The Hidden Cottage

by Erica James

Mia Channing appears to have an enviable life: a beautiful home, a happy marriage, a job she enjoys and three grown-up children to whom she's devoted. But appearances can be deceptive...

When the family gathers for her son's 30th birthday, he brings with him his latest girlfriend who, to their surprise, has a nine-year-old daughter. Then, before the birthday cake has even been cut, Mia's youngest daughter Daisy has seized the opportunity to drop a bombshell. It's an evening that marks a turning point in all their lives, when old resentments and regrets surface and the carefully ordered world Mia has created begins to unravel.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Womens Fiction, Roman, Audiobook

384 pages, Hardcover

First published May 23, 2012

About the author

With an insatiable appetite for other people's business, Erica James will readily strike up conversation with strangers in the hope of unearthing a useful gem for her writing. She finds it the best way to write authentic characters for her novels, although her two grown-up sons claim they will never recover from a childhood spent in a perpetual state of embarrassment at their mother's compulsion.

The author of nineteen bestselling novels, and the winner of the 2006 Romantic Novel of the Year Award, Erica divides her time between Suffolk and Lake Como in Italy.

Reviews

[Keriann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read some pretty bad chick lit lately and was a bit sceptical about reading this, it's been on my shelf a long time being over looked for other more interesting things. I decided to read it as part of the reading challenge I am doing (a book based entirely on its cover and lets face it it's a beautiful cover!) and I am glad I did.

The story is based in a little village where the lives of the people kind of intertwine, I liked all the characters and the struggled they went through, it's always refreshing to read about characters who have flaws and are not perfect which you tend to find in most chick lit. This book really has everything, I laughed, cried and felt suspense too at some points dying to know what happened next. I couldn't put this book down, not because it was a page turner but just because I had fallen in love with the story and the characters so much I just wanted to keep reading and reading.

Will definitely be reading more by this author.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always refer to Erica James as my "duvet" author, the one I go to when I am feeling tired, stressed or just generally rubbish. I also go to her when I have had a recent addiction to my fantasy adventures, just to return to the real world a little bit. The thing with Erica James is that she is safe, you know what you are going to get with her. Her books can be a little formulaic (there is the odd exception, 'Tell it to the Skies' still amazes me!) and that is certainly evident in the 'Hidden Cottage'.

Almost from the start you could predict what was going to happen and whilst her characters did invite you to keep turning the pages (I was always a bit reluctant to return to work after a lunch break spent reading), she did not seem to invest the time to really develop them. We saw them on the surface and we were hurried into knowing their deepest, darkest secrets and past apart from one, but that was more to create an impact on an event that takes place towards the end.

Whilst I certainly would happily read this book again, and probably will, I would say it is perhaps not one of James' best. I do, however, still look forward to her next novel.

[Sharon Burgin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical Erica James book. It makes for easy-reading and is ideal for a holiday or just wind-down / chilling time.

As usual there are a couple of twists that you don’t see coming; a predictable outcome for the hero and heroine, although you are not quite sure what the journey will be; some tears, taking you by surprise when they happen; and some laughter brought about by situations and characters.

I enjoyed this book and in a World where there are troubles and strife aplenty it’s nice to be transported into the English countryside and into the world of parish fêtes and village gossip. Knowing the area of Olney and Yardley Hastings brought vivid pictures to mind!

If you love Erica James and Maeve Binchy, then this is the book for you.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect to enjoy this novel so much. Bought it randomly second-hand for 75 cents because I thought it had summer vibes but it delivered much more than that.

We have the quaint atmosphere of an English village, a nice extended family with different points of view, romance found in expected and unexpected places, as well as a twist I did not see coming and which kept me on the edge of my seat and had me crying. It also featured a father-figure too familiar for my liking which hit deep.

Highly recommend this for people that aren’t into romance-focused spicy books but prefer a book about life and different types of relationships, the sort of novels written by Maeve Binchy.

[Libonsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story set in a beautiful village. Erica James has a wonderful talent when it comes to setting a scene and she doesn't disappoint with this novel. I found the characters well rounded and you find yourself easily caught up in their lives.
A very enjoyable read :)

[Lesley Book Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read, about a family living in an English village, with sadness, secrets, and love.

