Tasmina Perry is the bestselling author of The Last Kiss Goodbye and The Proposal. Her new novel is a heart-wrenching love story bejewelled with mysteries and dark secrets, set in the Deep South. If you love sailing away with Santa Montefiore's novels or unwrapping the layers of the latest Rachel Hore, you will adore losing yourself in this book.
1995. Savannah, Georgia, where the sunsets are long and golden and the air is hot and heavy with promise. Student Jim Johnson isn't happy when he has to abandon his plans of a carefree month of inter-railing to spend the summer in the Deep South with his mother and his father, a down-on-his luck author who has been sent to Savannah to rediscover his muse. But when Jim meets the beguiling Jennifer Wyatt, the daughter of the owners of Casa Seta, the mysterious plantation house on the shores of a lake, Jim knows he has made the right decision in coming along. Until an event happens that shatters Jim and Jennifer's lives for ever and sets both their lives on a different course.
2015. Twenty Years later Casa Seta stands abandoned and neglected, a victim of tragic events that everyone wants to keep buried. But when Jim Johnson's boss buys it as the latest acquisition to his hotel chain, Jim is forced to return to the house and restore it to its former glory. Fate throws him back into the orbit of Jennifer Wyatt, the woman his heart has never truly got over, but as he tries to put the ghosts of the past behind him, he unearths a chilling secret that makes him wonder what he has ever really known about the people he loves. The House on Sunset Lake
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There were a number of features that caught my eye when I chose to read The House on Sunset Lake by Tasmina Perry. Firstly, I was drawn to the stunning over image of a rambling lake house that looked like it was holding whole host secrets. Secondly, I was also attracted to the title of the book itself. The House on Sunset Lake is a title that suggests intrigue. Finally, upon perusing the blurb, I was soon convinced that this was my type of novel, as I adore dual narratives and books that hold secrets for the reader to unlock.
Onto the blurb, The House on Sunset Lake is one complicated boy meets girl love story. One summer, over twenty years ago, Jim Johnson makes the fateful trip to the deep south region in the United States with his mother and father. Taking up residence in a sprawling plantation property named Casa D’Or, the Johnson family plan to spend the summer at the mansion by the lake, so Jim’s father Bryn can write in the tranquil surrounds. When Jim meets the daughter of the owners of Casa D’Or, Jennifer Wyatt, his life changes in an instant. He falls madly in love with Jennifer but Jennifer is promised to her childhood sweetheart Connor. This arranged engagement doesn’t get in their way and the two embark on a sweet love affair. Jennifer plans to leave Connor and commit herself fully to Jim. However, a tragic event intervenes in their plans and the two are torn apart. Twenty years later, by chance, Jim returns to Casa D’Or with plans to renovate it from a family home, to a luxury hotel. This leads him straight back to Jennifer, who is now married to Connor. As Jim’s plans to refurbish Casa D’Or moves ahead, Jennifer and Jim’s unresolved relationship comes to the surface. A deep seated family secret connected to the lake house and impacting Jennifer and Jim directly, is also eventually revealed. The revelation of this secret changes the course of Jennifer and Jim’s decision to give their love a second chance.
Tasmina Perry is an author I used to read some years ago, particularly when I was after a beach friendly, or chick lit style novel. I can see over the years Perry’s writing has evolved and now she has tackled the popular dual narrative style of novel. Although the time frame in The House on Sunset Lake is relatively small (twenty years) between the events in the past and the present day, I felt they worked well in this novel. I found the structure of this novel acted as a good incentive to continue to stay with the novel. I really wanted to get to the bottom of the secret as to how and why Jim and Jennifer never made it as a couple twenty years ago. Once I reached this part of the novel, I was shocked by the turn events.
In addition to the appealing dual narrative, the characters, both major and minor, are an intriguing feature in The House on Sunset Lake. Perry takes time to explore each character that appears in her novel, offering a good outline of each protagonist – so that the reader comes to understand their strengths, flaws, motivations and fears.
By far, what I appreciated the most about The House on Sunset Lake was the reflective and reminiscent tone of the novel. I am sure many readers will appreciate the themes that run through The House at Sunset Lake. At its core, this is a book about second chances and life altering secrets. The House on Sunset Lake offers the reader the ideal blend of romance, drama and mystery.
The House on Sunset Lake would make the ideal beach companion. It is a light read, offering the reader an interesting tale that delves into past, with secrets aplenty to uncover. The themes of missed opportunities in love and reconnection will appeal to many readers, especially the romantics at heart.
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com 400 Boy meets girl and they fall in love.
Something happens and they are torn apart.
In their late 30's they meet up again.
So far so good I was enjoying the story. But then
When guy finds something out that happened when they first met.
Guy gets mad and dosn't believe girl, its not untill someone close to him says I believe her that he changes his mind and goes running after girl. Me I would have punched the guy for not believing me.
Bad ending to a good book.
400 I just kept waiting for something to happen... by page 240 I realized nothing was going to.
I'm confused about what this book was supposed to be? Seductive, mysterious, perfect... is what is says on the cover. I'm gonna tell you, it wasn't any of these things.
I've read almost all of Tasmina Perry's books, and this was the most disappointing one, by far. 400 The House on Sunset Lake is a wonderfully written story about young love, destructive secrets, and second chances. I was quickly drawn into the story and I found both storylines equally interesting. Jim Johnson has never really gotten over his first love when he travels to America to oversee the transformation of Casa D'Or from a family home to hotel. But, a chance meeting with Jennifer brings the memories of a summer 20 years back to him and is there a second chance for them or have too much time gone by and are the secrets too dark for them to take on?
