Romance

Aunt Ivy's Cottage

Aunt Ivy's Cottage

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  • Create Date：2021-03-18 03:15:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Kristin Harper
  • ISBN：B08L885ZG6
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Summary

Up in the attic， with views across the sparkling bay， she opens the lid of the carved trunk。 Carefully moving aside the delicate linen wedding dress once worn by her great-aunt， she unpacks all the smaller boxes inside until she finds the leather-bound diary。 She knows this will change everything…

All Zoey’s happiest childhood memories are of her great-aunt Ivy’s rickety cottage on Dune Island， being spoiled with cranberry ice cream and watching the tides change from the rooftop。 Now， heartbroken from a recent breakup， Zoey can see her elderly aunt’s spark is fading， and decides to move to the island so they can care for each other。

When she arrives to find her cousin， Mark， sitting at the solid oak kitchen table， she knows why Aunt Ivy hasn’t been herself。 Because Mark—next in line to inherit the house—is pushing Ivy to move into a nursing home。

With the cousins clashing over what’s best for Ivy， Zoey is surprised when the local carpenter who’s working on Ivy’s cottage takes her side。 As he offers Zoey comfort， the two grow close。 Together， they make a discovery in the attic that links the family to the mysterious and reclusive local lighthouse keeper， and throws doubt on Mark’s claim…

Now Zoey has a heartbreaking choice to make。 The discovery could keep Ivy in the house she’s loved her whole life… but can Zoey trust that the carpenter really has Ivy’s best interests at heart？ And will dredging up an old secret destroy the peace and happiness of Ivy’s final years—and tear this family apart for good？

A stunning and emotional read about old secrets， new love and never forgetting the importance of family。 Perfect for fans of Mary Ellen Taylor， Robyn Carr and Mary Alice Monroe。

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Reviews

Debbie ，

While I enjoyed the story and the setting， I didn't much care for Zoey through most of the book。 She waffled and worried and agonized for the first three-fourths of the book， full of more angst than the niece she was supposed to be mentoring。 I kept waiting for her to take an deep breath and actually have an adult conversation with her cousin。 She did， eventually， but it would have been a shorter and better story if that had happened sooner。 I liked all of the other characters just fine， which i While I enjoyed the story and the setting， I didn't much care for Zoey through most of the book。 She waffled and worried and agonized for the first three-fourths of the book， full of more angst than the niece she was supposed to be mentoring。 I kept waiting for her to take an deep breath and actually have an adult conversation with her cousin。 She did， eventually， but it would have been a shorter and better story if that had happened sooner。 I liked all of the other characters just fine， which is why I kept reading。 This is the first time I've been a bit disappointed by any of this author's books， so it won't stop me from reading more of her work。 。。。more

Mary-Megan ，

This book was a miss for me。 By no means was it terrible， but it wasn't wonderful either。 To some degree I feel as though I was misled by the description。 I did not find it particularly gripping or emotional。 The story basically felt like Zoey caring for her aging great-aunt and her niece while preventing her cousin from undermining the great-aunt and stealing the family home。 As for the family secrets and ensuing mystery， it was hardly there until the last 20% of the book and then it was wrappe This book was a miss for me。 By no means was it terrible， but it wasn't wonderful either。 To some degree I feel as though I was misled by the description。 I did not find it particularly gripping or emotional。 The story basically felt like Zoey caring for her aging great-aunt and her niece while preventing her cousin from undermining the great-aunt and stealing the family home。 As for the family secrets and ensuing mystery， it was hardly there until the last 20% of the book and then it was wrapped up in such a neat bow that I wanted to roll my eyes。 In terms of the blossoming "romance，" the whole thing was lukewarm at best and only seemed to happen because he was the only man her age in the story besides her cousin。 I did not find myself swooning over him or really rooting for them to get together。 The writing style also grated against some of my pet peeves， so that turned me off the novel。 In the end， the book just left me feeling meh - neither ready to toss it in the bin or wanting to sing its praises。I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more

