Member Reviews

Rose is an archaeologist who had to have life threatening stem cell treatment. Her gran Marge passed away and left a letter to find the donor. When Rose gets a grant to study in Cornwall where the donor is from she jumps at the chance. Lovely book couldn't put it down

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Rose Vernon has finally got her life on track after surviving a life threatening illness thanks to a mystery donor. Now she’s on her way to Cornwall, mainly for her job as an archaeologist but also to try and find her donor, following the few clues she’s managed to glean.

This book is the perfect read for the times we live are currently living in. Set in the beautiful Cornish countryside, in a small coastal town, full of everything you want to find there - gorgeous views, lovely people, good food and anything that brings a smile to your face. Although you know there’ll be a happy ending, it’s still a joy to read, and there are a couple of twists you won’t expect. Well crafted as you would expect from this author, roll on the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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Wow wow wow. Philipa Ashley at her best. Where do you begin.? Rose was a lovely character, she had been through a lot and loved how job in archaeology was described and how she got the grant even dressed as a mermaid.. You imagined her to be stunning. With out spoiling the plot you thought the outcome would be different, loved it. Makes you want to visit Falford and sail. . An excellent read

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Yet another fabulous book from Phillipa Ashley, this book was amazing I must say that Phillipas books are my happy place and I always find myself picking one up if I want a bit of a cosy read.

Perfect story for the summer time.

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I was absolutely ready to escape to the Cornish Coast and meet up with Rose and her search for her anonymous donor. I thoroughly enjoy Phillipa Ashley’s style of writing and instinctively knew that I was in for another treat.
It was easy to imagine the village of Falford with the estuary running through its heart. The descriptions were excellent, and I could almost hear the gentle waves, lapping at the shore, as boats made their way out to the nearby sea.
There is a wonderful supporting cast, and nobody seemed like an unnecessary element. From Dorinda and Bo to Auntie Lynne and ‘bloody Nigel’! each character added to the rich layers of this enchanting story. I could even imagine eating Lobster on Kev’s porch. Not bad as I’m allergic to shellfish.
The main story focuses on the incredibly gorgeous Morvah brothers; no doubt inspired by the delectable Hemsworth boys. Rose has managed to narrow down her search to these two hunks, but she has no idea which one. What she does discover, is that she is drawn to Finn, even though he seems less interested in her.
The book goes beyond a search for a hero and weighs in on friendship. Rose finds a great friend in Oriel, who in turn helps to bring Rose into village life. The fact that Rose is an archaeologist and Oriel runs a mythical shop brings about a perfect symmetry as they are able to blur some lines as they try to save Oriel’s business.
Of course, there’s a happy ending, but the road to reach it isn’t smooth and nothing is guaranteed.
I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in a couple of sittings. I hope you enjoy this mythical and magical escape to the Cornish Coast.

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The word ‘Cornish’ in the title has pulled me toward this book. It’s a beautiful and uplifting book about a girl who has been given a second chance at life by a stranger. What a precious gift she has received. This book showed me the importance of ‘organ donation’, how a selfless act can save the life of a person who is desperately waiting for it and everything in their life was put on hold. The suffering, anguish of the patients waiting for the match depicted poignantly. After finishing this book, I am determined to register for organ/stem cell donation when I get a chance. This is the impact this book had on me.

Apart from Rose, loved her caring grandma, though she was only in a very few chapters. The story and setting are very beautiful. Ashley brought Falford to life with her vivid descriptions. The people in it were equally adorable.

Finn is reserved and the complete opposite to his charming, dashing brother Joey. A very few of Finn’s actions exasperated me since I found them childing and careless. The building of boats, regatta was lost on me as I am not a water baby.

Overall, it was a wonderful and feel-good story and transported me to gorgeous Cornwall on a Sunday.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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What a wonderful life affirming book! I feel like I’ve just got back from a wonderful holiday in Cornwall and met some of the fabulous locals - Finn. Oriel, Naomi, Joel, Kev and of course Rose.......
This is the story of Rose, an archaeologist, who had her life saved by an anonymous bone marrow donor. She decides to set off to find the man who saved her life and ends up rediscovering herself, learning to sail, making new friends and finding love.
A warm hug of a book, perfect escapism for these strange times and lots of ideas for a uk staycation when we are finally free! I loved it!

