pageswithpayten's Reviews > The House at Magpie Cove

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Kennedy Kerr for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
When Mara Hughes’ mother loses her battle to cancer, Mara learns she has inherited a secret property in Magpie Cove. When her husband ends their marriage and kicks her out of the house that same week, she takes her children to the beach house. She’s hoping to sell the house and use the money to get her and the kids settled. What she finds instead, is a run down house with a hole in the roof, rotting wood and in need of more work than she could ever do herself. Enter hot local handyman Brian Oakley. Brian’s relationship is complicated and Mara is sure he's just another pig. When Mara opens a box full of letters her mother left her, she discovers she had a younger brother. She sends a letter hoping to reconnect and instead is melt with anger and hostility. As she reads the letters more of her mother’s secrets come out and suddenly everything Mara thought she knew may be no longer. As Brian and Mara get closer and their chemistry becomes undeniable, Mara’s husband decides he’s changed his mind and she is left with a big decision.
The House at Magpie Cove was a quick and easy read that was easy to get swept up into. I’ll be honest, there wasn’t much that wasn’t predictable except for Brian’s story. This book touched on male infertility and that’s a topic I honestly don’t think I’ve read about? I, myself, have PCOS and infertility is a big topic in my life so I was interested in the male point of view! I’ll admit, around 55% I really didn’t like Brian. I thought he was sleazy and that while he was kind, Mara could and should do so much better. And then when her ex came back into the picture? Geez I wanted to shake them all. Of course that’s not the end or this would’ve started much different! There were a few different plots throughout and by the end of the book things really came together and wrapped up nicely.