Songbird Cottage Beginnings (Pleasant Bay Prequel): Pleasant Bay, #0

By Sylvia Price

**Some things are worth the wait.**

 

Set on Canada's picturesque Cape Breton Island, this book is perfect for those who enjoy new beginnings and countryside landscapes.

 

Sam MacAuley and his wife Annalize are total opposites. When Sam wants to leave city life in Halifax to get a plot of land on Cape Breton Island, where he grew up, his wife wants nothing to do with his plans and opts to move herself and their three boys back to her home country of South Africa.

 

As Sam settles into a new life on his own, his friend Lachlan encourages him to get back into the dating scene. Although he meets plenty of women, he longs to find the one with whom he wants to share the rest of his life. Will Sam ever meet "the one"?

 

Get to know Sam and discover the origins of the Songbird Cottage.

 

This is the prequel to the rest of the Pleasant Bay series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sylvia Price
• Release date: Sep 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393531623

Sylvia Price

Sylvia Price first met Mennonite missionaries in Montréal when she was 13 years old. She was captivated by their faithfulness to Christ, their politeness, their calm lifestyle—especially in comparison to the bustle of a major city—and how they could enjoy the simplest things to the fullest. When they opened their home for her to stay with them for three weeks, she was made to feel like family. Their enduring legacy in her life was to get her a library card and to start reading for her to cope with the loss of television and radio. With a new-found appreciation for books, Sylvia set her sights to college then seminary in service of the Lord. She now spends her time writing, hoping to inspire the next generation to read more stories.

Book preview

Stay Up to Date with Sylvia Price

Subscribe to Sylvia 's newsletter at newsletter.sylviaprice.com to get to know Sylvia and her family. It's also a great way to stay in the loop about new releases, freebies, promos, and more. 

As a thank-you, you will receive a FREE exclusive short story that isn't available for purchase.

Porsche's Intuition

Praise for Sylvia Price’s Books

W ow, what a great start to a new series, and I really enjoyed reading it as it was so well-written, and I can't wait to read the next book. This is the first book that I have read by Sylvia Price but not the last and I recommend you read it and you will not be disappointed.

Author Sylvia Price wrote a storyline that enthralled me. The characters are unique in their own way, which made it more interesting. I highly recommend reading this book. I'll be reading more of Author Sylvia Price's books. 

I love the way this is a very real example of one of the beauties of these small towns! Of course, mixing in beautiful scenery and the growing love with an old friend makes this the perfect start to a new series!

I've read several books written by Sylvia Price; she has done a great job at writing a good short story; she is becoming one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to read more of books her books.

The storyline caught my attention from the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book. I loved the chemistry between the characters.

The plot flows easily, and the characters are appealing. It’s a great story that shows what is most important in life.

A wonderful, sweet and clean story with strong characters. Now I just need to know what happens next!

I just could not put this book down. Thank you for a delightful read.

I love Sylvia's books because they are filled with love and faith.

Sylvia’s books ooze with love and goodness.

Table of Contents

Stay Up to Date with Sylvia Price

Praise for Sylvia Price’s Books

Prologue

Chapter One: Don’t Make Things Difficult

Chapter Two: Breweries and Barns

Chapter Three: Broken Barns Are Easier to Fix

Chapter Four: Goodbye Gertie

Chapter Five: Just What We Needed

Chapter Six: Splendid Summer Days

Chapter Seven: Living Life Solo

Epilogue

Other Books in This Series

Other Books by Sylvia Price

About the Author

Prologue

The three-masted wooden vessel tossed and swayed as the ship made its way across the temperamental Atlantic seas. Only one man besides the captain was brave enough to venture out on deck to scan the horizon for land or gulls, and his name was Hugh mór MacAuley of Iona.

Hugh had not once looked back at his old homeland’s shores once the ship had cast off from the busy port of Aberdeen and headed out for the northern seas. It was only when the wind swelled the sails and pushed the Marguerite further toward New Scotland, that Hugh could feel some sense of hope.

From the time the English lord had burned down every small cottage on sweet Iona Island to create grazing land for his sheep, Hugh had vowed to put as much distance between himself and his country’s unjust system as he could. He had not stayed to wring his hands and cry when the soldiers lit the thatching on his roof—Hugh had already packed all his possessions into an old plaid blanket and tied it into a thick bundle. He had walked away, down the hillside, with it flung over his broad, strong shoulders to where his boat awaited him.

Rowing to a quiet cove on mainland Scotland, where he knew a fisherman who was more than happy to pay for large, well-made crafts, he had sold his boat and made his way to Aberdeen on foot. The spring air had been sharp enough in the evenings to make Hugh feel grateful for the plaid blanket. He had made himself as comfortable as he could underneath the hedgerows that grew along the side of the road and had covered himself with the faded tartan colors of his clan.

Hugh managed to find a ship heading out to the New Scotland Islands on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and was given a berth at reduced cost after offering his services as an extra sailor and carpenter for the duration of the trip. That was how Hugh mór MacAuley had been able to afford the fare and have enough coins left over in his pocket to start his life anew on Cape Breton Island.

The Marguerite docked at the busy port harbor in the mouth of the Sydney river. The bustling city surrounding the port was fronted by the Cabot Straits and Spanish Bay waters. Hugh searched first, for cheap lodgings, and second, for employment at the largescale, industrious shipbuilding yards that were squeezed tightly next to each other along the jetty, down by the wharf. The harbor docks