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 Lighthouse Keeper of Anglesey by Carline Young (Welcome to Anglesey Series Bk 4)

                                          

Ebook:  320 pages      

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance                                            

Publisher: 2 May 2025 by Storm Publishing

Source:  NetGalley - My Kindle

First Sentence: Lloyd Evans sat alone on the smooth-pebbled beach and gazed out towards the horizon, far beyond the lighthouse.

Review Quote: ‘‘Sweeps the reader away... you will cheer for our main character and love the description of her life in Anglesey... I read it in one sitting.’ Reader Review,

My Opinion: 

Caroline Young writes heart-warming stories about ordinary people and their everyday lives on the beautiful island of Anglesey. Living not very far from here and having visited, it is lovely to be able to visualise the locations that the author describes so well.

In the 4th book of the series 'Welcome to Anglesey' the storyline centres around the main female character Seren. Seren has returned to her roots on the island, leaving behind the stresses and problems of her life in London. She is slowly building a new and better life for herself and her young daughter, but it does not come without its trials and tribulations.

As the author herself says 'Life is often far from easy, but we need to remember what we all share rather than focusing on our differences.' Recommend this gentle story which reminds the reader that to be happy in life we need to feel loved, safe and to love others.

Thanks to Storm Publishing, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review 'The Lighthouse Keeper of Anglesey' 

Previous Review:  Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea

Précis Courtesy of NetGalley:

A moving story of love, second chances and family from the Amazon bestselling author of The Forgotten Farmhouse by the Sea.

When single mother Seren Evans returns to the Welsh island of Anglesey with her five-year-old daughter Enya, she hopes to finally escape her troubled past in London. Moving into a cottage near the iconic Black Point lighthouse where she spent her early childhood, Seren reunites with her estranged father Lloyd and begins to piece together the mystery of why her mother suddenly abandoned them decades ago.

As Seren adapts to island life and takes a job at a local art gallery, she finds unexpected romance with Jamie, a Scottish journalist seeking solace from his own tragic history. But with the shadows of her past threatening to catch up with her, and with long-buried family secrets coming to light, can Seren find the peaceful life she’s always dreamed of?

Set against the wild beauty of the Welsh coast, this emotional novel explores family secrets, the power of community, and how love can light the way home through life’s darkest storms. Fans of Susanne O’Leary, Amanda Prowse and Sheila O’Flanagan will be swept away by The Lighthouse Keeper of Anglesey.

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.

Coming Home to the Windmill by the Sea by Caroline Young

                                           

Ebook:  312 pages      

Genre: Contemporary Fiction                                           

Publisher:   September 25th 2024 by Storm Publishing

Source:  NetGalley - My Kindle

First Sentence: Beth and Megan sat on the headland above Aberffraw, on the island of Anglesey, in North Wales, where they always watched the sun go down in the summer.

Review Quote: ‘A captivating read… beautifully written… you could imagine being there… a real lesson on the ability to forgive.’ Reader review,

My Opinion: 

This title is the third in a trilogy, which I was drawn to read because of the Anglesey setting. Having not read the previous two first I was concerned it might not stand alone. However I need not have worried as it did and is a delightful read hinging around the importance of friendship and family in our lives.

Beth and Megan were best friends back in 1999 and living on Anglesey but around this time their lives took very different directions when Beth left the island. Thanks to the breakdown of their friendship it was to be over twenty years before they were to meet again. Can the mistakes of the past be forgiven and will they be able to rekindle their friendship?

With well written realistic characters and wonderful descriptions of Anglesey this heart warming story is one I recommend.

Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review 'Coming Home to the Windmill' 

Précis Courtesy of NetGalley:

From the windswept beaches of Anglesey, an unforgettable story of love, forgiveness and the rediscovery of hope.

When her father dies unexpectedly, Beth Macintosh leaves her high-powered career in London and rushes home to the island of Anglesey to be by her mother’s side. Stepping into the converted windmill she once called home, Beth is flooded with memories of her childhood spent on the island, before she left at eighteen to pursue her big-city dreams.

Crossing paths with Megan Williams is inevitable. Beth hasn’t spoken to her former best friend for fifteen years, not since the betrayal that shattered their friendship and set the women on different paths. While Beth spread her wings, painful secrets kept Megan tethered to the island and a life of isolation, supported only by her brother Ioan, who yearns for the love he once felt for Beth.

Confused about the feelings her memories of the island stir, Beth searches for solace on the beaches she and Megan loved as girls. But when the two friends meet again, and Megan confesses the truth about what drove them apart all those years ago, a fragile new bond begins to grow between the women. As Beth rediscovers the stark beauty of her childhood home, Megan opens her heart to the possibility of a renewed friendship, and hope of a brighter future. Can the two former friends overcome the pain of the past and come together to find the happiness they both deserve?

An uplifting and emotional novel about second chances and the healing power of love and friendship, set on the island of Anglesey. Perfect for fans of Susanne O’Leary, Amanda Prowse, Liz Eeles and Sheila O’Flanagan.

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.