The Muskoka Cottage Novel Series
One Summer at Ril Lake
When Felicity Jeffries’ husband of twenty-eight years dies of a heart attack, she is finally released from a loveless marriage. But when her adult children begin to question their past, family secrets Felicity has kept for years come to light. Seeking time alone, Felicity seeks refuge at her family cottage on Ril Lake, hoping the tranquility will bring her peace of mind.
Ben Pierce is a man racked with guilt over spending a decade away from his daughter. For the past ten years, his work has taken him to war-torn communities and the sites of natural disasters where he and his company work to rebuild homes villages. Now he wants to rekindle the relationship with his daughter, but will she want to see the father she thinks abandoned her all those years ago?
When Felicity meets Ben, her new neighbour at the cottage on Ril Lake, the two form something more than friendship bound by their mutual need to come to terms with their pasts. Together they unpack the baggage of their lives, and as their friendship grows, so does their desire to be something more to one another. Soon, Felicity's conflicting emotions about how her children will react to her new relationship take a back seat to the old family secrets that refuse to be ignored. Can Felicity reveal just enough to answer her children’s questions without tarnishing their image of their father? What will they say when they learn the identity of the fourth beneficiary in his will? And can Felicity and Ben’s new relationship survive the last and most crucial of those secrets?
Set in the beautiful Muskoka region of Ontario, One Summer on Ril Lake, is the first in Margery Reynold’s “cottage reads” series. This series was inspired by years of visiting the same cottage on Ril Lake and her adventures and discoveries in the nearby towns and villages.
Reviews
A relatable story of love lost and found and everything in between
There is something about this book that propels me to keep turning the pages to find out more about the characters. They are people I want to get to know. It's like my best friend is telling me how she feels and what her worries are. An intimate book of people's lives and the circumstances that brings them together. By the end of the book, the characters were my friends and I hope I can stay in touch with them through another book. Great read. I enjoyed every minute at Ril Lake.
Great story of family secrets.
January 25, 2023
This book kept me interested in what was going to happen next. Well written and had a great flow through all of the story lines that all came together in the end. I recommend this book.
One Winter at Ril Lake
Annie Taylor, a single mother of two, caregiver of her elderly father, owner of Annie’s Lodge, a 24-cottage resort on the shores of Ril Lake, needs help. Struggling to put food on the table and keep the debt collectors at bay, Annie feels pulled from all sides. All she really wants is for someone to take care of her for a change. She could marry Luke McCann, her handyman who has much more than repair and maintenance on his mind, but that would mean giving up her dream.
When Joe Hewitt, his nephew and their gorgeous Burmese, Max, book a ten-day Christmas vacation in one of Annie’s cottages, Joe is full of ideas about how she can make her property pay, and Annie wonders if he just might be the answer she’s been hoping for; for the lodge and for herself.
Before she can decide if either of these two men is right for her, Annie must do some digging into her own past. Why have her migraines returned and why is she forgetting things again? Could the accident she was in, five years ago, that took her husband’s life, be part of the problem? As forgotten memories gradually bring new truths, and Annie begins to put the pieces of her past together, the world as she knows it begins to crumble.
Joe seems to share her vision, and he’s certainly willing to help, but then, so is Luke, in his own way. Which of these two men will be what Annie truly needs?
Set in the beautiful Muskoka region of Northern Ontario, One Winter at Ril Lake is the 2nd stand-alone novel, in the Muskoka Cottage Novel Series by Margery Reynolds.
Reviewed in Canada on April 25, 2023
The setting was beautiful and evocative as I know the area somewhat. An Ontario setting! The author has a knack for balancing description with character development and it’s the first book in a long while that I read quickly. Also I appreciated the complex middle age romance. My only criticism is that I thought that everything tied up a little too neatly and relied on coincidence when it wasn’t really necessary. I look forward to reading more of her work!
Raindrop 1963
really loved all the characters in the book each bringing so much into Annie’s life. From Ali’s giggles to Luke’s love for Annie to Joe’s cooking and helping out like he fits in so well around the lodge and in Annie’s life.
Each character add’s to the storyline. The story also includes Felicity and Ben whom we were introduced to in One Summer at Ril Lake. This is a gentle love story that will have you cheering for Annie as everything she knows is about to change. Has Joe pushed Annie too much and too soon?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading One Winter at Ril Lake and look forward to the next book in the Muskoka Cottage Series.
Where to find my books
Lakeside Books and Art
341 Ridge Rd N, Ridgeway, ON L0S 1N0
Audrey's Books
10702 Jasper Ave, Edmonton, AB T5J 3J5