If you’re in a funk and need a little sunshine in your life, or need to be reminded that love can be beautiful, pick up a Holly Martin book.

So super romantic, fun and cozy - it’s no secret here that I’m an Anglophile, and I am bound and determined to move to Seashell Cove where everything is idyllic. Really, though, at least a vacation there would be nice!

There are likable characters and a lot of laugh out loud moments, but with a healthy dose of serious situations thrown in so that it’s not too sweet. Just the right amount of sweetness to make for a satisfying read.

There are also some very steamy scenes, so heads up whether that’s your thing or not!

Thank you to Holly Martin and Bookcouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Tori Graham has been working on an animated film for the past year and needs a holiday, her best friend Melody lives in Sandcastle Bay and Tori is going to visit her but also to help pick heart berries at a fruit farm. Tori’s arrival in the village doesn’t go to plan, her car is surrounded by sheep, she is chased by a turkey and an old woman with green hair tells her she will marry Aiden Jackson.

Aiden Jackson owns the farm where the rare heart berries are grown, there is tradition surrounding the berries which have to be picked on a certain day and can only be picked at night. There is a spark between Tori and Aiden but both have had their hearts broken in the past and are unsure whether their feelings for each other are genuine or is this just a holiday fling.

This is a magical romantic book with a brilliant cast of characters, another great book from Holly Martin who always leaves you wanting more.

Having read all of Holly Martins books and absolutely loving them, I always wonder how she can beat the last one but with The Holiday Cottage By The Sea she’s defenatly done it again !
A wonderful story I couldn’t put down With great characters, who are funny charming and some even a bit sexy.
I would recommend this book highly.
Set in the seaside town of sandcastle bay, this is the story of animator Tori who after working solidly for months decided a break is in order and heads off to meet up with long term friends Melody and Isla who have relocated to sandcastle bay after the death of their brother to look after their 4 year old nephew.
They have organised for Tori to stay in a local cottage free of charge in exchange for evenings fruit picking heartberrys. It’s the welcome break Toris looking for, days spent in the glorious sunshine with her friends relaxing and evenings picking fruit. What she doesn’t expect is handsome fruit farmer Aidan to walk in to her life. Not looking for a relationship after being hurt in the past Tori is astounded when local matchmaker (the delightfully quirky and funny ) Agatha predicts on the first day of her holiday she will marry and have 5 children with Aidan.
Having yet to meet him she dismisses Agatha claims as totally ridiculous that’s is until she comes into contact him This dark, rugged handsome farmer definitely sets Toris heart all a flutter.
This is a great story with lots of laughs and I absolutely love the characters of Agatha and dobby the turkey.
It has charm, wit, emotion. a great sense of community.. oh and a bit of sex ! . Who could want anything more. Holly’s books are delicious and delightful, pure escapism at its best.

Tori has been lonely in London, throwing herself into her work as an animator after her best friend and roommate left. Melody went to Sandcastle Bay in Cornwall after her brother’s death, her sister Isla has guardianship of young Elliot, and Melody is there to help her out. But this leaves Tori out in the cold: she and Matthew had a ‘secret relationship’, that she had come to rely on, even as she can’t get past her fear of a relationship bringing anything but pain. But, missing her friends and desperately in need of a break, Tori has rented Blossom Cottage in return for helping with the fruit picking at Heartberry Farm: a combined getaway / vacation / reconnect with friends fortnight on the Cornwall coast.

From the first moment to the last, Martin’s skill with characters and comical ‘toss you in the deep end’ situations have Tori rethinking her vacation: a traffic jam with immobile sheep, chased by a turkey, a strange old lady who is predicting her marriage and her lingering discomfort with the secret connection to Matthew that she never shared with his sisters. Oh – and did I mention Aidan – and her stuck for words elbow-fetish, her friends obvious crushes on two of the café owners brothers and the almost overwhelming tales of the Heartberry and its magical powers.