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I love Phillipa Ashley books. She has a talent to weave magical stories where you can get lost in the lives of the characters. It is easy to picture the boats on the river, the busy boatyard and the cafe. I loved Oriel and laughed out loud at the problem at the regatta.

This is a brilliant summer read snd I look forward to the next Phillipa Ashley book

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I received an ARC copy from Netgalley for a honest review of this book. I so wanted to like this book but I felt that Ms. Ashley lost her way about about 2/3 of the way through the plot line. Rose heads to Falmouth at the urging of her gram. She arrives to sneak around observe her "potential donors" and that is one of the last time it is mentioned until the final chapters. I guess I would have liked to see her dive more into donor part of the story or even follow Rose to the dig site more often. I would have loved to have read more about all they were discovering at the dig site but it was like Rose hardly ever made it to the dig site. I feel that Dorinda, Nige, Aunt Lynne, Maddie, and even Oriel & Naomi were two dimensional characters and would have loved to seen all of them flushed out a bit more. No matter what I like Ms. Ashley's books and will always read her next one. For me, this book was B-/C+. I believe with some focused editing suggestions she could easily take this book to the A range.

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I was instantly grabbed by this book, such a unique beginning and a plethora of outcomes is a perfect start to a book and had me unable to put it down.

Rose story is sad but the potential and sheer anticipation keeps the eyes peeled for what's coming next. A true delight of a story!

Lovely characters who you just want and need to keep hearing about, its a non stop ride and truly magical.

#NetGalley #AnEndlessCornishSummer #PhillipaAshley #2021books #SummerReads

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Fun read!

I'm a fan of Phillipa Ashley's books, but this one took me a little longer to get into, and I never quite got over the suspension of disbelief required to believe that it would really be that weird for Rose to just... tell people she was there to find her donor. I just didn't really see why she made it all such a big secret.

For the rest, this book transported me to the Cornish seaside and really has that cosy village-feel. I struggled with a couple of the characters, but by the halfway point they'd all grown on me, and I appreciate that Ashley gave each side character their own story and didn't just put them in as fillers. Good, light, summer-y romance vibes all around :)

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Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Rose who is studying for her PhD faints for no reason. She goes to the doctor and is told that she needs a bone marrow transplant. She is thrilled to realize that she gas a match. Several years later she decides to find out who her match is. I enjoyed the chemistry between Rose and Finn.

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A glorious feel good story. Rose has a new lease of life following a transplant from an anonymous donor and she is determined to live it to the full. When she is offered the chance to work in Cornwall over the summer Rose soon becomes more settled in Falford than she could ever have imagined. A wonderful summer read full of love, friendship and beautiful Cornish views.

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Pure escapism! Wonderful to be back in Cornwall, surrounded by boats,sea,beach and a close knit community!
Rose living a quiet life with her gran after surviving a life threatening illness is shocked at her grans sudden death and starts to reevaluate her work and life choices, on finding out her gran wanted her to find and thank the donor who saved her life ,Rose has a mission and this leads her to Cornwall, where she is instantly welcomed by the locals and becomes well integrated into the local community learning to sail, making friends, helping out in the shop all whilst continuing her archeological work.As part of her mission Rose becomes friendly with two brothers who own the boat yard and romance is in the air but it is complicated but the knowledge/secret Rose carries, can thus be resolved and lead to a happy ending for all?
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

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I am a big fan of Phillipa's books and they just seem to get better and better. I always feel as I can lose myself in one of her books. I liked this story about Rose, she has a life threatening illness, I feel as though many books now a days don't really delve into many an illness unless it is the big C, I feel as though these other illnesses should be made aware of. Rose knows someone was her donor and her clues lead her to a little Cornish village where she gets more than she bargained for when she discovers who her donor is. A perfect escape to a wonderfully scenic part of the world. Reading Phillipa's books make me crave Cornwall so much. I loved it.

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Phillipa Ashley has done it again! These books are live receiving a warm hug, so comforting and lovely to read every single time.

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Just the book you need right now to switch off and head down to Cornwall. There was such a lovely premise too - a woman goes in search of the man who saved her life. She meets a whole cast of characters and there's fun and high jinks as she tries to find him without telling people what she's doing. Tears of laughter and poignancy in one.
The books about Cornwall area always lovely to read but there was something really special about this one and there's a focus on boats and the local regatta which really fascinated me and made me hear those waves and the clang clang of the boats so I really felt I was in Cornwall.

Thank you Philippa for a book filled with Cornish charm!

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