The Cottage in a Cornish Cove by Cass Grafton (Review + Giveaway)

She walked over to stand in front of a painting of Polkerran hanging above the fireplace. It was a watercolour of the cove at full tide in early morning - her favourite time of day, when the light was almost ethereal... She could almost smell the saltiness in the air, hear the gulls crying and the water lapping...

Oh the joy of Cornwall! Its sights and smells are perfectly captured in The Cottage in a Cornish Cove by Cass Grafton.

One cold Saturday in November, Anna Redding opens a letter from a legal firm. Anna is devastated to find out that her Aunt Meg passed away.
"It didn't matter that Aunt Meg had been a prisoner to Alzheimer's for a good while, that she hadn't recognised Anna anymore. The thought of never seeing her again hurt".

Anna has been orphaned at an early age, being reluctantly raised by the relatives who resented the responsibility and made it clear to the child that she was a burden. It was Aunt May who brought love and stability in Anna's life.
As Anna reminisces: "Those summers in Cornwall with Aunt Meg were the happiest days of my childhood. Quite possibly the only happy times".
"Anna had always been a die-hard romantic, who'd lived on a diet of romance novels through her teens and dreamed endlessly of meeting that someone special, becoming a wife, mother, and finally having a security of her own home".
But she had given up on her dream years ago. She has a pathetic excuse of a boyfriend, and not a very fulfilling job, and she lives in a shared accommodation. She has mates, who sound fun, when you are in your early 20s perhaps.

Meeting the solicitors, Anna discovers that she is the sole beneficiary of Aunt Meg's house. It comes as a big surprise. Westerleigh Cottage, where Anna spent many happy days, now belongs to Anna. This is the only place that had ever felt like home for her.

And thus Anna finds herself relocated to Polkerran, a place filled with memories, where people remember her as a child, and where as a teen she had a crush on a local heart-throb Alex Tremayne.
Living in a small village, it is inevitable, that they cross paths again. One small encounter with her ex-flame turns her back into that quivering, besotted teenager.

Having plans to open a B&B in the cottage, Anna needs to come up with a start-up money for her future business. Luckily, there is a secretarial job available at the house of the reclusive author Oliver Seymour, who is an older version of Mr Darcy, i.e. gloomy, brusque, handsome, wealthy (but noble at heart). "He was an enigma, her boss, but every now and again, he was quite appealing".

With Alex back in her life, Anna is on cloud nine at first. She is settling into her new life, with the neighbours and friends using her home as a walk-through café and free babysitting service. She seems to be content with that.
She also doesn't see that Alex is a total weasel.

Just as Anna begins to think that all her dreams might come true, she is in for a big shock. Her dream of spending the rest of her life at Westerleigh Cottage is under threat. She has to re-think everything she planned.

Is there a solution to her conundrum? Will she be able to stay in the Cornish Cove and achieve her dreams?

The Cottage in a Cornish Cove is a heart-warming story about love, dreams, first impressions and romance.
It will make you book your next holiday in a little cottage on the Cornish seaside.

I love Cornwall, it is my favourite part of the world. Regular readers of my blog know that I'm very partial to books set in Cornwall. I have quite a collection, from historical fiction to modern romance.
As I was reading The Cottage in a Cornish Cove, I had an almost physical urge to pack my bags and travel to Cornwall and marvel at the expanse of the sea.

Anna's story is entirely engaging. To highlight her bookish aspirations and romantic notions, each short chapter has a little quote from classic authors, like Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Wilkie Collins etc, giving it a nostalgic vintage feeling.

The subtitle of the book is A Polkerran Village Tale Book One. I'd be happy to return to Polkerran, and discover what the local gossips would predict the next time.

Purchase Links

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B083H2Q5V9/

US –  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083H2Q5V9


Many thanks to Cass Grafton, Tabby Cow Press and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book.
This review is part of the blog tour, you can check out the other reviews, following the tour.

Cass Grafton - Bio:
An avid bookworm since childhood, Cass Grafton writes the sort of stories she loves to read - heart-warming, character driven and strong on location. Having moved around extensively and lived in there countries, she finds places inspiring and the setting of her novels often becomes as much a part of the story as her characters.

She leans heavily towards the upbeat and insists on a happy ever after. As one of her favourite authors, Jane Austen, once wrote, "let other pens dwell on guilt and misery".

Cass loves travelling, words, cats and wine but never in the same glass. She has two grown up children and currently splits her time between Switzerland, where she lives with her husband and imaginary cats, and England, where she lives with her characters.

Social Media Links:
Blogs: www.cassandragrafton.com
www.tabbycow.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassie.grafton
Twitter @CassGrafton
Instagram @cassgraftonauthor

GIVEAWAY

If you like the sound of this book, now is your chance to win one of 3 paperback copies of The Cottage in a Cornish Cove.

T&Cs:
Worldwide entries welcome.
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I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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