A Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware

I received a review copy of this novel from Sourcebooks. This in no way affected my opinions.

When I finished with A Cottage By the Sea, I realized that I had just finished my first time-travel book. The time traveling was interesting, here. Blythe would put her finger on a name on a genealogy tree and say the name and... BOOM! She was back in time, 200 years ago, seeing things from that person's perspective.

Let me tell you how Blythe got to this genealogy tree. First of all, her scumbag husband cheated on her, with her own sister! The present day story opens with Blythe divorcing her husband and then heading across the Atlantic to Cornwall. She rents a cottage on the land of Barton Hall. Blythe heads here because she has heard for years from her grandmother that she (Blythe) was descended from these Cornish Bartons. The owner of Barton Hall is Lucas Teague, a descendent of the cousin of the Bartons, who inherited it 200 years before.

The original Blythe Barton of the 18^th century literally vanished off the face of the earth 200 years ago. A question mark sits by her name on the genealogy tree. Her husband, Christoper 'Kit' Trevelyan, who inherited the Hall upon his marriage died that same year and with his brother Ennis dying the year before, the Hall went to a cousin – Garrett Teague. 20^th century Blythe, through the spiffy time traveling and being hypnotized by a local doctor, witnesses this 18^th century soap opera with all the characters I just named. She uncovers centuries old mysteries all why trying to realize what her feelings are for her landlord Lucas.

A Cottage By the Sea was a enjoyable, solid story that kept me entertained. Not surprisingly, I loved the chapters taking place in the 18^th century more and wished that we spent more time there. Nonetheless, this novel wickedly blended past and present.