Review: The Cottage at Firefly Lake

The Cottage at Firefly Lake
By Jen Gilroy
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: January 31, 2017

Charlotte Gibbs and Sean Carmichael had a teenage romance that for all intents was destined to be a forever kind of love.  But, as we know, life doesn’t always turn out to be what we imagine. 

At 18, Charlotte Gibbs leaves Firefly Lake with no explanation.  Eighteen years later she’s returned to sell her mother’s cottage.  As a war correspondent, Charlotte experienced tragedy and witnessed death and destruction, but she’s still not prepared for the depth of emotion she experiences when she sees Sean Carmichael again.

Sean Carmichael never left Firefly Lake, and despite his intense love for Charlotte, after she left, he had to get on with his life.  So he continued the family business, got married, had a child and ultimately ended up divorced. The driving forces in his life are his son, his family and his business, but his world is about to come crashing down when he sees Charlotte and old wounds are opened and long hidden secrets are revealed.

I enjoyed this debut novel.  The hero and heroine aren’t perfect, but that’s what makes them real.  The characters have depth, the story is multi-dimensional, and there are aspects to the story that a reader cannot easily predict.   While it started out slow, the story is what I call a ‘deep’ read.   As you turn the pages you become emotionally invested in the characters and their lives. 

This is a story about second chance love.  And in a word – it’s sigh worthy.  Yup, you will sigh when you get to the very last page.  And isn’t that why we read romance?

What do you think about second chance love?  Is this a trope you like or do you have another that’s your favorite?

~Maria Lokken