A Summer to Remember in Herring Bay by Angela Britnell

Last summer might be over, but it will always be remembered for all wrong reasons (lockdown, home-schooling, cancelled holidays, bubbles and face masks). Many of us wanted to escape the uncertainty and anxiety of difficult days by diving into books where covid and social distancing were non-existent.
We didn't know until the very last moment whether our holiday in Cornwall would happen, but books and photos kept me happy and daydreaming about the rocky coastlines, fresh breeze and sea salt spray, sand under my feet, ice cream cones on the beach and Cornish pasties.

Latest novel by Angela Britnell vividly conveys all that and much more.

A Summer to Remember in Herring Bay is not just a perfect summer read. It's a book for all of us, mad about Cornwall and all things Cornish. It's a feel-good romance, with a main protagonist who speaks her mind.

We meet Essy Havers as she arrives to Cornwall to visit the village where her Mum grew up and left many years ago under mysterious circumstances.

"Herring Bay was a dull, has-been sort of place. Her aunt Molly was the sweet and kind-hearted older sister her mother had described."

The village itself could be used as a photo scene to feature on a box of Cornish fudge:"Most of the tiny houses she'd seen so far were jammed together like peas in a pod and the soft ice-cream colours of the paint they all flaunted and hanging baskets of scented colourful flowers outside most of the homes gave an air of faded prettiness that appealed to Essy."

Essy prides herself on being good at finding things.
"Her business back in Tennessee was blossoming because Eureka! promised to find anything a client desired." Her company specialises in helping clients track down anything from missing china pieces to rare vintage clothing.

For years Essy was keen to find out her Cornish roots, and discover the truth about her mother's past.
"She had been toying with the pros and cons of visiting Cornwall for ages but when a request came in that required visiting this remote part of England, the decision was a no-brainer." Essy's been asked to pull together a surprise for Mr Snells's ninetieth birthday. He is a dyed-in-the--wool ex-pat Cornishman whose health prevents him from travelling any longer...
Essy's task is to collect a vial of sand and take pictures at each of his six favourite beaches.
Thus Essy hops on a plane in Tennessee and finds herself in Herring Bay.

While staying with her aunt, Essy meets Ruan Pascow, who's re-decorating the kitchen in the cottage. Ruan is another mystery Essy would love to solve. "She would bet her bottom dollar that he was no ordinary painter and decorator".

Ruan is an interesting protagonist, with a vulnerable side that he tries to hide behind his flamboyant façade. His style is creative and artistic.
"Essy loved this outward expression of his creativity but since he had admitted to using his fashionable clothes as a form of armour, she wishes he didn't need to do that around her".

Ruan had a good job in London, but leaves it to return to Cornwall in mysterious circumstances.
"With the same instinct as a homing pigeon, he'd fled to Cornwall to lick his wounds but nothing was working out as expected."
Being at home brings its own challenges and sad memories of the father leaving his family when he was a child. "His deep-rooted dislike of his father's behaviour had shaped his life and led him landing back in Cornwall, jobless and frustrated".

Essy and Ruan are attracted to each other, but there is so much backstory between their families, which seems beyond mending.
It's not just Ruan's mother, the other villagers also question Essy's arrival on the scene. Not many people are happy for her to dig things up.
"She'd come to Cornwall to find answers and ended up discovering a whole lot more questions along the way".
Was her decision to come to Cornwall a big mistake? Or will it be a summer to remember?

A Summer to Remember in Herring Bay is the literary equivalent of a Cornish ice cream in a cone, enjoyed on a sunny day.

I was also thrilled to spot the familiar landmarks, mentioned in the book.
For example, Essy and Ruan walk around Marazion, and then walk over to the island over the cobblestone causeway and hike up to see the ancient castle before heading back.

The village where we usually stay in Cornwall is not far from St Michael's Mount, and we see it in its full splendour almost every evening on our walks there. We haven't visited the castle recently or walked the cobbled causeway, but one day I hope to be back and see the beautiful views from the top floors of the castle.
Here is St Michael's Mount in the mist (photo taken last August).

Author Bio:
Angela grew up in Cornwall, England, and returns frequently from her new home in Nashville, Tennessee, to visit family and friends, drink tea and eat far too many Cornish pasties!

A lifelong love of reading turned into a passion for writing contemporary romance and her novels are usually set in the many places she's visited or lived on her extensive travels. Thanks to over three decades of marriage to her wonderful American husband she's a hug fan of transatlantic romance and always makes sure her characters get their own happy-ever-after.

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association, the Romance Writers of America and the Music City Romance Writers. Her first novel "Truth and Consequence" was published in 2006 and she's now had over 30 novels published internationally and several short stories in women's magazines.

If you'd like to find out more of what Angela gets up to (Advance warning: this may include references to wine, dark chocolate, Poldark and the hunky Aidan Turner) check out
www.angelabritnellromance.com
or follow her on Facebook www.facebook.com/angelabritnell
Twitter  - @angelabritnell
and on Instagram as @angelagolleybritnell

This post is part of the blog tour for A Summer to Remember in Herring Bay.

Many thanks to Angela Britnell and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!