Every so often a story pops into an author's mind driven by an idea or
image formed by an actual event. Loads of fiction is constructed
around actual parts of history. COTTAGE BY THE SEA is such a story by Debbie
Macomber, who was deeply touched by something that happened on
March 14, 2014, near Oso, Washington. Ripped from the headlines,
there was a tragic mudslide that wiped out homes and killed people in
its path. Debbie Macomber envisioned the effect this could have had
on possible survivors. Welcome to COTTAGE BY THE SEA.
What if your entire family is wiped out? Everyone but you? After the
mudslide that took her entire family away from her, the only family
Annie Marlow had left was an aunt and cousin Gabby who did all they
could to help through the quagmire of legal issues that piled on top of
an already grief stricken young woman. No amount of medicine or
counseling could get Annie to find a way to continue her life when she
had lost so much. But something her counselor said did get through:
think about a time or place where she had been happy. That place was
the rented cottage by the sea in Oceanside. Returning there brought
back many memories of happy weeks spent with her family. The town
was so inviting and hadn't change much over the years. Annie made a
decision to return to Oceanside and take advantage of a job as a PA,
promising to stay for one year. Coming to Oceanside just seemed like a
breath of fresh air and a chance to hopefully find some peace. Annie is
determined that at least for the next year she wants to live in the same
cottage that her family had rented: her happy place, her happy years.
Keaton had spied Annie thirteen years ago running on the beach with a
bunch of teenagers and her brother. Something about her caught
Keaton's eye, but true to his impossible shyness and angst about his
size, the best he could muster was a quick uneventful "hi." Annie
sweetly answered his one word greeting and on her way said she would
see him next year. But not mater how much he looked for her year after
year, Annie never returned. Keaton was always a big fellow who was
taunted by nasty names and plagued by a horrible relationship with his
father. While his life is very compartmentalized, he's a good guy, and
Annie had a place in his heart, all these years later. Now that Annie has
returned to Oceanside, Keaton knows he has to take a chance to get to
know Annie better. Will Annie learn to trust again after tragedy?
Keaton is probably the most loving character you will ever meet. And
you can't help but hope that somehow these two realize how much they
have grown to respect, need, and love each other. Along the way, they
also have some major impacts on those around them then even better.
COTTAGE BY THE SEA is an
amazing tale of rebuilding lives, day by day. I can't think of anyone
other than Debbie Macomber who could have written a romantically
hopeful story from the ashes of the death of an entire family.
A seaside town helps one young woman reclaim the light
after darkness in a brand-new novel from #1 New York
Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.
Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy,
she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside
in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family
vacations when Annie was a teenager.
Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit,
thanks in part to the folks she meets: a local painter,
Keaton, whose large frame is equal to his big heart—and who
helps Annie fix up her rental cottage by the sea; Mellie,
the reclusive, prickly landlord Annie is determined to
befriend; and Britt, a teenager with a terrible secret. But
it is Keaton to whom Annie feels most drawn. His quiet,
peaceful nature offers her both comfort and reprieve from
her grief, and the two begin to grow closer.
Then events threaten to undo the idyll Annie has come to
enjoy. And when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in her
lap, she is torn between the excitement of a new journey
toward success and the safe and secure arms of the haven—and
the man—she’s come to call home.
In this heartwarming tale, Annie finds that the surest way
to fix what is damaged within is to help others rise above
their pain and find a way to heal.
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