The Cottage in the Clouds by Caroline Young

                                                  

Ebook:   327 pages      

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance                                            

Publisher:  Feb 20th 2026 by Storm Publishing

Source:  NetGalley - My Kindle

First Sentence: Anwen's day ended with a brief walk in the woodland around her cottage, as her days had done for more years than she cared to count.

Review Quote: ‘Really captured my heart' Reader Review

My Opinion: 

Caroline Young writes heart-warming stories about ordinary people and their everyday lives in Wales. This is the third of her novels that I have read, previously they have been set on the beautiful island of Anglesey, where she lives. This is the first novel she has set anywhere other than the island, this time the setting is in the mountains of Eryi or Snowdon. Living on the edge of the National Park myself  it is lovely to be able to visualise the locations that the author describes so well.

The main protagonist in 'The Cottage in the Clouds' is Elin Pugh who is currently feeling very unsettled in her London life. A call to help an elderly friend back in Wales where she grew up sounds like the ideal escape and opportunity to decide what she wants to do next with her life.  Anwen, the elderly lady who played a large part in Elin's childhood is a talented artist but known locally as very grumpy and somewhat of a recluse.  The homecoming makes Elin realise that something is missing from her life. As she and Anwen become closer and secrets from the past come to the surface, Elin begins to feel that maybe this is where she is meant to be.  The big secret I guessed early on in the novel as it is rather predictable, however that did not detract from the story as the truth is slowly revealed to Elin.

Recommend this gentle story to lovers of Wales looking to be transported to the wild and beautiful  countryside whilst enjoying a tender tale of finding oneself.

Thanks to Storm Publishing, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review ' The Cottage in the Clouds' 

Previous Review:  Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea.   The Lighthouse Keeper of Anglesey

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

When Elin Pugh’s life in London crumbles, she returns to the Welsh mountains of her childhood to care for Anwen Jones, the enigmatic artist who once filled her young heart with dreams of creativity and freedom.

Anwen lives alone in a ramshackle cottage high in the hills, surrounded by cats and decades of dust-covered paintings. Fiercely independent and famously difficult, she’s spent years driving away visitors with her sharp tongue and signs warning trespassers to ‘Go Away’. But as Elin settles into life in the shadow of the mountains, she discovers that beneath Anwen’s prickly exterior lies a woman with an extraordinary story to tell.

Helping the ailing artist catalogue a lifetime of work, Elin begins to uncover long-buried secrets about her own past that her mother has kept hidden for over thirty years. Soon she discovers that her journey home was about more than escaping – it was about finding out who she really is, rediscovering the life-changing joy of creativity and learning where she truly belongs.

A sweeping story of love, loss and the wonder of the natural world, The Cottage in the Clouds explores how creativity and unexpected bonds can help us to heal and find our way back to ourselves.

Author Profile:           

         

Caroline Young has always written stories and found inspiration in the world around her, be it a bustling city or a windswept beach. She has worked for many years as a writer of non-fiction books for children, which allows for few adjectives or creative expression, so she keeps these things for her fiction. As the mother of three grown-up daughters, she now has the time to focus on her own writing, and tell the stories she wants to tell. Caroline has a degree in English from Cambridge University where she was exposed to wonderful writers from every age, and she aims to relate just some of their ideas and language to her life and writing. Caroline's idea of paradise is a bright day with a bracing wind and the sea, waiting for her to dive into it (even in January!). She hopes to write stories that the reader can lose themselves in, which take them somewhere different and fill them with joy in the beauty of the natural world, and all the amazing people in it.

            

Amazon Author Page.     Goodreads Profile.   Caroline Young - Storm Publishing

Photos and Biographical information Courtesy of the above links.

The Names by Florence Knapp

                                                     

Hardback: 336 pages 

Genre: Literary Fiction, 

Publisher:  Phoenix 2025

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: Cora's mother always used to say children were whipped up by the wind, that even the quiet ones would come in after playtime made wild by it.

Setting: England and Ireland

Main Characters: Cora Atkin, Gordon Atkin, Maia Atkin, Bear Atkin, Julian Atkin

Review Quote: 'An unadulterated success: moving, evocative and utterly convincing' The Times

Favourite Quote: “She catches snippets of what they’re saying: how dogs don’t need to live as long as humans, they’re simply so good at finding the joy in life. As if we are put on this earth to extract a certain amount of happiness and can leave once the job is done.”

Literary Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction and for Debut Novel (2025), Book of the Month Book of the Year AwardNominee (2025), She Reads Best of Award for Literary Fiction (2025), Libby Award Nominee for Best Debut (2026)

My Opinion:

I have been wanting to read this debut novel from Florence Knapp for sometime and my expectations were high. Were they met, most definitely.

