Laura Callaway searches along the shorlines of north Cornwall for little treasures or bits of things left behind after shipwrecks and one day happens to save the life of a survivor of a wreck of a ship named the Kittiwake, Alexander Lucas. She is living with her Uncle Matthew and Mrs. Bray, his second wife and is an orphan. With the help of the local nurse Mrs. Chegwin and a young doctor they bring Alexander back to health. He is a bit hazy about certain details about his past and has a bit of a French accent when speaking English so it is reasonable during the Napoleonic War between England and France to be discreet about details about his past. Even so as time goes by an attraction between the two of them develops slowly and the truth about both of their past lives start to come out. I feel that the title is perfect because in a way they are both castaways one without a family of her own anymore and Alexander has left a large political rift with his brother Alan in France and is deeply worried both about him and the chaos this rift has caused with their father in the middle. After many attempts to get home to Brittany to see his brother only to find he has been executed and his father is dying, he realizes how much he loves Laura who has discovered that her aunt did not die and is alive in Jersey and she is not alone without a family. The ending was beautiful and touching and I enjoyed it very much. Thanks to Net Galley and Bethany Books for the opportunity to read this lovely story.

This delightful historical book will keep you guessing from beginning to end. As the lives of the characters and their pasts and presents collide together, mysteries unfold. This is another very enjoyable story by Julie Klassen - one that is difficult to put down!

I always enjoy Julie Klassen books! This one started out a little slow for me, but it pulled me in especially because of my love for Poldark! Cornwall is fascinating and sounds so beautiful. I would love to go there some day and this book reiterated that feeling! The second half of the book captivated me much more than the first half and I eagerly finished it satisfied. It bounced around in time a little bit and had somewhat of a mystery to solve. Great clean regency romance.

A Castaway in Cornwall is a lovely, clean, story of Laura, who often walks the seashore looking for lost items from shipwrecks. After a shipwreck, she finds a half drowned man on the shore, she gets him up to her house she shares with her Uncle, Aunt, and cousin, to help the poor man recover from his injuries. His name is Alexander, and he is very mysterious. He stays until he recovers, and at this point, she learns the truth about him. She finds that he is an escaped prisoner of war, but still a good man. He needs to get to his brother, to get him released from prison. They travel together to an island in the English channel, and he goes on to his homeland, just to find out his brother has already been executed. An exciting and interesting story I enjoyed reading!

Klassen is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint! I love how much research was done for this book. I appreciate all the history and detail. There are inserts from historical documents for each chapter which is a great bonus. Throughout the book you get to see many destinations and experience some history. Klassen keeps you guessing what each character is hiding so you want to keep reading it to get to the bottom of it all. Pieces of information is given as the book unfolds and allows you to start understanding the characters more and more. I enjoyed reading about the hardships and twist and turns. You feel you need to look out for them and help them reach the final destination. Laura and Alexander grow in depth and their relationship at a good pace. Laura is strong and determined and Alexander has a good heart under all that life has thrown his way. This book kept me engaged not being able to guess what was next.

A Castaway in Cornwall is a regency tale of shipwrecks, smugglers, war, and romance. Each of these individually can make a great story, but together is even better.
I enjoyed the main characters in this novel. The supporting cast was well varied and added depth to the story as well. Some of the character development was brought on by situations I found a little far fetched but still made for an entertaining novel.
The setting was beautiful, but I just didn't feel like I was there as I read. I can't blame Julie Klassen for this, however, as she was unable to travel when writing this story (due to COVID19) and therefore had to base her writing on research rather than actual experience. I can only imagine the challenge in doing so.
The plot was quite well thought out, albeit unrealistic at times. The pace picked up a bit during the second half of the story which I quite enjoyed.

A Castaway in Cornwall
by Julie Klassen
Bethany House
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
Bethany House Publishers
Christian | Historical Fiction
Pub Date 01 Dec 2020 | Archive Date 13 Jan 2021

We have quite a few patrons in our small library that love anything Julie Klassen. Thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for allowing me to read the ARC. Great story, has history and romance and just a great book!

5 star

For years Laura Calloway has felt like a castaway in Cornwall—carried in like jetsam on the tides of tragedy. All her blood relatives have died, and she lives with her Uncle Matthew and his second wife—who doesn’t approve of her. Laura spends hours combing the beach for odds and ends cast ashore from the frequent wrecks, hoping to find clues to the identities of shipwreck victims.

While she has no real closure in the deaths of her parents, she yearns to provide closure for others who have lost loved ones. One fateful night she joins the wreckers on the beach and saves the life of the only survivor of a vessel torn apart by the rocks near shore. As she nurses him back to health, she struggles to trust him.

Alexander Lucas narrowly escapes death and finds himself at the mercy of a beautiful woman. He longs to tell her the truth but fears the truth could endanger her and his host’s family. Above all else, he must return home and exonerate his brother and reconcile with his father. But with little money and weakened health, his only hope lies in trusting a stranger.

Why I Loved This Book

I love all things Cornwall—Doc Martin, Poldark, and Sarah E. Ladd’s books. Throw in a Regency setting, smugglers, and the Island of Jersey, and you have the perfect recipe for a moody romance that inspires as well as entertains.

I loved learning about quirky customs and can relate to Laura—a woman who never feels as if she quite fits in. By including quotes from books about life in Cornwall written during different time periods at the start of each chapter, Klassen brings together fact and fiction. She takes the time to fully develop the characters and make them relatable (even the antagonist).

