Showing posts with label shetland islands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shetland islands. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Fiction Book Review: The Cottage by Michael Phillips

Book Description:
When Loni Ford is informed that she has inherited property in the Shetland Islands, she laughs. She wants nothing more than to sell it and be done with it. But when she arrives in the North Sea enclave, she is stunned to find that "the Cottage" is not at all what she expected, nor is David Tulloch, the man most of the islanders believe to be the rightful heir.

The locals could hardly be more surprised that the heir is a woman--and an American. Loni, in turn, finds the islanders quaint and a bit behind the times. Expecting David to be as provincial as the rest of his clan, she discovers that there is far more to the man than meets the eye. And there is something about the peaceful atmosphere of the place--and the character of its most prominent citizen--that soon gets under her skin.

Beneath the peaceful surface, however, change is threatening the island of Whale's Reef. David's cousin Hardy Tulloch, whose claim to the inheritance now in Loni's hands was backed by oil investors, has not been deterred in his aim to control the island. But his co-conspirators have plans of their own, plans that put Loni's very life in danger.


My Thoughts:
This is the second book in the Shetland Islands Saga. The Inheritance introduced readers to the Tulloch family and their quaint island life. In The Cottage we meet the American who is next in line to take over the small community. I enjoyed book one. Book two was even better. I love the Scottish setting, the authentic dialog entwined in the conversations, and the history of the Shetland Islands. This is not a fast read, instead it's one I call a "January book"; a perfect book to curl up with this winter (or on a cool autumn day) with a cup of hot tea. This can be read as a stand-alone, but I'd recommend you read both. I like Loni and David. They're both solid characters with a whole town full of people surrounding them like a patchwork quilt. One of my favorite parts of reading this book is the peaceful beauty of the Shetlands and the pastoral life. This a long book, 416 pages. There are some places that are a bit slow, but interesting. I received this book for free from Bethany House.