I very much enjoyed this historical mystery / romance set mostly in Cornwall in the early 1800s. An interesting plot about a shipwreck and a man whose life is saved by Laura Calloway, an orphaned 19 year old. Events unfold (in a slightly long-winded way, I felt) and it's a lovely story.

Such a good historical romance. I felt really taken back into time and immersed in their world. Cute romance that flowed well.

A Castaway in Cornwall by Julie Klassen

A poldark type story ship wrecks castaway intrigue romance adventure set on Cornwall. Laura is sent to live with her uncle and his disapproving second on the death of her parent. When in Cornwall to pass her time she walks on the beach collecting lost items from shipwrecks until she finds a survivor of a shipwreck and nurses him back to health.

A detailed well written book a must if you like all things Cornwall. A mix of characters mystery, intriguing read that grips you from the start.

I looooved It!!! I really enjoy this author, I've read almost all her books. The mix of sweet romance and mystery is impossible to leave until you finish the book. The setting in Cornwall is delightful too.

Bursting with enticing characters, an intriguing plot, and interesting twists, this novel had no trouble keeping my attention from start to finish. I love how the author focuses on developing characters with raw and realistic depth, full of flaws that make them real but also growth that makes you cheer for them along the way. The romance develops slowly in that perfect way that makes it seem authentic, and their relationship is sweet and genuine. I really liked the mystery woven in the story that made the plot unpredictable and kept me guessing. The spiritual themes are well integrated without being preachy. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to more by this talented author! Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

One of my favorite authors, though I may be behind in my reads I will always read every book I can get my hands on by this author.
This book is set on the windswept Cornish coast. The area has quite a few shipwrecks and many of the areas inhabitants are known to have lost a loved one to these wrecks. Very atmospheric, you can feel the wildness of the wind tossing the ships about.
As the ships sink wreckers search the area for valuables that have washed ashore.
I enjoyed reading about the mystery that surrounds Alex and pondering who he is and his situation in life. The romance between Alex and Laura, the woman who rescues him after the shipwreck near her Cornwall home. I also enjoyed reading about the Cornish coast and it's rugged storms. Atmospheric and full of interesting characters the plot kept me entertained and I found it hard to put down.

Published December 1st 2020
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

A Castaway in Cornwall was a well-written historical romance. I found myself easily drawn into the storyline and intrigued by the mysterious man.

The romance was nice. I felt like the characters were well suited for each other and it was fun to see their relationship develop.

All in all, A Castaway in Cornwall was a story that held my attention and I recommend it to fans of historical romance.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Found this one to be way too slow and consequently dragging. The whole thing felt more like a way to portray life in Cornwall at the time and the ship wrecks, the characters just being there to be there so that this isn't just a history book. History buffs will probably dig it, but I couldn't resonate with the story or the characters and the whole thing was too verbose for my taste

What an intriguing, beautifully thought over book! Julie Klassen is a phenomenal writer and she just penned an endearing mystery in a paradisaic (if dangerous) setting!

Klassen does it again -- an interesting storyline, lots of historical details without overwhelming the reader, strong character development, and descriptive narrative, and faith elements that aren't preachy.

While not my favorite book by Julie Klassen, I still enjoyed that it was different than a lot of other Regency fiction.

Set in a sweeping coastal setting of the Cornwall seaside historical fiction, A Castaway in Cornwall satisfies every sense: adventure, suspense, romance.

Loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for the read of Julie Klassen’s, A Castaway in Cornwall.

aura Callaway has walked the beach on the Cornwall coast forever. She has lost her parents and is living in a small village with her uncle and his contemptuous wife. She feels out of place here and yet had no place to go. Her Aunt is trying to marry her daughter off and spends little time finding Laura a husband. In this part of the coast ships wreck all the time and Laura spends her days picking up mementos of these wrecks. She will often write a letter to a deceased sailors family. One day though a man comes ashore. Laura and a neighbor care for him.. his life and secrets come to life. All is not easily explained and Laura finds herself spending more and more time with him. Can her attachment to this stranger be dangerous? Will she ever get the answers she wants and needs? Will she ever find true love? The author sets this novel perfectly.. I felt like i could hear the waves and feel the breezes. I read this book rather quickly and enjoyed the characters and the story. It was different from what I have read lately and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to Netgalley & Julie Klassen for my copy, for an honest review.. it was an absolute pleasure reading this one.

