THE SUMMER COTTAGE (Somerset Lake 1) by Annie Rains-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 25, 2021

This summer, they’ll learn that home is where the heart is.

Somerset Lake is the perfect place for Trisha Langly and her son to start over. As the new manager for the Somerset Cottages, Trisha is instantly charmed by the property’s elderly residents and her firecracker of a new boss, Vi Fletcher. But Trisha is less enchanted by Vi’s protective grandson Jake. No matter how tempting she finds the handsome lawyer, Trisha knows that if Jake discovers the truth about her past, she’ll lose the new life she’s worked so hard to build.

Jake Fletcher left Somerset Lake after a tragic loss, but he’s returning for the summer to care for his beloved grandmother, hoping Vi will sell the run-down cottages and finally slow down. There’s just one problem: Trisha, Vi’s new employee. She’s smart, beautiful, and kind, but Jake’s job is to protect his grandmother’s interests, and his gut is telling him Trisha’s hiding something that could jeopardize Vi’s future. However, as they spend summer days renovating the property and bonding over their love for the town, Jake realizes that Trisha is a risk worth taking–if only she can trust him with her secrets . . . and her heart.

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REVIEW:THE SUMMER COTTAGE is the first instalment in Annie Rains’ contemporary, adult SOMERSET LANE romance series-a spin off from the author’s SWEETWATER SPRINGS series. This is attorney Jake Fletcher, and divorcee/single mother/ and property manager Trisha Langly’s story line. You do not have to have read the previous series to follow the current time line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Trisha and Jake) THE SUMMER COTTAGE follows single mother/divorcee Trisha Langly as she and her seven-year old son Petey embark on a new life away her home town of Sweetwater Springs where the demons from her past refuse to let go. As the new property manager for Somerset Rental Cottages Trisha finds herself looking at a long list of repairs as the cottages have fallen into a state of disarray and ruin but Trisha never expected to meet her boss’s grandson, attorney Jake Fletcher, the man with whom Trisha will fall in love. What ensues is the slow building relationship between Trisha and Jake, and the potential fall-out when the past is revealed, and Trisha finds herself looking for a new job and a new place to live.

Trisha Langy’s life was destroyed by the sins of the past, sins of her ex-husband, and in this our heroine hopes to start anew in the small town set against Somerset Lake but no matter where they go, the past continues to rear its’ ugly head, reflecting upon our heroine who is paying the penalty for her ex-husband’s crime. Jake Fletcher never wanted to return to the place that held both good and bad memories but his grandmother’s failing health means Jake and the family are hoping to sell the Somerset Cottage Rentals. Meeting single mother Trisha Langly stirs something deep within our story line hero but Trisha’s secrets are about to be exposed, and with it the family refuses to accept that she is an innocent in everything from the past.

The relationship between Trisha and Jake is one of immediate attraction but Trisha is in no position to start a romantic affair. Jake is only in town for a few weeks, just long enough to sell the rentals, and move on with his life but neither one expected to find the other. There are no $ex scenes and only a few chaste kisses.

The secondary and supporting characters include Trisha’s son Petey, Jake’s grandma Vi, and his uncle Tim, local nudist Mr. S, as well as the local busy bodies and soon to be friends-Moira, Tess, Lucy and Della Rose.

THE SUMMER COTTAGE is a slow building, and sweet story of second chances. The premise is engaging; the characters are energetic; the romance is innocent and mostly platonic, and here in lies a bit of a problem-I didn’t feel the attraction; I didn’t sense the love, the romance or anything sexually appealing between our leading couple. Trisha gave off mixed signals and continued to push our hero until the very end; Jake agreed to friendship, and they walked through the story more as acquaintances than anything else.

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

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Annie Rains is a contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional towns on the coast of North Carolina. Raised in one of America’s largest military communities, Annie often features heroes who fight for their countries, while also fighting for a place to call home and a good woman to love. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and 3 children, or reading a book by one of her favorite authors.