I am really enjoying the Porthkennack series. My favorite so far has been Joanna Chambers' entry and now, Alex Beecroft's.

This whole series is intriguing and romantic and the setting is a character in and of itself.

Recommended.

3.75 for me. This is a really sweet tale of burgeoning love between a man emotionally damaged by a demanding, dysfunctional family and a candid warmhearted man from a rambling Cornish clan. They find each other in what could have been one of the worst possible circumstances but come to understand and be there for each other in some of the best ways. Throw in some fairly accurate information about modern Paganism used to combat gobbledygook intended to frighten people, smugglers, and a fight against terrible cyber-bullying for flavor and the story has a little something everything. My first romance by this author, but definitely the first of many.

I really enjoy connected series written by different authors such as the Bluewater Bay series so I was excited to read this one. However this series was too dark for me. The writing was excellent but the subject matter just was not for me.

Sam Atkin is escaping from his wealthy family and their lucrative business. He could no longer bear the thought of investing people’s money, never knowing what the outcome would be. Investing became terrifying to him and caused him to have a massive anxiety attack. Now, he lives a solitary life on the road, and finds himself in Cornwall, in Foxglove Copse, where he settles in for the time being. When he becomes overwhelmed he still suffers from panic attacks, but his expertise with computers and developing applications help him to keep calm.

After traveling for so long, Sam takes a walk—and finds a mutilated sheep with sigils that would suggest witchcraft. It’s at the scene of the crime that he first meets Ruan Gwynn, which leads to Sam being considered a suspect. When he is cleared of any wrongdoing, he and Ruan find themselves in more than a mystery. The case turns interesting in not only the witchcraft but in the mysterious caves, Sam’s missing laptop, suicides, cyberbullying, and the mysterious Lusmoore family and what they hold over the clans of Foxglove Copse.

Ruan and Sam make a special connection which grows into a sweet romance. Ruan’s life is the very opposite of Sam’s, with a loving and supportive family that Sam, at times, doesn’t understand. As Sam becomes more familiar with Ruan and his family, he knows this is what he really wants. But, he questions if Ruan wants him to stay around or to move on. Ruan is such a charmer, easy going and humorous at times, which is very different from the shy and nervous Sam.

I haven’t read any of the other novels in the Porthkennack series, but the blurb for this one caught my interest. I didn’t get the feeling that I would have to read any of the previous books, as it holds firm as a standalone. I have to say I enjoyed Alex Beecroft’s writing style in this novel set in the small Cornish seaside town. It’s somewhat mystical, with suspense and danger, magic and a few scenes that are a little gory. Besides a fairly good mystery, the storyline also has some interesting characters and friendships, as well as covering acceptance, family dynamics and love. This may not be to everyone’s liking, but I found this to be a unique and enjoyable read.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
Each new book in this series is a surprise and this one is definitely a delight. When city financier Sam’s conscience gets the better of him, he rejects his worldly goods, buys a van and some tarot cards, and heads to Cornwall only to be arrested for a ritual slaughter on the day he arrives. In Porthkennack, someone has been terrorising Ruan’s niece and her teenage friends. When his aunt’s sheep is slaughtered, he needs to find the culprit – but he can’t quite believe that Sam, a gentle English visitor, is to blame.

All the best bits of this series are present in this newest book. Once again, the intertwined family clans of this small seaside town come to life in full colour. Ruan’s family, the Gwynns, are a close and only slightly eccentric clan. The Lusmoores reappear – accompanied as always by lore, myth, and the fear of locals. Sam and Ruan are both well-developed characters and I loved the changes in Sam’s life as he settled into Porthkennack.

This story is as much a mystery as it is a romance. I really loved Ruan and Sam together and I also really enjoyed their search for the person terrorising Porthkennack. There are some thoroughly exciting scenes (and a couple of very cute dogs) at the end.

The Porthkennack series of standalone M/M romances that take place in atmospheric Cornish seaside is something that I have enjoyed quite a bit. Some I have loved a lot and some not but overall, I really like the Porthkennack series. Foxglove Copse was a story that I'm not sure how to feel about.

