REVIEW
The Path to the Last House Before the Sea melted my heart, broke it and then mended it back together. What a mixture of emotions I felt! At times spontaneous tears flowed, then smiles, then cheers especially when spirits were freed and others were laid to rest. Then more dabbing of my eyes at the realities of life that cannot be changed, no matter how hard we try. Yes, there are times we need to fight like our world is on fire to extinguish the threat but on other occasions we have to respond with a quiet acceptance. For even railing against injustice and the negative things that come into our lives, will not keep certain things from happening. But we can be overcomers. The victory is in our attitude and how we handle those hurdles. We can stand again: be confident there will always be lingering memories to warm the cold and lonely corners of our hearts. And out of the ashes of loss, new beginnings can spring. It’s the cycle of life. This novel shows all that and more.
The Path to the Last House Before the Sea is filled with wild seas, hidden tunnels, wronged smugglers, mixed passion and freed hearts. Secrets latched down come undone as the winds of change sweep across this Devon coastline. Love endures and love awakens among the goodbyes while new doors open and old ones close. Grief changes hearts.
The story is told mostly from three points of view: Jack, Alyssa and Magda in the current day. With an intriguing prologue from the past character, Charity. And a moving epilogue by Stan, Jack’s father.
Alyssa is a former nurse that has come to Heaven’s Cove to escape a traumatic event but her past is never far from her mind and the secret she harbours. In her attempt to distance herself from the pain of her former life, she changes professions and becomes a tour guide unveiling the legends and history that surrounds Heaven’s Cove. In the process of researching the area, she uncovers a sad story of a young couple, Charity and Josiah, that she believes have been wronged. With some of the items she has acquired such as a map and symbol, she sets out to prove their innocence. For she has a gut instinct: something she has vowed never to ignore again. In many ways this drive for justice coincides with her own need for rectification even if she does not realise this. But we can see that her motives are pure and she truly believes that Josiah, is not guilty of the crime that was pinned on him. He had no fair trial before disappearing along with Charity, the girl everyone assumed was murdered. Neither were found so stories were created from accusing imaginations.
Jack has just come through a marriage break up so he is not in the best of moods initially. He meets Alyssa on one of her tours and challenges her with his trying questions. He is more scientific minded with mathematical interests and she relies more on her intuitive abilities and enjoys myths and legends. But his perspective of her eventually changes. Especially after she helps his father with his shop (when not doing her tours) and also with his health. Jack begins to soften and realises the kind of person she really is: particularly when they embark together on a historical search for the truth of his ancestor.
Magda is an older lady who owns a caravan that becomes the home of Alyssa. Her best friend, Penny, has passed away. Penny’s husband, Stan, is heartbroken over losing his wife but Magda, stays close by as comforter, friend, caretaker and anything else she needs to be—even a fill in mother for Jack. But she has a secret she has harboured most of her life.
The opening Prologue sets a stunning scene of beauty and longing. Charity glances back at Driftwood House high on the clifftop bathed in a golden evening light. We then watch her hurrying down the path to meet her beloved, Josiah. Once she enters the cave, she disappears. This drama sets up an aura of mystery that fires up our interest.
I adored this novel and all the main characters became like friends: Magda, Stan, Alyssa and Jack. Their stories are moving and their lives real. Even the couple from the past, Charity and Josiah, are beautiful ghosts of passion. Through Alyssa’s research and with Jack’s help, we get the true picture of this couple, whose lives were so entwined.
As always, Liz grabbed me from the first page and pulled me in. Between the likeable characters who needed fresh starts, their fascinating storylines, the gorgeous setting and intriguing mystery, I was hooked. The romances and the smuggling history of Devon made this novel a winner. I loved the riveting adventure that Alyssa and Jack find themselves on and the outcome. The smuggler history woven exquisitely into the storyline was made more personal by the romantic whispers of a couple unjustly judged in the long-ago.
This novel touched me deeply with its secret love, unrequited love, abandoned love and love returned. But it spoke to me most of all of its lasting love that shines across these pages in such clarity, while offering unexpected twists and pleasant surprises.
The Path to the Last House Before the Sea is a treasure that moved me on so many levels. I felt a plethora of emotions as Heaven’s Cove’s characters revealed their inner passions, their searing pain and triumphant spirits. Liz has done a beautiful job in delivering such a heartfelt gripping story of depth and renewal set on the stunning Devon coast—where smuggler history meets endless love. 5 Wondrous Stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Bookouture & Netgalley for my review copy.
