Why a Booktrail?
2000s: Shell Cottage in Devon sounds like a lovely place to escape to – but can you escape family secrets for long if at all?
Summer at Shell Cottage
What you need to know before your trail
The Tarrant family have always enjoyed their seaside holidays at Shell Cottage in Devon. Sandy beaches, smoky barbecues and the warm summer sun…
This year however things have changed. Olivia is finding it hard to cope following her husband’s death and then she discovers something that really turns her world upside down.
Daughter Freya is a busy GP and an even busier mum so it’s no wonder that something had to give but when it does, she finds herself in a difficult situation.
As for Harriet, she is looking forward to rest and relaxation with husband Robert and daughter Molly. But Roger has a secret….as does Molly……
Travel Guide
That’s the beauty of Devon – even though Silver Sands and Ennisbridge are fictional, they are representative of so many nice places in Devon. The ideal place to find a Shell Cottage of your own –
“There were seagulls dipping and wheeling above their heads, the mingled scents of cut hay, sweet peas and a briny sea tang in the air..”
A discovery of newlyweds Olivia and Alec so following his death the happy memories fade and when she returns with her son Robert what she discovers will put all those happy moments under a cloud of doubt. Retruning to a place of happy memories is often not a good idea – things change, people change and those rose glasses can easily slip.
They spend time trying to find ot the secrets of the past and discover just what kind of man Alec really was, but the real adventure sees them once again living or at least trying to relive the happy times on the beach, riding a sea tractor, Skinny dipping a la sixty year old Gloria, or collecting shells a la Molly.
“Then they had gone to Bigbury beach and they’d ridden to the island on the big wobbly sea tractor which was so exciting”
Devon comes alive from the page and is as much a part of the story as the family who revisit their happier moments there in order to move on in life but end up discovering buried secrets on the beach and shells which whisper more secrets in your ear.
Booktrailer Review
Susan @thebooktrailer:
Lucy Diamond really has a gift for showing you a place and showing how it affects her characters and their memories. Grouping these people together like this and then having them try and make it the holiday to remember wil no doubt make you thankful for your less dramatic times on the beach.
I really liked Olivia and her attempts to start again is a lot of fun to read despite the sadness she feels. Being reckless may just be the way forward and if not, she going to have a good time trying.
Gloria is another character who I completely visualised. Oh and that sea tractor, the collecting of shells in a jar, the day to day life in a holiday cottage…all lovingly evoked and I really wanted to be there!
Right off to book a cottage in Devon now – and dip my toes in the sea – hope it’s as shimmery as the book cover!
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information:
Twitter: LDiamondAuthor
Facebook: /LucyDiamondAuthor
Web: lucydiamond.co.uk
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