Book Review: The Guest House by Erika Marks

I received a copy of The Guest House by Erika Marks in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

For generations, the natives of Harrisport have watched wealthy summer families descend on their Cape Cod town, inhabiting the massive cottages along the town’s best stretches of beachfront. But when rich Southerner Tucker Moss breaks the heart of local girl Edie Wright in the summer of 1966, an enduring war starts between the two families that lasts for generations….

Edie’s youngest child, Lexi, should know better than to fall in love with a Moss, but at eighteen, she falls hard for Tucker’s son, Hudson—only to find herself jilted when Hudson breaks off their engagement.

Eleven years later, Lexi returns home after two years away studying architectural photography, just in time for yet another summer on the Cape. When Hudson’s younger brother, Cooper, arrives unexpectedly to sell the seaside estate after the death of his father and hires Lexi to photograph it, an unlikely attraction forms, and Lexi finds herself torn once again between passion and family loyalty.

Then renovations at the Moss guest house reveal a forty-six-year-old declaration of love carved into a piece of framing—and a startling truth that will force two women and the men who love them to confront the treacherous waters of their pasts.

Review:

As I’ve been known to favor books that go between past and present, it should come to no surprise how much I enjoyed this book. While usually the past is meaning the late 1800’s or early 1900’s, this book features the time period of 1966, when Edie gets her heart broken from Tucker Moss. It was great to read the entwined stories of how mother and daughter both suffered at the hands of a Moss man, and the other similarities their stories tell. The ending was so intriguing when secrets were revealed – and I enjoyed the nice little twist that came with that! The setting of the Cape Cod town was enchanting to read about, and the strong writing quickly enticed me to fall deeper into the story. Simply a wonderful book to read!

4.5 stars