Second Time Around

One beautiful home, four unfamiliar faces…

Marcia Willett’s uplifting novel Second Time Around tells the tale of three cousins who are brought together, each in desperate need of a sense of belonging. The perfect read for fans of Liz Fenwick and Harriet Evans.

When Mathilda Rainbird bequeaths her beautiful house in a Devonshire cove to three unknown relatives, she brings together a group of people who all secretly yearn for a sense of belonging. Tessa, a delightful twenty-two-year-old, still misses her dead parents and brother but has learned that it is better to be alone than to be with the wrong people. Will, a retired widow, is by nature a positive man. Enchanted by Mathilda’s house and drawn to Isobel, Mathilda’s housekeeper who still lives in the cove, he sees life taking an exciting turn. Beatrice, a retired prep-school matron, thinks the idea of living with her cousins is preposterous. But a magical Christmas spent in the cove soon wins her over. As they muck in together it is as though they have known each other all their lives. Isobel, who still grieves for her dear friend, recognises Mathilda in each one of them as she is warmly accepted as part of this delightful and truly extraordinary family.

What readers are saying about Second Time Around:

‘The descriptions of place and time are stunning‘

‘By the time you finish, the characters have become close friends and you can hardly bear to say goodbye. You shared their grief and moments of happiness – that almost certainly means that you have both cried and laughed‘

‘A wonderful setting‘