This is a feel good story about love and happiness. Set on a fantastic island location. I look forward to reading book 5.

I enjoyed this book. I liked that it was told from two different time periods, from both Libby and Nancy’s perspectives. And u loved that the house is what connected the two women. I definitely think I liked it more because we do get a present day story and the past as well. I love the parallel romantic relationships in the two time periods.

This is my first book by Rebecca and it definitely won’t be my last. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. Oh man this book is so freaking sweet and cute! I loved every aspect of it. It really sets the scene and makes you want to visit the Island. I love this love story so much!! Sometimes a second chance is all you need.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opporutnity to read a complimentary copy of this book in rerturn for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I really enjoy this author, she writes a great book with such lovely stories. Her characters are memorable and easy to read about. This book is a dual timeline story, taking place in the present and 1942. This is the fourth book in the Island Cottage series, but each book is easily read as a stand alone.

In the present Libby moves back home to her grandfather's cottage for work and to renovate it. She is unsure about how she feels about running into her ex, Jory, but it doesn't take long ina small community to see him. When he offers his assistance with the cottage, and they undertake finding out about a mystery she wonders if they really could be meant to be each other's forever. In the past we have the story of Nancy, a landgirl working on the island during the war and Oliver, an airman who is scarred from an air accident who she finds interesting and keeps being drawn to.

The dual timeline stories really intersected well and complemented one another. Great book, cannot wait for the next book in The island Cottage series.

Another great book in the island cottage book series. It was nice to catch up with characters old and finding out about the new characters too. It's a good read.

Rebecca Alexander’s Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is a beguiling, engrossing and entertaining summer romance that touches the heart and brings a tear to the eye.

Olivia cannot help but wonder whether her decision to spend the summer at Morwen Island might have been rather misjudged. Having grown up on the island, she is immediately assailed by old ghosts and past memories – and the heartbreak that had left her with no other choice but to leave everything that was familiar to her behind for good. Running into her first love Jory Trethewey brings to the surface old feelings she had never really got over and as that old flame rekindles while they renovate an old cottage, Olivia wonders whether she should take a leap of faith and a second chance on love or whether some things should be left in the past…

The old cottage has its own secrets and as Olivia and Jory discover a story dating back to the Second World War of a wounded airman and the woman he fell in love with, they find themselves consumed by a desperate need to uncover the truth about this love affair – which eerily has echoes to their own love story.

Can Olivia and Jory solve this decades old mystery? Will they find the strength to fight for their own romance? Or will past mistakes continue to come between them?

I was completely charmed by this uplifting, emotional and enjoyable romantic tale. Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is a wonderful story about second chances, love lost and found and healing from old wounds that made me laugh and cry. Rebecca Alexander writes with great style and flair and her story kept me glued to its pages from start to finish.

A stellar page-turner perfect for lazy summer days, Rebecca Alexander’s Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is not to be missed.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

1942, land girl Nancy arrives on the island to help with the war effort. She meets injured airman Oliver but she has her own emotional scars to contend with. Present day, Libby returns to the island she grew up on. She is engulfed by memories, happy and sad, but also has to deal with the reality of meeting up again with her former love Jory...
Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is the fourth book in a series but the first that I have read. We meet other islanders who I presume appeared in earlier books so there may be spoilers about the outcomes of their stories.
The book has a dual timeline, set in the present day as well as during WW2. The perspective alternates with each chapter so I felt equally absorbed into the lives of both Nancy and Libby. It was easy to follow the different plotlines and developments and I really enjoyed the style of writing.
There is a huge amount of emotion in both timelines as for both main characters. However, it was Nancy and Ollie's story that really pulled at my heartstrings. Both have been through so much physical and emotional pain in the past but are bravely fighting for what they believe in. Libby in the present is trying to forget Jory and focus on her career but forms a new friendship with an actor that could turn into more. This added a more lighthearted dimension to the book and I was keen for her to find happiness.
Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is an enjoyable and emotional book.

Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is a dual timeline story about two different generations in the same family. In 1942 Nancy is working as a land girl. She is working at the Aerodrome on St. Brannock's Island. They are farming all the land around the runway for others who don't have food. She meets Oliver Pederick, an airman who was injured in the war and is terrible scarred. Something about him calls to her and they strike up a friendship. Nancy has secrets, secrets she is ashamed of, but eventually tells her friend Henrietta and Ollie. When they come out, she is relieved and hopes that things will work out. The second timeline is in the present. Olivia Elliott, known as Libby, grew up on the island and is home for the summer. She is a costume designer and has been hired to make costumes for the newest actor in a period television series. Libby has some unfinished business with Jory, a neighbour and the boy she had a serious crush on while growing up. Libby moves into her grandparent's cottage and her story and theirs are told in alternating paragraphs.