I found The House on Sunset Lake to be an interesting book, and I liked how two grown people got the chance to reconnect 20 years later after falling madly in love when they were young. It's also a tragic story, especially towards the end of the book when so much is revealed, like why Jennifer chooses to stay with Connor and marry him, despite loving Jim. I really felt for Jennifer while reading this book, her father barely knew her, and her mother was trying to control her, going so far as lying to her. There is a scene in this book towards the end of the book at Jennifer's birthday party when I just wished that Jennifer would have put down her foot when those close to her tried to make a big decision for her. I got so mad reading that part. And, it's now we are starting to learn what really happened all those years ago. I must confess that I was surprised to see where to story was going...
This book surprised me, it was much darker and tragic than I had expected. But, that's not bad, it just shows that life isn't always a dance on roses.
I want to thank Headline for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! 400 Set in Savannah, in America’s deep south, Casa D’Or is a stunning lakeside mansion owned by the affluent Wyatt family; David, his wife Sylvia and their daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer’s future appears to have been set out for her with a planned engagement to Connor Gilbert, her childhood sweetheart. Bryn Johnson and his family arrive from England to rent out the Lake House. Jennifer finds herself drawn to Bryn’s son, Jim.
As their friendship deepens, they fall in love, and make plans to leave together. Tragedy then occurs, and what follows is a set of events that change the course of both of their lives. Questions get left unanswered, and things aren’t at all what they seem.
The story starts in the present day where we get introduced to Jim Johnson, who is now in his forties. Working for an international hotel group, Jim once again comes across Casa D’Or. His boss decides to buy it and turn it into a hotel. Jim soon comes face to face with Jennifer who agrees to sell it. As they become reacquainted we learn more about the events leading up to their separation twenty years prior.
Wow. Wow. And wow. I’d read Tasmina Perry’s previous book, The Last Kiss Goodbye, and it was worthy of five stars. This book had a lot to live up to. It didn’t disappoint.
I’ve never been a fan of books that go between past and present. I often get confused as I don’t always know where I am. Here, it is accomplished with finesse. The year is printed at the beginning of each chapter and when a date change occurs, you know exactly where you are. The time changes work well within the story. You see how things started all those years ago, and you also know what’s happening in the present day. You don’t know what has happened in-between or what will happen going forward. As you read on, all the pieces come together and everything becomes clearer.
The story broke my heart in places. Quite a few of the characters weren’t all they at first seemed. As the story unravels, more gets discovered about them and how their past actions changed the lives of those around them. The behaviour of some characters shocked me to the core. I was taken completely by surprise.
At first I couldn’t warm to Jennifer, which for a main character is unusual. I was unable to put my finger on it. As the story progressed, I felt more empathy with her. I learned about what Jennifer had been through and why she became the person that she did. Yet, there was another character who I found rather likeable, but when the truth gets revealed, turned out to be abhorrent.
There were many twists throughout the story. I didn’t see a single one of them coming. I found myself gasping out loud at one in particular which came near the end. It was a brilliant twist, and yet so disturbing and shocking when it twisted yet again. Tasmina Perry is a pure genius.
This is one of those stories that could get made into a feature length film for television or the big screen. I wouldn’t be surprised if this happens in the future. It would be perfect so long as the screenplay stays true to the book.
I highly recommend reading this amazing story. It will keep you hooked throughout and you won’t be able to put it down. Prepare to be immersed, shocked, and blown away. I certainly was.
Reviewed by Jodie on www.whisperingstories.com 400
Jim Johnson is set to return to Savannah, the place were twenty years ago he lost his heart to Jennifer Wyatt. Can he put the past behind when he has to face Jennifer in connection with his latest business venture? It is not a bad story at all, lots of passion, romance and secrets in a story that flips backwards and forwards in time from a long hot Savannah summer where we witness two teenagers fighting a mutual attraction, to the present day. On the whole I did enjoy the read but for me it didn’t really get going until the last 15 or 20%. At that point, the author threw in a real shocker but it felt out of place. There had been no hints about it, and it almost felt as if it had just been put in to spice up a story that definitely needed a bit of a shake up. I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley. 400 The House on Sunset Lake is a lovely, light read that is set in 2015 but takes us back to 1994 also as we unravel the mysteries of a summer gone by 20 years previous. This a wonderfully written story and I really liked the main character Jim Johnson who has never found another love in the past 20 years like he had with Jennifer. But are they able to overcome the secrets that were buried that summer? Fantastic characters and beautiful setting. I would love to be able to visit the Plantation House! A good read….
400 Ever since the publication of DADDY’S GIRLS back in 2006 Tasmina Perry has been...
http://sleaze-factor.blogspot.ca/2016... 400 3.5 stars. Jim Johnston was a student in 1995 and was not happy when his plans of a carefree month has to be abandoned. His father is an author who is not having much luck with his writing and has been sent to Savannah to try to rediscover his muse. Jim soon meets Jennifer Wyatt whose father owns Casa Seta. Then a tragedy happens that makes them go their separate ways.
It's now 2015 and Jim has to return to Casa Seta as his boss has purchased it as an addition to his hotel chain. Jim has ti restore the house to its former glory and discovers a chilling secret that makes him wonder if he has really known the people he loves.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Headline and the author Tasmina Perry for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. 400 3,5⭐ 400