This is what Harlequin has to say about this amazing book!
From the New
York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne comes
a brand-new novel for fans of Debbie Macomber and Susan Wiggs. RaeAnne Thayne
tells the story of an emotional homecoming that brings hope and healing to
three generations of women.
The life Olivia Harper always dreamed of isn’t so dreamy these days. The 16-hour work days are unfulfilling and so are things with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when she hears that her estranged mother, Juliet, has been seriously injured in a car accident, Liv has no choice but to pack up her life and head home to beautiful Cape Sanctuary on the Northern California coast.
It’s just for a few months—that’s what Liv keeps telling herself. But the closer she gets to Cape Sanctuary, the painful memories start flooding back: Natalie, her vibrant, passionate older sister who downward-spiraled into addiction. The fights with her mother who enabled her sister at every turn. The overdose that took Natalie, leaving her now-teenaged daughter, Caitlin, an orphan.
As Liv tries to balance her own needs with those of her injured mother and an obstinate, resentful fifteen-year-old, it becomes clear that all three Harper women have been keeping heartbreaking secrets from one another. And as those secrets are revealed, Liv, Juliet, and Caitlin will see that it’s never too late—or too early—to heal family wounds and find forgiveness.
The life Olivia Harper always dreamed of isn’t so dreamy these days. The 16-hour work days are unfulfilling and so are things with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when she hears that her estranged mother, Juliet, has been seriously injured in a car accident, Liv has no choice but to pack up her life and head home to beautiful Cape Sanctuary on the Northern California coast.
It’s just for a few months—that’s what Liv keeps telling herself. But the closer she gets to Cape Sanctuary, the painful memories start flooding back: Natalie, her vibrant, passionate older sister who downward-spiraled into addiction. The fights with her mother who enabled her sister at every turn. The overdose that took Natalie, leaving her now-teenaged daughter, Caitlin, an orphan.
As Liv tries to balance her own needs with those of her injured mother and an obstinate, resentful fifteen-year-old, it becomes clear that all three Harper women have been keeping heartbreaking secrets from one another. And as those secrets are revealed, Liv, Juliet, and Caitlin will see that it’s never too late—or too early—to heal family wounds and find forgiveness.
My review after reading the book:
Olivia has
left her busy life to come home to Cape Sanctuary to help her mother Juliet
recover from an accident. She is only going to stay a few days while her mother
has surgery and then head home. What she doesn’t plan on is her mother’s long
recovery and her ties to her home town.
Caitlin is a
teenager girl who lives with her grandmother Juliet. Her own mother died when
she was just a baby and she is longing to find her father by reading through
her mother and aunts journals she found. How can she face her aunt after
reading how she felt about her mother all those years ago.
Juliet fell
off a ladder at the garden center she owns and now needs surgery. How can she
sit still and let her daughter Olivia run the center when she knows Olivia
doesn’t even want to be there? And what about Caitlin? She has been acting odd
and maybe she is just scared her grandmother got hurt. Juliet is also hiding
something from her family. Should she tell them or try to keep hiding?
I loved the
story of these three independent women who are now thrown together again under
one roof and need to come to terms with their relationships with their families
and friends. They have to heal old wounds and open up to each other in order to
mend their relationships. It was brilliantly written by RaeAnne Thayne and you
felt drawn to each character in the story. Thank you so much to Ms. Thayne,
Harlequin and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review.
Now how about a little Q&A with RaeAnne Thayne?
1. What
made you write this story? (The "story behind the story")
That’s
a very long “story behind the story”! My husband of 34 years was adopted at
birth to a wonderful loving famiy and never knew anything about his birth
parents. He was never really interested, though I always wondered. He took a
DNA test a few years ago before going in for a major surgery, just out of
curiosity so our kids could know something about his ethnic heritage, and was
astonished a few months later when results from Ancestry.com came in linking
him to several close relatives on his maternal side. He wasn’t going to do
anything about it but through a very strange sequence of events, he eventually
connected with three half-brothers, an aunt and several uncles (including one
who has been our neighbor and friend for more than twenty years without either
us knowing the connection!). Unfortunately, my husband’s birth mother died
several years ago so he never had the chance to meet her but my husband now has
a wonderful relationship with his brothers, who have embraced and welcomed him.
I have heard of these kind of stories before and after living through the
amazing results from a simple DNA test, I wanted to write about someone trying
to trace her father. That’s one of the underlying subplots to THE SEA GLASS
COTTAGE.
2 2. Which
character do you most relate to in the story and why?
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!
3.
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!
4 4.
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!
I started out in journalism in high
school and discovered I loved telling stories. After graduating in journalism,
I spent ten years at a daily newspaper as a reporter and editor but dreamed of
writing a romance novel some day. When I was on maternity leave with our oldest
(who is now 30!), I started my first book. It took me about 5 years of
tinkering with it, dealing with rejections, rewriting and starting something
new before I sold my first two books to Bantam Loveswept in 1995. I’ve been
writing full time since 1997 when our second child was born. The Sea Glass
Cottage is my 63rd book. I get a little overwhelmed when I think
about all those words!
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.
I still consider all my books romance
novels at heart because that is the genre I have adored since I was eleven
years old. My books will always have some kind of love story in them! But my
hardcovers also have provided a wonderful chance to explore deeper relationship
issues: Healing a rift between a mother and a daughter, finding peace when a
relationship with a sister ended in tragedy, finding common ground between an
aunt and a niece.
I would probably ask Juliet why she kept
so many secrets from those who might have been able to help her deal better
with the challenges she faces.
Right new I think it’s a close tie
between Facebook and Instagram, probably weighted a little more to Facebook. I
don’t use Twitter much.
Focus on the emotions you want your
readers to feel in your stories. Readers love finding authors who can carry
them away with their storytelling, making them feel what the characters feel.
They want that emotional ride! Find the kind of stories you love to tell, focus
on your strengths and constantly keep stretching yourself in new directions.
Yes! Always J 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.
1 12. 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.
13. What
do you like best about your new book?
I love the peace and healing that
came to the characters from being honest with their loved ones and opening
their hearts to second chances.
14. Do
you have a favorite character in The Sea Glass Cottage?
This is a hard question because all
my characters become cherished friends when I’m writing a book and I love them
all but I really adore Henry. He is just an amazing hero for Juliet J
15. 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 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 some day I could say I’ve written
sixty-something of them!
Author Bio:
New York Times bestselling
author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah
mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors,
including six RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and Career
Achievement and Romance Pioneer awards from RT Book Reviews. She loves to hear
from readers and can be reached through her website at www.raeannethayne.com.
Social Links:
Twitter: @RaeAnneThayne
Instagram: @RaeAnneThayne
Thank you so much for stopping by the farmhouse. Lynn
Affiliate Disclosure: I am so blessed to be able to share and create content free of charge. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases so, please note that when you click links and purchase items, in most (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links is very much appreciated. All the items are supplies that I personally use and recommend. Thank you again for your support.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you so much for visiting and taking the time to leave a comment, I really appreciate it. Lynn