What Holly Martin does so well is let a story develop – from being enveloped into the community gossip to being a target for the quirky Aunt Agatha’s ‘matchmaking’, the story is crazy wonderful – you can hear the conversations, feel how the magic of the place (and Aidan) are working their magic on Tori – everyone busily declaring their unavailability for a ‘relationship’ but that something between them is too great to ignore. When you add in her excitement in creating an advertising story for the farm, the crazy animals (Beast, Beauty and Dobby the Turkey who believes he’s a dog – and HUGS his owner) the story moves from one moment of laughs to the next. Add in little Elliot, and his penchant for questions that come at the worst times, and repeating words that he shouldn’t – the story feels plausible and leaves everyone smiling in all the best ways.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href= “https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9IT/” > </a> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

The Holiday Cottage by the Sea by Holly Martin was a contemporary fun read with some humor and some heat. The setting is a small town in the southwestern corner of England. The small oceanside town is one of the few places where heart berries are grown.

Tori Graham is on vacation at Blossom Cottage in Sandcastle Bay. The vacation is badly needed and in exchange for staying at Blossom Cottage she is going to help work on a berry farm picking heartberries. She chose this place as her best friend Melody lives there and it has been too long since they have spent time together.

The owner of the cottage is Aidan Jackson, one HOT farmer. He is the person she is going to be working for and according to his elderly aunt, marry and have five children with. The cottage comes with some curious features like a dog who comes with the cottage.

I enjoyed the reading this book. I loved the entrance that Tori made coming into town…it made me giggle. I saw the dilemma with starting a relationship when worrying about the future. The townspeople were characters and I enjoyed spending time with them.

The Holiday Cottage by the Sea by Holly Martin was a good read filled with humor and heat!

I’ve not read a Holly Martin novel for a while so I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. We follow the story of Tori Graham who is desperate need of a break after being really busy at work and dealing with some tragic news. We start by following her as she arrives at Sandcastle Bay and immediately becomes acquainted with the uniqueness of the area and its residents. She catches up with her friends, gets involved in local business and has some interesting experiences with the locals.

Everyone in this story is such a well rounded character that they leap off the page. Even the two cyclists that only make brief appearances have their own personalities. The area itself comes alive with the variety of people and uniqueness of the local crop around which tradition and celebration occurs.

Sandcastle Bay is an area that you just want to move to. Within the first few chapters I was wishing that it was real so that I could plan a holiday there.

This is one of those books that you enjoy reading so much that you can’t wait to get home from work so you can get back to it. Any chance you get to pick up the book is a bonus. It’s a lovely escapist book that makes you feel warm and cosy reading it. Definitely one of Holly’s best and one that has left me impatient for a return visit to Sandcastle Bay.

I absolutely adore Holly Martin and her books, so when I was asked if I would review her latest book, The Holiday Cottage by the Sea, as part of her blog blitz, I couldn't resist.



The story sees Tori head away for a couple of wees to see her best friend Melody. Melody and her sister Isla moved away when their family circumstances suddenly changed after the death of their brother, Matthew.

Tori has secured herself a cute little cottage to stay in on a fruit farm, and in return she is to help the owner, Aidan, pick the legendary Heartberry fruit. I'm not going to explain this as I really won't do the Heartberry Festival and the history behind it any justice, so you are just going to have to read the book!



As soon as Tori arrives shes is faced with sheep, a runaway turkey and Agatha - who for me was the stand out secondary character with her old lady wit and wild romantic predictions - she really needs her own book and I can't wait to read more about her meddling ways in Holly's next story!!



Once Tori and Aidan meet the attraction is instant, however both have had their hearts broken before and Tori is keeping a secret from Melody and Isla about her relationship with Matthew.



As with all Holly's books, The Holiday Cottage by the Sea, and Sandcastle Bay are settings that you simply lose yourself within. Their picturesque landscapes are beautifully described and on more than one occasion I felt like I was there as I was reading.



I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Holiday Cottage by the Sea. Holly introduced us perfectly to the sub characters, Matthew's son Elliot is a dream and I can't wait to find out more about Jaime and Leo - Aidan's brothers - and their relationships with Melody and Isla as well as catching up with Tori, Aiden, Beauty and Beast (their dogs) and of course the other characters which make Sandcastle Bay a community I would happily visit.