Cora Atkin is about to register the birth of her son and the novel is about how her choice of names will impact on the future of her and her family. Related to the reader as three separate stories, following the life of her son, depending on which name she chooses.  Her daughter wanted him called Bear, Cora's preference was Julian, which she thought suited him, but her controlling husband was insisting on Gordon. Each name meant a vastly different life unfolds. Three names but the story of one family and how love is enduring despite everything.

A really successful debut novel with an ambitious premise that works. It is a compelling and moving read that I highly recommend. A warning though, if you are in any way sensitive to domestic violence scenarios you may find it disturbing.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.

Author Profile:       

Courtesy of Goodreads

In her own words : I live just outside London with my husband, our dog, and sometimes one (or two) of our now-adult children. Some of my favourite things are: words, photo booths, old tiles, rain, long phone calls, clothing with pockets, book covers, dimples (I don’t have any of my own, but I covet the cheeks of those who do), houses lit up at night, the word eiderdown, notebooks, kaleidoscopes, homemade soup, Italy, taking photos, book chat, hummus, barre, house plants, a thick duvet with wool blankets piled on top, hand-stitching, making lists. 

I’m less keen on condiment bottles, driving on motorways, and socks where the heel slips down.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile.   Author's Official Website.   Instagram Profile 

Amazon Author Profile

A Private Man by Stephanie Sy-Quia

                                                  

Ebook:  253 pages Kindle Edition

Genre:  Religious, Church History, Romantic Fiction,

Publisher:  Picador Jan 2026

Source: NetGalley

First Sentence: They put the neat box into a crisp hole in the ground.

Review Quote: 'I couldn't put it down' - The Independent

My Opinion:

I had never heard of this author before being given the opportunity to read 'A Private Man'. In the authors notes to the novel she explains that her inspiration was drawn from her own grandparents experiences.

A forbidden love story between David a Roman Catholic priest in the 60's and Margaret a progressively minded theology teacher. Two young people that despite their religious faith were unable to envisage a life without each other.

One to read if you are looking for something a little different. Be warned though the love story element is a very slow reveal. Part One concentrates on introducing the reader to the protagonists and it is not until Part Two that the forbidden love story really begins.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and author for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Amazon: 

Rome, 1953. David is young, handsome, charismatic and sworn to celibacy. He is freshly ordained, and about to return to England to begin life as a priest. Devotion to God is all he’s ever known.

In London, Margaret is entangled in an impossible love affair. Committed to living on her own terms without sacrificing her faith, she becomes drawn to a women’s movement challenging the archaic rules of the Church.

When their lives are thrown together at a Catholic college in a quiet village, an undeniable connection forms between them. And so begins a story of forbidden love, sacrifice and secrets, with consequences that will reverberate across the generations.

Author Profile:                                                                                       

                                                           

                                                      Courtsey of RCW Literary Agency

Stephanie Sy-Quia was born in 1995 and is a British–American writer. Born in California and now living in London, Sy-Quia attended the King's School, Canterbury then went on to study English at Oxford.

Biographical Information and Photo courtesy of the following sites:

Wikipedia Profile.      Instagram Profile.   RCW Literary Agency Profile

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

                                                 

Hardback:  307 pages 

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction,Romance, Mystery, Thriller,

Publisher:  John Murray 2025

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: “The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”

Setting: England

Review Quote: 'Excellent . . . a vivid, forceful love story which plays out at the pace of a thriller' Irish Times

Favourite Quote: “It’s strange, the patchwork stories we tell someone when we want them to catch up, a shortcut to knowing us, as if such a thing were possible.”

Goodreads Choice Award

Nominee for Readers' Favorite Historical Fiction (2025), Nominee for Readers' Favorite Audiobook (2025)

My Opinion:

Having heard nothing but praise for 'Broken Country' I was delighted when my library reservation was ready to collect. From the first page I felt this was going to be a read to get fully immersed in.

A dual timeline story that follows the lives of the three protagonists Beth, Frank and Gabriel. We first meet them as youngsters in 1955 when their lives first become entangled. By 1968 when they catch up with each other again, after many years, the dynamics have changed somewhat and a murder is committed.

An emotional read, but beware it deals with the grief of losing a child. Although it is also a romantic story which will tug at your heart strings as passion is intertwined with grief. Highly recommended.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.

Author Profile:       

                                                                                                                                    Courtesy of  Goodreads

Clare Leslie Hall is a novelist and journalist who lives in the wilds of Dorset, England, with her family. Under the name Clare Empson, she published two domestic noir thrillers, Him and Mine, that were published in the UK and Germany. She has always loved The Go Between by LP Hartley and Broken Country is a nod to it, featuring a forbidden love affair with catastrophic repercussions. Broken Country is her US debut.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile.   Amazon Author Profile