One cottage, so many questions…

Synopsis

When Leonie Baxter finds herself out of a job and out of a relationship, she’s at her wits end. Her life has just been turned upside down and she needs a plan, fast.

By chance, on a walk with her rescue puppy, Leonie stumbles across a striking house in the woods; fully furnished but unoccupied. As a journalist, she is determined to find out more, after all, reporting is in her nature.

But her attempts are thwarted by Lily Cruickshank who lives in the cottage next door. Why won’t Lily help Leonie? And who is the mysterious Flynn Talbot, whose letter Leonie finds inside the house?

And in uncovering the secrets of the abandoned house, will Leonie open her own heart and let love back into her life?

The brand new escapist story from the bestselling author of A Secret Scottish Escape and A Scottish Highland Surprise, for fans of Jo Thomas, Trisha Ashley and Cathy Bramley.

My review

Journalist Leonie Baxter enjoys working for the local newspaper. But with the paper is taken over and will be a joint paper with another town, there is no longer place for Leonie.
While walking to clear her mind with her puppy in the woods, she comes across an abandoned yet wonderful cottage. Her journalistic interest is piqued, even if she is chased away by the neighbour next door, Lily Cruickshank.
However, when her new, yet not as she expected, job brings her back to the cottage, Leonie finds a letter addressed to Lily, from a Flynn Talbot.
Who is Flynn Talbot and why did he write Lily? And why is the cottage in the state it is in? These are just a few questions Leonie asks herself, yet she is determined to get them all answered, while struggling with her new job… 

Before I started reading this book, I thought I knew what kind of story this would be: woman finds an empty cottage, is intrigued by it, wants to know more, meanwhile meets a man, falls in love, discovers the mystery and lives happily ever after.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with is, as I enjoy reading these kind of stories.
And as I know this author, I was ready for being wrapped in a warm blanket filled with love and a tiny mystery.
But… the story took me by surprise and even turned out to be better than expected! 

I think we all have heard about journalists have no scruples, ready to find a story anywhere. But Leonie was the total opposite.
I liked it how she was this caring character, putting importance to each promise she makes. And when her promise gets broken, we can feel her agony of not sticking to her word and having hurt those concerned. 

Also the way she is honestly caring about Lily, despite Lily being not the most kind person around, gives us a clear idea of who Leonie truly is. It would be so easy to just walk away and forget about Lily, the cottage and the letter. But that is not who Leonie is. And she does not do it because of the story she could get out of it, but because she truly cares. 

But also the things she does to make her new job work, made me like her even more. She has now a job that couldn’t be more far away from the persona she is, and even after discovering who got the job she wanted, didn’t turn her into a resentful person, going babbling about the discovery.
On the contrary, she sees the reality and is even offering a helping hand. If that isn’t proof that Leonie is the best kind of person, I don’t know what else you need to see! 

And the mystery about the cottage and Flynn Talbot… While Leonie is trying to find Flynn, I kind of knew that it wouldn’t be an easy task and the Flynn she found, wouldn’t be the letter writing Flynn.
But that only intrigued me more, as I wanted to discover the truth. I was a bit disappointed in the behaviour of ‘found Flynn’, and the way he treats Leonie. But also, I could understand his reservations and this story wouldn’t be so amazing if opinions would change the more time passed. 

For me, the focus of this story wasn’t about Leonie and wherever her relationship with Flynn would go, but it was more about the journey Leonie makes.
Because Leonie learns that life doesn’t always go as expected, and we find ourselves in positions we don’t want to be. But it’s important to always, in any circumstance to stay true to ourselves, and not take the easy way out.
We see how Leonie shows her kindness towards people, but also holds on to her own beliefs. She would never betray someone’s trust for just a story. But she also believes that love deserves a second chance, no matter how much time has passed. 

I loved reading every aspect of this book, the romance bits, the mysteries bits, the even sometimes – grasping – for – air bits. But most of all I loved the characters, as they show us all the possible feelings: love, hope, excitement, eagerness, disappointment, anger for injustice and sense of duty.
The author managed to put this all in one wonderful book, that made me feel all mushy on the inside, while also made me put on my own investigating hat, wanting to discover the truth.
And even if the importance of the setting being in the Highlands wasn’t that much of an importance, with it being in the Highlands, it added that extra sparkle!