Coming Home to Brightwater Bay

In this book we meet Merry a writer of contemporary romance who is suffering from writer’s block and whose boyfriend Alex ( she’s been with him since school days) decides to call a day on their relationship. Merry sees an advert for a writer in residence on Orkney for 6 months and decides to apply, hoping the change of scene will mend her broken heart and get her writing again.

She is met at Orkney by Niall the librarian who looks a bit like Clark Kent/ Superman ( I’m thinking Henry Cavill not Christopher Reeve), but makes a decision early on not to get involved and tells a lie that she is still with Alex.

She soon settles in to island life and does eventually start writing again albeit a historical romance based on the lives of show more two people on Orkney during WWII, this isn’t the book her publishers are expecting. She also meets an Icelandic man Magnus (described as Thor like full on Viking).

The descriptions are very good and I would like to visit Orkney.The book is full of good secondary characters including Sheila, the old lady who runs and gets Merry running with her, her friend Jess who comes to visit and a delinquent goat called Gordon.

As the story progresses you wonder which man she is going to end up with. I thoroughly enjoyed my read of this book.

This is the first Holly Hepburn book that I have read it won’t be the last and I am lucky that I have two of her other books in my bookcase ( bought because of the pretty covers). This was originally published as four novellas, this is the bind up of them all. 4.5* show less

I'm a huge fan of all things islands, especially Scottish islands, so I was really looking forward to reading Coming Home to Brightwater Bay which is set on the Orkney Islands. After a shock break up with her boyfriend alongside dealing with a bad case of writer's block, romantic novelist Merry Wilde applies to be the Orkney author in residence for six months hoping it will heal her broken heart and resuscitate her career.

I loved the description of the islands which sounded windswept and beautiful, and Merry's little croft with its log fire. She meets some wonderful new friends including librarian Niall, and Viking Magnus, and the Watsons from a nearby farm and their unruly goat, Gordon! Niall takes Merry around all the local sights and show more the author really sold Orkney to me, as I learned about the islands along with Merry.

I read this book on holiday and it was the perfect light holiday read, so easy to pick up and dive straight back into the story. I really enjoyed the journey that Merry went on from struggling writer to having a whole new future ahead of her. Coming Home to Brightwater Bay is a captivating feel-good read with delightful characters, a heart-warming storyline and an amazing setting with a cosy community feel to it. I found it so enjoyable and utterly charming. show less