This was a lovely story with two romances playing out in the same setting with two generations of the same family. Often when I read a dual timeline story, I prefer one time period over the other, but I enjoyed both of these equally. I don't want to give anymore of the story away, so will talk about how I felt as I read this book. Ollie, Libby's grandfather, was a great character. He survived his plane being shot down and was seriously injured, but he wanted to go back into the war to avenge his friends. He had a pretty good outlook considering his disfigurement from his burns and his injuries to his hand and leg. He was kind and gentle and it was easy to see why Nancy fell for him. Nancy was a go getter. She could repair tractors, support her friends, work for hours in the fields, and was willing to try anything to support the war effort. When we find out what happened to her in the past, I felt such sympathy for her and wanted to see things work out. Libby loved her grandparents and wanted to live in their cottage. When things started to go wrong, she was sure they would come up with a solution and worked to try and find it. Jory was also sweet. He wanted to see if the old feeling he and Libby had were still there, but he really bumbles it. He was insecure about her feelings as well as his new venture with designing boats. This was a sweet story, with not a lot of action, but lots of emotion that I enjoyed. Although this is the fourth book in the series, it read fine as a standalone, but I will be checking out the previous books in the series.

The duel timelines in this book were fascinating and worked fantastically well, especially with the cottage as a constant linking the characters and keeping their secrets. It is filled with emotion and you are gripped while the characters grown.

About the book

As Olivia watches the island grow larger on the horizon, she wonders if returning to this place was the right decision…
When Olivia Elliott decides to spend the summer on the remote Morwen Island where she grew up, she can’t help but wonder if returning home is a good idea. After all, she still remembers the heartbreak she left behind on those shores many years ago.
Back on the island, Olivia soon adjusts to life as an islander and rents a cottage for the summer. But, before long, she runs into her first love, Jory Trethewey, a handsome local boatbuilder who never left the remote community. And despite the fact she can still recall their painful breakup, Olivia finds she now can’t stop thinking about him…
When Jory offers to help Olivia fix up the cottage, the two begin to spend more time together. And as they renovate, they realise the house has its own secrets and they decide to put the past behind them and investigate its history.
Soon they uncover a story dating back to the Second World War, of a wounded airman who came to this island to hide from the world, and of the woman who fell in love with him, and risked everything to be with him…
As Olivia tries to find out what happened to the young woman and her airman, she finds herself frustrated by the lack of answers. What became of their story? Did risking everything for love work out for them? And, if it did, should she follow in the lovers’ footsteps, and finally trust her heart?
(Source: bookouture )

My opinion

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book 4 of the „The Island Cottage“ series.
(Can be read without prior knowledge.)

Olivia’s job brings her back home and without thinking twice, she moves into her family’s cottage. There she can work on her designs in peace and her family leaves her alone for the most part. Fortunately, she gets along well with her actor, but the two begin flirting quite quickly and spending their free time together. The island is small and the film crew is aware of the fact, which could be detrimental to Olivia. However, she does not pay attention to the danger and gives in to her feelings. Along the way, it turns out that the cottage is in dire need of renovation, and who will support the handyman? Jory, her old childhood sweetheart, whom she could never quite forget…
Olivia made a nice and sympathetic impression – she loves her job as a seamstress and costume designer in the film business. Her emotional world turns upside down when she has to choose between the actor and the consequences this connection brings and her old great love Jory.

Jory is a boat builder and also enjoys helping out as a handyman. This is also how he meets his old childhood sweetheart Olivia, for whom he still has feelings. He wants to give them a second chance, but she’s not so sure yet. Jory knows all the little secrets she had until she left and has no idea who the new Olivia is.
In itself, Jory makes a nice impression, but for me it remained too superficial. Unfortunately, you learn very little about him – I would have liked to read one or two sections from his point of view, so that you could get an insight into his head.

Nancy falls in love with a man, has two children with him and in the end it turns out that he already has another family. When his wife finds out about the second family, she takes Nancy out like a Christmas goose. With a heavy heart, Nancy separates from her children and puts them up with her mother. But then the war begins and Nancy joins the Women’s Land Army as a Land Girl, but conceals her story. When her mother dies, the children end up in Foster Care, but Nancy has no chance to reach them. While working as a Land Girl, she meets Oliver, a wounded soldier who is younger than her. At first their relationship is purely friendly, but eventually it sways and the two fall in love….
Nancy makes a nice impression, but I didn’t really warm up to her. She somehow fell short of my expectations, but fortunately she fights for her children in the end.

