The Cliff House: One hen weekend, seven secrets… but only one worth killing for

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Daisy Davenport McClure and her sister Bea’s childhood had a positive outcome because of their Aunt Stella. She took them in when their mother died of a drug overdose. The trauma before and after their mother’s death affected their entire lives, even though Stella’s love softened the memories. I don’t want to go into too much detail about the book as that wouldn’t be fair on the readers or the author, however, there were certain elements of the book which I was able to relate to unexpectedly. The main one which made me sit up and take notice was the fact that the main character, Tamsyn, had lost her father. I found the way in which Tamsyn reacted to the aftermath of her father’s death such a realistic portrayal of grief, especially where a parent is involved. It wasn’t a case of her father passing away and she just got on with it and forgot about it as she was young (kudos if you can do that, but kudos if you can’t, obviously!), instead her grief came out in her personality and the way that she lived her life. It was quite emotional to read, yet it hit open rather drastically. For most of the Cliff House's history, since 1863, the building's main draw has been restaurants and bars where patrons could enjoy the Pacific Ocean views. Since 1977, these restaurants and bars have been run by a private operator under contract with the National Park Service. In December 2020, the 47-year operator of these amenities announced that it was closing, and it criticized the NPS for not having signed a new long-term lease with any operator since its own prior 20-year lease had expired in June 2018. [1] [2] [3] Stella is turning 40 and finally thinking about what she wants for herself. After taking in her nieces in her 20's, she spent years working as a teacher and providing foster care to older children. After months of fertility treatments, she discovers she is finally pregnant with a child of her own, when her first love shows up in town with his daughter. A few years ago I became a huge fan of Thayne’s contemporary romance series, Haven Point, so when I saw she was releasing a new book with more of a women’s fiction feel I was SO interested. There is still some of her trademark sweet romance here, but it definitely explores the dynamics of the women in the Davenport family while the romance plays a much smaller role giving it a more mature vibe.

Tamsyn is all of us, at some point in our lives. A loner, swept up with grief after losing her father. Desperate for a friend, for comfort, she watches the cliff house, a place her father used to love. Until, one day, she finds it occupied, and meets Edie, teenage daughter of the Davenports - rich, beautiful, successful. Everything Tamsyn - and her mother, who cleans for the Davenports and works in a chippy - isn't, could never dream to be. But, just like The OC, all is not it seems. Lurking beneath the glittering surface of their lives, the Davenports have secrets, darkness, tragedy. When this one came up for review, I was on board not only because I have enjoyed her books, but I was also looking for something a little lighter to break things up.

The 1896 Cliff House survived the 1906 earthquake with little damage, but burned to the ground on the evening of September 7, 1907. [10] Third Cliff House (1909–present) [ edit ] 1909–1937 [ edit ] Third Cliff House, c.1909 An author who can set a book in a place close to home that I know very well and at a time when I could have been there, when I could have brushed shoulders with one of her characters, and hold me through the whole story without ever doubting that her characters lived and breathed, that the events she writes about happened, is an author I am very glad to have met. I enjoyed this book and found myself caught into the storyline early on. There aren’t a huge number of characters – only the hen party and the manager of the resort – but I must admit I did find it a little difficult initially to remember who was who and how they were all connected. I didn’t particularly find any of the characters likeable and I was suspicious of each of them. They all seemed to be hiding a secret of some sort, but which one should be confessing their sins, I couldn’t work out! My opinion of who I thought it should be swapped and changed as the storyline moved on, and the plot twisted and turned throughout. The location felt dark and desolate, despite the obvious luxury of the accommodation, and it was enough to give me the chills as I read! This was the first book I have read from this author and I'm not sure after this if I want to read any of his others.

The chapters alternate between the viewpoints of each of the protagonists and, when they split up in search of the kidnapped woman, each begins to wonder if they’ve been paired with the intended target, but, at the same time, guiltily accepting the target could be them. Jarenlang weten de zusjes niet welke dromen Stella allemaal heeft opgegeven om voor hen te kunnen zorgen. Nu Daisy en Bea allebei volwassen zijn, is het tijd dat Stella het geheim onthult dat ze al die jaren verborgen heeft gehouden...

Other Books in Cape Sanctuary Series

THE CLIFF HOUSE by RaeAnne Thayne has everything fans will love, with enough surprises to give you more than one book boyfriend to sigh over. Six years on from the loss of her father and sixteen-year-old Tamsyn Tresize has never recovered from her grief. Her mother works all hours and is struggling to make ends meet, the closure of the tin mine has left her brother Jago unemployed and dejected and her ailing grandad is slowly dying from silicosis. An outcast at school and painfully naive, Tamsyn withdraws into her memories of bird watching with her father at the spot where they spent so many hours overlooking The Cliff House, a stunning white-walled house that he promised they would one day live in. When the wealthy and glamorous Davenport family moved in two year earlier and Tamsyn glimpses what she believes do be the perfect family life she begins to nurture a dangerous obsession. With envying eyes she watches the couple’s weekend visits and is brought up short when a fleeting visit sees her learn that they also have a seventeen-year-old daughter. Precocious, manipulative and not so innocent Edie is bored and makes the decision to strike up an unequal and uneasy friendship with Tamsyn and welcome her into the lion’s den of The Cliff House. The strength of this novel is in the three main female characters, none of which is stronger or more important than the others. Their well-written stories are woven together seamlessly. While it is predictable that HEAs will be involved, it is not predictable how and when they will get there.