Book Review - Coming Home to Brightwater Bay by Holly Hepburn - Blog Tour

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Title: Coming Home To Brightwater Bay

Author: Holly Hepburn

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Random Things Tours

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 21st January 2021

Rating: 5 Stars

On paper, Merina Wilde has it all: a successful career writing the kind of romantic novels that make even the hardest hearts swoon, a perfect carousel of book launches and parties to keep her social life buzzing, and a childhood sweetheart who thinks she’s a goddess. But Merry has a secret: the magic has stopped flowing from her fingers. Try as she might, she can’t summon up the sparkle that makes her stories shine. And as her deadline whooshes by, her personal life falls apart too. Alex tells her he wants something other than the future she’d always imagined for them and Merry finds herself single for the first time since – well, ever.

Desperate to get her life back on track, Merry leaves London and escapes to the windswept Orkney Islands, locking herself away in a secluded clifftop cottage to try to heal her heart and rediscover her passion for writing. But can the beauty of the islands and the kindness of strangers help Merry to fool herself into believing in love again, if only long enough to finish her book? Or is it time for her to give up the career she’s always adored and find something new to set her soul alight?

What a lovely gentle and charming book this was. 

Originally published in 4 novellas, I have read the complete combined version but could easily see how each novella would have worked well by itself.  Each part focuses around a particular event from Merry's 6 month writer in residence programme in Orkney. 

Merina needed a change of everything after Alex suddenly breaks up with her, and she is deep within the grips of writers block, and she hopes applying for and taking on 6 months in Orkney will inspire her to write again. 

I loved seeing the Orkney Islands through Merina and Niall's eyes, their enthusiasm for the area really shines through, and I really got a feel for them and their history.  

Oooh and there is a sexy viking too, and even a trip to a distillery! I loved seeing how Merina's confidence grew as the months went past.  Her inability to say no to Sheila has her starting to run, and for longer distances than she would have ever imagined.  Then there is Gordon who is a surprise neighbour and utterly adorable and hilarious! 

There is just such warmth in these pages of the characters for each other. There is a real community on the island and the sunsets sounded gorgeous.  Merina even had a chance to see a natural phenomena which lead to me being very jealous of her! 

It's such a lovely story, it I couldn't help smiling throughout reading it.  Plenty of varying storylines, and each part does indeed work on its own, although I'd recommend reading the whole book in one go, as its far more enjoyable that way! 

Thank you to Random Things Tours for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.