The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong

 

I started this in December over Christmas weekend and finished it on January first. Love the cover--it grabbed me right away. I'm all about small English villages, murder, and a possible curse. Sign me up!

This mystery takes place in 1922, after the Great War (World War One in the U.S.). American heiress Ruby Vaughn lives in Exeter, England  with Mr. Owens, an elderly man who runs a rare bookstore. Ruby takes care of delivering the books to clients around England, and after her rather shaky past, it's a place for her to take some time to get a grip on her life and figure things out. 

Mr. Owens gives Ruby a delivery task that brings her directly back to her past in the small village of Lothlel Green, located in the Cornish countryside. There resides her best friend Tamsyn, who is married to Sir Edward Chenowyth and resides at Penryth Hall. It's a good excuse to visit her friend, who had sent Ruby a letter a year previously, stating she had made a terrible mistake and would Ruby please come. Ruby chose not to go, for various reasons you'll find out. Ruby arrives and meets the intriguing Ruan Kivell, the person who is expecting the delivery of books from Mr. Owens. He's something else, is Ruan. He's the local Pellar, which the locals hold in high esteem. He appears to have a bit of magic around him. And strangely seems to be able to hear everything Ruby is thinking in her head. 

Ruby is at Penryth Hall for only one evening when the next morning Sir Edward is found murdered in the orchard. Murdered in a most horrible way--and thus begins the mystery that Ruby and Ruan race to solve, before there are more victims of the curse that claimed Sir Edward. 

But is it a curse, a local legend; or a murder plain and simple? Lots of reasons to see Sir Edward dead--he was an unpleasant man. Did Tamsyn do it? One of the locals? Did Ruby do it and not remember? 

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. I loved the setting, especially the Cornish countryside and the post World War One climate. Ruby is an intriguing character who has a lot of problems and baggage. Ruan--ooh, he's a handsome devil. The two together are dynamite. 

This mystery had a lot of layers to get through, so you never really know who did it until close to the end. I most certainly hope there are more mysteries involving Ruby, Ruan, and Mr. Owens. I would gobble them up. 

Rating: 4/6 for an intriguing mystery with an unforgettable setting, characters that have excellent chemistry, and the possibilities of more collaboration in future novels. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong

October Read: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

 

Another book I started a few months ago, put down, and didn't pick up again until last night. It wasn't because I didn't enjoy it, but because I  was in my reading slump. I zipped through it and throughly enjoyed it. It does require a bit of suspended disbelief but heck I had no problem doing that!

Daisy Darker is a young woman who has had a really lousy life. Born with a heart defect, she's  been told her life would be short. Her mother Nancy feels like a failure having a third daughter who is "broken", and treats Daisy pretty lousy. Her older sisters Rose and Lily were in turn smart and beautiful. Her father Frank is equally messed up, traveling constantly to conduct orchestras around the world. The only constant Daisy has is her Nana, a famous author who lives in a rambling old house on a tiny island off the coast of England. A house you can only reach on foot when the tide is out. 

The family has gathered at Seaglass, Nana's home, for her eightieth birthday--on Halloween. It's family tradition and this time, Nana has required everyone to be there because she's going to read her will. She's convinced this is her last birthday, and wants the family to know exactly what she's leaving them when she dies. 

I've never read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, but this novel takes a page from it and every hour, someone at Seaglass dies. As a storm rages outside, and all communication with the outside world is cut off, the terror builds as the family watches VCR tapes of years gone by, revealing pivotal moments in Daisy's history. And at the ding dongs of the many clocks strike the hour, someone dies. 

Who could be killing of the family? Who is next? Will anyone survive and escape when the tide finally comes in?

This is the kind of thriller I enjoy. I'm easily able to read it and not stop to question or poke holes. I'm on the roller coaster and staying buckled in until the ride comes to a complete stop. There are a couple of WHATTT moments, but I stuck with it and thought it was a heck of a good read. Dang. Families are complicated. 

This is a perfect read for October nights. 

Rating: 4/6 for a simply enjoyable thriller with all sorts of interesting revelations and moments of WHAT JUST HAPPENED. You may figure it all out, but I didn't even try and just enjoyed the unraveling story. I may read some Agatha Christie after this. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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October Read: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell

Laura Purcell's previous novel The Poison Thread was my top read of 2019, so I had high hopes for this next novel. And while it was good, and full of what I've come to think of as Purcell's trademark style, it fell a little short of my expectations. Gothic? Check. Creepy? Check. But a bit thin on the plot, and it left me a little confused. 

Told in two storylines, the novel centers around Hester Why, who has traveled to the Cornish coast to take on nursing duties for Louise Pinecroft, the sickly head of the quintessential gothic Cornish home called Morvoren House. Hester is about as unreliable a narrator as you can get: an unquenchable thirst for gin, a sipper of stolen laudanum, and a women so wracked with insecurity and jealousy that she's done some pretty bad things in her previous employment. She's a mess, and someone who just keeps digging the hole she's in, letting it get deeper and deeper. 

Once at Morvoren House, Hester realizes everyone there is a bit odd. Creeda is convinced fairies are all around; she takes care of Rosewyn, who is an adult woman dressed as a child, and kept pretty much under lockdown in the home. Louise Pinecroft sits in a freezing room day and night, staring at a wall of bone china. Yes, it's a home jam packed with a lot of odd. All this talk of fairies gets Hester flustered, and disbelieving, of course. But it gets harder and harder to believe anything Hester sees, says or does as she increases her doses of laudanum and gin just to get through the hours of the day. 

Meanwhile, we also travel back 40 years, to when Louise and her father, a former esteemed doctor, set up an experiment in the caves below the house: consumptive men are housed in the caves with the belief that the cool ocean air will help cure them. Instead, a whole lot of weird is happening, and Louise is torn between believing in her father's cause, and believing that the men in the cave are under threat from something unseen but definitely felt. 

Both plots come together towards the end, with not much of a surprise at all. I did really enjoy the end-specifically the last page or so. I loved how it ended suddenly and quite abruptly. But otherwise, I wish I had a few more answers to some of the bits of plot that were a bit foggy. 

If you want gothic mixed with Cornish folktales, this is for you. If you're looking for a novel about happy fairies aka Tinkerbell, look elsewhere. These otherworldly creatures are not nice. Nope. Not at all. 

I'll keep reading Laura Purcell's novels, because she weaves an interesting story, full of dysfunctional people who always leave you wondering if what they're saying is actually true. However, this one just missed the mark for me. 

Rating: 3/6 for an interesting idea for a novel about the dark side of Cornish folktales that fell a bit short for me. Full of cold winds, creepy characters, and bone china that will make you shudder, this tale is for those who enjoy their gothic with the lights on and some salt laid on the doorstep to keep them safe from what wants to come in.

Available in paperback, ebook, and audio. 

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The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell

The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James

I'll admit it was a bit odd finishing this book on a warm, sunny May day, because it's all about the Cornish coast, chill winds, a cold mansion, and a curse. 

I've been reading this book for weeks, and not because I didn't like it--actually, I really enjoyed all the elements of this novel. Gothic to the core-a windswept coast, a family curse, a witch, a handsome tormented owner, and love gone awry. The story bounces back and forth between 1947 and the present day; the link that binds the two timelines is slowly revealed and makes for a fascinating tale. 

1947: Alice is hired to be a nanny to twins Constance and Edmund at the Winterbourne estate on the coast of Cornwall. Their father, Jonathan de Grey is a wounded vet from World War 2, and his wife Laura died a few years before, after he returned from the war. Alice sees this as a chance to escape her miserable life in London, as well as her troubled past and awful secret. 

Alice immediately is drawn to Captain de Grey, and the children love her. But the  kids are a little weird, I'll admit. They seem innocent and loving, but tend to also be cruel and play malicious games on Alice. She's so desperate for a loving home she soon falls for the idea that she will be the children's mother, and Captain de Grey loves her, too. Alice is a bit unstable, to be sure. But there's dark, terrible things swirling around Winterbourne that are helping her along the road to madness. 

Present day: Rachel Wright lives in New York, and has just opened a successful art gallery. She's single, alone, and has no family. She receives a letter from a solicitor in England, telling her she is the sole heir to the Winterbourne estate. Knowing nothing about her birth parents, she's been driven her whole life by the feeling of being unloved and unwanted. This is her chance to find out who her parents were, and why she was put up for adoption. Winterbourne is the key to her mysterious past. Off she goes to Cornwall, to stay at Winterbourne, find out who her parents were, and prepare the estate for sale. 

Alice and Rachel are two women who have some similarities, but definitely Rachel is more of a solid, no nonsense person. Alice was hard to connect with because she definitely has some problems, and it wasn't much to tip her over the edge. I had a hard time feeling bad for her because she was so ready to believe her fantasy life. She was helped along by the evil that permeated the estate. That evil destroyed every woman who hoped to find happiness at Winterbourne. 

Rachel slowly digs away at the secrets of Winterbourne. She's also had a few weird experiences there, and while she is a bit freaked out by it all, she's also determined to stay and figure out her home-it's the only thing she can call her own, and the only link to her past. Will she be able to uncover the dark past and lift the curse from the de Grey family? Or will she succumb to the madness and death that has followed all the women who dared make their home at Winterbourne? 

This was definitely a thriller, and a bit creepy, too. I was a bit put off by Rachel at first, but she eventually defrosted and became more likable-and she was smart enough to dig and investigate. Alice, however, I had a hard time connecting with-mostly because she just wasn't a good person. Molded by an unhappy childhood and a cruel father, she was desperate to be loved and that was her undoing. She was also a bit unstable from the get-go. Oh, the house loved to torment her. 

This was a great read--so many people trapped by the past, and bound to suffer for it. A family curse that did, indeed, live on for generations. Will Rachel break the curse?

Rating: 5/6 for an atmospheric, dark, and creepy tale of love spurned, a family curse, and looking for identity. The last 50 pages or so really kicked in, and answered a lot of questions. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James

Grace is Gone by Emily Elgar

This novel actually arrived in my mail a few weeks ago, thanks to HarperCollins Publishers. It was a welcome surprise, and gave me the chance to read a new author that hit it out of the park with her first novel, If You Knew Her. Her second effort--wow, it really does sit with you for some time after you've finished it. 

The plot is fairly simple: Meg and Grace. Mother and daughter. Meg takes care of Grace full-time; Grace is almost eighteen and has lived most of her life as a very ill young girl. She's in a wheelchair, has a feeding tube in her stomach, and suffers from seizures, food issues, headaches... you name it. Meg has spent years taking Grace to doctors and specialists, getting her every bit of care she can find. Both Meg and Grace are beloved by the small town of Ashford, in Cornwall. Folks around there see Meg and Grace as their own, and are fiercely protective of them. 

The novel begins with the horrific murder of Meg, in her home, in her bed. Grace is missing. Jon, a journalist who wrote an article about the two women that riled up the town and made him a pariah, hears about the murder and can't help but drive over to see what is going on. His article questioned why Grace's father Simon wasn't allowed to see his daughter. Meg has told everyone that Simon is abusive and crazy, and pushed her down the stairs. Everyone in Ashford agrees with Meg, and Simon is never allowed to see Grace. Jon, reeling from the effects of the article on his marriage, still feels on edge about the article, and knows something just isn't right, but doesn't know what. 

Cara, the young woman who finds Meg, has known Meg and Grace for most of her life. She befriended Grace when they moved in next door, and even though Grace was a few years younger, Cara felt a bond with Grace. She was always amazed at the obviously close relationship between mother and daughter. Except in the last few years, Cara has gone away to school, and seen less and less of Grace. She's haunted by the idea of Grace being kidnapped and without her vital medications. Is she still alive? Who took her? Everyone believes her father Simon did it all, and there's a manhunt out for him. Meanwhile, the whole town gears up for a search effort, with their minds already made up that Simon must be the murderer. 

Cara and Jon meet, and between the two of them, they slowly start to pick up little clues, and the whole novel is the two of them putting the puzzle together. It's sharp observation, going over and over the little bits of information they do have, and following their instincts that lead them to resolving the disappearance of Grace, and the murder of Meg. It's quite the twist at the end.

It took me a bit to get into the story. Everyone, seriously, is a disaster. Jon's marriage is falling apart, he's sleep deprived, has to stay on the down low so no one recognizes him as "that reporter". Cara is traumatized by finding Meg and her guilt for not being there for Grace. Simon is nowhere to be found, but his story is one of a troubled man driven mad by grief. The whole town is under the spell of Meg and Grace, and ready to paint Simon guilty without any shred of evidence. 

I figured out really quickly what exactly was going on with Meg and Grace, but that's only part of the puzzle. It's a big part of the puzzle, but there's much more to it. Slowly, the story gathers steam and then races along towards a conclusion that will keep you thinking about all of it long after you've finished the book. I'm still putting it all together a day later. Definitely a good thriller!

This novel will be out  in the U.S. on Tuesday, January 7th, 2020 in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook. 

Rating: 4/6 for a thriller that seems fairly simple at first, but has many layers that will have you working along with Jon and Cara to figure it all out, and wow--an ending that packs a wallop. A big thanks to HarperCollins for the advanced reading copy.  

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Grace is Gone by Emily Elgar

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

In this, the third and final novel of the Little Beach Street Bakery, Christmas is coming to the village of Mount Polbearne.  Mount Polbearne is an unusual village set on the coast of Cornwall; when the tide comes in, the only road leading to and from the village is covered by the sea, and it becomes a little island.  Windy, cold, and oftentimes isolated, it's a village where generations of fishing families have lived, and tourists visit during the summer.  Polly's bakery is still in full swing, and as popular as ever.  She's living with Huckle, her beekeeping boyfriend in the lighthouse she bought earlier in the year.  They're engaged.  Life is good. 

But we all know that when life seems at its most stable, we're often thrown a curve, and that's just what happens to Polly.  Huckle wants to get married and have kids; Polly's fatherless childhood preys on her mind, and makes her hesitate.  Her best friend Kerensa, married to the mogul Reuben, finds out she's pregnant, but instead of being happy about it, she's terrified it will expose a secret only she and Polly know about.  Forbidden to tell Huckle the secret, the added stress on Polly creates even more tension between Polly and Huckle.  

While Polly's life in Mount Polbearne is the happiest she's ever been, it certainly has a few bumps in the road.  Can she find a way to make everyone happy, and keep herself from going crazy?  Add to that Reuben's request for Polly to cater his whole Christmas celebration (which is multiple parties), when all she wants is to spend Christmas Day lounging around with Huckle and not baking one thing.  But the money Reuben is offering is more than Polly can even comprehend, and would go a long way towards making life easier.  What's a baker to do?

This was a good conclusion to the Little Beach Street Bakery trilogy, although it did seem a bit gloomy at times.  I'll certainly miss the people I've come to know reading these books, and I'll always be hoping Jenny Colgan sends out an unexpected, yet very welcome, update on Polly, Huckle, Kerensa, and Reuben.  Polly's journey to happiness comes to a satisfactory conclusion, and the ending is sweet and perfect.  

If you haven't read the first two books in this trilogy: Little Beach Street Bakery, and Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery,  please do before you read this--you'll understand the dynamics of the characters much better, and  Polly's journey to happiness as the beloved baker of Mount Polbearne is worth the read.  

Rating:  4/6 for a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.  Polly and Huckle, while happy, still have growing pains (as do all relationships).  I appreciate the author's understanding that happily ever after takes constant work!

Available in paperback and ebook.

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Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

Black Rabbit Hall was a spur of the moment reading choice for me, and I buzzed through it in a few days (even though I've had it checked out of the library for almost 3 weeks).  My "due back" notification had everything to do with my rush to read this, but I'm so glad I didn't just return it unread to the library.  It was just what I needed to read this week.  

This is a novel told in two voices:  Amber Alton, a fifteen year old girl in 1968; and Lorna Dunaway, over thirty years later. Amber's family owns Black Rabbit Hall in Cornwall, and the family spends holidays there.  Amber's parents are madly in love, and she has a twin brother Toby, a younger brother Barney, and a little sister named Kitty.  They are a very happy family, and the heart of the family is Amber's mother, Nancy.  
 There's something about Black Rabbit Hall that speaks to Amber and her whole family.  It's wild, it's crumbling; it's full of creaks and groans and sits near the sea, surrounded by woods and the mystery of Cornwall.  It is a world away from their life in London, where they go to school and have a perfectly beautiful home.  

All that changes the summer of 1968, when a horrible tragedy takes place one dark, stormy night.  It changes the family dynamics, and drapes Black Rabbit Hall in sadness.  What happens to the family in the following year will tear them apart.  And for you, the reader, it will leave a heck of a lot of unanswered questions that will keep you reading!

Lorna is traveling to Black Rabbit Hall to check it out as a possible wedding venue.  She remembers visiting the place with her mother as a child (vaguely) and feels drawn to it the moment they drive up the lane.  It's still crumbling, and badly needs renovations.  Her fiance Jon isn't thrilled with the place, but Lorna meets Caroline Alton, the lone resident.  She's old, cranky, and desperate to have the income generated by hosting weddings.  She asks Lorna to return and stay for a weekend to get a feel for the place. Lorna returns without Jon, and finds a whole lot more about the history of the house, the Alton children, and Caroline.  Where does Lorna fit into the story of Black Rabbit Hall?

I haven't read a book in a while that had me sitting for chunks of time turning the pages.  This book did that for me, which is a sign that the characters, plot, and writing are running on all cylinders at full tilt.  You may think the cover evokes a chilling, gothic type tale.  I got that feeling more from the scenes with Caroline than I did anywhere else.  Instead, it's a story about a happy family that is torn apart and never heals back into itself.  It's the story of one woman's desire to know her history in order to move forward with her life.  Mostly, it's the story of how we can experience tragedy and still step away from it to live happy lives. The past can haunt us, or it can simply be a part of us. 

There may be a few surprises for the reader; I didn't really have any as I was just patient and let the story unfold instead of trying to guess what was going to happen next.  I'll be reading Eve's next novel, The Wilding Sisters.  

Rating:  4/6 for a satisfying story that incorporates the wilds of Cornwall, a family tragedy, and interesting characters that keep you engaged until the satisfying ending.  

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio.  The paperback will be out in the U.S. in July, 2017.
 

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Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett

The Versions of Us is a definite read for those who like romance, but romance that isn't an automatic happily ever after.  This romance is all about the journey; of what it means to love someone, and how that love can wither, grow, or become stagnant through life's many ups and downs.  It's about yearning, falling out of love, desperately trying to find love with someone who clearly isn't the right one. It is about the many facets of love and the complexity of it all. 

This novel is told in three parts:  Version One, Version Two, and Version Three.  Each version features Eva and Jim, two students at Cambridge in 1958.  A chance encounter on a path goes three ways:  Eva swerves to avoid a dog and gets a flat tire that Jim stops to repair--and the attraction is instant; Eva avoids the dog completely and doesn't get a flat tire--thereby not meeting Jim, who is just another person on the path; and the third version sees Eva and Jim meeting, but having a very short relationship that ends with Eva leaving Jim with just a letter goodbye.  

Each version carries on from this fateful moment on the path, through the sixties, seventies, eighties, and up to 2012.  In each version, Eva and Jim have many of the same people in their lives.  In each version  Eva either struggles to write, or is a successful writer, or comes into writing later in life. Jim is a lawyer, yearning to be an artist; in one version he's a well known painter; in another a man who never achieves much success; in another, a man who decides to follow his dream after struggling to do the right thing.  Through each version of their lives, Eva and Jim continue to connect.  Each is never far from the other's thoughts, even if they are geographically far apart, and with other partners.  

I struggled a bit with following the three versions; I found myself thumbing back to the beginning to keep the stories straight; but eventually it really didn't matter.  The powerful ending made it clear that no matter where life takes us, some people are meant to be in our lives.  Whether we spend our whole lives with them, or meet them later in life; if they are meant to be in our lives, they will somehow connect.  Love comes in many shades, and doesn't guarantee a happy ending.  Life is a struggle, even when we are with those we love the most.  I will admit I got a bit weepy at the end(s), but it was because I felt that I had been on such a journey with Eva and Jim.  I spent decades with them and their stories.  

This story reminded me of my relationship with my boyfriend.  We met in our late 30's on a blind date, and have been together for 14 years.  We talk sometimes about how we wish we'd met earlier in life--and how different our lives would be if we'd even met a few years earlier.  For sure we would have gotten married and had children.  By the time we'd met, he was past the stage of having kids, and life's challenges have kept us from taking the plunge and getting married.  I can't imagine my life without him, but I can easily imagine a different life with him, if only we'd met just a bit earlier.  We both can get a bit emotional thinking about it, and agree that we are lucky to have found each other when we did, and live the rest of our lives together, even if it is a bit unconventional.  If anything, this novel will make you think "what if?"

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a review copy.  This was a wonderful discovery and would make a good book club discussion.  I'm glad I didn't miss it.  

Rating:  8/10 for a romance that has three versions of happily ever after, and the journey to get to that place.  A novel that will make you contemplate life. 

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio book.  Available May 3rd at your local library or bookstore. 

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The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett

Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

It's unusual for me to read two books by the same author back to back, but I couldn't wait to see what else was in store for Polly in the little island town of Polbearne in this sequel to Little Beach Street Bakery.  I'm happy to say the continuing adventures of my favorite bread baker are just as entertaining as the first novel.  

Polly is looking forward to a summer of bread baking, the increased traffic into her bakery, and living in her lighthouse.  Her love life is pretty sweet, too.  She's the happiest she's ever been.  And you know what that means--cue the chaos.  

Mrs. Manse has left Polly in charge of both bakeries, but tragedy strikes with the sudden death of Mrs. Manse.  A visit from her sister and two adult nephews to Polbearne puts Polly's bakery in jeopardy.  Malcolm, a very unpleasant man with no business sense at all, is put in charge of the bakeries, and wants to change from Polly's wildly popular breads to white, thin, plastic-wrapped bread and biscuits that come in tins and have the shelf life of a rock. For Malcolm, it's all about saving money and making money, and Polly's dream of her little bakery is shattered.

Fast running out of money, and worrying about making her mortgage payments, Polly and Huckle decide the only thing to do is for him to return to America for a few months to make money on the family farm in Georgia.  It's only temporary, right? Meanwhile, will Polly keep baking or hang up her apron?

Poor Polly.  She befriends Selina, a young widow in town, and begins a friendship that unfortunately has a few secrets. Secrets that may end up costing Polly the only female friend she has in Polbearne.  This is a summer that's turning out to be rough!  Will Polly come out smiling at the end?

I sincerely hope Jenny Colgan continues to write about this lovely place off the coast of Cornwall.  I've got a firm picture in my head of just what it looks like, and I don't want to imagine that this place and these people don't exist.  Real life problems, big and small, people who are hard working, kind and solid to their core.  A romance that has growing pains, but worth it all.  Friendships that mature and grow.  And yes, a nagging itch to maybe, just maybe, try to make homemade bread myself.  

Rating:  7/10 for a solid sequel, with challenges to careers and relationships that aren't far fetched.  A small town that has all the best characteristics of small town life.  And yes, the bread!  I can smell it now.

Available March 22nd, 2016 in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audio.

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Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

I've returned to what's referred to as "chick lit" for a bit, and I'm loving it.  In my humble opinion, no one can write chick lit quite like the British.  Jenny Colgan is a very popular writer in England, and some of her books are available in the U.S.  The number keeps growing as her fan base increases.  You can add me to that list of fans.  

Once again, I grabbed this book off my bookshelves.  Still had the receipt in it dated April 1, 2015.  Almost a whole year!  I have looked at this book many times on my shelf, and even picked it up a few times.  But the time just wasn't right, and I wasn't in the mood to read it.  Jump to 2016 and I'm raring to go.  Part of the push was the fact that Jenny has a sequel to Little Beach Street Bakery coming out very soon, so I had to read the first so I can be ready to read the sequel.  Look for the review of Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery next week.  

Polly Waterford is at a bad spot in her life:  her relationship with her live-in boyfriend is on the rocks, the business they worked so hard at establishing has ended, and they're broke.  Her boyfriend is a pretty miserable person (trust me, I wanted to reach into the novel and throttle him), and Polly ends up practically penniless and with nowhere to live.  Seeking peace and a place to lick her wounds, she ends up in the little town of Mount Polbearne in Cornwall.  This is a town that's a bit down on its luck, and is a bit isolated by the tides that cover the causeway every day, making Polbearne an island each day when the tide comes in--in other words, perfect for Polly.  She rents a rough flat above a bakery that sits silent and dusty, and begins to rebuild her life.  

Polly has, of course, a gift for making bread.  She's gotten away from it, thanks to a boyfriend who wouldn't eat bread, but here in this little town, she begins to knead and fold her way into a new life.  What starts out at therapy quickly grows into making bread for the men who fish the waters off Cornwall, and word gets around that Polly makes the best bread anyone's ever had.  Of course, there is one particular person who isn't happy about this--Polly's landlord, Mrs.  Manse.  She runs the town's only bakery, and it is terrible.  Mass produced and trucked in bread and desserts that taste horrible.  Mrs. Manse's history with the town, and the fishing boats, is a sad one that shapes Polly's life and her future.  

And then there is Huckle, an American who lives off the 'island' and has a beekeeping business,  His bees produce the best honey around.  Is he a friend, or something more?  Will Polly stay in Mount Polbearne, or move back to Plymouth and pick up her old life?

This was a well written novel about starting over.  Sometimes we have to lose everything to find that kernel, that spark, that makes us happy.  Some people are lucky and know it from the start, without having to experience heartache, and others, well... it can take awhile.  Polly is a great character; just an average woman looking for her place in the world.  We can all connect with her. The people of Polbearne are a wonderful cast of characters who love their little town, warts and all.  

Rating:  8/10 for a setting that fired up my imagination, fantastic descriptions of bread that made my mouth water, and characters I can't wait to visit again in the sequel.  My only beef is the cover!  Polly bakes bread, not cupcakes.  

Available in paperback, e-book, and audio book.  

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Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Cottage by the Sea

Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware is a perfect summer getaway novel.  There is so much going on in this novel, it will keep your interest to the very end.

Blythe Barton has just fled Los Angeles following a very public divorce and the humiliation of a husband who she caught sleeping with her sister.  To escape the paparazzi, she takes a trip to Cornwall, hoping to find her family connection to Barton Hall.  Blythe meets the owner of the estate, a very handsome man named Luke Teague.

Blythe and Luke quickly hit it off, and one night in Luke's library, Blythe accidentally touches a framed  family tree on the wall.  She's immediately transported to 1793, and witnesses the first Blythe Barton, heavily pregnant, fighting with her husband, Kit Trevelyan.  Is she seeing a past life, or has she stepped into the past to witness what happened 200 years before?  What's the mystery behind 1793 Blythe Barton's disappearance?

Blythe becomes determined to figure out how she's connected to the house and Cornwall.  Of course, she's also fighting her attraction to Luke, and trying to heal the wounds from her recent divorce.  Luke has his own heartbreak, and a small son, Richard, who comes home from boarding school and immediately captures Blythe's heart.

This is a very well thought out novel.  The descriptions of the Cornish coast, the Painter's Cottage Blythe stays in on the estate, and the story line keeps you entertained and as eager as Blythe to solve the mystery.  It's hard to put down.  The past and the present are skillfully blended in this engaging historical novel.

This is available as an e-book; I read it on my NOOK!

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Cottage by the Sea