Book Synopsis:
Flora’s been in love with her husband for twenty years. The trouble is, he’s been married to someone else for the past fifteen . . .
Now she’s been invited to spend the summer in the shady lanes and sandy coves of Cornwall. It should be blissful.
There’s just one small snag: she’ll be staying with her former mother-in-law, Belinda.
And Flora discovers she’s not the only one invited when her ex-husband shows up out of the blue, complete with his new wife. So now there are two small snags.
Can Flora spend the summer playing happy families with the woman who stole her husband’s heart, and the mother-in-law who might have had a hand in it?
Or will stumbling on the family secret change her mind about them all?
If you like Fern Britton, Katie Fforde and Sophie Kinsella, you’ll love this heartwarming read.
A Cornish Summer is available in all formats now, you can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
A Cornish Summer is an entertaining and absorbing read which would be a great book to read on the beach this summer.
The author has done a fantastic job of setting the scene for this novel with Cornwall vividly brought to life so that the reader can really picture it in their minds. I loved the small details about the author includes like the busy high Street and packed pubs, which when showed from a residents point of view, shows a different view of Cornwall to what tourists would normally see.
There were some fabulous characters in this book who I loved reading about. The wonderful Roger who lives life to the max and is incredibly generous towards his community giving lots of his time and money to help improve it. In complete contrast to him is his mother in law Belinda who I loved to hate. She’s a very opinionated, snobby lady who likes to have things her way. I frequently found myself frustrated with her and on one occasion tutted out loud. I always think it shows a lot of skill from the author to make the reader have such a strong reaction to a character.
There are a few fox hunting scenes that might not be to everyone’s taste as it does give a blow by blow account of what a hunts like as the reader follows the characters as they participate in one. I didn’t feel that these were overly graphic but if you aren’t a fan you might want to skip these parts.
This is an easy, funny read that does cover a few serious themes like pollution which I thought made for a very interesting read. I enjoyed following the various themes in the book and felt very involved in the characters lives. I felt it was similar in style to Jilly Cooper so if you like her books then I think you’ll enjoy this one too.
Huge thanks to Sriya from Michael St Joseph’s for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.
About The Author:
People often ask me if I always had a burning desire to be an author, and the honest answer is no, in fact it almost happened by accident.
I was working as a copy-writer in an ad agency and tired of writing blurb for soap powder, began writing a novel under the desk. I had no thought of publication, was just doing it to relieve the boredom, but I must say it was a bit of a shock when my boss walked in one day and said we’re not sure you’re entirely committed and gave me the sack!
Actually I think that galvanized me and I was determined to finish it. I did, but it took a while: I was working freelance, and then pregnant with my first child so it wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. When my son was born I discovered babies slept for great chunks of the day, so I revisited it, tapping it onto a computer my brother gave me. (The first draft was in long hand, I’m a complete Luddite by nature, and actually, still write my first draft into note books.)
My husband persuaded me to send it to an agent who took it – amazingly and then a few weeks later I had a publisher too. The Old Girl Network came out about a year later and the first time I saw it in a shop, I was so startled I ran out again! I’m convinced it was easier back then to get published, these days it’s far more competitive because there are so many girls doing it I’m glad I started early!
I’ve written a few more since then, but some things don’t change: I still get a thrill when I see them around. I hope you enjoy the books, I certainly have a lot of fun writing them.’
Catherine Alliott
Over The Rainbow Blog 