The Cottage by the Cliffs

Love in Ballycove #1

by Maeve McBride

an alternate cover edition can be found here

One fake ring, one broken heart—and a second chance at love.

Big-city marketing star Tara Quinn returns to windswept Ballycove only to inherit a dilapidated cliff-top cottage—and the memories of the teenage sweetheart she left behind. Local carpenter Cillian Byrne offers a daring solution: announce a pretend engagement so nosy villagers, greedy developers, and Tara’s guilt all stay off her back while they restore the house.

It’s strictly business, zero feelings, no risk… until shared sunsets, salt-brushed laughter, and one stolen almost-kiss start turning the fakest romance in Ireland achingly real. As Cillian and Tara hammer at sagging roofs and dodge relentless gossip, Ballycove’s richest developer circles, eager to swap Granny’s roses for luxury lodges. Selling would solve Tara’s money worries—and wipe out Cillian’s livelihood. Staying means facing the grief she fled and the man whose heart she once shattered.

When their sham engagement is exposed during the midsummer regatta, Tara must retreat to Dublin’s neon comfort or stand beside the carpenter who’s rebuilt far more than a cottage—he’s rebuilt her courage to love. Can a make-believe promise survive crashing waves and cruel truths—or will real love claim the cliffs?

Genres: Romance

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2025

About the author

Maeve McBride writes heartfelt, clean small-town romances set against the lush landscapes of Ireland. Her stories weave together the warmth of close-knit communities, the charm of cobblestone streets and cozy pubs, and the tender journeys of love and self-discovery.

Download your FREE eBook at: www.MaeveMcBrideAuthor.com

Reviews

[PurpleLadi]

The Cottage by the Cliffs, by Maeve McBride, is a second chance small town romance. This story has drama, corruption, fickle nosey townsfolks, and a cute puppy. Cillian and Tara were inseparable as children and sweethearts as teens. Tara long to escape the town, so she didn't return after going away for college. Her leaving broke Cillian's heart but he hoped she'd return someday. There is unfinished business between Cillian and Tara, but when Tara's grandma left her the cliff cottage, she returned planning to sell it quickly then leave town. Of courses things were not going to be that simple.

[Mary Brown]

A delightful, light read.
Burned-out Dublin coder Eimear Hanly inherits her grandfather’s crumbling sheep farm in Ballycove—but only if she’s married before August. Stoic farmer Aodhán O’Malley can’t secure custody of his orphaned niece without a stable “two-parent” home. A tidy, paper-only answer seems obvious: a marriage of convenience, no strings, no feelings.
Yet under the golden skies of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, renovating the old cottage, sharing seaside picnics, and swapping midnight stories ignite a slow-burn spark neither of them expected.

[Johanna]

'The Cottage by the Cliffs is the 1st installment of the Love in Ballycove series. It is a clean, second-chance romance for readers who enjoy deep emotional stakes and the rugged beauty of the Irish coast.'

The characters were very appealing and likeable and absolutely perfect together. Plot was well written and straightforward. World building was solidly drawn and impressive. All in all a great start to the series. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelsey]

I’m delighted and confused

This is a sweet story and I enjoyed the listen. But there are weird plot points that don’t make sense to me. For example, Tara has the same last name as her dad and her gran, but by all accounts her gran is her maternal grandmother. I assumed for most of the story gran was her paternal grandmother. But then why are there letters home from Tara’s mom to her gran?

There’s not a ton (any) of character development. It all feels very surface level. But it was a nice light read in a lovely setting with some fun quotes.

[Marie Bourgery]

Tara doesn’t expect inheriting her grandmother’s run down cottage to pull her back to a life she ran from. She was hoping to sell fast to a developer and run back to her life in Dublin but her grandmother’s will requires her to live there for six months. Her ex now a general contractor Cillian suggests a fake engagement while he makes the repairs in return for a place to stay. She doesn’t expect to fall for him again and the puppy they rescue. But when she has debts and her father is pressuring her to sell is love enough to make her stay?

[Laurie]

This book was horribly written. Timelines are all off. Has a sister who needs money at the university and is never mentioned again. Grandmother died 6 months ago but house is falling apart-so it must have been in disrepair for a while but she never visited. FMC is whining all the time. MMC just seems to be there fixing things. There was so much happening I just had to keep reading to see how much didn’t add up. House is quiet-missed dog moving around-then leaves house with the dog.

[cindy zukowski]

Wonderful

From this reader to the next reader; a must read!
You WILL fall in love with the story, the people, the land, and the wonderful message spread across the pages. I devoured each word and found myself craving the next book like the next bite of a favorite meal.
Truly worth reading again and again. Enjoy!

[D.]

Tara is back to take care of the cottage. She needs some help and the only one to help is Cillian, the one she left behind. I enjoyed their story and how I felt the feels of the anger, to realization to understanding to love. It was a great story.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Susan]

Completely predictable, unoriginal plot. Additionally, I felt like the editor had chopped out details. The plan for fixing the cottage was not clear. Storms that are predicted but they didn't make plans for is ridiculous. I won't bother reading more in the series.

[Pat Weingartner]

Great Read!

I really enjoyed book 1 in this series watching Cielian and Tara travel their very winding road to finally finding their HEA after 12 years apart. I'm looking forward to reading book 2 in this series and will definitely recommend this book to everyone.

[Janny]

restores faith in life

If only real life was like this we would all be so happy. A real feel good read. Cant wait to red the next one

[Claire]

A predictable plot, a light and easy read- a book to read when you’re laid up and in a brain fog.

[woodswit]

that’s a hard no from me

[Pat DiMarzio]

This was a fun read. Your typical girl needing a man to stand in, hating him, then falling in love for real. I enjoyed it.

[Tee]

Felt like AI wrote the book.

[Tracy R. Wiley]

terrible on details

This story was pretty boring and jumped around a lot. Didn’t make sense, author needed to pay more attention to details. Couldn’t even finish it was annoying.