What a smile inducing book this is!! Even some of the characters and houses have such pretty names - just take a look at 'Blossom Cottage' and 'Melody Rosewood'!

Personally, I found the theme of the storyline to be a little bit predictable in terms of the various situations which several characters found themselves in, which meant that I wasn't overly surprised by the turn of events later on in the book. That said, Holly Martin has a unique way of telling a story and making her characters stand out and, thankfully, she didn't disappoint at all. Predictable maybe, but the laughs and the vibe of the novel were in a league of their own which for me, made 'The Holiday Cottage by the Sea', stand out above the rest.

Isla's situation was incredibly heartwarming and I couldn't help but be touched at what she chose to do. It takes a bigger person to do what Isla did, but it was very clear that she made the right decision, even though it was probably one of the most emotional decisions she had ever made.

Tori's entrance in Sandcastle Bay had me in hysterics! My first impression of her wasn't a great one, but boy oh boy did she manage to change my mind! I went from thinking she was a jumped up, highly guarded character, to a character who has such a large heart and would do anything for anyone else. Her personality wowed me as the storyline went on, making her one of my most favourite Holly Martin characters. Well......Dobby too, but I'm sure that goes without saying!!

As for the dog names - I snorted!! Brilliant!!

What I love most about the way that Holly Martin writes, is how she manages to create romantic and sexual vibes for her characters without coming across seedy and embarrassing. There are no 'panties' where this author is concerned! Not that I'm saying she goes commando, just to clarify! She just doesn't use the cringy word! I am not a romantic person by any means, but as I read the way in which this author described Tori's relationship, I found myself believing in the romantic elements of this novel one hundred percent. I shan't lie, several scenes got me a little bit hot under the collar, but it worked exceptionally well with the rest of the storyline.

Even though I knew which route the storyline was going to take, it didn't put me off the book at all. I loved reading about such fun characters who made me laugh out loud more than once. Characters who made me feel as though I was catching up with a group of old friends after several years. Holly Martin captured the true essence of love and friendship with her story, thus making me extremely gutted when the book had to end.

What do you do when you click with someone despite knowing that your time together is limited? You do what Holly Martin taught me in 'The Holiday Cottage by the Sea' - you follow your heart and you do not give up, even when the going gets tough!

A truly hilarious read that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, as well as giving you the urge to go berry picking in the middle of the night. Such a heart-warming read - I would be surprised if Elsa's frozen exterior didn't find itself melted after reading this! Simply delightful, the beast got his beauty - I loved this book!

Tori is desperately missing her lost love Matthew who was killed in a crash, but is unable to mourn him properly as their relationship was a secret and his sister Melanie is her best friend........ how do you tell someone the secret you kept from them a year later? So after finishing a long contract at work she decides to go and visit Melanie in Sandcastle Bay..... but will her secret come out? She is going to stay with a local farmer and pick heartberries for two weeks but will she be able to leave with her heart intact or will the legendary heartberries work their magic?

Another great book by Holly Martin, I love her books, as usual it is full of humour and romance and fantastic characters, especially Aunt Agatha who is priceless! Can't wait for the next ones in the series

4.5 magical Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

I want to go to Blossom Cottage on Sandcastle Bay... I want to pick berries, build a boat, and eat cake.... everything about this book was so magical and sweet....

Tori was such a real and likable character.... I completely related to her struggle.... and so wanted her to find her happily ever after with Aiden.... but how does a relationship build off a conversation that you only want to keep things casual... nobody wants to get hurt... again.... in the land of the heart berry and with the approaching Love festival...perhaps love will find the way... and not only for these two.... Aidan has two brothers...Tori has two friends... there are 11 puppies... and an adorable dancing heart berry named Max.... oh and I cannot forget Aunt Agatha her predictions and the tattoo....