Tracey S Choat ，

Not my cup of teaThis is not the genre of books I normally read so its hard for me to rate。 I found it incredibly predictable 。 it's a clean read， no sex scenes or bad language。 Not my cup of teaThis is not the genre of books I normally read so its hard for me to rate。 I found it incredibly predictable 。 it's a clean read， no sex scenes or bad language。 。。。more

thewoollygeek （tea， cake， crochet & books） ，

Absolutely loved this， I really couldn’t put it down and devoured it in one sitting。 This is the second book in a series， but I hadn’t read the first， I found it didn’t make a difference at all and I didn’t feel I was missing out on anything at all having not read it （although I’m going to now as I loved this so much） Great characters， such wonderful community and I just wanted to be a part of it。 Brilliant and well written， a fantastic readThanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy f Absolutely loved this， I really couldn’t put it down and devoured it in one sitting。 This is the second book in a series， but I hadn’t read the first， I found it didn’t make a difference at all and I didn’t feel I was missing out on anything at all having not read it （although I’m going to now as I loved this so much） Great characters， such wonderful community and I just wanted to be a part of it。 Brilliant and well written， a fantastic readThanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion 。。。more

Claires Wine Books and Reviews ，

I love the sound of the location。Ivy's cottage is more like a big old house that sounds amazing the descriptions through the book of it and Dune Island as a whole make me want to live there。This was the first book of Kristin Harper's that I have read。 Even though I found out later there is another Dune Island book this doesn't need to be read for this story。I found that the flow of this wasn't quite what I was expecting there were parts where I was very engrossed but at others I was struggling t I love the sound of the location。Ivy's cottage is more like a big old house that sounds amazing the descriptions through the book of it and Dune Island as a whole make me want to live there。This was the first book of Kristin Harper's that I have read。 Even though I found out later there is another Dune Island book this doesn't need to be read for this story。I found that the flow of this wasn't quite what I was expecting there were parts where I was very engrossed but at others I was struggling to keep going。 The ending especially between Zoey and Cousin Mark while gave an unexpected twist also felt too rushed。 The writing of this with the descriptions especially pulled me in and the premise of the book was great。 I would definitely read more of her work as overall I did like the book。  。。。more

Emma Yasinski ，

Great book！ Cant wait for the next

Rachael Bermingham ，

This was quite an enjoyable light read with a few little twists and turns。 Don’t expect much character development or great dialogue but nevertheless a good page turner。

Tahera ，

Aunt Ivy's Cottage is the 2nd book in the Dune Island series。 After reading the first book I expected the series to be a continuation of the characters introduced there but instead we have all new characters who are located in a different hamlet of Dune Island although three of the main characters of the first book do make a friendly appearance in this one。 The plot line of this book too revolves around a family cottage and the hidden secrets it holds。。。。secrets of love lost and gained， the ques Aunt Ivy's Cottage is the 2nd book in the Dune Island series。 After reading the first book I expected the series to be a continuation of the characters introduced there but instead we have all new characters who are located in a different hamlet of Dune Island although three of the main characters of the first book do make a friendly appearance in this one。 The plot line of this book too revolves around a family cottage and the hidden secrets it holds。。。。secrets of love lost and gained， the question of paternity and who exactly is the true heir of the cottage。 Again the the town， the cottage and it surroundings is beautifully described。 There are a few touching and emotional moments but I felt the ending was a bit rushed。。。it was odd to see Mark come to terms with the truth so easily in the end since he， as the main antagonist， was hell bent on getting his hands on the cottage by any means up until the end of the book。 Overall， I liked it but a little less than the first book in the series; however， I do look forward to seeing which hamlet and new characters the author brings to us in the next book。 P。 S。: The cover is beautiful 💖。 My thanks to NetGalley， the publisher Bookouture and the author Kristin Harper for the e-Arc of the book。 The book was published on 7th December 2020。Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨💫。 。。。more

Kirstie Cooper ，

Although this is book 2 in the series， you could easily read this as a standalone and it wouldn't make any difference to your reading - it very briefly mentions the characters from the first book but you don't need to know who they are。This book took me on a huge journey throughout and yet again I couldn't put it down as I wanted to find out what the family secret was as much as Zoey did！ There was a budding romance， as well as heartache， hope， and looking back on the past - it literally covered Although this is book 2 in the series， you could easily read this as a standalone and it wouldn't make any difference to your reading - it very briefly mentions the characters from the first book but you don't need to know who they are。This book took me on a huge journey throughout and yet again I couldn't put it down as I wanted to find out what the family secret was as much as Zoey did！ There was a budding romance， as well as heartache， hope， and looking back on the past - it literally covered everything，At one point I genuinely had a lump in my throat， and my eyes welled up as without realising I had got caught up in the family feel of the book。 Will definitely be looking out for more books in this series and by this author when they come out。 。。。more

