Coming Home to Sturcombe Bay

By: Susanne McCarthy

Many thanks to Zooloo’s Book Tours for the ARC of this book!

About the Book

They were never truly over — and this time love might just get it right.

After ten years of globe-trotting, Cassie Channing returns to Sturcombe Bay to care for her ailing grandmother. Only to find herself face-to-face with Liam Ellis — the man she once loved and left behind.

Liam has moved on since the day Cassie left, or so he tells himself. A devoted single dad and respected vet, he’s built a life without her. But the moment she steps back into the village, old feelings come rushing back.

Liam’s determined to keep his distance — but the spark between them is impossible to ignore. And, as Cassie settles into village life and grows close to his daughter, staying away gets harder.

The more time Cassie and Liam spend together, the more the heat between them intensifies — but so do the unresolved tensions from the past.

With Cassie’s plane ticket booked to leave in six weeks, they both must decide if the love they never really got over is worth a second chance.

My Review

I’m going to be honest here. The blurb of this book focuses on the romance between Cassie and Liam, but honestly, the entirety of the book as a whole doesn’t really focus on the romance too much. This book really focuses on Cassie coming home after ten years away. She sees family and friends that she hasn’t in ten years, including her nanna who is close to the end of her life. She reassess her life and what her future holds; she tries to figure out what she wants for her future – whether she is going to stay or leave again.

This aspect of the book was fantastic. I loved seeing the relationship between Cassie and her Nanna. Nanna is a spitfire of a woman. Everyone was so welcoming of Cassie, even though she had been gone for so long. Though, Cassie did miss her sister’s wedding because she didn’t want to see Liam with his new girlfriend. I wanted to yell at Cassie for that.

When it comes to the romance, it felt nonexistent for a majority of the book, at least for me. Liam and Cassie had some interactions, but some were awkward, and some were okay. But I didn’t feel any pull between the two characters. I wanted to have more interactions; I wanted to have more yearning and angst. By the time these two have a real conversation, it was 80% into the book. I don’t want to give away the ending, but let’s just say, it all happens way too quick. I will say, Liam has a daughter from his first marriage (he’s a widow). Robyn (his daughter) and Cassie have a delightful relationship!

Anyway, this is a feel good kind of book, so if you like those, this book would be great for you!

About the Author

I’m a Londoner, though I haven’t lived there for many years. But if you’re born a Londoner you’re always a Londoner. And what could be better than growing up in London in the 60s? The clubs, the live music, the shops – all now passed into legend.

I got fed up with school and left before taking my A levels. Over the next few years I had lots of jobs – measuring fabric in Jones and Higgins in Peckham, cleaning chalets at Butlins Bognor Regis, even a short stint in the Civil Service. Then I decided it was time to grow up, so I went to Liverpool to train as a teacher. I loved life at University, but I wasn’t so keen on teaching, so I switched to adult education, which suited me fine.

Shortly after I met my husband we moved to Shropshire, where we lived on the side of a hill with a series of rescued Afghan Hounds, a couple of small terriers, some cats, some birds, some fish, and an iguana called Spike.

A few years ago we decided to move to Devon. My husband is a Devonian, and had always wanted to come home. And me… I wanted to live near the sea. So now we are settled here in South Devon, a twenty minute stroll from the beach. And I love it!