The Red Cottage Review

by Hannah Linder

Rating: 4/5

She forgot she loved him.

He would die to make her remember.

Meg Foxcroft has never minded the tattling village gossip or her uncle’s ill-tempered rebukes. After all, she has Tom McGwen—and one day, they will build their own cottage, paint it red, and live a wonderful life.

But then the unthinkable happens. Meg is attacked, her uncle’s apothecary shop goes up in flames, and when she wakes up in the arms of an eloquent lord, she remembers nothing. Not even her own name.

In a frantic race against time, Tom plunges into dangerous water, bent on sheltering Meg from harm and discovering who wants her dead. Even if she despises him. Even if it’s now the handsome lord she casts her smile upon.

As danger swells and truth comes crashing around them, Meg must confront the past and decide who she trusts—and loves—before the enemy makes the final strike.

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I read Linder’s previous book, The Girl in the Hidden Forest last year and I really enjoyed that magical historical fiction. So I was curious to see how this one would play out. While not as magical, this was still captivating and held my attention all the way through.

We’re thrown into things right from the start. We bounce between lovers, Meg and Tom. After a night of sneaking out to be together, Meg returns to her uncle’s apothecary just in time to be attacked and the shop go up in flames. Tom tries to save her and her uncle, managing to get her to safety. But while Tom goes back in for her uncle, Meg disappears. Meg awakens in the presence of lord, who takes it upon himself to oversee her care while she recovers from the attack. Especially as Meg can hardly even remember her own name. And Tom will stop at nothing to have his Meg back.

This reads easily, as we flip between short sections of each of our MCs perspectives. It keeps us on our toes as we make our way through this mystery. And I had so many questions. Everything that happens to Meg immediately after the attack felt way too convenient. I didn’t know who to trust. I had no idea what was happening or would happen to Meg. But I didn’t want to put it down.

My heart felt for Tom as his love was stolen away from him. It broke my heart to see Meg not recognize him at their first encounter after the attack. Tom cared for her so much. I just wanted to see them back together like we see at the beginning of the book. 

It definitely caught me by surprise the way things played out. But I still thoroughly enjoyed making my way through this. If you enjoy historical mysteries, I highly recommend picking this one up!