Oliver is a wounded soldier and has found a quiet retreat on the island with his sister. But still the war won’t let him go and he would like to fight for his country again.
Oliver remained a bit too superficial and boring for me.

The writing style is kept simple and easy, so that you can read the story without comprehension difficulties. The story is dual POV (Olivia and Nancy), which gives a good insight into the respective emotional and mental world. Also, the story is told in the present (Olivia) and the past (Nancy).

Reviews can be so subjective. What might be your cup of tea might not be mine and this was not my cup of tea. Either Nancy’s or Olivia’s story are really gripping and the connection between the two women quite superficially portrayed. I would have liked to see a closer interweaving of the two storylines.
The two love stories also failed to grab me, though I liked Nancy and Oliver’s best. The two get to know each other, there are misunderstandings and in the end the two get their happy ending together. Olivia’s dilemma, she can’t decide between the two men, I found boring and too predictable in the long run. It is clear for whom she decides in the end.
All in all, I found the book disappointing and cannot recommend it.

Oh I love gorgeous settings, dual timelines and a family discovery story all wrapped up in a shroud of romance! Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea has everything and more and it was such a joy to read.

Libby moves home to work from the family cottage, which she is also helping to renovate. As well as working, renovating, spending time with her family and connecting with an old flame, she’s come across some old family letters that tell a wonderful story. Can Libby leave her own past behind and move on with her life? And what happened to the people in the old letters?

I loved the dual timeline of this book and it worked so well. I adored Olivia’s journey to healing and her connection with Jory, but the story of the wounded airman being saved and falling in love was equally as gripping. Each time I switched timelines, I was torn between wanting to stay in the current time and also jump back into the other time to see what was happening. BOth stories kept me glued.

I loved how the cottage was a constant in both timelines - almost at the centre of both stories and linking them together through the ages. It’s a place where all the secrets hide and lurk, waiting to be revealed but also a place of great comfort to those who stay/live there too.

I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and to accompany them on their journey as they grew, loved, grieved and changed over time. They were a joy to be around and I became deeply immersed into their lives.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely seek out the other books in the lined series to read.

Olivia Elliott decides to return to Morwen Island for the summer but will the past come back to her once she is there. Will the memories taint her summer holiday? Will her first love and the feelings return once Jory Trethewey helps her fix up the cottage? And will the second world war story they uncover bring them closer together?

This story is told over two timelines and although they are two different stories they do build together and they differences in the two stories really become the same. Will love conquer heartache, past losses and hurts. This is a lovely story and has some wonderful characters.

Well written and well paced so you never get bored with one or the other stories. It is full of emotion, strength, love and life in two different times. It is beautifully descriptive and is the perfect length. I really enjoyed this book and having never read any other books by this author I will now have to go find more.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a dual timeline novel, which alternated between two generations. Set in the Second World War, we meet a woman working in the Land Army and watch as her secrets are unravelled. You are struck by the attitudes of the time to women and their place in society as they 'do their bit' to keep the farmers producing food. Fast forwards to the present day and a young women, Olivia, who is returning to her childhood island home. The community is as watchful as ever and friends and family welcome her back. There is unfinished business in her background and now she has to address her feelings and reactions to two very different men.

Each story feeds into the other. Whilst the Land Army provides an illusion of security for Nancy, Olivia's family certainly do support her. It seems the Second World War has not finished with her family as we find out. The Cottage stands in both stories, a symbol of love and family. The elements and the coastline have put it in danger but there are other threats as we see. This is a layered story, with some interesting and credible characters. It makes you think about the choices women in Nancy's position had at the time. Can Olivia realise what is important to her?


In short: can love conquer all?

Thank you to Bookouture for my advance electronic copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Her work as a costumer for Hollywood takes Olivia Elliot back to the Island where she grew up. She's back, she gets to spend time with her family, and she's in charge of costuming the film's handsome star, so life is good.
But it doesn't take long for her to realize that, if she's going to stay in her grandparents' old cottage, she'll need help fixing it up. And that means asking Jory Trethewey for help. But working with Jory only brings up painful memories of their breakup and what could have been. And what does it mean for her future when the movie star begins to show serious interest in her too? The cottage, as it turns out, has stories of its own, and during their work they discover the story of Nancy, a land girl on the island during World War II. She has secrets of her own, working on the island running from heartbreak and betrayal. But something about Oliver Pederick, a downed airman with whom she finds a connection, gives her reason to hope for a better future.

These dual timelines were artfully crafted around each other and around the cottage by the sea. I love the idea that an old home can have so many memories and be witness to the full spectrum of emotions and human behavior. Restoring a home was a beautiful metaphor for restoring/building a life, and it was well done. I found both female protagonists to be sympathetic and strong in their own ways, and appreciated the resolutions in the end. Rebecca Alexander was a new author for me, and I look forward to more of her work.

Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea follows Nancy and Libby. This story is told in chapters between Nancy who was a land girl in the Second World War on the islands and Libby who is in modern day. The story is based around a cottage, which has been stood firm for years, but now, is in need of repair, which when started on reveals some hidden surprises. The cottage has loads of memories from the past tied to it, as only one family has lived in it since 1942. Told over two time lines, we learn how the cottage's summer house, the place where Libby is sleeping due to work being undertaken in the Cottage, came to be built,

This is a really well written book with great characters. Both Nancy and Libby had similar troubles with their feelings and their were some great love twists. Both parts of the story are alike, feelings between characters aren’t acted on, until something happens and actions force both characters to make their true feelings known. Can Libby and Nancy overcome their troubles and find love?

Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is a great book with fabulous characters and wonderful descriptive settings. It is a brilliant read and I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend it.

Olivia Elliott needs a vacation and decides to spend her summer on the beautiful and remote Morwen Island. She grew up there and is happy to be going home. Olivia remembers the last time she was there and she had so much heartbreak when she left. She rents a beautiful and quaint cottage on the tranquil shore. Soon after arriving, she runs into Jory Trethewey who happens to be her first true love. She remembers their heartbreaking breakup as if it was yesterday. Jory is a local boatbuilder who never moved away from the island. He decided to help Olivia renovate and bring the cottage to life again. As they spend time together redecorating and renovating the cottage they uncover some of its rich history. They want to know everything they can about the cottage’s history. When they find that the history of the cottage dates back to World War II, where a wounded airman arrived at the island and hid from the war. A woman found him, and they quickly fell in love with each other and risked everything to be together. Olivia and Jory find love while exploring the history of the cottage and discovering the past is actually just as beautiful as what the future holds.

Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea authored by Rebecca Alexander was a wonderful continuation of The Island Cottage series. I love time slip novels and this one did not disappoint. The characters in this story were so amazing and I loved them all. I felt a personal connection to them as their life stories unfolded. The author does an amazing job of perfectly describing Morwen Island and the beautiful island landscape. I thoroughly enjoy this author’s writing style and will continue to seek out her stories. This phenomenal story of the past, the present and the future is one that will remain in my heart. Don’t pass up this must read series. I loved everything about it.

The same setting but two different romances -
And two different eras with different chances.
One is contemporary, the other the second world war
Both involve unexpected dangers they're not looking for.

Olivia is returning to her grandparents cottage to stay
Spending the summer, sometime working away.
Making costumes for television historical shows,
Catching up with family and folks that she knows.

Meeting her teen crush she's not looking forward to
Will she still love him? What should she do?
There's also the star she's sewing costumes for
Should she let him in or show him the door?

There's also the story of a land army woman
Who has journeyed to the island with a secret plan.
With the war, evacuees and plenty of twists, too,
She'll certainly bring along a surprise or two!

A genuine page turner, and enthralling read,
Now the next book in this brilliant series I need!
Whilst a standalone the story is emotive and so
I really hope you'll also give it - and the series - a go!

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is book four in Rebecca Alexander's Island Cottage series and introduces us to Nancy and Libby. Told over two time lines, we learn how the cottage's summer house came to be built, the place where Libby is sleeping due to work being undertaken in the Cottage. She has come back to the Island because she is a seamstress for a new actor in a popular TV series that is shooting scenes there. Along comes Jory, her first crush while at school.

Nancy is working for the land army in 1942; she meets Ollie who was badly burned but determined to fly again and they become firm friends and Nancy confides some secrets from her past in him.

Can Libby and Nancy overcome their troubles and find love? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out. Great book with fabulous characters and wonderful descriptive settings. Highly recommended

This was a hard to put down book! It’s told in dual timelines, both stories are good.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

The fourth book in the Island Cottage Series by Rebecca Alexander, Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea is an endearing story that takes place across two time periods. Much like the other books, it’s the back-and-forth storytelling between those two time periods that makes this such an intriguing read.

It’s noteworthy that you could read this book without having read the others. Is it better to read them all in order? Probably, especially since previous characters make appearances. But it’s not a requirement.

Coming Home to the Cottage by the Sea starts off with Olivia Elliott, or Libby, returning to the islands that are the setting for the entire book series. Her return is due to a set of unique circumstances. Her job as a costume designer for an upcoming television series has brought her here because it’s filming on location.

*Read my full review at Eulalie Magazine, which is linked below.
https://eulaliemagazine.com/427/coming-home-to-the-cottage-by-the-sea-is-another-endearing-story-of-two-generations-book-review/