The Cottage by the Loch by Kennedy Kerr - Book Review

The Cottage by the Loch by Kennedy Kerr

Series: Loch Caremon #1 (Standalone) 

Publication Date: 24th Jan 2023

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Romane

3.3 Stars 

One Liner: Got its moments but hit the mark 

*****

Zelda Hicks reaches Scotland (much against her wishes) to complete a work-related project. She is grieving her mother’s death and doesn’t want anything to do with Scotland as it reminds her of her father’s abandonment and his roots. 

However, a couple of unexpected events extend her stay in Scotland. Zelda begins to make friends and use her professional expertise to help the friendly local people. She isn’t short of admirers either. The super-friendly Ryan and the grumpy Laird Hal seem to like her.

When one of her projects reveals a hidden connection to the past, Zelda has to decide if she is ready to embrace her past and heal her wounds or if she wants to ignore them and walk away. And what about her love life? 

The story comes in Zelda’s first-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

I’m glad I didn’t reread the blurb before starting the book. Though it does talk of the plot, it also creates a very different impression of what to expect. The said incident doesn’t happen until after 55%. I’d have been disappointed if I focused on the blurb. (Someone rewrite it, please!)

The book is primarily women’s fiction with a good dose of romance. Zelda isn’t bothered to find her Scottish father. Quite the contrary, in fact. She has her reasons, so the focus is on her life (career and the two love interests with secrets of their own). 

The setting is beautiful. I loved reading about the landscape, the unpredictable weather, and the beauty of the looming castle. The descriptions are vivid without feeling OTT. 

The side characters are sweet and friendly and display the small-town charm with ease. Dotty, Fiona, and Gretchen’s personalities stand out throughout the book. Emery is another sweet character, Zelda’s friend from NY (where she lives & works). 

The theme of grieving a lost dear one takes different angles in this book. It shows how people react in their own ways when faced with heartbreaking situations. 

I’m not fond of a love triangle (which, again, is not mentioned in the blurb). Zelda is annoying in this aspect. The number of times she says she doesn’t trust one of them based on what the other said got a little too much. And yeah, her first-person POV sounds immature and whiny in this aspect. 

A simple rule: when you keep your options open, you don’t get annoyed when you see one of them with another woman and make assumptions. 

I do like that her character is not perfect. She has good and not-so traits. Fortunately, her good traits include a great eye for detail, enthusiasm to take up projects, and a helpful nature. She uses her expertise to promote the castle and help a couple of others. Her character shines in such scenes. Also, she establishes boundaries well and doesn’t hesitate to put people in place if they try to take advantage. 

Hal Cameron is probably the typical hero with a grumpy exterior and a gooey heart. He isn’t insulting or demeaning, which is a plus. In fact, I like him more than Zelda (hey, no judging!). 

There’s one totally unnecessary sentence that I dislike (hate) in the book. It does nothing for the plot. It could have been better presented. 

The book has an HFN ending, and the story will continue in book two. I will give it a shot, mainly for Hal and Scotland. 

To summarize, The Cottage by the Loch is a decent contemporary romance if you enjoy love triangle plots and the beautiful Scottish setting. 

Thank you, NetGalley, and Bookouture, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #TheCottagebytheLoch