Wendy ，

Just a light read - perfect for me during the busy holidays

Shalini ，

Families and hidden secrets were one of my most favorite tropes in fiction， after thrillers obviously。 This book had them in plenty。 Love for the elderly shone through， a fact I absolutely felt was so essential in today’s fast life。 The author Kristin Harper captured that emotion in the words chosen in the story。My first book by her， I respected the way Zoey loved her great-aunts and cared for them。 Her grief in losing one of them was well depicted。 On the other hand， Mark came across as the gru Families and hidden secrets were one of my most favorite tropes in fiction， after thrillers obviously。 This book had them in plenty。 Love for the elderly shone through， a fact I absolutely felt was so essential in today’s fast life。 The author Kristin Harper captured that emotion in the words chosen in the story。My first book by her， I respected the way Zoey loved her great-aunts and cared for them。 Her grief in losing one of them was well depicted。 On the other hand， Mark came across as the grubby， selfish man who wanted to send his great-aunt to the assisted living so that he could make use of the family home as a site to have weddings。A secret in the attic caused the mystery to come into the open， and it was up to Zoey to deal with them。 She was good in her relationship with her aunts。 I loved how her protective nature for them leaped through the prose， but she was quite prone to heated emotions and instant mood change。 But since I was like that in real life， I didn’t mind that。 Her budding relationship with carpenter Nick seemed sweet。 I was glad that the story was not romance-heavy。I expected Mark to be a great antagonist， but he disappointed me。 His section at the end was wrapped up too fast。 That was a pity as he provided spice to the sweetened tale。 The pace at times seemed too erratic， and all the characters could have been given greater depths so that they touched my and evoked my emotions， even anger。Overall， a richly descriptive prose along with sensitive moments filled with emotions， love for the aunts made this a soothing read。 。。。more

Shirley ，

This was such a sweet story of love between family and friends。 Lots of twists throughout， but a very enjoyable read。

Julia ，

Aunt Ivy’s Cottage by Kristin Harper is a delightfully charming contemporary novel about love and family。 It is the second book in the Dune Island series but can be read as a stand-alone。The novel is about a love that has travelled down the generations and is now passed between three generations as they share time together in the old family house。 The love and memories are entwined in the very fabric of the house。 It is a house where love and care live。A casual remark opens up a mystery to be so Aunt Ivy’s Cottage by Kristin Harper is a delightfully charming contemporary novel about love and family。 It is the second book in the Dune Island series but can be read as a stand-alone。The novel is about a love that has travelled down the generations and is now passed between three generations as they share time together in the old family house。 The love and memories are entwined in the very fabric of the house。 It is a house where love and care live。A casual remark opens up a mystery to be solved。 The reader is just as keen as the characters to know the answer。Life is not always kind。 There have been some hard losses but memories and love help with the healing process。As the house is renovated and restored， this is mirrored in characters’ lives as fractured lives begin to mend。The characters were warm， realistic and welcoming。 Their love reached out， enveloping all including the reader。Aunt Ivy’s Cottage was a beautiful gentle read that will swell your heart and make you smile。Legacies are not about money。 Legacies are about the love we leave behind。I received this book for free。 A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own。 。。。more

Carol ，

I was drawn to this book by the cover and by the fact that I had read the first book in the series。 I really enjoyed the book， in fact I stayed up until 3am be cause I couldn't put it down。 The first thing I'll tell you is that the description doesn't match the book， I still chose to read it。 The second thing is if you're not interested in the quintessential beach read， this book isn't for you。 The characters are interesting， Aunt Ivy and Gabi， were my favorites and the story is well written。 I I was drawn to this book by the cover and by the fact that I had read the first book in the series。 I really enjoyed the book， in fact I stayed up until 3am be cause I couldn't put it down。 The first thing I'll tell you is that the description doesn't match the book， I still chose to read it。 The second thing is if you're not interested in the quintessential beach read， this book isn't for you。 The characters are interesting， Aunt Ivy and Gabi， were my favorites and the story is well written。 I will definitely be reading more by this author。 。。。more

