Blog Tour: Summer Secrets at Streamside Cottage By Samantha Tonge

We were gifted an e-copy of this book in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are our own

Spring is here and you can smell Summer in the air (when it’s not randomly snowing!), so that can only mean the start of the summery book releases and I for one am more than ready to lounge in the sun with a book. Today I’m thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for Samantha Tonge’s latest release which has summer vibes stamped all over it! Since discovering Samantha’s books a few years ago I have eagerly anticipated and devoured each new release and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Summer Secrets at Streamside Cottage so was thrilled when Head of Zeus asked me to take part in this tour. I hope you enjoy my full review of Sam’s latest book release and if you haven’t already checked out her work I urge you to grab some of her back catalogue books too!

About The Book

A new start can come from the most unexpected places…

It’s been years since Lizzie Lockhart spoke to her parents. But she was safe in the knowledge she knew everything about them. Once upon a time, they were as close as could be. Until they weren’t. After receiving the earth-shattering news of their passing, Lizzie decides it’s time to unearth some family secrets and find out just who her parents really were… starting with Streamside Cottage. A cottage Lizzie never knew existed, in a place she’s never heard of: the beautiful English village of Leafton. Leaving behind London, and the tattoo parlour she called home, Lizzie finds herself moving to the countryside. Faced with a tight-lipped community, who have secrets of their own, Lizzie is at a loss for what to do, until her rather handsome neighbour, Ben, steps in to help.

As Lizzie finally begins to piece together the puzzle of her family history she realises she has to confront the truth of the past in order to face her future

Review

Lizzie has spent the last few years estranged from her parents after a ‘stupid’ disagreement so when they suddenly pass away her chance to make peace with them is stolen too. Despite their estrangement Lizzie inherits their property portfolio, all except one cottage in the small village of Leafton which she had no idea existed. Her aunt who was left the mysterious Streamside Cottage isn’t forthcoming with answers surrounding it’s mystery but Lizzie follows her instinct to find out more; deciding to rent the property for the summer.

Time away from her busy city life as a tattoo artist is certainly what she needs after the devastating news of her parents death’s but she soon finds herself entwinned with village life and the more digging she does the more she seems to uncover about the secrets that lurk not only within Streamside Cottage but also the connections they have with the local residents.

This story is filled with a colourful cast of relatable characters who all have secrets and it was a joy being drip fed information throughout the book in order to discover the truth about Streamside Cottage. Our protagonist Lizzie is such a likeable, determined and strong willed character despite being brought up by her somewhat over bearing parents who would have wrapped her in cotton wool if they could have. I particularly enjoyed learning more about her career as a tattoo artist both through the story and also the facts that feature at the beginning of each chapter which I found fascinating as I’ll happily admit I know very little about tattoo’s!

The pacing of this book is fabulous with each chapter leaving you wanting more, making it nigh on impossible to put it down! This book is a real page turner that’ll make the perfect read to enjoy as the weather warms up; make yourself comfy in the garden (or by a stream if you are able), grab a drink and settle in for an amazing read filled with family, secrets and mystery with a hint of romance thrown in for good measure.

Summer Secrets at Streamside Cottage is yet another triumph from Samantha Tonge who consistently brings something new and fresh to the table with each release. Her easy writing style lends itself to a host of genres and she truly excels in this mystery focused story. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, Tonge has quickly become one of my all time favourite authors and just keeps getting better and better so if you have yet to read something from Samantha I’d highly recommend picking up some of her books.

About The Author

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK with her husband and children. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely. When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines. She is represented by the Darley Anderson literary agency. In2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQ Digital at HarperCollins and in 2014, her bestselling debut, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. In 2018 Forgive Me Not heralded a new direction into darker women’s fiction with publisher Canelo. In 2019 she was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association romantic comedy award.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads