Margaret M Lin

The House on First Street Margaret M Lin

An island with a fairy-tale castle seems like just the place for a story with a happy ending. It doesn't seem so promising to Ava Hume. She arrives there one rainy, cold winter day, carrying all her possessions in a knapsack, and with a cat carrier in her hand, complete with a green-eyed tuxedo cat. Instead of a knight in shining armor to greet her, she's met by a morose, curt man and his snobby, rude girlfriend. Ava is in no position to turn around and leave. She's come to Castle Island to claim an inheritance, a small bungalow, and there's nowhere to return back to. She spent the last six months draining her savings while caring for a dying relative, paying all the bills. The bungalow turns out to be old but charming. And Ava, used to dealing with unpleasant people and whatever situation that comes her way, makes the most of it. She gets a job as a municipal electrician, and she and her cat begin their life there. She comes to discover that she likes living on the Island, for all its quirks and busybody gossips, even if she's a little lonely. But perhaps, after all, there's a happy ending-and love-waiting for Ava on Castle Island. Perhaps it was waiting there all along.