The House at Mermaid's Cove

I've read a couple other books by this author and loved them, but this one did not capture my interest like the others. I began to skim pages at the halfway mark, because I tired of reading about when she was a nun, and the subject matter of the war and the Resistance was not of interest to me. I also wanted more between Alice and Jack, not romantic/love scenes, but some tenderness from him, which did not come until the end, which was sprung upon us quickly, in my opinion. However, the author writes beautifully and with great detail. I'm sure readers who enjoy war stories will love this book.

For the most part well written and well researched. I listened in unabridged audio book and the narrator was fabulous.SPOILERS:A nun who doesn't genuflect or cross herself? That is like breathing to a believing catholic, no less a nun. So inaccurate it made the whole story difficult for me.Some major story lines driving the book were abandoned. What happened with the Mother House? How was she received by her former sisters (we assume "former") when she got back to Africa? What about the babies. Yes it might have been another 50 pages to resolve these glaring holes but I would have happily read them to resolve the whole story. Could the author not figure out how to work it out?Very unsatisfying!

There is a nostalgia for WWII. Not sure what that means, but there are so many books with the war as the background. This one starts out very interesting and then becomes a sappy love story. I felt it was predictable. It did keep me invested to the end so I will give it that. I felt the story itself was a little far fetched in that she survives a sinking of a ship and discovered by the Viscount (spoiler alert), but historical fiction can be whatever the writer wants it to be. Not great writing, but not the worst either.

I enjoyed this book as a light read but it did tend to slip into a "bodice ripper" at some points. Let down a little by the arrogance of the ending.

Excellent excellent read I enjoyed this book on so many levels. The religious aspect of being a nun, the emotions you wrote were spectacular! I can’t imagine a tougher scenario to agonize over.Her determined strength to face danger even head on for the greater cause was truly inspiring for us women. Spoiler alert;;;:::!!!! And when you had her put on the nuns clothes in France I about choked!!!! Excellent idea 100%!!!When I read the yank’s blue up the cottage I was really sad.But the end was the best I’ve read in years!!! Loved really LOVED your ending it was satisfying and heartful filled with great hope!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - every part of it. The characters were courageous and so likable, the action moved along at the perfect pace, and it was set in a fascinating time in world history. Since it was so well written, I'm looking forward to reading more books by the same author.

I loved this book. Remarkable story woven from details from the early 1940’s of actual events, people, and a beautiful place near Cornwall! There’s mystery, romance, drama, and action in and around the quaint seaside village near France during the German invasion. Ashford’s writing is direct and smooth for marathon reading! I can’t wait to read another of hers.

Like The Snow Queen, the 1st book by Lindsay Jayne Ashford that I read, The House at Mermaid's Cove is beautifully written. The author has a style that evokes her characters' emotions and the settings - England and France in WWII - in a way that transports the reader to that era. Highly recommended.

While the story is mostly enjoyable m my kindle copy is obviously the US version of the book and I'm struggling to overcome my frustration with American spelling as it is so irksome. Basically spoiled my full enjoyment of the book.

I really loved this story. Very early on I realised that it echoed The Nun’s Story, which is a film I’ve watched several times in the past and enjoyed very much, and so I was sure it would be my type of book. I found the story very interesting as I love novels about the SOE and the a French Resistance. Altogether I found it easy to read with very likeable characters and, for a book about WW2, not too stressful. I would have no hesitation about recommending it to readers who like this genre, especially with a good romance included.

Loved this book, so interesting and of course bought so many memories, Cornwall is a great place to live and work so can quite understand why the people wanted to be there, i would highly recommend this book, once started never want to put it down.

Lots of interesting background information in this book plus believable characters and storyline. The author is particularly good at creating a strong sense of place - she conjures up the setting with just a few sentences. Parts of the book were quite tense but, even during the calmer sections, I found myself still in it, mulling over the people and events in it. A book that stayed with me long after I’d finally put it down.

Just started to read this and I’m enjoying it so far....however, I think the author must have been watching the film The Nuns Story, staring Audrey Hepburn, when she was writing it, as the main character Alice recalls her life as a nun, and it exactly matches that of the character in The Nuns Story...... but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it just the same.