Bree T ，

I actually didn’t realise this was second in a series until after I finished it but I don’t think it matters – I think it’s only the location that is the same and this can be read as a stand alone。Zoey recently lost her job and her relationship ended in a devastating way。 She’s moved back to Dune Island and the big family home that she and her sister spent their summers in growing up， where her great-aunt Ivy lives alone now。 Zoey’s priority is taking care of Ivy， helping her through her grief a I actually didn’t realise this was second in a series until after I finished it but I don’t think it matters – I think it’s only the location that is the same and this can be read as a stand alone。Zoey recently lost her job and her relationship ended in a devastating way。 She’s moved back to Dune Island and the big family home that she and her sister spent their summers in growing up， where her great-aunt Ivy lives alone now。 Zoey’s priority is taking care of Ivy， helping her through her grief and making sure her greedy cousin Mark， who will inherit the property （although a stipulation means it cannot be sold） doesn’t force Ivy out before she’s truly ready to leave the home she’s lived in for decades。 Zoey also takes charge of her teenage niece due to some family issues and she’s also looking for a new job so she has a lot on her plate。There was a lot about this book I enjoyed。 I love the setting， the descriptions of the grand old houses with stunning views and how the house had been in Zoey’s family for many years。 Ivy， the current owner of the house， was incredibly generous with it – she had no children herself but loved having the children of her siblings and their children over， especially for summer holidays。 Zoey and her sister Jessica grew up loving those summers and Zoey has very sentimental feelings about the house and a great love for her aunt Ivy。 She’s never really gotten on with Mark， her spoiled cousin who is always being bailed out and babied by the older generation and as the one who will inherit， Mark seems to suddenly be making a lot of plans， like organising a kitchen renovation。 It seems he wants everything done before he inherits it， so that his outlay will be minimal but then he can rent it out and enjoy the returns。 Zoey is incensed at what she perceives to be Mark’s taking advantage of an older lady who is in a vulnerable state， if not outright bullying。I loved the story of Ivy and her sister-in-law Sylvia， the glimpses into the past and the slight element of mystery that surrounded the family line。 I also liked Zoey and her dedication to taking care of Ivy and making sure that she was able to live as she wanted to， rather than the way anyone else wanted。 She also has a lot of dedication to her niece as well， who is going through quite a difficult time and has a lot of upheaval in her life。 Zoey also meets Nick， a local contractor engaged to look at the kitchen renovation and at first， Zoey is highly suspicious of him， thinking he’s a friend of Mark’s。 But the more time Nick spends around her， the more she realises she had it wrong and they become friends…and Zoey wonders if there might be the potential for something more。However， I did find a lot of the conflict between Zoey and Nicholas， quite childish。 Zoey flies off the handle regularly， even after knowing Nick she ends up overhearing something that makes her believe the worst in him and instead of asking him about it like a mature adult， she acts like a sulky child。 It made it difficult to see why Nick would be interested in her， the amount of times she was stand-offish or outright hostile towards him。 Also running through the story is a plot thread about who should inherit the house – it passes to the oldest living relative and cannot be sold or transferred out of the family， no matter what。 There are hints that Mark might not have a claim to it and Zoey does occupy herself with looking for some evidence， but in a kind of half-hearted way。 However the way in which this resolved felt quite unrealistic and involved a serious 180 in character for one person。 It felt quite weak， in comparison to the rest of the story， which I felt was mostly quite strong。 It was very neat but the biggest thing didn’t actually happen on page as such， but was glossed over， which I thought was disappointing。Despite my feelings about that particular part of the story， I enjoyed this quite a bit and I’d read more of this series。 。。。more

Allyson ，

Thank you to Netgalley， the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion。I really enjoyed this book， it was a lovely quick read， perfect for reading while curled up with cocoa during a winter storm。， a nice escape to a warmer climate。 While Zoey l‘s life has taken a wrong turn， leaving her almost destitute and unemployed， she stays with her two elderly aunts while one of them is at Thank you to Netgalley， the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion。I really enjoyed this book， it was a lovely quick read， perfect for reading while curled up with cocoa during a winter storm。， a nice escape to a warmer climate。 While Zoey l‘s life has taken a wrong turn， leaving her almost destitute and unemployed， she stays with her two elderly aunts while one of them is at the end of her life， in the family home by the sea。 When her aunt Sylvia passes she stays to help out her aunt Ivy to whom the home currently belongs to assist her and to try to get her life together。 Her orphaned niece needs a place to stay for a few months and comes to stay at the home with them。 This book is a lovely story about three generations of a family and their bonding， about getting to know one another and themselves。 The center of it all is the home， with it’s beautiful widow’s walk。 For Zoey， knowing that it will go to her cousin Mark kind of hurts her， but as it is to be passed to the oldest blood relative she knows it is a done deal but what about the town rumours that Mark may not be a blood relative， could they be true， if so， the home will be hers。 I enjoyed this book and the characters were well written。 I felt like the end was kind of rushed but still good。Will definitely be looking for more books by this author。 。。。more

