When Loni Ford is informed that she has inherited property in the Shetland Islands, she laughs. She wants nothing more than to sell it and be done with it. But when she arrives in the North Sea enclave, she is stunned to find that "the Cottage" is not at all what she expected, nor is David Tulloch, the man most of the islanders believe to be the rightful heir.
The locals could hardly be more surprised that the heir is a woman--and an American. Loni, in turn, finds the islanders quaint and a bit behind the times. Expecting David to be as provincial as the rest of his clan, she discovers that there is far more to the man than meets the eye. And there is something about the peaceful atmosphere of the place--and the character of its most prominent citizen--that soon gets under her skin.
Beneath the peaceful surface, however, change is threatening the island of Whale's Reef. David's cousin Hardy Tulloch, whose claim to the inheritance now in Loni's hands was backed by oil investors, has not been deterred in his aim to control the island. But his co-conspirators have plans of their own, plans that put Loni's very life in danger.
My review:
I had one just one complaint about The Inheritance, the first book in this series: it left you hanging. Thankfully, it wasn't the normal year or more for a sequel that most authors do. This book came out 5 months after I read and reviewed the book it follows.
The Cottage picks up right where The Inheritance left off. Like the book it follows, the setting is both Scotland and America, though most of the book is set in Scotland. I had not read a Micheal Phillips book in years until I read book one in this series, and I thought it the best I had ever read by him. That was matched or better in this book. I already knew from book one how the chief and laird stuff worked, so that made this book even easier to get into. There was more action and even some suspense in this one.
One intriguing part of this novel is the dialogue about spiritual matters between the two main characters. Phllips does an excellent job on dialogue as it is, but there is some deep theology that comes through the dialogue between Lonie and David. I love a Christian fiction book that makes me think, and I appreciate an author who isn't afraid to be Christian in his content.
This novel flowed well, and was one that pulled me into it right away and that I did not want to put down. The story is fascinating, and though it isn't a murder mystery, it is the type of book that had me reading as fast as I could to see what would happen next.
There were some surprises, and though the book didn't end on the cliffhanger as its predecessor did, it did leave me eager to find out what happens next in the third and final book..... which I hope comes as quickly as this one did.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
About the author:
Michael Phillips is a bestselling author who has penned more than seventy books, both fiction and nonfiction. In addition, he has served as editor/redactor of nearly thirty more books. Over the past thirty years, his persistent efforts have helped reawaken interest in the writings of nineteenth century Scotsman George MacDonald. Michael and his wife, Judy, spend time each year in Scotland, but make their home near Sacramento, California.
The Cottage and The Inheritance are available from Bethany House Publishers.
Thanks to Bethany House for the review copy.
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