Summer at Sandcastle Cottage is described as ‘The PERFECT joyful read for summer 2021!’ and it truly is. I thoroughly enjoyed the prequel/introduction to this story, a novella called Christmas at Sandcastle Cottage, but you don’t need to have read it to thoroughly enjoy this wonderful book. (It is an added bonus that I’m sure the reader will no doubt want to read though when they come to the end of this book though).

Sandcastle Cottage is in the pretty seaside village of Firefly Common and when Kitty Appleby, arrived shortly before Christmas, heartbroken and having lost her home and even her car, she was desperately in need of a new life. She’s now firmly settled and loving each day living in the ramshackle cottage with good friends Apollo, Jemini, and Jemini’s little girl, Teddy, and two adorable staffie rescue dogs. The lovable unit look out for each other as they make the most of every moment in their seaside home in this village with its wonderful, eclectic mix of characters. The only dark part to their days is knowing that they are only tenants for a short period of time, because the landlord and owner of the cottage, Mavis Mullholland’s around-the-world cruise is about to end and she’ll soon be returning to take back her home.

Apart from finding somewhere new to live, Kitty secretly has another problem. She’s got a massive crush on a handsome but mysterious man who she’s seen walking along the beach in the mornings. Vinnie is a bit of an enigma, the locals don’t know who he is, where he lives, or anything much about him at all and before her enforced departure Kitty is desperate to get to know him.

It turns out too that Apollo has a good reason for never being in a relationship and Jemini is too busy enjoying her romance with her toy boy to want to move on. This all makes for a captivating read and one that I literally couldn’t put down.

I have to admit I’m a huge fan of Christina Jones and this book is another joy to read. In these strange and often anxiety-inducing days, I was delighted to discover this book knowing that stepping into the pages of one of this author’s books is the perfect escape. Summer at Sandcastle Cottage was exactly that. I will miss Kitty, her friends and the wonderful array of locals from Firefly Common.

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline Accent for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.