The blurb was intriguing and sounded something I'd love. It started all good, with Sam reflecting the professional investment banker life he left behind for much more simpler life in the road. Sam's anxiety was portrayed very well and it was easy to begun to root for him. Ruan, who Sam meets early on, was just a sweetheart who had plenty of love for his family and everyone else. I could see how good Sam and Ruan could be together and how they could help each other. Both were such easy to relate with! However, their romance suffered from a bad case of lack of character development. Too many of their conversations were off page and the sex was all off page - both something that I wouldn't expect from a M/M romance. It slowed down any character development and left the budding relationship distant.

Instead of developing Sam and Ruan as individuals or deepening their relationship, the focus shifted to the mystery and suspense. The mystery was good and the story was suspenseful, and I really liked that aspect, but the story should have been longer to develop all of the aspects of the story properly. Especially since around the half way in the magic talk came out of nowhere and the story started to be an odd mix of contemporary and magic. A world where magic didn't exist but a few characters tried to half-heartedly convince the reader that magic did exist - it was just weird and didn't work for me because I like the books to be either contemporary or fantasy, not an odd mix of both and neither.

I'm not going to give out any spoilers, but I have to mention that I don't agree with the ending at all. The culprit was 'punished' but it wasn't fair for the crimes the culprit committed. It simply wasn't enough. However, despite of these problems I had with the story, I enjoyed it. It was a quick read and I was taken by the story and wanted to know what happens. I really liked how Foxglove Copse explored more of the family clan dynamics in Porthkennack - mainly focusing on Lusmoores and Gwynns. And despite the lack of character development and deepening of the relationship, I still rooted for Sam and Ruan, because they were adorable together and good for each other.

Foxglove Copse was enjoyable story, even if all aspects didn't sit with me. I still liked it, and it added quite a lot for the overall Porthkennack theme and the seaside town history.

What can I say I loved it , loved everything about it include the 2 main characters

Another great addition to the Porthkennack series. Part romance, part mystery, this was a great read!

Porthkennack gets more interesting with each new book.... I'm obviously really enjoying this series, although I still haven't picked up the historical titles. For now I'm sticking with the contemporary offerings and Foxglove Copse is one of my favorites.

Sam was a mess, but a lovable one. He was slightly broken and the farther he stayed away from his family, the better off he was. Ruan was the exact opposite. He was strong and sure of himself and he had love all the love and support from his family he could ask for, and sometimes even more. I loved his family connection almost as much as I loathed Sam's.

There was a lot going on in Foxglove Copse beside the budding romance between Sam and Ruan. A little bit of mystery and danger thrown into the mix, which really kept the pages turning. There was something pretty scary going on in the normally quiet village.

Each book in this series is written by a different author and they can all be read as a stand alone, but there is a thread of connection. That thread's even stronger in Foxglove Copse and I really liked the unexpected connection. I have to admit that those historical books in the Porthkennack series getting more and more tempting. Odds are I'll probably cave eventually. The next book in the series is Count the Shells, an historical offering by Charlie Cochrane.

ARC Review: Foxglove Copse by Alex Beecroft

Sam has been living a nomadic life since having an anxiety induced break down and falling out with his parents. He finds himself in Porthkennack, a small seaside town in Cornwall. He figures he'll squat for a day or two, rest up and try to find a job to get some money for the next leg of his journey. But things don't go according to plan when he finds a mutilated sheep on the property where he's parked.

He didn't do it, but Jennifer, the land owner, needs to make it clear that this isn't something she tolerates. So since he's the only available suspect, she decides she'll file charges against him. Even though she and her nephew, Ruan, don't believe he did it.

Still, Sam has some knowledge that proves useful as Ruan and Jennifer try to figure out what's going on. Plus, Sam's good with computers, so when Ruan finds out there's a cyberbully going after his cousin and her friends, he turns to Sam. As they work to uncover the culprits in both cases, Sam and Ruan grow closer, their relationship developing slowly and sweetly.

Alex Beecroft is a beautiful writer. She has such a way with words, all vivid imagery and depth of feeling. I always love reading her work, and Foxglove Copse was no exception. While it's heavy on the mystery - something I was quite happy about - the romance is sweet and beautiful and does not suffer for not being the focus of the plot. 5/5 stars

This isn't my normal read. I know that. I fully accept that this is a little out of my comfort zone, but I liked the sound of the blurb for this so requested it on NetGalley. I didn't think I would be approved nor did I think I would have read it yet. But as I plan to try and read two or three eProofs this month so I can focus on big, meaty books next month (and get myself ready for La Belle Sauvage), I thought I would hammer this out.

After suffering a huge anxiety attack six months ago, Sam has left his high-powered job, his emotionally-bullying family and has been living in his van. But with his savings running low, Sam is beginning to run out of opinions.

So, when he decides to park up in a copse and goes for a walk, the last thing he expected to find was a murdered sheep. And when he's found next to the body, he has a lot of explaining to do. Especially when it looks like it was a ritual killing.

Ruan, who finds Sam with his aunt, doesn't believe Sam did it. When he first saw Sam, he felt some kind of connection and when he sees how Sam has been living, Ruan decides that he needs to save Sam. But when the killing escalate and it looks the killer could be the same person behind some nasty cyber-bullying, the two need to work fast on stopping him before they can figure out their feelings for each other...

This book is part of a series - the Porthkennack series (which is split into two sections - contemporary or historical) - so while you can read them in order, you can read each novel as standalone as they are written by different authors (it looks like there are four authors involved). And the fact that each book tackles an issue in one form or another, it appealed to me when I requested this as this tackled LGBT characters, a mystery involving someone pretending to practice the occult and having a character sugaring from anxiety - something I'm not well read in nor do I see often tackled in books.

Anyway, reactions to this. I read this within three/four days earlier this month when I was super lazy and very tired (I had several late nights with friends/neighbours/family/etc) so, when I started this, I thought it was going a light, fluffy, LGBT love story with a mystery twist to it. Oh, how wrong I was. And, in a weird way, am kinda ok with that. Up to a point.

It was a fast, addictive read. I would sit and whizz through, surprised at how involved I got and wondering if I should investigate the rest of the series (the only title within this series that caught my eye at the moment is House of Cards, though I will keep eyes peeled for upcoming titles). It was much darker than I was expecting and, as someone who does like to read a good crime novel, this appealed to me.

Like I said, I am not well read or well-informed on how the subject of Sam's anxiety and his panic attacks was handled. So, I'm not going to go too in-depth with that. If someone knows more information and has read this, could you let me know your thoughts and opinions.

Like I said earlier, I was kinda on board with the fact that this book was darker than I expected. But up to a point. There were issues I do have with Foxglove Copse. I wasn't a fan of the instalove between Ruan and Sam. It was just too fast for my taste. Plus, Sam does suffer for anxiety, so I did find it a little hard to believe that Sam would fall for Ruan as quickly as he did.

I suppose this lends itself into the pacing. I get why the pacing was a little faster than expected, but for some reason, it felt off. The off-ness felt the same with some of issues raised - the cyber-bullying, ritual killing and a the possible suicide that could be linked to the cyber-bullying. To me, these are quite dark issues, but with the writing's tone, it didn't sit right with me. Plus, the climax felt like an anticlimax. It felt too easy. I can't put my finger on why, but I'm not a fan of how these issues were tackled.

It felt like, even though this is written for a more grown-up audience, this was written for a New Adult audience. And, if it was, it feels a bit disrespectful to the subject matter and to the reader.

Maybe I am being a bit harsh. I did whizz through the book and I might return to this series and try another author and this probably is a good airport/beach read, but along the way, it misses the mark on certain subject matters.

