This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Susan Lobban
When Lisa and George have a last minute night away at the seaside town of Mariscombe, they come back with more than just sand in their shoes. Fed up with their jobs, they decide to buy The Rocks Hotel, outbidding local hotel owner Bruno.
Getting the hotel to reopen is a daunting task – as is the updating of the old décor, but Lisa and George are determined to succeed, against sabotage and unexpected visitors too.
Bruno owns the Mariscombe Hotel and losing the bid for The Rocks is just the wake up call he needs. Living with his own personal demons, he had been determined not to return to Mariscombe, but decides he needs to go back in order to be some real competition for the hotel newbies.
Buying a hotel is a leap into the unknown for Lisa and George, but hopefully they will land in the calm sea rather than the hard rock face!
This book was previously published in 2006 and has now been repackaged including the quick read The Sea Change. I loved the cover straight away and it makes me think of summer days spent at the seaside. It was a ray of sunshine on a rainy, winter day!
Lots of us would jump at the chance to give up our jobs and open a seaside hotel, so it was great to read about Lisa and George making that choice. The Rocks is crying out for love and attention and this couple have it in abundance. However, just as they are making headway, George’s past literally turns up on the doorstep and throws a spanner in the works.Lisa and George are a lovely couple and I loved reading as they tentatively step into the world of hoteliers. However, instead of reading minute details of the hotel’s makeover, more and more characters were introduced. At one point I did think 'enough already', but as the book progressed, you do see how all the characters are linked.
Rather than a light, summery book, this turned into an emotional read where everyone had issues and nothing was straightforward. I also found that all my first impressions of each character were shattered as the story progressed. Even Lisa and George have skeletons in their closets, which refuse to stay hidden and will change their relationship permanently.
This book is just like the sea – calm one minute and rocky the next. The sun does not shine every day at the seaside and opening a hotel is certainly no holiday!
7/10