Clare ，

Following a recent break up and loss of her job Zoey finds herself back at one of the happiest places of her childhood， her Aunt Ivy’s cottage on Dune Island。 She knows her Aunt is struggling with the house， especially since her sister-in-law recently passed away but Zoey is perturbed when she arrives to see her cousin Mark at the house。 He is keen for Aunt Ivy to go into a care home because he thinks she isn’t coping well with the upkeep of the house。 Zoey thinks he wants Aunt Ivy to leave so h Following a recent break up and loss of her job Zoey finds herself back at one of the happiest places of her childhood， her Aunt Ivy’s cottage on Dune Island。 She knows her Aunt is struggling with the house， especially since her sister-in-law recently passed away but Zoey is perturbed when she arrives to see her cousin Mark at the house。 He is keen for Aunt Ivy to go into a care home because he thinks she isn’t coping well with the upkeep of the house。 Zoey thinks he wants Aunt Ivy to leave so he can get his hands on the house he is due to inherit when Ivy passes away。 Zoey does her best to help her Aunt but can’t help but think that maybe Mark has a point， and that Aunt Ivy is not going to be able to cope when she returns back home。 With work needing to be done on the home a local carpenter comes to help。 Over time Nick and Zoey get to know each other but due to past hurt Zoey is wary and doesn’t fully trust if Nick has Aunt Ivy’s best interests at heart or Marks。 The first thing I want to say about this book is that Zoey has got to be one of the biggest worries out there。 She literally frets， worry， stresses about everything possible and it was starting to get a bit annoying as the story went on。 I wanted to reach into the book and grab her by the shoulders for a damn good shake。 The bit with the rose bushes really was really her lowest point （you’ll understand when you read it）I also felt that the end of the book seemed a bit anticlimactic， I was expecting a bit more of a blow out from Mark。 Throughout the majority of the book Mark is painted as a really unpleasant character who is out to manipulate his relatives to get what he wants。 In the closing part of the story you get to find out a little more about Mark which tries to paint him in a more positive light。 I think this could have been developed a bit further so you can really make you mind up about him。 I felt like I was meant to have a bit of sympathy for him but at the end I still thought he was pretty horrible。 I liked that this was a well developed book， and that there was more than one story run through it。 I felt the glimpses to the past helped to provide more depth to the characters in the present and you really got a sense of how important that house was to everyone who had stayed there。 I do think the ending wasn’t as much of a surprise as I think it could have been but the growing relationship between Nick and Zoey was well done。 。。。more

Chrissy Guinery ，

Aunt Ivy's Cottage cover looked more intriging than I found reading the book， yet I know how difficult it is to write a novel that ticks all the boxes！One of my irks was the continuous whiny way the characters performed for the second half of the book。 Others include， for me， that the 'badie' Mark seemed a non-event and the 'romance' lacked spark， YET， to be fair here， I had just finished reading a gripping Harlan Coben book， so I knew whatever I read could fall short of the mark。So， let's get t Aunt Ivy's Cottage cover looked more intriging than I found reading the book， yet I know how difficult it is to write a novel that ticks all the boxes！One of my irks was the continuous whiny way the characters performed for the second half of the book。 Others include， for me， that the 'badie' Mark seemed a non-event and the 'romance' lacked spark， YET， to be fair here， I had just finished reading a gripping Harlan Coben book， so I knew whatever I read could fall short of the mark。So， let's get to what I enjoyed 。。。like the sense of family loyalty， the stories and generational connections， and Zoey's often kind interpretation of others' reactions。 The conflicts between the teenage niece， her step-mother and her aunt， were well portrayed and realistic。 I relaxed into the idea of the rambling old home overlooking the wide ocean and enjoyed the escapism。 。。。more

Sheree Ross ，

Interesting May have been a great read for some， but for me it dragged out just a little。 I like the island setting and think more on that may have helped。

Karen Tebbutt ，

I have just finished this beautifully written book by Kristin Harper。 It was brilliant and had me totally engrossed from the beginning。Highly recommended and definitely a 5☆ from me。 I cannot wait to discover more of Kristin's books。 Many thanks to Kristin， NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review。 I have just finished this beautifully written book by Kristin Harper。 It was brilliant and had me totally engrossed from the beginning。Highly recommended and definitely a 5☆ from me。 I cannot wait to discover more of Kristin's books。 Many thanks to Kristin， NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review。 。。。more

Pam ，

A charming novel。 Recommended！

Sheila Alexander ，

The writing was good， but I was disappointed in how the author seemed to rush for an ending。 The story just fizzled out at the end！

