I'm always up for an easy-breezy, quick, light-hearted read full of drama and romance. 'Summer at the Coastguard Cottages' soared in some places and completely fizzled out in others. Two of the characters listed in the synopsis are barely even mentioned except in passing.

The writing is very well done. It flows easily and the descriptive narrative helps bring the Devonshire coast to life. I must say that this little romance story has made me want to take a trip down to the Devonshire coast, eat cream teas and buy myself a Border Collie and I love that aspect. A book that's able to transport you and even inspire your inner nomad is a winner to me.

There are some major problems with 'Summer at the Coastguard Cottages' by Jennifer Bohnet in regards to the characterisation and the way in which the story ended. The characterisation almost made me stop reading. Like any story worth its salt it has good guys, bad guys and a couple in between. However, Derek, Karen's husband is so two dimensional that it made reading the scenes he was in a chore. He was surly, aggressive, impulsive, dismissive and outright misogynistic to the point where that was all he was. Derek as a character had no personality and failed to bring anything to the narrative other than as a catalyst for Karen to move on with her life and start the business she'd always wanted. I can understand the need for a character such as Derek's especially in regards to the type of man he represents. I just wish he did more than throw his toys out the pram whenever things didn't go his way.

The other issue is that I felt the ending of the book just left me with endless questions. Did Carrie and Tony become a couple? What happened as a result of Karen's divorce battle? And does Carrie finally find out about her mother? I finally felt like the story was getting somewhere and building up to a great finish when it didn't. It just fell flat.

Hopefully, should I ever read another book in a similar guise by Jennifer Bohnet again, it won't be so disappointing.


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