Aunt Ivy's Cottage

Book excerpt: Clearing out the attic, Zoey opens the carved trunk and smiles as she picks up the small, leather-bound diary hiding inside. Curious, she leafs through the pages, and realises this will change everything... All Zoey's happiest childhood memories are of her great-aunt Ivy's rickety cottage on Dune Island, snuggling up with hot chocolate and hearing Ivy's stories about being married to a sea captain. Now, heartbroken from a breakup, Zoey escapes back to the island, but is shocked to find her elderly aunt's spark fading. Worse, her cousin--next in line to inherit the house--is pushing Ivy to move into a nursing home. With the family clashing over what's best for Ivy, Zoey is surprised when Nick, a local carpenter and Ivy's neighbor, takes her side. As Zoey finds comfort in his sea-blue eyes and warm laugh, the two grow close. Together, they make a discovery in the attic that links the family to the mysterious and reclusive local lighthouse keeper... Now Zoey has a heartbreaking choice to make. Nick's urging her to share the discovery, which could keep Ivy in the house she's loved her whole life... but when Zoey learns that Nick and her cousin go way back, she questions if the man she's starting to have feelings for really has Ivy's best interests at heart. Will dredging up this old secret destroy the peace and happiness of Ivy's final years--and tear this family apart for good?