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The Cottage



The Cottage
Secrets of the Shetlands: Book 2 
                                                                  By Michael Phillips


I LOVE LOVE Scotland. Everything about Scotland is fascinating, so naturally, reading this book was a very enjoyable experience for me. Let me start off by saying that I have not read the first book in this series. However, for those of you haven't either, don't worry, enough references have been made to the previous book that the storyline is not interrupted.

Set up against the backdrop of the beautiful Shetlands, off the coast of Scotland, the imagery used in the story is breathtaking- as if one were physically there. I thoroughly enjoy books, though fiction, I can still learn much about places and people and this one is a great example!

The novel starts off with American heiress, Loni Ford in Scotland, trying to get accustomed to the idea of being the laird of Whales Reef in the Shetlands. To do so, she must learn all the details of the inheritance, get to know the people, life on the island, and the traditions. Thode few days she had planned to stay turn into weeks as the business purpose of her stay turns into a deep, personal and familial search to find her true identity. She meets two of her distant cousins, David and Hardy Tulloch. Davis, who also happens to be the chief, proves to be much more the gentleman and selfless helper than Loni had first attributed him to be. Hardy, coupled with Texas oil magnate, Jimmy Joe McLeod, show their true colors when Loni decided to accept the inheritance and safeguard the living of the people. She is in for more than she had bargained. Becoming Laird of Whales Reef turns out to be more complicated than Loni had anticipated, but a rewarding journey to discover who she really is.

This novel has exactly what I look for in Christian fiction that unfortunately is a rare gem. I've read many, many Christian fiction novels and no one has been as spiritually engaging as 'The Cottage." This is a really good thing for this book and author but sad for most books in the same genre.
I enjoyed the deep spiritual conversations between David and Loni's grandparents. Davis a very simple and humble man with a great mind and a beautiful heart. I want to quote some things he said that convinced me deeply:
Page 245, when talking about Hardy's evil doings:
"I'm not thinking of what he deserves, but what we ought to do. God will take care of what Hardy deserves. We have to take care of what we're to do." 

I can relate 100% with this quote:
Page 321, when speaking about the differnces between Audney and himself:
"Much of what interests me would be lost on her. She isn't curious about the wider world and the meaning of life. She takes things as they come and is satisfied with that...No, I'm not satified to take things as they come. I want more. I want to know what they mean. I want to think about big things, to understand life and the world and God and myself more deeply. I'm fascinated and curious about everything life has to teach me." 

I, like David, love to learn things and understand life more deeply, so I was able to connect with this character pretty closely. It would be interesting to have a conversation with David.

I also enjoyed learning more about the Quaker faith. I'm a Pentecostal but could relate with must of the Quaker beliefs presented here. Now, I don't feel so lost when following along with Quakerism.
I want to congratulate and thank Mr. Phillips for bringing fiction and God together to tell the story of Loni, who struggles with faith and identity much like many people do in real life. I'm glad to have been introduced to this author's works through this novel, I will definitely look for his previous books.

I received a copy of this books from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

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