So many magical moments in this lovely town by the sea.... there also were some pretty laugh out loud moments as well.... I really can’t say anything bad about this book.... it was just a nice breath of fresh air.... that made me want to pack my bags and head to Sandcastle Bay....

Absolutely recommend to anyone in the mood for a fun romantic comedy with an amazing setting...

*** thank you so much too Bookouture and Net Galley for a copy of this book ***

I have read a fair few books written by Holly Martin and each one of them has affected me in a way. I don’t mean in a bad way but certain things from each of her books have stuck in my memory and will do for a long time to come. This book was no exception. I absolutely loved reading ‘The Holiday Cottage By The Sea’ but more about that in a bit.
I took to Tori Graham from the start. She is one hard working woman, who is dedicated to her job in animation. She has just finished a huge work project and she is in desperate need of some down time. At the same time she is missing her two best friends who have gone to live in Sandcastle Bay and she is mourning the loss of her secretish lost love, who sadly died. He was the brother of her best friend. Tori thinks that she just needs some R&R and to be fair I don’t blame her, as she has been working so very hard. Whilst she is staying in Sandcastle Bay, she has also agreed to do a fortnight’s worth of fruit picking in exchange for the cost of her accommodation. From the moment she sets off to drive to Sandcastle Bay, little things go wrong but there’s nothing too serious and in fact most of the mishaps are funny. I just loved the fact that she had to abandon her car because the sheep were out for the afternoon and the fact that Tori was chased by a psychotic sounding turkey, who thinks that he is a dog. An eccentric little old lady predicts that Tori is going to marry Aidan Jackson and tells her that her predications come true. Tori is given a lift by the dishy sounding Parker and it’s only after she has been mouthing off about Aidan, that the penny eventually drops that Parker is Aidan. From that moment on Tori and Aidan flirt like mad around each other but each insists that they are not looking for love and not looking for a relationship. Who are they trying to kid? Will Tori and Aidan have a relationship? Will Tori realise that her stay in Sandcastle Bay may just turn out to be more long term? Will Tori and her friends get the happy ever after ending that they deserve? Well for the answers to these questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
I can honestly say that I fell in love with this book from the moment I saw the front cover, which was so bright and the cottage looked to be the sort of place that I would like to escape to every now and then. I eagerly opened the front cover and dived in and I was not to be disappointed. The author’s writing style is such that you can’t fail to be drawn into the story and I found myself really caring about the characters and what happened to them. From the moment I started reading, I was hooked on the story and I found that reading this book became a serious addiction. I just couldn’t put the book down as I was so desperate to know how the story ended. I even begrudged having to take my two dogs out for a walk, which didn’t go down well. Reading ‘The Holiday Cottage By The Sea’ did put me through the emotional wringer somewhat. I laughed, I wanted to cry at times, I wanted to hug certain characters, I wanted to slap certain characters across the face with a wet flip flop and occasionally I wanted to bang heads together. I really did develop a lump in my throat when Matthew’s son, Elliott asks his Aunt Isla, who is also his legal guardian, if he should put some sandwiches in his Daddy’s coffin just in case he is hungry later on. That really is something that a small child will say when they don’t fully understand how final death is.
This is one of the books that really does fit its tagline and by that I mean that it is a fun, feel good, light hearted, funny romance novel that will whisk you away to Sandcastle Bay and will make you wish you lived there. I know I wanted to move to Sandcastle Bay but I had to remind myself that it was a fictional place. Boo. I absolutely loved reading this brilliant book and I would urge you to read the book for yourselves- you won’t regret it. I can’t wait for the sequel to ‘The Holiday Cottage By The Sea’ and fortunately I don’t have too long to wait because ‘The Cottage On Sunshine Beach’ is due for release on 22nd June 2018. Hurry up June. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Not since I read Holly Martin's Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky, a book I would call one of my all time favourite Christmas reads, have I been this excited about a book from this author. The Holiday Cottage by the Sea is the first in a planned trilogy, The Sandcastle Bay series, and from the moment I started to read just so many good vibes and feelings oozed from the page that I couldn't bare to leave it out of my hands. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the Hope Island series which came between the aforementioned series but it didn't have me as hooked as I was in the story of Tori Graham as she arrives in Sandcastle Bay for a two week working holiday picking heart berries at Orchard Cove. There wasn't one fault I could find with this book and I just got this overwhelming sense that the author loved writing this book and wanted her readers to too. Everything was just perfect, from the cover, to the various characters, the locations and all the little minor details that sometimes I find unnecessary but here they all enhanced the story. Sandcastle Bay seemed like such an idyllic place where you could seek refuge even if every body would know your business considering how small it was. I wished it was a real place as I have done many times with some of Holly's previous settings.

