Summer Read ~ Owl Song at Dawn by Emma Claire Sweeney ☼

☼  Delighted to share my 5th Summer Read ☼ 

Legend Press
2016

My thanks to the publisher for my ecopy of this book

Maeve Maloney is a force to be reckoned with. Despite nearing eighty, she keeps Sea View Lodge just as her parents did during Morecambe's 1950s heyday. But now only her employees and regular guests recognise the tenderness and heartbreak hidden beneath her spikiness.

Until, that is, Vincent shows up. Vincent is the last person Maeve wants to see. He is the only man alive to have known her twin sister, Edie. The nightingale to Maeve's crow, the dawn to Maeve's dusk, Edie would have set her sights on the stage all things being equal. But, from birth, things never were.

If only Maeve could confront the secret past she shares with Vincent, she might finally see what it means to love and be loved a lesson that her exuberant yet inexplicable twin may have been trying to teach her all along.

What did I think about it..

Well, this turned out to be such a lovely read as not only do the characters warm your heart, especially Maeve Maloney, who really is something special, but also because it is set in the northern seaside town of Morecambe, a place I have visited several times.

On the surface, Sea View Lodge is like so many B&Bs which, in their heyday, provided warmth and hospitality but which are sadly, a little down on their luck, and in need of a bit of TLC. Now almost eighty, Maeve Maloney keeps her B&B exactly like her parents did back in the 1950s and opens her heart and her home to all those who have a unique set of needs. The unexpected arrival of  a man from her past brings back painful memories that Maeve has kept hidden for far too long.

Owl Song at Dawn has a wonderful resonance which captures your heart from the very beginning and the residents who call Sea View Lodge home pretty soon become as familiar as old friends. There's something very special, and at the same time quite difficult to read in this book as it highlights the way that prejudice and ignorance once blighted lives. and who instead of intolerance needed compassion and encouragement.

Tackling difficult issues in a readable way is a remarkable skill which the author has got absolutely spot on. Owl Song at Dawn made me laugh, made me cry and made me realise that family, friendship, love and hope are what really matters.

About the Author

Owl Song at Dawn was this author's debut novel in 2016 and was inspired by her sister who has cerebral palsy and autism.

Twitter @emmacsweeney

@Legend_Press