[Sharon Chapter One, Page One.. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Hidden Cottage and felt very happy as I finished it – I was pleased it ended the way it did as I wasn’t sure until I’d finished just how it would end.
I found it to be a great tale of love, honesty and family life with worry, excitement & loss woven expertly in for our reading pleasure.
There are a lot of characters – past & present - to get to know but the way the author, Erica James, linked them all together made it very easy to keep up with them all. She connected the reader to the characters in such a way that I was easily caught up in their lives, connecting with them & feeling for them.
I loved how Owen’s childhood history with The Hidden Cottage and the village was slowly told through the book, it enabled us to understand his passion for the cottage, and the desire to continue to live there – whatever might occur in his private life, and the subsequent village gossip!
So well was the beautiful, quaint village of Little Pelham described that I wanted to live there – even with all the nosy neighbours! I enjoyed them all, especially Muriel who initially appeared to be a horrid village gossip but by the end it was evident what a good friend she was to the central character in the book, Mia.
I enjoyed Putin, the resident village peacock making his appearances through the book; his was a pleasant addition and added to the wonderful, idyllic image of the village.
Mia’s husband Jeff had an attitude that ruffled everyone’s feathers, including mine! He was emotionally distant from all of his family, particularly his children, his word was law and he was never wrong - in his eyes. Such a difficult man (and father) to get along with, but I did enjoy the way Mia dealt with him, always calm, ever the lady.
The surprising twist in the middle of the book was unexpected and heart-wrenching… but that’s all I’ll say as I don’t want to give anything away!
I found myself entwined with the family and their problems – I cared about what happened such was my feeling of a connection to them.
Overall, this was a thoroughly well written book that I really enjoyed and didn’t want to put down.
Erica James writes in such a way that pulls the reader in very quickly, and leaves us wanting more by the end. Another book that I would not necessarily consider of the chick-lit genre – it is much deeper than that.

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel. It was a welcome change from the book I read before which was edge of the seat stuff. This is more an enjoyable slice of life about a family. The family functions best when Jeff Channing, husband of Mia and father of Jensen, Eliza and, his blatant favourite, Daisy, is out of the way. Otherwise Jeff tends to overshadow everyone else and all their insecurities rise to the surface.
Everyone in this family has secrets. They are not the only ones. So does Owen Fletcher who returns Little Pelham and fulfils his dream to buy the hidden cottage, where he spent happy times as a child. As you might expect in a village Owen immediately draws attention as the newcomer. There is an instant attraction between Owen and Mia and you get a feeling you know where the story is heading. But there are more than a couple of surprises and shocks along the way.
I liked the English village setting and its community involvement, with its fetes and talent shows but also its penchant for gossip, personality clashes and thinly disguised interference in the lives of others. The characters were well drawn. While I may not personally agree with Mia’s choices or the way she handled decisions and conflict, the author made her and her family believable if flawed characters. Maybe it’s because they were flawed they were so believable? I’ve read a number of Erica James novels. This is a very enjoyable read.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. I could so clearly imagine the cottage with its lake and island. Liked the characters too, especially Owen! Recommended read for any chick lit fan.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the family dynamics of this book, no sugar coating, The grief over losing someone close and how your life can change in an instant. Brilliantly written.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Erica James but I just found this one a bit slow and run of the mill. The story line picked up in some chapters which was why I finished the book and when you have read about all the characters you want to find out what happens. I was also trying to work out why it was called the hidden cottage as it wasn’t really the main focus of the story.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. It was the first of this author for me, but I will definitely read more.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took awhile to get into but then I couldn't put it down!
Twists and turns and I won't spoil it by saying anymore. Just i didn't expect something that happened about mid way in the book.

[Danii Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first problem with this book is that it was way, way too long (and I do like long books, but this one coupled long with boring). Could have easily been half as long; and I would have enjoyed it much more.

I think there were far too many characters, and it took me a long time to even know each character's name, let alone their personalities.

Books telling stories from multiple perspectives don't bother me, but I think this book did it too frequently with not much indication of who it was each time, and considering I didn't even know who any of the characters were until about 100 pages in; that wasn't helpful.

The problem is, that had the book just been the second half, I would have given it three or four stars - it got much more interesting towards the end. But if I wasn't a person who persisted and kept reading when a book was boring me I wouldn't have even passed 100 pages. I'd like the story to be interesting like the end was without over 200 pages of waffling at the start. (It took 252 pages for the thing that was blatantly going to happen to happen.)

Also there were multiple points in the book where the wording of something was simply terrible, which bothered me a lot.

The book was okay in the end, but not something I'll be in a rush to read again.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A village saga, starring middle-aged Mia, who has three likeable adult children and a somewhat obnoxious husband, Jeff. The wealthy Owen arrives in the village, drawn by memories of his childhood when he escaped from an abusive father to learn music from two sweet old ladies.