Sam and Ruan
They meet under a somewhat bloody circumstances. They like each other.
Sam, suffering anxieties attacks and having a big one in front of Ruan, knows things about tarot and witchcrafts. He finds in Ruan a friend and even more.
Sam living in a van, alone without income, is getting thinner and thinner and Ruan wants to feed him with food and love.
There are things happening in the village that can't face the daylight....
Online young ones get bullied....sheeps are found dead, witchcraft is also playing a role. With help from Sam they all try to get rid of them/it whatever whoever it is.

A good written story with many aspects in it. Friendship, love, tattoos, magic, angst, a bit of mafia family business, some times it's just down to earth and some between fantasy and magic.
It was a busy 'hassle' and Sam and his anxiety attacks were for me the moments to hold on to all of it, he was it who kept this story real and tangible, I could breathe with him...

Endearing personalities in a very lovable environment. No steam at all for the ones who want to know. Some sweet kisses is all you get but for me it was more than enough, for me it was all about acceptance, family not by blood, friendship and love.

4.5 Stars

Sam ran away from a high-paying, highly stressful job and his family, after suffering a major anxiety attack. He sold almost everything he owned, bought a custom-equipped van and gave away most of his money. Now, six months later, he's nearly broke and afraid he might have to go back to his parents. He finds himself in Porthkennack, taking a walk to calm his anxiety, when he stumbles upon a sheep slaughtered in what looks like a satanic ritual and the land's owner and her nephew, Ruan, seem to think he might be involved.

Ruan doesn't want to believe Sam is capable of doing something like this, and not only because he's instantly attracted to him. Sam just doesn't seem the type, so seeing as Sam has to remain in Porthkennack while the police investigate the matter, Ruan asks for Sam's help as a tech wizard to do a little investigation for his niece and friends, who are being bullied online.

I loved Sam, my heart broke for him when I saw how bad his anxiety attacks could be and how badly his family treated him. Even when he ran away from his work and living with them, he couldn't quite break that link with them. I adored Ruan, too. He was supportive and sweet and a bit reckless. I loved that he was willing to go against tradition to help Sam. I adored the two of them together. They seemed to complement each other quite nicely from the start, working together to solve Ruan's niece's problem. While there's no on page sex, I could feel the connection, attraction and love growing between them.

I am not a fan of gory/horror elements in my books, and this one had some very vivid descriptions, so if you're like me, just be warned that they're not pretty at all. *shudders*

Anyway, even with the gore, Foxglove Copse was enthralling and engaging, with several storylines that kept my interest throughout the book and that were resolved very interestingly (if not fully satisfyingly). Very recommendable!

*** Copy provided to the reviewer via NetGalley by Riptide Publishing for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

I'm enjoying the Porthkennack Series from Riptide Publishing, all set in the same small seaside Cornish town, but each with a stand-alone plot. While Foxglove Copse is not my favorite book in the series, it has some interesting elements that kept my interest.

Sam Atkins lives a lonely existence, given to crippling anxiety attacks, traveling around Britain in a small converted van (think tiny tiny house) and faking normality during his infrequent contact with others. He has just settled in a small secluded woodland outside of Porthkennack when he comes upon a gruesome ritualistic sheep killing, and is immediately suspected of carving up the sheep (with a chainsaw) and placed under police investigation. The landowner's nephew Ruan is fascinated by Sam and once he learns that Sam is not a "sheep-mutilating cultist" they work together to find the culprit, as well as the person who is cyberbullying young people in the area .... to death.

Foxglove Copse works as a mystery / suspense with two intertwined plot lines, and the unraveling of what exactly is going on is intriguing. Where the story fails, for me, is the romance between Sam and Ruan. Ruan is firmly entrenched in the bosom of his family, and it's almost alien to him that Sam is so estranged from his family and their influence. We get glimpses of what may be the root cause of Sam's anxiety, but Sam's personality seems so intangible and undeveloped:

“He’s like he’s got one foot in fairyland, you know? Like he’s too special for this world."

With the sex scenes off page and not a lot of character development, there just isn't enough chemistry between the two lads to make you feel invested in their relationship. Also, the pace of this story seems so slow - with a very melancholy feel - until the ending finally pulls everything together in a somewhat unexpected way.

