Summer at the Highland Coral Beach by @KileyDunbar #BookReview #ContemporaryFiction #Romance #FridayReads

Author: Kiley Dunbar

Published: March 2020 by Hera

Category: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Book Review

Escape to the Highland Coral Beach – where broken hearts can be healed

Beatrice Halliday needs a break from life. Booking a trip to the Highlands on a whim, Beatrice hopes learning Gaelic in a beautiful Scottish village might help her heal her grief after losing her baby, her husband and her much loved job in a space of months.

For the past two of her ten year marriage, Beatrice Halliday has been getting progressively more broody. Now, at last, she has a positive pregnancy test and can’t wait for her husband, Rich, to get home.

Things obviously didn’t go well as we join a broken hearted Beatrice seven months later travelling to the Scottish Highlands. Needing to get away, she’s booked herself into The Princess and the Pea Inn, in the picturesque village of Port Willow, on a whim. First impressions are less than favourable, especially on a drizzly day, and the inn seems badly run. They couldn’t even get her crafting choice right. Her single room was tiny and needed a revamp. Beatrice resolves to leave the following morning…if she doesn’t break something climbing down from the bed in her requested change of room.

Gene Fergusson had seen his fair share of single women arriving at the inn since his younger brother had set up the activity and crafting holidays part of the website back in the spring — in fact now it was the height of the summer season they were arriving in a steady stream, but none of them had turned up tearful, clench-fisted and furious, like this one.

I really enjoyed Summer at the Highland Coral Beach. Kiley Dunbar has a flair for bringing her characters to life and giving the reader a really good sense of place. I thought so after reading Christmas at Frozen Falls and this one just confirms my opinion. In a letter at the end of the book Kiley mentions Port Willow is her reimagined version of Plockton in the west of the Highlands. I was meant to be going there this year, it’s a place that really appeals to me. Perhaps next year…

The story centres around Beatrice who is having difficulty coming to terms with recent life changing events, not helped by the fact she’s unable or unwilling to share her burden. Slowly but surely she begins to enjoy the beauty Port Willow has to offer, and getting to know and like the residents and visitors, although there are still obstacles to overcome.

The characters are crafted beautifully—Beatrice, Gene and his younger brother, Atholl, up to and and including the supporting cast. The sub plots involving other characters who have their own stories give Beatrice something else to focus on, and help her to work through her feelings. A good mix of emotions, humour, romance and sensitively addressed personal issues. Look forward to the next instalment.

About the Author

Kiley is Scottish and lives in England with her husband, two kids and Amos the Bedlington Terrier. She writes around her work at a University in the North of England where she lectures in English Literature and creative writing. She is proud to be a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and a graduate of their New Writers’ Scheme.

Author links ~ Twitter | Facebook