I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
When Olivia Harper learns her estranged mother’s been in an accident, she packs up her life and heads home to the beautiful Cape Sanctuary on the Northern California coast. While she claims it will only be for a few months, painful memories come flooding back: her older sister’s spiral into addiction, her mother’s enabling, and the overdose that left her niece an orphan. As Olivia balances her own needs with those of her injured mother and resentful teenage niece, it’s clear all three Harper women have been keeping heartbreaking secrets from one another. But as those secrets come to light, they will see that it’s never too late to heal family wounds.
When I received this book to read, I knew that this was going to be a tear-jerker and a feel-good book, all at the same time. The main character, Olivia, is recovering from an incident and the author is careful to share the intimate parts of her spiral decline. Juliet, Olivia's mom, has a secret, too, and as all moms tend to do, she doesn't want to share it with Olivia because of the burden it will place on her. The author is crafty in the way she weaves the mother-daughter relationship throughout the book. It becomes apparent to the reader that this needs to be resolved, and the author obliges, and just in time.
We follow the lives of several minor characters as well. Their stories enrich the main characters and offer explanations as to why certain feelings and expectations occur. This book is easy to lose yourself in, something I require in a recommendation. It's about family, romance, heartbreak, it has it all! Perfect for cuddling on the couch or taking to the beach!
Full of heart, THE SEA GLASS COTTAGE (on sale March 17, 2020, Hardcover, HQN Books, 978-1-335-05587-4), is an emotional story of homecoming that brings hope and healing to three generations of women.
The author, RaeAnn Thayen, answered a few questions about her writing. Enjoy learning more about this beautiful writer.
I love all of them but probably am most drawn to Juliet, who yearns for those she loves to be happy. That’s a universal mom need, I think. Also, she hesitates to lean on others even when she really needs the help because she doesn’t want to be a burden and feels as if her role is to caretake those she loves instead of the other way around. I can definitely relate to this one!
Do you have a place you go to in order to clear your head like Olivia did?
I don’t live by the ocean, unfortunately, but I do live in the mountains of Utah. Ten minutes from my home, I can be in a gorgeous wilderness area where I can walk and think and meditate. We are heading into the most beautiful time of year here, where the mountains turn green with new growth and wildflowers begin to pop out. I can’t wait!
Is this based on a real place?
Cape Sanctuary is kind of an amalgamation of some of my favorite spots along the Pacific coast, a mix of Carmel, California and Cannon Beach, Oregon. It’s loosely based near Trinidad, California. I only wish it really existed!
What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Like all my books, the core story is that we’re all here to learn how to take care of each other. All my books have the underlying theme that our lives become better and more fulfilling when we reach out to help and lift someone else. The world can sometimes feel ugly and angry. I feel like there’s an increasing need for us all to focus on trying a little harder to be kind. Life is filled with pain and trials but it can also be beautiful and joyful at the same time.
What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
Yes! Always ☺ The last book in my Haven Point series, SUMMER AT LAKE HAVEN, comes out June 23. This is Samantha Fremont’s book, for those who have read others in the series. It also includes a surprise novella. Next up will be a standalone Christmas book in an all-new community, Silver Bells, Colorado. CHRISTMAS AT HOLIDAY HOUSE will be out in late September. And I recently spent three days at a California beach house with writer friends plotting my next hardcover and can’t wait to start writing it! THE PATH TO SUNSHINE COVE (tentative title!) will also be set in Cape Sanctuary and will be out April 2021.
Where is your favorite place to write?
I am the luckiest of writers because I have my own office. Several years ago, we made the impulsive decision to buy the house adjacent to ours. It was rundown and unsightly and kind of blighted the view from our backyard. Our plan was to fix it up to increase our own property value and then rent it out but after the renovation, I loved it too much to rent it out so I took it over. I have loved it! With a special needs son who has multiple disabilities and requires total care, life at my house is at times chaotic and messy but I always have such a sense of peace and calm when I go to my office. And I love that I can walk through the backyard in my jammies to go to work.
What inspired you to become a writer?
I have been a voracious reader all my life and have loved romance novels since I used to steal them out of my mom’s room when I was still a preadolescent! I always used to tell stories to my friends, usually involving our latest celebrity crushes. I didn’t know I was destined to become a writer at the time but when I look back, I see all the things that set me on the path. I actually wanted to be an actress and was very involved in drama in high school, including performing in a repertory theater company, but my mom persuaded me to take a journalism class in my junior year and I fell in love with telling stories. Even as I went into journalism through college and my subsequent career as a reporter and editor, I dreamed of writing a romance novel. I never imagined someday I could say I’ve written sixty-something of them!
