The Cottage by the Loch by Kennedy Kerr
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Women's fiction
Read: 20th January 2023
Published: 24th January 2023
★ 1 star
DESCRIPTION:
The cottage stood alone on a rocky outcropping at the edge of the loch. Standing in the garden amongst the wildflowers, she felt the weight of the tattered envelope in her hands. Maybe there was something keeping her here in Scotland, a secret waiting to be uncovered…
New Yorker Zelda Hicks has just lost her mother, and the only thing she knows about her father is that he was from Scotland. So a work trip to the Scottish village of Loch Cameron couldn’t be better timed. Maybe a break in the beautiful rolling hills of heather will help her reconnect with her roots and recover from her grief.
Then, on a walk around the loch one bright morning, she comes across a tiny, tumbledown cottage, nestled on the edge of the forest. The elderly owner, Gretchen Ross, invites her in for buttery shortbread, and after learning that Gretchen might lose the cottage that has been in her family forever, Zelda vows to help her. She didn’t bargain on butting heads with the handsome, blue-eyed laird Hal Cameron in the process. Zelda can’t seem to forget Hal’s shy smile and she soon learns they might have more in common than she first thought.
But when Zelda discovers a bundle of old letters hidden in the back of an antique wardrobe at the cottage, they lead her back to the mysterious Hal. Pushing Zelda to examine her own family history, the letters reveal a secret that the community has kept hidden for over a generation. Hal says he wants to help Zelda, but just as she begins to open up, she learns he isn’t being entirely honest either… Can Zelda trust him, and finally come to terms with her own past, or will uncovering this secret force her to leave Loch Cameron for good?
Fans of Susanne O’Leary, Debbie Macomber and Pamela Kelley will adore this page-turning read set in the Scottish Highlands about family secrets and starting over, from USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Kerr.
MY THOUGHTS:
I am going to be in the minority here but I found this book not to be funny or uplifting but boring. The description promised a bunch of letters being unearthed leading to a journey of discoveries. But at over 40% in and the flipping letters are still MIA...no sight of them and all that seems to be happening is Zelda going all gooey at the gruff but hunky Scottish laird, Hal Cameron, to denying an attraction to the affable bookshop store owner Ryan. I came her for the mystery into Zelda's family not a will she/won't she romance.
The story starts off in New York, which was something of a surprise as the description didn't mention anything about that, and I was expecting to dive straight into the Scottish countryside and lochs. It was only for one chapter which didn't endear me to the tale from the beginning in the busy world of magazine features editing and the uncompromising boss who demanded nothing but perfection from her staff yet was fickle about what she chose to publish at the last minute. Never mind her writers and editors worked tirelessly on their features.
We meet Zelda who is still grieving the loss of her mother and losing herself in her work. Her uncompromising boss relented to give her one weeks compassionate leave but didn't show any understanding for her loss. Zelda grew up wit only her mother as her father had left when she was just 3 years old and she has very few memories of him.
Then her boss lands her and her colleague Emery with an impromptu visit to Scotland for some feature she was wants to highlight in the next issue featuring Scottish castles in all their atmosphere. Zelda is reluctant and reveals to Emery that her father is Scottish and that presumably it is where he no lives since it was from where he hailed when he met her mother. The last thing Zelda wants is to be anywhere near where her father may be...even the same continent!
So they arrive in Scotland, photograph their feature and are preparing to leave when Zelda has an unfortunate accident which thus keeps her there far longer than planned. So while her colleague returns to New York, Zelda remains behind to enjoy some well earned time off...the first she's had in over two years. She makes friends with the locals, even the laird of the castle where they photographed their feature. But then she manages to offend him with her opinions on the castle's outdated decor and lack of online presence which could thrust the castle into the 21st century and bring in more money for the estate that obviously takes a fortune to run.
She befriends her landlady Dotty and her husband as well as Fiona from the local fashion store in Loch Cameron to Myrtle who has the most quirky little teashop she has ever seen. And then of course is Ryan from the bookshop.
And then there is Gretchen. She meets Gretchen on a walk by the loch one morning, who lives in a delightful little cottage on the banks of the loch. And this is where I expected it to start to get interesting...but those promised letters still haven't come to light and by now, I don't really care what they entail or secrets they hold or how it ties into Zelda's family history. I'm guessing it is something to do with her father...but I've no idea what and by this stage, I don't particularly care. She's too busy making eyes at, or having fantasies about, Hal Cameron or bookish Ryan. Honestly the only thing I found interesting was the beautiful Scottish scenery with it's charming character buildings, loch and atmosphere.
Needless to say, it's at this stage I gave up. But please, don't take my word for it for I am in the minority here. Plenty of other readers have enjoyed it as it is probably more their genre. I'm not a women's fiction fan which this leans more towards. So I gave up around 45%. If by that stage it fails to hold my interest, then I move on.
As I always says...life is too short to read (or endure) books you don't enjoy. Reading is subjective and what may be one's cup of tea may not be another's.
I would like to thank #KennedyKerr, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheCottageByTheLoch in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Kennedy also loves cooking and baking all types of food, which is almost as much fun as eating it. Her favourite foods include (but are not limited to) Indian food, Victoria sponge, breakfast pastries with coffee and sushi. The only thing she's not particularly keen on is artichoke, and she'd eat it, anyway.
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