A Castaway in Cornwall is, Christy award winning author, Julie Klassen's newest novel. As you could probably guess from the title, the majority of the plot takes place on the picturesque albeit dangerous shores of Cornwall. Historically Cornwall was notorious for shipwrecks and the subsequent thievery that followed the aftermath of a wreck. The story starts out strong with a very interesting question...one that caused my own heart to ponder, "Am I flotsam or jetsam?" I have certainly felt like both in my lifetime...like remnants of a wreck, sinking low to the depths, but also like I've cast parts of myself into the sea in hopes of rescue.

Julie Klassen admits that the current pandemic canceled her trip to Cornwall, and I have to admit that I did not feel "transported" like I normally would while reading one of her novels. I missed the descriptions from her own experiences that give the story more life! That being said, the novel was still well researched, so much so that I sometimes felt like a bunch of historical facts were thrown in, almost like filler.

I really enjoyed the premise of this novel, the mysterious castaway, the benevolent daughter, but I would have enjoyed a bit more excitement added to the plot. It was a bit of a Cinderella story with the orphaned daughter and the somewhat cool stepmother and there were a couple spots of escalated conflict but the majority of the story was, in effect, "smooth sailing". I was also surprised that after the considerable amount of time two of the characters spent in each other's company that a marriage between the two was not enforced. This seemed to be out of sync with the attitude of the day as the lady's reputation would have certainly been put into question.

I can't say that A Castaway in Cornwall has surpassed her other novels and become my favorite. I enjoyed the story but it fell a little flat for me. It wasn't quite what I've come to expect from Julie Klassen but I will still eagerly look forward to reading more from her in the future!

A Castaway in Cornwall will be available from your local or online retailer on December 1, 2020.

Thank you Bethany House and Net Galley for the free copy of A Castaway in Cornwall. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Mystery, romance, history and a bit of adventure, all in an intriguing and captivating story.

Thank you for the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story was super detailed into the lifestyle of those living in the regency era in a small village in Cornwall. I enjoyed the two main characters, their journey and the development in their relationship as well as the personal growth the character go throughout the novel. The mystery surrounding the washed up castaway who is found alive amongst the destruction of a shipwreck on the coast had me intrigued. I enjoyed the heroine of the story as she learned more about how to find her place in the world as well as discover hidden truths about her past. This took a bit of a long time reaching its conclusion because it was weighed down with a lot of descriptive passages about the area (interesting to read but sometimes not necessarily relevant to the plot) but the characters, the story, the romance, the adventure/mystery all made for a great story.

Another long-awaited Julie Klassen tale at last!
As usual, Julie Klassen delivers a poignant regency that tells of love lost and the mystery that surrounds it.
Laura Callaway has lost everyone who loves her and struggles to find a place with a distant relative in Cornwall. She spends her days scouring the beaches for lost treasure she can return to the rightful owners, or to sell the unclaimed items. She assists her uncle who is a minister in recording the deaths of those washed up on shore from the shipwrecks that plague their small community.
Alexander Caraway is caught between a political shift in history, his loyalties lying with the crown of France though the throne has been stolen by Napoleon. A captain of a French military ship, he loses the battle and finds himself a prisoner of war and accused of crimes he has not committed. Caught in a storm, Alexander is one of two survivors to wash up on shore and the one Laura nurses back to health.
There is a whole slew of cast members that bring the story to life. Characters a reader can’t help but to love, hate and wish a better outcome for. Many characters have their own hardships which end satisfactorily, even some happily. It’s hard to pick a favourite secondary character from this bunch – so I won’t.
The connection between Laura and Alexander is seamlessly woven through the pages of this novel. A beautiful story of loving a neighbour - even when he or she is considered the enemy. It's a story of overcoming the past, forgiveness and looking to God to provide.
And I have to admit, I'm thrilled to read a novel where the French guy gets the English gal (although I might be a biased when it comes to that).
In the beginning of the novel, I found there were quite a few spots with a lot of information - historical details that were significant to the time and geography but a bit jarring. It seemed quite out of the ordinary for a Julie Klassen novel. After about the third chapter the pertinent facts had been recalled and the story flowed from there.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

A CASTAWAY IN CORNWALL by JULIE KLASSEN is a well researched historical novel with a good story, lots of excitement, believable characters, romance, adventure, a good Christian message, and of course plenty of drama at sea and on the treacherous coast of northern Cornwall. We are also taken to the island of Jersey and to Brittany in France. This is the time of the Napoleonic wars. and spies, suspicion and mixed loyalties abound. It is a time when smuggling is rife and so is the illegal snatching of cargo when ships are wrecked, sometimes on purpose. Here we see the baseness of human nature in those who profit from others' misfortune - even robbing and killing those who make it to shore.
Laura Callaway, who feels like a castaway herself, saves Captain Alexander Lucas, who is safely brought to shore from the wrecked Kittiwake, from being murdered by Tom Parsons, an infamous wrecker and thief. There is another survivor from the Kittiwake, François LaRoche, who seems to share a mysterious history with Alex.
I love the way Laura, with her minister uncle Matthew, documents the dead and writes to their families, sending them any articles she finds on their bodies. Whilst she gets on well with uncle Matthew, his second wife, Mrs Bray, makes her feel unwanted. Left behind by her parents who went to Jersey when she was twelve to help her mother's twin sister who was desperately ill, she has never felt at home at Fern Haven. Cornwall is also filled with strange customs and superstitions which make her feel even more of an outsider.
There is a lot more to the book but this is all I am going to tell you for fear of spoiling the read for you.
This is a story of courage, redemption, restoration and forgiveness. I really enjoyed The Castaway In Cornwall and highly recommend it as a worthwhile and exciting read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.