Caffeinated Reviewer

Four sisters. One family secret. And a chance to fix the past...

Kate Hannigan is in charge of her late mother's estate, and she has a plan: divide everything evenly, including the old family house on the harbor. What she doesn't realize is that her mother changed the will. Now, a family secret hangs in the balance.

Meanwhile, her sister, Amelia, a struggling off-Broadway actress, enlists her hapless construction boyfriend to help with a local project, but he's more interested in summer tourists.

Second-youngest, Megan, is preoccupied with her divorce...but not too preoccupied to make a dating profile, much to her sisters' mortification.

Baby of the family, Clara, is single and refuses to date. She puts her teaching job above all else. Until a crushing revelation calls into question everything she knew to be true...including her own past.

House on the Harbor by Elizabeth Bromke is the first audiobook in the Birch Harbor women’s fiction romance series narrated by Lisa Larsen. With the promise of siblings, secrets and an inn set on Lake Huron, I was excited to begin.

The tale takes place in Birch Harbor, Michigan. Kate, Amelia, Megan and Clara come together to discuss their mother’s estate. Kate has been placed in charge and she believes the best solution is to divide everything evenly, even the house on the harbor. It seemed simple enough until they discovered Nora Hannigan their late mother changed her will.

This started off rather slow for me as we got to meet the sisters. Each is very different, independent and struggling with their own personal issues.

• Kate, recently widowed with two boys in college, has no personal income and is truly at a crossroads.
• Amelia, an struggling off-Broadway actress, has never been married but is always in a relationship. She prefers younger men.
• Megan is in the middle of a divorce and interested in pursuing her dreams.
• Clara has never dated and has devoted herself to teaching and the care of their now deceased mother. Of the four siblings, she is the only one who remained in Birch Harbor.

The reading of the will was a shock to the girls and left them with many questions. Together they must figure a way to resolve the issues, divide the properties and hold tight to their sisterly bonds. It was interesting and I loved that the girls presented a united front, particularly for the injured party. Bromke kept me listening for a workable outcome. She gave us closure while setting up the series.

This is touted as a romantic women’s fiction and there some romantic elements that I am sure will evolve over the course of the series.

We are left with some mysteries, and I am most curious about the lighthouse. For me the second half of the story was stronger and better paced once the set-up and characters were introduced.

Lisa Larsen narrates, and this was my first experience with her. She did a lovely job giving each sibling a voice that suited their personalities, and I found her easy to listen to. I listened at normal speed before settling in comfortably at 1.3x.

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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