Michael Phillips Continues His Sweeping Shetland Islands SagaWhen 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 … 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.
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After reading “The Inheritance” I couldn’t wait to dive into the second book in the Secrets of the Shetlands Series, “The Cottage.” I wasn’t disappointed! From the first page, the story picked up where it left off and rewarded my reading time with beautiful descriptions of the Shetlands, quirky characters from the island and the continuation of a complex story about an American woman inheriting an island (yes, the whole thing!) and how the native clan accepted and/or didn’t accept a foreigner as their new “laird.” As you can imagine, there were plenty of subplots and interesting threads that made this novel one I couldn’t put down!
That said, I felt there were three to four characters that continued the story in “The Cottage” that made the whole read very enjoyable. Unlike some series, that skip to a whole new cast of characters in the second book, this one kept the story of Loni, David, Hardy, the loud Texan McLeod and Maddy going. I was surprised to find that the thread about Maddy’s life back in Washington DC really intrigued me. Though she was a minor character, her role was very important in the story and I loved seeing her personal life develop. I was outright cheering for her towards the end! It was one of those twists you didn’t expect, yet was a perfect complement to the story.
I mentioned in my review of “The Inheritance” (book #1) that it felt like a prequel which set up the main story that would follow in the books to come… After reading “The Cottage,” I feel even more that this was the case. “The Cottage” carried the story into its most suspenseful moments and no doubt contains the scenes a reader will never forget. I know I won’t! The conflict / resolution was superb! I’m sure some readers might enjoy a story that moves a little quicker, but every Michael Phillips book I’ve ever read has taken its time setting up a deep theme that will move you towards a spiritual reevaluation of your own life. That being said, you could almost…almost…read “The Cottage” without reading “The Inheritance” and still understand what’s going on. However, I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m a big advocate of reading a series in order and I feel that the detail in book #1 helps you appreciate what goes on in book #2. But if you wanted to try it, you could. It would all be up to you!
I also loved how Phillips’ books never seem to “end.” Instead, one flows right into another as if the previous book never had an ending. That’s how “The Cottage” felt. No awkward “a year later” jumps in the story that leave you wondering what happened in that time frame – it flowed seamlessly!
Conclusion: Every time I read one of Phillips book’s, I’m like, “That’s the best book he’s ever written!” The Secrets of the Shetlands Series definitely falls into that category! “The Cottage,” which is the second book in the trilogy, is an excellent continuation of the series. You’ll never get bored with the story, there’s moments that will make you laugh and there’s times when you want to knock a character upside the head and say, “Don’t believe that jerk, they’re lying!” There were also a few chapters that went “back in time” to the 1920’s and gave a backstory to Loni’s great-grandparents. So, you even got a little historical fiction thrown in too! This book (and the series as a whole) offers the reader a little bit of everything and is written, as I already mentioned, very well. I can’t say enough good things about it!