It's character-based, with a fairly light plot, at least for the first half of the book. I had no problem remembering the fairly large cast: well-chosen names and characteristics helped me distinguish and remember them from day to day. I very much liked Owen, and also nine-year-old Madison. The viewpoint changes are handled well, on the whole, although there's rather a lot of introspection.

Then drama and tragedy strike in a way that felt somewhat unnecessary, pitchforking the family into recriminations, anger, grief, and some difficult decisions. Perhaps there was no other way to move the story forward - and it certainly made the last part more of a page-turner.

The first time I read this book, I wasn't too impressed, but re-reading eleven years later, I liked it a lot more.

It would make good holiday reading. The language is mostly clean, and there's nothing explicit.

Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...

[Harriet · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the last Erica James book that I will read. The titles promise much - pure escapism for me at least but they inevitably leave me feeling disappointed and uneasy. This one was no exception. Something must be awry with the book if the reader not only feels sorry for the 'villain' - in this story Jeff - but also begins to dislike the supposed heroine - Mia. The book invites you to judge, it wants you to judge Jeff and find him wanting and indeed he is. However, this fact does not make me want to condone Mia's behaviour which I thought was morally pretty poor, at times sanctimonious and at others judgmental, deceitful and mean.

[Jennifer Lawler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comfortable and easy read based in a rural English village called Little Pelham. The main action revolves around Mia Channing, her husband Jeff (booo!) and her children Jensen, Eliza and Daisy. It's easy to get drawn into their lives and the cosy village set-up provides a cute background. It comes as a bit of surprise then when ugly emotions begin to rear their head. Broken hearts, betrayal, jealousy and tragedy makes for an enjoyable read.

[Jenni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldnt get into it, my friend liked it. I just dont like books that start off good with main characters and then jump entirely to somebody else, too confusing.

[Jo Dorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, was a good read :)

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one just may have not been for me. It took me about three times as long to read it as it should have. I would be mildly interested in it, but it was easy to put down and difficult to pick back up again. I’m not a massive fan of novels that contain so many character point of views. I think there were eight? It’s too many for a book of fewer than 400 pages. Some characters I enjoyed the most were never written from their point of view, and some that were still felt flat and one-note.
The writing is competent though, and as I said, I did enjoy some of the villages characters, but it was a very slow pace. Nothing of real consequence happened until 250 pages in, which left me questioning why I was even reading it for more than half the book.
Lastly, I have trouble with themes of infidelity when they are presented as inevitable or understandable. Yes, I know that people are complex, and situations are complex, and that’s probably what the author was going for, but it’s become a rather common shill. There has to be better ways to paint a character as complex or a situation without going down that road.
All in all, it’s more 2.5 stars for me, but much of that boils down to personal preference I think. I would consider a different Erica James novel maybe, if it didn’t switch between so many different characters.

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - 41/2 stars. This is the first of James' books and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Mia has what appears to be a wonderful life. Beautiful house, successful husband, three terrific kids who have turned out to be lovely adults. She has a nice little business of her own, Mia's Hats that is doing well. But underneath the surface there are cracks in the foundation. Mia's husband Jeff is a controlling man who has a favourite child who he has been excessively fond of to the exclusion of his other two children. This led to anorexia on Daisy's part. Mia had planned to leave Jeff but when they discovered the anorexia, she decided to stay and focus on Daisy's wellness and keep the family together. But when the family gathers for Jensen's 30th birthday party, Daisy drops a bomb in the family that causes Jeff to go ballistic and Mia going into damage control once again. Owen Fletcher returns to town as owner of the Hidden Cottage and he sets about integrating himself back into the little community he left as a child and he meets Mia and they both feel the spark between them. This book is the story of imperfect people, imperfect families, secrets and the depth of family love. I really enjoyed this book.

[Johanna Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a little story behind me finding and reading this book. For a number of years I’d got out of the habit of constantly reading and went a while without reading any books at all!

15/10/17 was the last day of our holiday but we had to wait in the hotel lobby until midnight for our transfer to the airport. I was extremely bored and headed to the mini book corner. The only English book was this but the blurb had been ripped off!!

I started reading this novel without a single clue what it was about other than a ‘hidden cottage’ 🤣 it got me hooked to the mystery of what the book could’ve been about!

It turned out the hotel let you do a book swap so my partner kindly swapped his book he finished whilst away. I took it home and got through it as quick as I could between work.