Tori needs the tension heaped upon her shoulders to ease away especially considering she has spent more or less a year and a half locked away in a stop motion animating studio working on a film. She has a deep passion for her job but now needs a rest and to reconnect with her friends. So when best friend Melody Rosewood suggests she come and visit Sandcastle Bay for a holiday how can Tori refuse? Melody had been her flatmate in London and ran a successful jewellery business but the needs of family called her back to her home town and since then the two friends haven't seen much of each other. I could already tell that Melody and her sister Isla would be the focus of the next two books in the series. Whilst I was loving Tori's story I was also reading into the subtle hints and teasers dropped in with regard to the two sisters and I am eager to see how their story lines will develop in the future.

We do get to know both Melody and Isla and I think they are two very selfless people who when tragedy struck and they lost their beloved brother Matthew they stepped up to the plate. Isla is now the guardian of Elliott, Matthew's son, a tough task to take on but she would do anything in a heartbeat for her family. Melody is now Isla's support system but there are two men they have their eye on that could fulfil that role each sister has for each other at the moment. Elliott was such an innocent and provided so many laugh out loud moments in the story with his guilt free observations and quips. I felt for him having lost his dad at such a young age but he was in very good hands who wanted the best for him and his future.

The humour and wit as mentioned above is what makes this book so special apart from the wonderful way the romance element of the story was written. From the moment Tori glimpses the dusky pink thatched cottages with the views of the sea the laughter kicks in as a flock of sheep block the road and she is then chased by Dobby the turkey all the way to the Cherry on Top Café overlooking Sunshine Beach. Here she meets the owner Emily Breakwater, whose family own the fruit farm where she will be working in exchange for accommodation at Blossom Cottage. I loved Beast the dog that 'came' with the cottage, such a lovely inclusion with his own little story line too that in fact helped unite others. Emily's brother Aidan Jackson runs the farm as his brothers Parker and Leo have other occupations within the town.

Admittedly, there were a lot of introductions made in the first few chapters and normally I would find this too much too soon and would become confused making connections and keeping things straight in my head. In this case the opposite turned out to be true as I really just couldn't get enough of everything, I quickly built up a clear picture of Sandcastle Bay in my head and of the various residents and their little quirks. One thing Holly Martin sure has a knack for is having brilliant names for places in her books and also the occupations her characters have. Here she excelled herself especially when it came to the legend of the heart berry and the heart berry love festival. It was so ingenious and incredibly romantic. So what if some people thought it was a load of old rubbish where as others set so much store by it. Tori herself would have been forgiven for some slight optimism in relation to the legend that the man who first reached the island in the middle of the River Star on race day in his home made boat and received the first slice of heart berry cake would then profess his underlying love for a woman by giving her said cake. It brings luck to anyone who eats eat. It's all a bit of fun really but so romantic behind it all.

Tori was a person who was exhausted both physically and emotionally when she reaches Sandcastle Bay and initially I thought it was down to having worked so hard in recent months. But as the story progresses and Tori settles in and reconnects with Melody and Isla and makes new friends too especially Aidan it's clear she has been deeply affected by the loss of Matthew. Guilt is eating her up and she declares to herself that love is no longer an option for her. I could understand where she was coming from as connections and reasons became apparent but I thought the situation was out of her hands and that she shouldn't be forever weighed down by things left unsaid.

