Book Review:  Summer Secrets at Streamside Cottage by Samantha Tonge  @SamTongeWriter @Aria_Fiction

Summer Secrets at Streamside Cottage
by Samantha Tonge

 

Amazon  / B&N / Kobo / GP/ Apple

A new start can come from the most unexpected places…

It’s been years since Lizzie Lockhart spoke to her parents. But she was safe in the knowledge she knew everything about them. Once upon a time, they were as close as could be. Until they weren’t.
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After receiving the earth-shattering news of their passing, Lizzie decides it’s time to unearth some family secrets and find out just who her parents really were… starting with Streamside Cottage. A cottage Lizzie never knew existed, in a place she’s never heard of: the beautiful English village of Leafton.
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Leaving behind London, and the tattoo parlor she called home, Lizzie finds herself moving to the countryside. Faced with a tight-lipped community, who have secrets of their own, Lizzie is at a loss for what to do, until her rather handsome neighbor, Ben, steps in to help.
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As Lizzie finally begins to piece together the puzzle of her family history she realizes she has to confront the truth of the past in order to face her future.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘You’re talking to the person who a couple of years ago dabbled with online dating. I lied about my birth date to register. A woman asked me to send her a dirty picture.’ He covered his eyes with his hands. ‘I sent her a photo of me in my muddy cricket kit.’

 

I’ll buy us a big palace and they won’t have to work. We can eat all the chocolate we want and I’ll only wear clothes covered in glitter.

 

Have you never made a mistake? One you spent years wishing you could take back? Because if you haven’t already, believe me, it’s just a matter of time.

 

My Review:

 

I count sixteen books listed on Amazon for this crafty wordsmith and though I’d love to read them all, I’ve only gotten to four of those so far. While I have enjoyed each of those four, this one is definitely my favorite to date. There was a perfect balance of wit, family drama, villainy, curiosity arousing mystery, tragedy, and a budding romance for a young woman at a major life crossroads while uncovering long-buried family secrets. Ms. Tonge’s writing was smooth, lushly detailed, easy to fall into, and continuously engaging while shrewdly paced. She relentlessly poked at my inquisitive nature and had me fit to burst before finally revealing the well-contained family secrets, and there were several unexpected yet quite cleverly plotted outcomes. What a wily minx!

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Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK with her husband and children. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has traveled widely. When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking, and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines. She is represented by the Darley Anderson literary agency. In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins, and in 2014, her bestselling debut, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. In 2018 Forgive Me Not heralded a new direction into darker women’s fiction with publisher Canelo. In 2019 she was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association romantic comedy award.

 

 

6 Replies to “Book Review:  Summer Secrets at Streamside Cottage by Samantha Tonge  @SamTongeWriter @Aria_Fiction”

  1. This synopsis and review tick all the boxes for me. It has gone straight onto my TBR.

  2. Sounds amazing. I’m normally on the ball with Samantha’s books but I’ve been so busy this year that this one has slipped me by and I’ve not had a chance to read it. Great review

  3. ooh that cover and the title.. and your review – i am not sure how i have never read this author before now..

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