J_Mc 251 ，

***Review to follow***

Donna ，

A most enjoyable book that I had set aside for a day where I could have hours of undisturbed reading。 Glad I did so as I couldn’t put it down from start to finish。 A tale of family and friendship with a slow burning romance built in。 The characters were strong， love them or hate them in some cases。 Secrets were revealed， complete with a red herring。 An excellent read。

Sally Smiley ，

A Lovely BookI am not sure if I would classify this book as totally gripping mystery， but it was enjoyable。 The reader will learn to like the characters， and be interested in their lives。 There is a slight mystery that gets solved by story's end， but by then the reader has just enjoyed the story for its own sake。 A Lovely BookI am not sure if I would classify this book as totally gripping mystery， but it was enjoyable。 The reader will learn to like the characters， and be interested in their lives。 There is a slight mystery that gets solved by story's end， but by then the reader has just enjoyed the story for its own sake。 。。。more

Melinda Anders ，

Aunt Sylvia has died and left everyone at sorts especially Aunt Ivy that has been with Sylvia for decades。 Sylvia married Ivy's brother and the two women were like sisters。 Zoey has been living with the women since she has lose her job。 Her cousin Mark keeps dropping in and out and wants to rent the house out to tourist on Dune Island。 Zoey's niece Gabi comes to live there as well。A story about lose and love in a 。family。 Plus how family can help each other in times of crisis。 Aunt Sylvia has died and left everyone at sorts especially Aunt Ivy that has been with Sylvia for decades。 Sylvia married Ivy's brother and the two women were like sisters。 Zoey has been living with the women since she has lose her job。 Her cousin Mark keeps dropping in and out and wants to rent the house out to tourist on Dune Island。 Zoey's niece Gabi comes to live there as well。A story about lose and love in a 。family。 Plus how family can help each other in times of crisis。 。。。more

Joni Owens ，

Slow start but a good family story about love and loss。 The book isn’t just a regular family/romance story。 It’s a family mystery。 This book has so many layers and it’s complexity is wonderful。 My favorite character/s isn’t even a person。 It’s the Island and the house。 Such a lovely story。

Ellie at BookBucket ，

https://book-bucket。com/2020/12/21/au。。。This was a lovely story about relationships - with complex siblings， with tricky cousins， with mysterious aunts， difficult teenagers， and with hunky handymen。 All in the idyllic setting of an old cottage in a small community on an island。 It has all the ingredients I like and the romance wasn't syrupy。 Very enjoyable。 https://book-bucket。com/2020/12/21/au。。。This was a lovely story about relationships - with complex siblings， with tricky cousins， with mysterious aunts， difficult teenagers， and with hunky handymen。 All in the idyllic setting of an old cottage in a small community on an island。 It has all the ingredients I like and the romance wasn't syrupy。 Very enjoyable。 。。。more

Mystica ，

Zoey has returned to her Aunt Ivy's home as she is ill and needs help。 It also helps Zoey because she is out of a job， her entire savings have been swindled by her ex lover and she is in a bit of a state。 Aunt Ivy lived with Aunt Sylvia and now that Sylvia has passed away， Ivy does not seem to be able to get to grips with living again。 She is depressed， always having a odd spell， severe angina and to top it all her heir apparent Mark is snooping around trying to get his Aunt into assisted living Zoey has returned to her Aunt Ivy's home as she is ill and needs help。 It also helps Zoey because she is out of a job， her entire savings have been swindled by her ex lover and she is in a bit of a state。 Aunt Ivy lived with Aunt Sylvia and now that Sylvia has passed away， Ivy does not seem to be able to get to grips with living again。 She is depressed， always having a odd spell， severe angina and to top it all her heir apparent Mark is snooping around trying to get his Aunt into assisted living though that is not something she wants。 He is using every persuasive trick in the book to get his Aunt to move but this is something that Zoey opposes。 She feels her Aunt is happiest in her own home and eventually the property will revert to Mark。 So why is he intent on alterations， decorations and major construction whilst her Aunt is still living and happy with the situation she is in。On top of it all， Zoey has to look after her niece who is playing truant at home after her mother's death and her father's alcoholic lapses。 Managing all these is hard and trying to do what is best for everyone is not going to be smooth。 Especially in the face of a determined Mark， out to get his own way。The story is about family， about money and greed and the setting of Dune Island is quaint and a very simple background setting。 A very nice afternoon's read。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Aunt Ivy's Cottage

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Aunt Ivy's Cottage&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Aunt Ivy's Cottage&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0