Fate had a different road in sight for Tori and I fervently hoped she could throw off the shackles she had surrounded herself with. Agatha, the aunt of Emily, Adrian, Leo and Parker was a stand out character and she thinks fate and her predictions are always correct. I thinks she even engineers things just to make her assumptions come true. She was such a brilliant character who came across as a bit batty but beneath it all she was very very clever. She had me in stitches countless times for her interference but it is all done with good intentions at the centre of her plotting. Her idea of the tattoo was inspiring but oh so mischievous.

The overall outcome was clear to see right from the beginning but that doesn't matter at all. You know that the chemistry and banter shared between Tori and Aidan when they first meet is going to lead to something more and you want this to be the case. It doesn't matter in the slightest that this is the case because really it's more about the journey as to how they reach that point. How can they push things in their pasts aside and reform opinions they may have made with regard to love and relationships? Tori was beginning to suffocate in grief and guilt and sh e wouldn't give into this new feelings because she felt it was all wrong to do so. But this didn't sit well with me and I thought she should have felt able to go with what her heart was saying and not be lead by things in the past.

Both Aidan and Tori had so much to give each other and I wanted to see happiness for them but god I loved seeing how they went about this. Aidan was just drop dead gorgeous but had a personality to match. Normally the male lead in books can be stand offish and never want to express opinions or feelings or just generally they beat around the bush too much and don't expressly say what they think directly to the girl. Here Aidan wanted to take a risk on love and was doing his best to work his magic and charm on Tori. I loved how they bonded at night time whilst picking the berries and when they did give into temptation it showed how Holly Martin can certainly write a steamy scene but it never ventures down the seedy route. Instead it felt real and genuine and had you rooting and saying at last. I thought the pair were so in tune with each other and were meant to be but still fear and doubt always nags away at Tori. Things aren't all smooth sailing though and as disaster needs to be averted in relation to the heart berry harvest it shows how a community can pull together and how people will always help the one they love in times of need.

The Holiday Cottage by the Sea was a joy to read from start to finish. Tori and Aidan's story captured my heart and gave me all those warm, good feelings I want from a book featuring romance. The boy meets girl story has been told countless times before but Holly Martin provides such a refreshing, innovative, exciting voice to the time old theme and makes you believe and hope that true love is out there for everybody to find. This was a brilliant, dynamic story where I felt instantly at home and Sandcastle Bay provided a perfect package of a story in which you could readily loose yourself in its embrace for several hours. The Cottage on Sunshine Beach arrives in June and will follow Melody's story as she searches for the one thing missing in her life and I will certainly be there to journey with her as she seeks it.

The Holiday Cottage by the Sea is the latest offering by Holly Martin. In this story, Tori Graham, London animator, has just completed eighteen months on her latest project and is taking a well earned trip to visit her dear lifelong friends Melody and Isla Rosewood. They have relocated to the small village of Sandcastle Bay on the southwest tip of the English Isle.
Isla moved to the village almost a year ago when her brother, Matthew, was killed in an accident. Isla is godmother to his young son, Elliot, and felt keeping Elliot in his home would be the best thing for him. Melody moved from the apartment she shared with Tori soon after to join her sister.

In order to secure her little cottage by the sea for several weeks, Tori will be helping the fruit farmer who owns the cottage to harvest the short lived heartberry. During the time she is there, the Heartberry Love Festival will be held with all of its lore and traditions.

On her first afternoon in town she goes to the cafe owned by Emily Breakwater, the lady who had helped her with getting the cottage and made arrangements for her to pay through labor. She is the sister of the farm owner. While in her cafe, Tori meets up with her friends, but also makes the acquaintance of Aunt Agatha, Emily’s octogenarian great aunt. It seems Aunt Agatha makes a habit of matchmaking and upon first seeing Tori she makes her predictions, Tori will marry Aidan Jackson and they will have five children.

Unfortunately, Tori has been hurt deeply in the past as has this unknown fellow, Aidan Jackson. When they meet, however, there are fireworks. Somehow, they click. Could Aunt Agatha be right?