Laura likes to beachcomb and finds more than she bargains for after a shipwreck. A beautiful cover, one of the nicest I’ve seen in a while. I thought the snippets at the start of each chapter were fascinating but sadly I wasn’t really fascinated by the actual story which dragged, had inaccuracies and most annoying of all, modern day speech which is one of my pet peeves in books set in the past. A lighthearted pleasant story, the sort you could read aloud to an elderly relative.

This was quite a lovely story, of orphaned Laura who feels out of place and set-apart from her friends and extended family she lives with in Cornwall. Every morning she walks the beaches, relishing in the peace and also combing the beach from treasures from the many shipwrecks in the area. One day, after another nearby shipwreck, she helps to save a man from drowning/being bludgeoned, and a romance starts to grow between herself and this stranger, who seems to be withholding some secrets.
The historical aspect and setting of this book were very enjoyable, but otherwise I found this to be a very scandalous book by Bethany House standards and also the customs for the historical setting.

I have a new favorite Julie Klassen novel!! This book was just wonderful, with its mystery plot line and its great characters. I had trouble putting this book down because I wanted to know what happened next. I also loved the location and settings of this novel. I really want to visit Cornwall and Jersey after reading this story! Basically this was a pretty perfect read for me. And that cover is gorgeous! My hard copy of this book is a beautiful addition for my keeper shelf.

A castaway, the dictionary tells us, is “a person who has been shipwrecked and stranded in an isolated place.”

Both the heroine and hero of Julie Klassen’s historical novel are castaways, literally or figuratively. With its picturesque backdrop of North Cornwall’s rocky shores during the Napoleonic Wars, it’s tailor-made to draw in Poldark fans, though the love story is more of a gentle, slow burn than one of smoldering passion.

In 1813, Laura Callaway, a young woman of 23, is a lost soul of sorts. Orphaned as a teenager, she had moved to Cornwall eight years earlier to live with her late aunt’s husband, Matthew Bray. Unfortunately, Matthew’s new wife has never truly accepted Laura as part of the family. As a pastime, Laura wanders along the shoreline, collects objects washed up on the sand after shipwrecks, and tries to identify their rightful owners. After the Kittiwake runs aground off the coast one evening, she guards the life of the survivor of the wreck. He calls himself Alexander Lucas and claims to be from Jersey – but he speaks English with a slight accent, and signs point to something hidden in his background. With Britain at war with France, what could his secret possibly be? And Alex may not, in fact, be the only passenger who survived…

Both Alex and Laura are wholeheartedly good people, and their falling in love, despite the obstacles thrown in their path, is a foregone conclusion. Laura’s principal flaw is that she lets her pride get in the way of getting to know her neighbors. Her discoveries over the course of the book eventually set her to rights and give her a sense of belonging.

A Castaway in Cornwall is a story where the setting is a character in its own right, and it’s the most intriguing and multifaceted one of all. The author establishes a sense of community through her large cast while blending Cornish history and customs credibly into the plot. We learn, for example, about St. Enodoc in Trebetherick, a quaint old church partly buried underneath the dunes, and how its minister (Laura's Uncle Matthew) is lowered via rope through a hatch in the roof in order to conduct services there once a year. There are more authentic Cornish names than you can shake a stick at, and the shipboard action scenes are first-rate; I wouldn’t have minded more of them.

Though marketed as Christian fiction, the biblical content is very light overall. It’s an enjoyable story, though there is one scene toward the end that adheres to genre conventions but made me uneasy, given everything that happened beforehand.

Another masterpiece by Julie Klassen. Beautifully written. Enchanting storyline. Memorable characters. Historical. Poetic. Treat yourself to this novel. Savor ever page. Five stars.

I have let this book sit long enough to know that I will not be coming back to it. The problem is definitely my own, as I’m learning that regency romances are just not for me. I really hope it gets into the right hands, and I will pass along the title name to those that I know love this genre.

I enjoyed A Castaway in Cornwall, my first book by Julie Klassen. As a fan of Austen and a resident in Cornwall, there was plenty to pique my interest. It seemed to me, however, that the book is targeted more at American audiences. The atmosphere felt a little too modern and the descriptions of life in Cornwall at that time, a little too twee. Neither of these points are necessarily criticisms. As a regency romance this book reads well with a gentle plot and enough momentum to keep me reading along. My thanks to the publishers and to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an independent review.