I ended up very much on the fence about Foxglove Copse and gave it 3 stars. I think the story will appeal to some readers, but it did not work for me.

4 Stars

Sam was a professional, as well as a whiz at computers. He led a good life and earned great money, but it all came at a steep price: His sanity. After a major anxiety attack brought on by work and family pressure, Sam has had enough. He quits his job and buys a van that has been custom outfitted with everything he'll need to start a new life, living off the grid. He's been traveling for a while when he lands in the small Cornish town of Porthkennack. He finds a small hideaway to park his van and settles in for a bit, but his peace doesn't last long when he discovers a gruesome satanic ritual, and as he is examining it he is in turn discovered by Ruan and his Aunt Jennifer, who owns the land he's set up camp on. They assume he is to blame for the dead sheep and have him arrested. Now that the police are involved, Sam will be forced to stay in town until he can be cleared of any wrong doing.

Ruan is lolling through life. He wants to be a tattoo artist, but isn't sure how to break into the business. He's pretty sure the only tattoo shop in town is just a front run by the the Lusmoore's, the local crime family. From the moment he and his aunt discover Sam, he believes him to be innocent and when his niece needs help with some online bullying, Ruan thinks he knows the perfect person for the job, plus it'll give him the chance to get to know the intriguing young man he finds himself attracted to.

I'll be honest, I wasn't so sure about this story at first, and truthfully, I continued to feel that way throughout a good portion of the story. While I love a good mystery, I'm not into gore and I found some of the descriptions of the satanic rituals to be described quite vividly and this is so not my thing. Although the author tied all the mysteries up nicely at the end, throughout the story it felt like there was too much happening, too many side stories taking place and it was all a bit overwhelming and confusing at times. But I can't deny the mysteries were interesting and well done. The author threw in some twists and turns that I never saw coming and kept me sitting on the edge of my seat biting my nails. At one point I thought I might join Sam in having an anxiety attack.

As for the romance portion, I loved both Sam and Ruan and I thought that they fit together very nicely. They had wonderful chemistry and while there is no on page sex, the romance was done well. Sam and Ruan brought out the best in one another and encouraged each other. They were likable characters you could really root for.

The story is fast-paced and well-written. It was interesting and the storyline was unique, to me anyway. Although I wasn't so sure about the story at first, it turned out to be an enjoyable read I'd definitely recommend, just beware of the gore.


*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

3.5 stars

I do feel - after reading a few of Alex Beecroft's books - that I'm quite familiar with the tone of her story. Foxglove Copse is not a happy book. Sam Atkins is still battling with his anxiety when an accidental walk put him in the middle of local clan's machination. The incident also bring him face to face with an attractive young man, Ruan Gwynn. Of whom unexpected compassion and friendship gradually bring Sam's self-confidence and sense of belonging back.

I could practically feel the gloomy air throughout the pages. Not only this book sets in a Cornish fictional town, it also takes time during winter. Combined with Sam's way of life, the grey veil (and feeling) is pretty hard to ignore. Adding to those are the mystery involving ritualistic killings, notorious clan, cyber bullying, and the famous underground caves and tunnels. I liken this to a darker (and bloodier) shade of Famous Five adventure, with a side of love affair.

The budding romance between Sam and Ruan is inevitable, I get that. And yet, the speed at which it develops is just too rushed. Also, I'm not quite sure if Sam's ability to tell fortune - for lack of other word - is legit other than lending paranormal feel to the story. I like that Sam's personal problem's not just resolved in matter of second, but that the healing process is in progress. However, mystery-wise, the conclusion feels a bit anticlimactic (I mean, after the body count in human and animal form, I was expecting a harsher punishment! blood-thirsty reader that I am). But overall, this book is a nice addition to the books of Porthkennack's universe I've read so far.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. Sam and Ruan are both such sweet guys, and I was glad their romance was smooth because they both had so much other stuff going on in their lives. Having read all the others in the series, this one fit perfectly, with the Lusmoore family seeming exactly as they were in the other books even though those were by other authors. I couldn't put this down. Fell in love with these two young men!