A delightful story with rich and endearing characters and a beautiful seaside setting, told with laugh out loud humor. As with all of Ms. Martin’s novels, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and do recommend it.

This is the first book in a new romcom series by this talented author and, as usual for her books, I loved it. It is definitely one of those stories where I respectfully suggest you grab yourself a copy and read it yourself rather than reading my review of it! It is an emotive page turner story of loss, secrets, community, traditions, romance and new opportunities and I didn’t want to stop reading it till I had reached the end.

The setting and community are brilliantly portrayed and developed, brought to life throughout the story. I really felt as though this is a place I could easily visit and go to meet the superb characters. Mind you, I’m not sure I’d like to meet the meddling matchmaker extraordinaire and future predictor Agatha, who is the aunt of the hero, Aidan, though it could prove to be a laugh!  Not all the characters are human. One of the funniest animal characters is Dobby, though Beast also has his moments… Even the place names are evocative - who could resist popping into The Cherry On Top Café or visiting Sandcastle Bay?

There is plenty of drama throughout the story which takes readers through the whole gamut of emotions. The community events, the harvesting, ‘boat’ race and everything in the story made me feel like I was there, witnessing it all. The dilemmas faced by Tori and Aidan as their attraction pulls them together are brilliantly described, making it easy to relate to them both. I also particularly enjoyed five year old Elliot with his honesty accidentally revealing secrets! I really hope future stories in this series will involve Aidan’s brothers, Leo and James as well as Tori’s friends Isla and Melody. One thing is certain - I can’t wait to read them!

I requested and was lucky enough to be given a copy of this novel, via NetGalley, with no obligation. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

The Holiday Cottage By The Sea, is a light-hearted, laugh-aloud romantic comedy filled with an endearing cast of characters populating the small, picturesque seaside village of Sandcastle Bay where romance is expected to bloom and thrive especially with the onset of the annual Heartberry Festival. As the characters struggle with putting past heartaches aside, they each wonder if a "happy ever after" is in their futures and, more importantly, are they capable of putting their self-doubts aside and take that risk of heartache once again? For me, the most appealing aspect of Holly Martin's writing is her ability to make me simply laugh aloud (and not just a giggle but rather a full on hearty laugh!) She has a unique, quirky sense of humor that never fails. I must admit that Aunt Agatha is certainly my favorite character in this novel! Who doesn't love an elderly Aunt who speaks of love and romance completely uncensored with the determination to see everyone married and living happily ever after no matter how embarrassing it may be for those on the receiving end of her good intentions? This was just what I needed to chase away those ever-lingering, long, winter blues!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the review opportunity.

I fell in love with this book as I have with the other books I have read by this author! She takes me away to an escape across the pond, to where I can relax and get pulled into her books. Tori and Aidan were such well developed characters. You couldn’t help but go through every emotion with them. Well done Ms. Martin!!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

It's been too long since I've read Holly Martin's book and this is why I was that excited to start reading "The Holiday Cottage at the Sea", and really guys, I haven't realised how much I've missed Holly's gorgeous, warm writing and her hilarious characters. So whatever you do, you just have to find time for this brilliant novel - it made me smile so much and it made me feel better. Yes, with Holly's book you know where you're heading to and yes, I'd love Holly to surprise us with one huge unpredictable twist, but her books have so many other merits that even the mandatory happy ever after is not something that'll put me off reading her novels.

This book captured me immediately and Holly Martin's storytelling is vivid, evocative and absorbing. I am always admiring the fact how easily she adds a word or two that immediately change the mood, this timing is perfect, and the dialogues were full of brilliant one - liners. She has a great hand for all kind of small touches that just make the story complete. It is also full of perfectly hilarious moments, so don't be surprised when you suddenly start laughing out loud or spilling whatever you have to drink in your hand all over the table - be warned, and it starts already at the beginning with Dobby the turkey. Ha - I have you intrigued there, right?

