Beach Reads
By Cindy Bilbao
The Hotel Nantucket
By Elin Hilderbrand
The Hotel Nantucket is a historic hotel built in 1922 that has been abandoned for many years. It is rumored to be haunted by a maid named Grace Hadley, who perished in a fire 100 years ago in the hotel attic. London billionaire Xavier Darling has decided to invest millions of dollars to renovate the hotel, and he is determined to win the coveted “Five-Key” review from a hotel critic and Instagram influencer, which has never been awarded to any hotel. Lizbet Keaton is hired to manage, renovate, and staff the hotel, and the summer guests start to arrive. There is no shortage of drama from the guests as a succession of interesting personalities fill the rooms.
This juicy novel is hard to put down: there are the quirky guests, the new celebrity chef, break-ups, love interests, the mystery of the historic fire, the secrets of the hotel staff, and the question of whether they will earn the five keys. You will feel like you are a guest in the hotel, and you’ll get to know all the characters and soak in all the drama, which will keep you turning the pages. Reading about a swanky hotel during a beautiful Nantucket summer—could there be anything better?
The Sound of Glass
By Karen White
After her husband Cal passes away, Merritt Heyward learns that she’s inherited a house built in the 1700s on a bluff overlooking the tidal marshes of the Beaufort River. Generations of Cal’s family lived in the grand southern home in Beaufort, South Carolina, but Cal never told her about his childhood during their seven-year marriage. When she decides to move from Maine to Beaufort to live in the house, Merritt begins to unravel a tragic past filled with many secrets.
Merritt’s own family has had its own problems. Her mother died when Merritt was young, and her father married a much younger woman named Loralee. Together they had a son, Owen, whom Merrit has never wanted to meet. When she is unexpectedly joined in Beaufort by her stepmother and ten-year-old half-brother, Merritt cannot seem to get over her resentment caused by her father moving on with his life, yet Owen and Loralee will prove to help her move on with her own. At the same time, the house slowly reveals clues to a dark past that was not ever supposed to see the light of day.
This is an emotionally charged story of bravery and tragedy, but also of wisdom that comes from the interplay of this story’s complex characters. The excellent writing will keep you hooked, and you may find yourself wanting to write down the many clever maxims Loralee pens in her own journal.
Low Country Sunset in Beaufort, South Carolina (Nate Rosso/Shutterstock.com). Skeleton Key (HomeStudio/Shutterstock.com).
For more books for reference, inspiration, and reading, visit Cindy’s list of the Best Beachcombing Books, Best New Beachcombing Books, and her list of favorite Children’s Beach Books.
Read more beach book recommendations from Cindy Bilbao.
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This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 46 the January/February 2025 issue.
