain she wants to stay in this small town but there are questions she has and this is the place to get them answered. Who is her father? What is the connection between her mother and the original owner of the winter cottage? And whose ancient bones were found at the bottom of the well on the property?
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As answers are unearthed is it too much for Lucy? Will she stay or will she go?
You gotta read it to find out. Lucky for you, it's released this month so you don't have to wait long !
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Many thanks to #netgalley and #montlakeromance for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love books that switch between time periods. This one has three eras from three different women’s point of view. Mrs. Catherine Buchanan was born in 1888 and lived to be 101 years old. Elizabeth (Beth) Kinkaid Jessup’s main role takes place when she was a senior in high school, interviewing Mrs. Buchanan for a history project in the late 1980s. Her daughter, Lucy Kinkaid, is in the present. Winter Cottage, located on the eastern shore in Cape Hudson, Virginia, ties all three together. There is a mystery as to how all three characters relate to each other. Lucy, having inherited Winter Cottage, did not know that this home even existed, much less the reasons why she now owns it. Her mother, Beth, never mentioned its existence. Hank Garrison, hoping to buy the property from Lucy, as he was next in line to inherit it, has been leasing part of the property for a vineyard and is hoping for future development. With Lucy in control, all of his dreams may be lost. Their relationship grows as they try and figure out how this inheritance came about and in discovering the secrets of her past. The lives of the Buchanan’s, the Jessups, the Hedricks, the Latimers, the Garrisons, and the Willards are brilliantly brought together. It was fascinating and I was drawn into the story from the start. I loved it! I hope that this turns into a series. [I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through NetGalley and my opinion is my own.]

Well now, I suppose it’s a good thing I took a chance on Winter Cottage since I had no idea that Mary Ellen Taylor is also known as Mary Burton who writes romantic suspense novels that I’ve read and enjoyed quite a few. Now that I’m done I can definitely see the same strong writing that pulls a reader into the story.

This story centers around Lucy Kincaid who has just lost her mother to a battle with cancer and wants to honor her mother’s last wishes of returning her ashes to her hometown of Cape Hudson, Virginia. Lucy knows nothing of her mother’s past or any extended family, it’s only been the two of them against the world her whole life as her mother chose to leave and raise Lucy on her own.

After arriving in such a small town Lucy becomes the talk of the town as she finds out that she’s been named in the will of a local resident leaving her to care for Winter Cottage. The home is a more of a sprawling mansion than a cottage and holds many secrets of the past, a past that also includes Lucy’s family lines. The home also comes with the appealing bank account holding millions for it’s upkeep so Lucy finds herself moving in and exploring her roots.

Winter Cottage is told in 3 main timelines by switching the point of view within those times. In the present of course we have Lucy but there’s also a timeline with Lucy’s mother in the late 80s and then another with the home’s original owner in the early 1900’s. This may all sound a bit confusing but it really wasn’t the changes flowed wonderfully and fit well into the present of the story. Being one that loves digging into those old family secrets I quite enjoyed the tale and would definitely recommend checking it out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

An absolute great read. The past and present converge as the two tales told in this book book unfold. Both are centered around a cottage located in a small town in Virginia. There are a great number of characters but the author did a great job of developing them all. I thought the back and forth between storylines would be confusing but I didn't find it to be at all. The blending of mystery and intrigue into the storyline kept me turning the pages. I highly recommend this one.

This book was Great!! Told by two different women in different times.
As Lucy's mom is on her death bed she tells her she wants her ashes to be taken home.
Home? Lucy has no idea what she is talking about. She always thought Nashville was home.
Lucy leaves Nashville to head for Cape Hudson, Virginia where she has just inherited a winter cottage.
Lucy is not sure what to think when she arrives, and finds out that this is not some small cottage
but a large estate. She also learns that she must live in the house for a certain amount of time or the home forfeits to the next heir. Next in line just happens to be tall and handsome Hank. He has been leasing part of the land from Lucy's grandfather for years, and now the lease is up, and Hank has big plans for the property and keeping the town of Cape Hudson alive.
Lucy has never known any family besides her mother. Returning to Beths home town, will she learn who her father is? There is so many secrets, and the this book keeps you guessing until the very end.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Winter cottage is a beautifully written book about different generations of people with a house in cape Hudson. Lucy inherited the cottage which was not a cottage at all from a woman she had never met before . The only link she had was her recently deceased mother. With nowhere else to go she heads to the cottage to dig for answers. The cottage comes with conditions Lucy has to live there for a month and all the money is to go to renovations towards the house . It seems like she’s not the only person interested in the house as well. The story was amazing and I was eagerly turning the pages and I loved so many characters in this book!

