A Cornish Secret by Emma Burstall

Today it is my stop on the Blog Tour for A Cornish Secret and I will be sharing with you my review for this wonderful book set in the idyllic village of Tremarnock.

I loved Tremarnock and The Cornish Guest House by Emma Burstall I can’t believe I have missed out Tremarnock Summer I will definitely be on the look out for it on my next bookshop visit. I was a little worried to start reading Emma Burstall’s latest release A Cornish Secret having not read book 3 as I was worried that I may have missed something that would then put me off the storyline of this one but I am pleased to say that this book was easy to read and I didn’t feel at any point that I had missed anything.

Esme and her childhood friend Caroline have always kept in contact but with Caroline living in Paris they haven’t seen each other. They decide to embark on a walking holiday but poor Caroline has an accident so Esme tempts Caroline to stay in the idyllic village of Tremarnock so she can look after her. A secret from their past soon can’t be contained any more.

Rosie finds a bottle washed up by the sea with an old note inside from back in the war. With Liz’s help they try to track down the person who wrote the letter but should somethings be left in the past.

This book can easily be read as a standalone but having read two out of the previous three books it was great to see so many of the characters I loved from those books returning especially my favourite little Rosie and Liz. I wanted to shake Robert so hard in this book though, what is he playing at!

I loved how both Esme and Caroline’s story is weaved around the search for Liz and Rosie’s lost Prisoner of War. I was interested in both storylines and found so much uncertainty for all the characters who are facing troubles. I was shocked by my little Rosie’s actions in this book she is normally the apple of my eye in these books and although I can see her actions were sort of justified I still was disappointed by the way she handled things.

Once again the community support is flowing through the pages of this book which is why I love Tremarnock so much.

I do hope we are treated to another book set in Tremarnock so that Robert has a chance to redeem himself again!

Kindle 

The Cornish Guest House by Emma Burstall

A new couple have arrived in Tremarnock, but will these glamorous strangers fit into village life?

Tremarnock is a small fishing village, crowded with holidaymakers in the summer, but a sleepy Cornish backwater at other times of the year. 

Here Liz has found refuge with her young daughter, Rosie, after her relationship with Rosie's father came unstuck. Now happily married to village restaurant owner, Robert Hart, all seems set for a quiet autumn and merry Christmas. But strangers have bought the local guest house and seem to have big plans. Why is he so charming and confident, but she so frightened? Are they who they say they are? And what are they really doing with the guest house?

I loved Tremarnock by Emma Burstall so much that after finishing the book I booked my first break away to Cornwall, so when her latest novel The Cornish Guest House arrived I put my current read aside and dived straight in to this book eager to see what the characters that we met in the first book have been up to.

In this book we have a new couple along with their little daughter who have moved to Tremarnock and plan to open a boutique guest house. As the community all get ready to welcome the newcomers to the village they soon fall for Luke’s charms but Tabitha is less than a welcoming host and Liz senses from the off that something isn’t quite as it seems.

I loved picking back up with the characters from book 1 especially to see how Liz and Rosie are doing but it was also great to have new characters introduced to the storyline to give it an exciting and fresh feel. I have to admit this storyline although still really enjoyable and leaving me unable to put the book down I did actually guess early on what we would reveal about our new characters so it was slightly predictable but I didn’t mind so much as the book is so well written with the life like characters and the descriptions of Tremarnock once again pulling me into the pages of the book.

The community spirit that I felt so strongly in the first book is back in full force in this book which I loved it gives such a positive, uplifting and cosy feel to the storyline. Once again the author has taken a number of difficult issues that people face in the real world and has weaved this issues around the storyline but tackling them in a delicate and yet informative way that will bring awareness to the issues.

I really hope we see more books set in this village as this is definitely my favourite fictional Cornish village and community that just leaves me wanting more. The Hardback edition really is a big beauty and would look great on the book shelf but if you are trying to save the pennies but still desperate to read this wonderful read get in quick as the kindle version is currently on 99p!( at time of review)

Hardback               Kindle

Tremarnock by Emma Burstall

I have just returned from a much needed break to the Isle of Wight where we stayed in 

such a stunning Lodge at the Woodside Coastal Retreat which is one of the Darwin Escapes

Resorts and it was everything we could have hoped for and more. 

This was the perfect spot for a spot of R&R ( yes relax and reading of course!)

I arrived and swifty unpacked the most important part of my luggage, my books of course!

We will definitely be returning to Woodside Retreat and I have been recommending it to all my family, friends and clients so if any of you are looking for a get away especially any authors wanting peace and quiet in a gorgeous setting to write that book or any bookworms looking to conquer that TBR pile then check this place out!

For More information on this resort click here.

I managed to read 5 books whilst I was away and I am going to share my review for one of those books with you now Tremarnock by Emma Burstall.

Tremarnock is a classic Cornish seaside village. Houses painted in yellow, pink and white cluster around the harbour, where fishermen still unload their daily catch. It has a pub and a sought-after little restaurant, whitewashed, with bright blue shutters. It is here that Liz has found sanctuary for herself and her young daughter, Rosie - far away from Rosie's cheating father. From early in the morning with her job as a cleaner, till late at night waitressing in the restaurant, Liz works all the hours God sends to provide for them both. But trouble is waiting just around the corner. As with all villages, there are tensions, secrets - and ambitions. Emma Burstall's wonderfully engaging first novel about Tremarnock is the story of what happens when one shocking turn of events sweeps a small community, carrying Liz and Rosie with it.

I am always drawn to books which are set around Cornish sea so was excited to see what Tremarnock held in store for me and as I sat down to read this hefty 407 page hardback I never dreamed it would capture my attention so much so that I finished the book in one complete sitting and now having finished the book I am really going to find it hard to leave the characters behind and I hope we don’t have too long to wait for the next in this series of books.

When I opened the book I was introduced to the village in the way of a beautiful little map of the village showing me where everyone lives and the various shops which I thought was a wonderful little addition to the book as it really helped to visualise where everything was located and brought the village to life.

Our main characters in this book are Liz and her beautiful daughter Rosie who are both very strong and courageous and warm characters whose story will melt your heart. They have made a new life together in Tremarnock and whilst Liz juggles jobs to keep a roof over their heads the wonderful community have been so welcoming and have all rallied around to help where they can and have sure taken them under their wings.

I was a little unsure when reading the first few chapters of this book how I was going to get on with this book as we are quickly introduced to a vast amount of characters and I was soon lost and didn’t know who was who but I persevered and before long the pace of the book began to settle and the more central characters became easy to recognise, I think the author was trying to introduce us to everyone getting us familiar with the village folk ready for the rest of the series but I think it  would have been better to introduce them throughout the book as I have quite forgotten who a few of them are.

That was my one and only little blip with this book because everything else was pure perfection for me ticking all of the boxes. The author manages to bring the characters alive with such ease and before long it felt like I was in the root of the community so comfortable that I didn’t want to leave. 

The storyline will bring out a number of emotions as the storyline begins quite uplifting and felt like a light Summery read and as the book progressed I found myself soon reaching for the Kleenex as the heartstrings were well and truly pulled as the story becomes a more emotive and deep taking on heartbreaking situations and see's a friendship threatened and a mother and daughters love, courage and pure determination shine through the pages. I don’t want to give too much away about the events that happen in this book because I think the shock of what happened was what made such and impact for me.

I love books that have a warm cosy feel that have a great welcoming community spirit and this was exactly what I found with this book and I cannot wait to revisit Tremarnock again in the next book of the series as this is one of my favourite books of 2015 and was a perfect book for my break away.