I loved it! And it was the first book I’d read in years which properly drew my back to reading full time, I haven’t been without a book on the go since! I know the review isn’t about the novel as such but to me it’s a special book as it has a memory behind it.

It was a great storyline throughout and definitely had me hooked from the beginning.

[Sammi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the type of story that didn't really have a story. Everyone was introduced and then something happened and then afterwards was just the recovery of the event. I feel like have the characters in this as well were pointless, and to prove my point, after 'the event' it mainly only centred on Mia and Owen, and never mentioned the children again as I feel like their story had been 'solved'. I also didn't really like the characters, they were all a cliche, and I didnt understand why we were meant to like Mia at all. She was moody and had about as much personality as a piece of cardboard, plus Owen was just soooooooo 'perfect', it was actually so annoying, he was literally only there to save her and just 🙄. Also feel like... why was everybody rich?? Feel like there wasn't much thought there, and basically just so people could run around doing what they want so we wouldn't question where they got all their free time from. Just think it was a pretty basic story, with pretty basic characters and pretty basic writing, it was okay.

[Nicole Hughes-Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is loosely set in my home county and I found it a little weird to recognise place names in a fictional book!

The story is really well written and I could tell that James had written with great planning and care. The spelling, punctuation and grammar was close to perfect throughout.

The novel follows a man who is recently separated as he moves to a little village into the house of hi dreams. He meets a woman and falls in love.

Additionally there are many bylines which demonstrate that James is a pro; he man's history with the house and his father, the woman's relationship with her husband, and children; of which there are three and all have their own stories in the book.

The way each story is told so smoothly and the way the stories link together is brilliant - it is easy to know which character is which and I could relate to all of them at some point in the book.

James is a brilliant author and I would definitely recommend the book. The story was lovely and enjoyable although it did not wow me, so I have rated it 4 out of 5.

[Lalicia Elston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written book and a brilliant story, definitely had a good range of events from moments that made me smile, laugh and cry. I did enjoy the way the author had us seeing events from all different points of view, did sometimes get a bit confusing though since it does change so quickly but eventually you realise who's point of view you are reading the events from and it makes sense... I couldn't recommend this book more for anyone who likes a good mainly romance genre book but there is a bit of other genres thrown in to keep it going... I was also very keen on the fact that the other didn't rush into the main issue between the main characters and actually gave some form of character progression and growth before hand, made the romance aspect more classy and less dirty in my opinion

[Maia S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong 4 stars. Loved this book, such great characters. Adored Owen and how he found his place in the village, adored Muriel, adored Jensen and the relationship between him and his siblings as well as him and his new family.
It was definitly a character driven story more so than a plot driven one, but since the characters were so good, I was pretty content with that.

I liked that the author didn't just kill off Jeff to let Mia be with Owen, but instead had her ask him to divorce and had him needing to live with the consequenses and the grief. Also Jensen keeping in contact with him despite him having been a shitty father, it all felt quite realistic to me.

[Jane Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up in a charity shop and wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I initially expected chick-lit, but it’s somewhat more than that. I struggled with the first few pages as the prose was quite dense and the print very small, but I was soon hooked. The characters were varied and complex and the interweaving plots had so many twists and turns that each new chapter held a surprise. I wanted to know what happened to the characters after the end of the book which is always a sign of a wonderful read. I think Erica James may become one of my new favourite authors.

[Carole Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a lovely romantic story set in a idyllic village in West England. As soon as I read the first couple of chapters I could easily imagined the rest of the story unfolding but there was a surprises I didn't expect....I love the way Erica slowly depict the characters by revealing a bit more at each chapter. Good book to read with a cup of tea and snuggled in a blanket on a cold winter day ! The reason I only put 3 stars is because I though the ending was written a bit too quickly, I was expecting more and some details were missing in my opinion.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. The protagonist was likeable and believable, which made me more invested in her story. The middle of the story threw a curveball I wasn’t expecting and I’m still not entirely sure what purpose it served, other than to maybe serve as a catalyst to the end of the marriage - although, saying that, there was every reason for the marriage to end anyway, so it still wasn’t needed, in my opinion. I really liked Eliza’s story and wish that had been developed/explored more, rather than Jensen’s story being such a big part of the narrative. A nice read with a happy ending.

[Abby Nancarrow grimshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great read - the husband pissed me off as he could not see what he was doing to his family - if I was the wife I would have left ages ago. When tragedy struck it was sad to read but it was a great ending. The book reminded me again that you are the only one that can make you happy and you shouldn't do things just because you are expected to do it from society's point. If I could do my life again it would be so different!