This was not a normal read for ke but was very good. Has a little mystery and keeps wanting to know more of what will happen next to Lucy and Claire. I was given a advance copy of this book and this is my opinion

When is a cottage not a cottage? That's the surprise waiting for Lucy when she arrives in Cape Hudson, Virginia. It sets her off into an exploration of her family and a search for answers. A dual time line novel, it's primarily set in 1916 and the present day but there's also an interlude in 1988 when Beth interviews Catherine about her past, which leads us to Clare. This sounds confusing but it's not. This is not a romance (although there are love interests) but an intergenerational tale of women. Thanks to NEtgalley for the ARC. For fans of family sagas.

I really enjoyed this story by Mary Ellen Taylor. I have read numerous books by Mary Burton who also writes as Mary Ellen Taylor and Ms. Burton is a must read for this reader. The author does a great job of conveying the fear, heartache and joy of the characters through multiple generations and difficult circumstances such as class differences, the onset of World War I and how the loss of a parent/s is dealt with by children of all ages from young teens to adults. This was a truly entertaining read and I will definitely be reading more of Mary Ellen Taylor’s work.

I received an advanced copy for an honest review. I loved this book! It was like Titanic meets Clue, there were so many twists and turns that kept me interested. I loved the details of the early 1900's and WW1 era, she captured the classes and culture of the times spot on. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a more literary read in romance!

I really liked this. This was my first Mary Ellen Taylor book and it was a good one. I liked the story in the story. I liked the many characters and hope to see more of them. All in all, a really good book.

This is my first time reading Mary Burton's alter persona, Mary Ellen Taylor. This "softer" side of Mary is nice. A very good change from the thrillers. Although, my favorite will be the thrillers. I enjoyed this book a lot that I will have to check out other books from this persona.

The duo storylines were good. Yet, I was more partial to the past time period of 1988 and Claire. Instantly, the emotional connection that I formed with Claire was strong. Whereas; with Lucy, it took a bit longer for me to warm up to her. However, as the story progressed and I learned her story, I did feel for her. The more I read; the more invested I became in the story as well as the characters. Thus, making this an easy and quick read. Mary Ellen Taylor pens a heart warming story that will touch readers in the heart with Winter Cottage!

Mary Ellen Taylor's latest read is a compelling drama that finds Lucy Kincaid accepting her mother's inheritance in a small Virginian town only to find that the secrets that brought her there might just be her undoing.

Winter Cottage is a unique, fast-paced romantic mystery that will completely captivate readers. I was happy to dive into this story, not only because it's set near my hometown, but because it has a gothic vibe perfect for an autumn night reading session. Lucy's exploration of Cape Hudson leads her to it's residents. Some who knew her mother, and remembered her fondly, and others filled with hope for the resurrection of their dead town. I loved that her decision to stay was up in the air until the very last few chapters. It gave her time to decide what she wanted and whether she could truly put down roots there, something she's never had to contemplate before now.

The back and forth from past and present is balanced and makes solving the mystery a unique experience. The videos that gave Lucy insight into Winter Cottage's past residents were full of secrets that pulled me further into the novel. It's so easy to get wrapped into the lives of the characters because they're realistic and full of juicy secrets! If you enjoy Mary Ellen Taylor's novels as Mary Burton, then you'll definitely enjoy Winter Cottage.
*ARC provided in consideration for review*

This is the first time I have read something under MET. This author has a way with her words that captivate you from the beginning. So prop up your feet get you a drink and snack and dive right into this awesome read. Like how we see how the past ( Mrs. B.) and present (Lucy) interconnect in this story.

“This house wasn’t bricks and mortar for her, but a tangle of memories...”

Winter Cottage is easily one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year! Everything about this book was enjoyable; the plot, the setting, and the characters. The book is about a woman, Lucy Kincaid, inheriting a house after her mother passes. Lucy never even knew about the house located where her mother grew up, nor did she know much about her mother’s past. Lucy journeys from Nashville to Cape Hudson, Virginia with her late mother’s dog, Dolly. Cape Hudson is a small town so naturally everyone knows everything about everyone and the whole town is anticipating Lucy’s arrival to see what she is like and wonder if she will keep the house or sell it and leave. And Winter Cottage, is hardly a cottage, it is a grand estate that holds the key for Lucy to find answers about her family and possibly put down roots she’s never really had.

This novel flips between past and present time periods, but it’s written well so it doesn’t get confusing and it flows well. I really enjoyed each character’s stories in the different time periods (I especially loved reading the stories told by Claire, which were set in 1916.) Overall, it was a very enjoyable read. This was the first book that I have read by Mary Ellen Taylor and I look forward to reading more. Thank you NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the opportunity to read and review this.

I really enjoyed this story. Well-written, with well-developed complex characters. The whole story was wonderful from start to finish. This would be a great book club selection.

Thank you #netgalley and #montlakeromance for the eARC.