The banter between the characters, especially Aidan and Tori, was brilliant - so effortless and so hilarious! The one thing that bothered me though was the length of their dialogues, they were all, the other characters as well, incredibly chatty, and often their statements took one page or even more, so eloquent they were, and sometimes I just wanted to tell them to finally get to the point. Sure, it's nice when you can so beautifully pass your thoughts and feelings, however it doesn't happen so often when you're speaking, right? Nevertheless, I immediately warmed to Tori, she was instantly likeable and believable, and I loved her passion to her job. I loved to accompany her on her journey to rediscover herself. Also Aidan, oh my *sigh* *going gooey*, so brilliantly drawn and believable, and he was so utterly perfect, yet not too wishy - washy or too meh.
Agatha was very unforgettable character, guys, and often such characters annoy me awfully but she was just spot on, with her ideas and predictions. Also, Leo, James, Isla and Melody - they were all immediately likeable and realistic.

Holly Martin can, no matter what, always brilliantly capture the chemistry between the main characters. It's always sparking, sizzling and vivid and I love this, because reading so many books you get all kinds of chemistry, and it doesn't always happen that it's so perfectly captured and visible. Yes, there came a moment that I wanted to bang Tori and Aiden's head together but still, it didn't mean that the chemistry was lost, oh no, it was there all the time and it was simply marvellous.

So altogether, "The Holiday Cottage at the Sea" was sexy and incredibly romantic and of course, as usual, Holly Martin has set her story in the most beautiful place ever. This tale was full of sunshine, gorgeous places, characters to die for. It was a story about grief, sense of guilt, friendship, close community, romance, love and heartberries - yes, heartberries. A really wonderful book with many hidden messages about second chances and trust - highly recommended!

A lovely happy story! Tori and Aidan both have sadness in their hearts but, well, even without the prophecy right after Tori arrived in Sandcastle Bay, you know that they will heal and there will be a happy ever after. Martin imbued this book with a little romance, a lot of humor, and darn good story telling. The other characters (which includes the oddest turkey!) are delightful. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is one to read when you need a pick me up!

Everything about this book is just gorgeous! I absolutely loved every page and I just didn't want it to end! Once I picked this up I just read the whole book I was addicted!
The chemistry between Tori and Aiden was just sizzling hot and it was clear from their very first meeting that they are two people just destined to be together, so I was so excited to see if they would get together!
I am so intrigued about the famous heartberry in this story! I could just imagine what they looked like and the taste!
This has got to be one of my favourite books of the summer this year! It made me feel so happy and put a smile on my face.

The Holiday Cottage by the Sea was a gorgeous, feel-good read that I completely fell in love with. Holly Martin was written a fabulous story with characters I genuinely liked and fell in love with also. I guarantee you will be cheered up immensely reading this book, I know I definitely was!

I was captivated by the town, the animals and the fruit, I also loved the legend surrounding the heartberries. Sandcastle Bay sounds like the kind of place I'd love to visit and that's all down to Holly's brilliant writing. She managed to bring the town to life and it seemed real whilst I was reading it.

From the first page I loved Tori Graham, I loved her first introduction to most of the people in the town and of course Dobby. Tori has a different job which I loved learning about, it's always good when a character has a job differing from the usual in these books. The banter between Tori and Aiden is hilarious and really added a dynamic to their relationship. Aiden did totally steal my heart, do men like him exist? I really hope so! Of course, I have to mention Agatha, she is the Queen of meddling and had me in stitches with her antics.

The animals held a special place in my heart, especially Beast. Tori's first introduction to Beast was also brilliant and again had me laughing away.

Melody and Isla were brilliant characters, as well as the things they do in memory of their brother Matthew. I loved how Holly was able to have me laughing one minute, then the next I had tears in my eyes from the emotion. Holly has a fabulous way with words and I'm always sucked into her books. I can't wait to return to Sandcastle Bay in the future and hear more from the characters.

If you're after a warm, funny, feel-good read this Spring then I highly recommend this book. If you haven't read anything by Holly yet, where have you been? And then start with this one, it's a brilliant introduction to Holly's gorgeous writing.