Thanks NetGalley, my favorite publisher Bookouture and Liz Eeles for an ARC to review.
A charming, cozy, uplifting book where you'd wish you could go inside the book and spend some time in Heaven's Cove.
That was my first book by the author but I'd love to read more for her.
When Rosie returned reluctantly to her childhood village to bury her mother, she was grieving and couldn't wait long enough to leave gloomy Heaven's Cove and get back to sunny Spain.
Though back in Driftwood House where she grew up, she uncovered life changing secrets.
I absolutely loved the writing style and the close knit community characters, you would end up craving some delicious cream tea while reading:)

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion
Not read this author before was an okay read very light something you can pick up and down was a basic story of a daughter's guilt and what she should have done.

A wonderfully addictive read.
Rosie escaped the Devon weather and the gossiping close knit community as soon as she could. It’s the death of her mother that forced her to return. As she is going through her mother’s things she stumbles across an old photograph that changes everything. As Rosie uncovers a web of secrets and lies Rosie finds friendship and love in unexpected ways. I read this book in a day and would whole heartedly recommend it.

Put on the kettle for some tea and grab yourself a scone with jam and a generous dollop of Devonshire cream because you are going to want to binge read ‘Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea’ by Liz Eeles!

I’ve never read any of Liz’s books before, but the absolutely amazing cover art caught my attention as did the knowledge that this was a first in a new series – Driftwood House Series. Once I’d read the first few pages, I knew I’d found a great read. What a lovely mixture of mystery and clean romance all wrapped up in an endearing story featuring a quaint village on the Devon coast and its close-knit community! It’s refreshing to read a clean novel; the plot rises to the forefront rather than being bogged down with unnecessary foul language and steamy lust. After turning over the last page, I’m now eagerly awaiting the sequel as I’d love to spend more time in the tiny seaside village of Heaven’s Cove.

It all begins when Rosie Merchant makes a trip back home for her mother’s funeral. She’s got the daunting task of sorting out her mother’s belongings and closing up the cottage. It doesn’t take long before the call of the Devon coast and the childhood memories call to her and cause her to question her decision. Perhaps she can have her cake and eat it too; fix up the cottage for rent and use it as a source of income while maintaining to live in Spain. Once in the attic, she discovers a locked box containing her mother’s most precious memories. As she seeks to understand the assortment of photos and documents, the pull to remain in the last house before the sea becomes stronger. Armed with determination, Rosie sets out to uncover secrets. What she hadn’t planned on was learning more about herself in the process of fighting for Driftwood House.

The cast of characters is fantastic; you’ll find a sarcastic gossiper, a nosey shop keeper, an old curmudgeon and his cold and indifferent wife, a lonely soul with a broken heart, and a couple struggling to keep a farm going while dealing with health issues. Liz writes so that you feel you belong in the village and this has the advantage of pulling you into the story and become invested in village life. The realistic and believable multidimensional characters showcase the well-paced plot. You’ll love the strong female protagonist and her message to readers. This stellar novel is to be published February 18th and I strongly encourage you to pick it up and visit Heaven’s Cove for yourself!

Liz Eeles’s second book in the series, and her ninth novel, also set in Heaven’s Cove and in the height of summer, features many of the favourite characters and I’m confident it will be a gripping and emotional page-turner!

“Sometimes secrets can take on a life of their own until there’s no way out.” – Midwife Morag

Thank you to Liz Eeles, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the spectacular advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rosie Merchant has returned home to Heaven’s Cove after the death of her mother. She wants to rent the house she grew upin, and give herself time to grieve her unimaginable loss. But Driftwood House is in serious disrepair; luckily local farmer, Liam, offers to help with the repairs and soon the two are thick as thieves. When Rosie discovers a photo in the attic that brings to light a devastating family secret, she’s shocked and confused. Liam is no help, his only concern seems to be for the potential fallout for his farm. Has Rosie given her heart, only to have it broken, again? A lovely read, full of quirky characters and village life

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Secrets At The Last House Before The Sea' by Liz Eeles.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 18th February 2021

This is the first book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in her 'Driftwood House' series.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. I was also looking for something a bit more lighthearted to my typical crime genre and this looked perfect. It also stated in the synopsis that fans of Debbie Macomber will adore this book. I am a fan of Debbie's books so am looking forward to see if it loves up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 32 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Devon, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited Devon on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere mentioned in the book.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Rosie and Liam. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out on anything.

An absolutely beautifully written book whose vivid descriptions completely arrested my attention. The cover and synopsis suited the storyline perfectly.

The storyline itself is captivating and heart warming. A perfect summer read filled with mystery, romance, deceit and is perfect for anyone looking for an escape. I was absolutely hooked from page one until 1.30am in the morning when I finished having not being able to put it down. I must admit I wasn't completely shocked when a certain mystery was revealed but there were a few other parts that quite surprised me. The overall atmosphere worked perfectly with the storyline and I felt myself surrounded by the sea and sounds of Devon and most definitely wanting to go back. The plot was very realistic making it all very easy to picture.

The characters were vivid, strong and realistic and I loved the community surrounding the area. The author captured a typical village lifestyle perfectly. I loved getting to know Rosie and Liam along with Nessa and many of the other lovely characters. As with reality you can't get along with everyone and I could not stand Katrina!!! It was great watching how all the characters developed and bonded throughout the book and I think some of them will stay with me for a long time. It's always great seeing strong female leads in books and Rosie was definitely kick a#%e!! Herself and Liam had both been through several tragedies, Rosie especially yet she would not lay down or bend to the will of others. I am hoping to read more about how they get on in what truly promises to be an epic series!!

Overall a heart warming, charming page turning perfect start to what promises to be an epic series!!!

Genres covered in this novel include Women's Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Debbie Macomer, Summer and beach reads and anyone looking for a relaxing heart warming read.

332 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Some people you have known all your life, but how well did you know them actually? It seems like there are some important things you were never told or even lied to about.
For some people you have a vision in your head formed on things you saw, but are they really like that? Maybe they were, but that does not mean they still are now.
Sometimes the truth is kept hidden, because you want to protect yourself and your family and you made a promise. You do it in good faith, but do you realize that you hurt other people in the process? Probably not, but that does not mean it hurts any less.
The persons that were left in the dark feel betrayed and guilty. Betrayed because they feel that they could not be trusted with the facts and guilty because they have treated loved ones in a bad way.
What is done, is done though and you can only try to make the best of it. When one door closes, a new one can be opened even if what’s behind it not what you expected.
A lovely story where secrets are unravelled, cheaters get what they deserve and love is found where they least expected it.

Thank you, Liz Eeles and Bookouture