Dovecote Cottages: Book 1
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
Grace stares at the glittering blue sea from her grandmother’s bedroom, clutching an old envelope to her chest with shaking hands. This will change everything she believed about her grandmother…
After her marriage ends, Grace returns to her late grandmother Lily’s seaside cottage in the beautiful village of Dovecote. The path to the house is lined with daisy bushes, and Grace immediately feels like she’s returned home. Surely spending time here will heal her heart?
Clearing out the chest of drawers in her grandmother’s bedroom, Grace discovers romantic letters from the Second World War, each signed ‘Henri’. Lily shared everything with Grace, so why doesn’t she recognise his name? Hidden amongst the letters is a sealed envelope, addressed in Lily’s hand. But what stopped her from sending it?
Desperate for answers, Grace asks the one person she knows can help, her ex-boyfriend and historian, James. His charming smile and kind, brown eyes are a welcome distraction from her grief, and they agree to find out what happened to Henri. As they begin to spend more time together, Grace wonders if years of heartache could be unwritten…
But just as Grace’s feelings for James resurface, they uncover a heartbreaking secret that changes everything. Could these letters be a sign Grace needs to take a second chance on love? Or will Lily’s past force Grace to confront a secret of her own, which could tear her and James apart forever?
The discovery of old letters after her grandmother’s death leads to new beginnings for Grace Lyttleton.
Author Laura Sweeney delivers a dual timeline full of engaging characters in My Grandmother’s Secret, set in the small seaside town of Dovecote. The story alternates between Lily in 1940, during World War II, and her future granddaughter, Grace, in 2015.
What unfolds is a beautifully written tale of love, loss, and sacrifice unknowingly shared by the two women. Stumbling upon old love letters from a man (not her grandfather), Grace gets unexpected insight. Finding a sealed letter that had never been posted gives Grace a sense of purpose to see it delivered.
The alternating storylines fill in the background and provide context to the letters. In addition, Grace’s own personal life and secrets are put on display as she reconnects with someone who can help with the search.
My Grandmother’s Secret traces a woman’s efforts to deliver a letter that leads to life-altering consequences.
Laura writes uplifting escapist women’s fiction with heart and a dash of humour. She was born in Ireland and spent parts of her childhood in France and South Africa. Laura now lives in the south-west of England, where she works in Financial Services, and is locked in a constant battle against her ever-growing to-be-read pile.
