Today I am closing the tour with my review of ‘A Secret for the Lifeboat Sisters’, the third book in the series by Tilly Tennant. Many thanks to Bookouture for inviting me to take part in the tour, and for supplying me with an ARC. All thoughts written are done so in an unbiased manner.
As the sun warms the sand of Port Promise bay and the sea is stained turquoise, Gaby Morrow is about to discover that her life is going to change forever…
As she looks through the window of Thistledown Cottage, her perfect home with its flower-filled garden and views of the sparkling, white-tipped waves, Gaby Morrow should feel like she has it all. She watches her two gorgeous children race down to the golden beach and waves goodbye to her husband Kilian, his chestnut hair tousled as he heads off for another day working on the lifeboats. To her friends and family Gaby’s life looks wonderful, but deep down Gaby knows that this is a lie.
Recently Kilian has grown distant, a terrible tragedy at sea causing him to withdraw. Try as she might, Gaby can’t get her beloved husband to open up, and she knows Kilian has been lying about where he has been going. Gaby wants to believe she can trust him. But when she discovers that he has been keeping a secret that will change all their lives, will she ever be able to feel the same again?
Gaby’s sisters rally round in her hour of need and remind her of everything she has that is worth fighting for. But just as she makes her decision, she sees helicopters circling the sea and the call she has dreaded her whole life comes in. Kilian’s rescue mission has gone wrong. Will Gaby’s life be turned upside down all over again? And has she only realised what is truly important when it’s too late?
TWG’s Thoughts.
I have really enjoyed all three books in the series I must say! Book three is written from the eldest sisters POV, Gaby. In the previous two books, Gaby seemed to have it all together. Every single strand of hair was in place, the type of person who ironed her sheets and underwear, the family organiser hanging on the fridge with all members of the family having a column. You know, THAT together. So, in this instalment, Gaby’s feathers were a bit ruffled and, in all honesty, I could see why. There’s only so long one person can keep it together for without reaching their limit.
I do think that Gaby was playing with fire in the story by trying to make her husband jealous, especially with the way that she went about it. However, I also think that Kilian was in the wrong big time for keeping such a big secret from his wife. It doesn’t matter whether the family couldn’t do anything about it by changing it, because what mattered was the trust between them and he broke that. He should have told her, and the fact that he admitted he wasn’t going to tell her at all was shocking. I know I’m speaking a little in riddles, but because of spoilers I don’t want to say too much!
It took something rather serious for Gaby to realise that she didn’t want to be apart from her husband, which is a shame although it often happens with reality checks and what not.
I think I say this in every review I write for a Tilly Tennant novel, yet I’m going to say it again – I ADORE her books. They are the perfect escape! This book was no different, I literally read it in one sitting (a mere 2.5 hours) and I was gutted when it came to an end. There was something so wholesome about the Morrow family and everything they stood for, plus I loved getting to know each of the sisters and watching them pave their own life. I would love to see a book written from Mother Morrow’s point of view, I reckon it would be such an insightful read given what she’s been through with her husband – I think it would be lovely to learn more about what makes her tick as a person instead of just knowing her as the mother if you catch my drift.
If you haven’t read any of the Lifeboat Sisters books, I urge you to rethink that pronto. Even though the books are centred around some rather hard hitting situations, I think that it was done in a way that was super poignant and thought provoking, without tarring any emotion or event.
‘A Secret for the Lifeboat Sisters’ is a story that proves that, regardless of how polished you look, how together you think you might be, unless you’re happy and confident within yourself, you’ll never be your true, authentic self. Who cares what people think? As long as you are happy with your life then that’s all that matters, and Gaby really drove that home. Yes, she faced bumps along the way, however she needed to come across those to see whether things were worth fighting for.
A huggable, thought provoking, addictive novel that left me feeling at peace with my flaws, and gave my soul a much needed hug.
‘A Secret for the Lifeboat Sisters’ is available to buy now from Amazon.
The Writing Garnet 