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It Started at Sunset Cottage - Bella Osborne (2015)

According to the summary, It Started at Sunset Cottage tells the story of Kate, a writer whose husband passed away a few years ago. She has been coping with that tragedy in her own way, living a simple, quiet life surrounded by her best friend Sarah, Sarah's daughter Amy, and her late husband's brother Andy. However, when her book is optioned for a film, Kate is invited to work on the screenplay at a cottage where she meets the film's leading man, Tim, who draws Kate out of her comfort zone. I was surprised that Sarah played such a major role in this book, given that the summary focuses so much on Kate. Truth be told, I found Sarah was the more compelling character, and her story was more interesting what with her ex-husband causing so much drama. I also thought that the development of Tim and Kate's relationship was drawn out and I never truly got a sense of any chemistry between them. On the other hand, while Sarah and Andy's relationship was predictable, it was also a lot more believable and I had more interest in it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed It Started at Sunset Cottage, and I believe Bella Osborne should be proud of her debut. (LB)



Bella Osborne's debut novel, It Started at Sunset Cottage, is about a reclusive author who finds Hollywood has come knocking at her door. The summary says: "Kate Marshall is slowly getting her life back on track after losing her fiance. As an author she has been able to hide herself away from the world and its expectations - but now one of her books has been optioned for a film and Hollywood suddenly comes knocking on her door! When Kate is given the opportunity to stay at a beautiful country retreat and concentrate on the screenplay, it's an offer she can't refuse. Encouraged by her best friend, sharp-tongued single mum Sarah, Kate sees it's finally time to stop letting life pass her by. Looking for confidence and inspiration in the idyllic Cotswolds countryside, the last thing Kate expects is for Timothy Calder, A-list actor and leading man in the movie adaptation of her book, to turn up on her doorstep, hoping to lie low after his latest tabloid scandal! But after a rocky start, with Tim narrowly avoiding death by watering can, they find they have a few things in common: a liking for Lady Grey tea, walnut whips and bad 'knock knock' jokes. Actually, the bad jokes are just Tim. As an unlikely friendship begins to blossom, and with circumstances repeatedly throwing them together, is Sunset Cottage where both Kate and Tim's lives will really start?" It Started at Sunset Cottage is out in February 2015. Osborne writes the Bella's Scribblings column for blog Novel Kicks.

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