As someone who loves Cornwall and has recently returned from an Autumn break in Falmouth, it’s a delight to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for Kate Ryder’s latest book, Cottage on a Cornish Cliff, the sequel to Summer in a Cornish Cove.
You can read an extract from Cottage on a Cornish Cliff below.
If you love Kate’s books and need something to keep you going until the next one, you can find more contemporary fiction set in Cornwall here.
About the Book
Returning to the heart of her beloved Cornwall, Kate Ryder weaves another deliciously irresistible tale of desire, jealousy and the search for understanding, set against the stunning backdrop of the glorious Lizard Peninsula.
Globally renowned actor Oliver Foxley has made the most difficult decision of all and set the love of his life free, in order to try and bring his family back together. But there’s a magnetic pull back to both Cara and Cornwall that Oliver can neither deny nor resist…
Heartbroken for a second time in her short life, single mother Cara knows she has no choice but to pick up the pieces yet again and carry on. Perhaps a complete change of scenery would help her, and her young family? Yet her mind, spirit and heart yearn for the windswept shores of her Cornish Cove…
Cara and Oliver face the agonising choice between following expectations, or following their hearts. How will their story end…?
Format: Paperback, ebook (477 pp.) Publisher: Aria Fiction
Published: 16th October 2018 Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com ǀ Kobo | iBooks | Google Play
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme
Find Cottage on a Cornish Cliff on Goodreads
Extract from Cottage on a Cornish Cliff by Kate Ryder
‘Hi, Dad,’ says Sebastian, dumping his jacket on the floor. ‘When did you get back?’
‘A couple of hours ago. Where have you been?’ Oliver asks, as Deanna admonishes Sebastian for not hanging up his jacket.
‘Watching rehearsals for Mum’s play,’ Sebastian says, grabbing his jacket and throwing it in the general direction of the coat rack.
‘How’s it going?’ Oliver asks Deanna.
‘Getting there,’ she says, bending to pick up her son’s jacket from the floor and hanging it on a hook.
‘We met a really funny man today,’ says Jamie, looking up at Oliver with wide eyes.
‘Yeah, looks like a girl,’ adds Sebastian.
‘He does not,’ says Deanna.
‘He does,’ Sebastian says. ‘He’s got long floppy hair and wears fancy shirts and coloured trousers.’
‘And make-up!’ Jamie adds breathlessly.
Oliver ruffles his young son’s hair. ‘That’s not surprising if he’s an actor. This profession appeals to all sorts.’
‘He’s not an actor. He’s a costume designer called Pins,’ Sebastian says authoritatively.
Jamie giggles. ‘It’s not his proper name. He’s really called Danny Silverman but he says all his friends call him Pins.’
Deanna watches silently as her sons chat with their father, thankful they’re present. During the three months her husband has been away filming in the Far East she’s become fully involved with the local amateur dramatics company and has loved every minute of it. Now, uncharacteristically, she doesn’t know what to say or how to act around her husband.
‘Hey, Dad, come and see this brilliant new game I’ve got,’ Jamie says, tugging at Oliver’s hand.
‘In a minute, Jamie, I just want to have a word with your mother.’
‘I’ll give you a game, Jamie,’ says Sebastian, ‘and thrash you while I’m at it!’
‘You will not,’ counters Jamie.
‘Wanna bet?’
Pulling a face at his older brother, Jamie lets Oliver go and runs towards the TV room.
Oliver gazes down that hallway to Deanna, still standing in the entrance hall. She appears strained.
No warm homecoming, then?
‘Did you forget I was arriving today?’ he asks.
‘I’ve had so much on recently,’ Deanna says, unable to meet his gaze, ‘I forgot if it was today or tomorrow.’ She walks down the hallway towards him and gives him a peck on the cheek. ‘Coffee?’
As she continues on to the kitchen, Oliver turns and follows.
Deanna approaches the sink, fills the kettle and switches it on. She makes no effort to talk and Oliver frowns. Is this how it’s going to be from now on? He knows their relationship was strained before he departed for the Far East, but he hoped time apart would thaw the atmosphere between them. A vision of life at home stretches before him and leaves a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Oliver steps towards his wife. Turning her to face him, he says, ‘Deanna, we have to make an effort, if only for the kids.’
‘For the kids?’
‘Yes.’
‘What about us?’ she asks.
‘Yes, of course for us,’ Oliver says. ‘That goes without saying.’
The eyes that assess him are full of resentment, and something else he can’t quite place.
He draws her into a hug but her body is stiff and tense and he soon releases his hold. Oliver takes a step back and considers his wife.
‘Deanna, I know things have been tough between us but you can’t hold onto such hatred towards me,’ he says softly. ‘It will make you ill.’
‘Hatred?’ Deanna says evenly. ‘I don’t hate you, Oliver. You’re living your life, and now I’m living mine too. That’s all there is to it.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Just that.’
‘But you’ve always lived your life,’ Oliver says, perplexed.
‘Really? Who is it that’s always here looking after the children while you’re away enjoying yourself?’
Not that old chestnut again!
‘You know my career takes me away,’ Oliver says quietly. They’ve had this conversation so many times. He watches as Deanna gathers her strength and braces himself to receive the full force of his independent wife’s stubbornness.
‘Pins says I should pursue my dreams and not put my life on hold any longer. He says in supporting you I’ve been hiding my light under a stone.’ She pauses, having the grace to look sheepish before continuing, ‘Pins says it’s shining so brightly it can’t do anything more to remind me of my own needs and interests, and now it’s up to me.’
Incredulously, Oliver stares at his wife. ‘This Pins, then, is a bit of a philosopher, is he?’ he says, quietly sarcastic.
Deanna’s face flushes with colour. Glancing over Oliver’s shoulder, she checks the doorway. ‘No. He’s simply a friend who wants me to feel good about myself.’
Despite the irritation her words create, Oliver places a hand on his wife’s arm and gives a gentle squeeze. ‘I want you to feel good about yourself, Deanna. None of what’s happened to us is a personal slight on you. It’s all to do with my shortcomings.’ Ignoring Deanna’s derisive snort, he continues, ‘Everything I’ve done in my life has been about you and our family.’
‘Not everything, Oliver. A bit of selective memory there, I think.’
Oliver blanches. She’s referring to Cara, of course. His one major lapse. Even now, these many months on, he is powerless against overwhelming feelings for her. He knows that if Deanna hadn’t used their youngest son as a pawn that summer – fully aware that Jamie’s quiet behaviour and proclivity towards introspection is Oliver’s Achilles heel – he would now be living with Cara in Cornwall.
Deanna turns away as the kettle reaches boiling point.
‘Leave it, Dee,’ he says, catching hold of his wife’s wrist. ‘We need to talk.’ He guides her towards the kitchen table. ‘I’ve been thinking about our situation while I’ve been away.’
‘So have I,’ says Deanna, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
Oliver pulls out a chair next to her. Taking her hands in his, he examines her long, slim fingers. Perfectly elegant, just as she is. Eventually he looks up and meets her gaze. ‘You have been with me from the tiniest flicker of fame. I know it hasn’t always been easy, but over two decades together is something we cannot ignore. I also know I’ve hurt you deeply and you have to believe me when I say I’m not proud of that.’ He feels Deanna is about to pull away and increases his hold. ‘Hear me out, Dee,’ he says, searching his attractive wife’s guarded face.
Deanna shifts awkwardly.
‘If we are to have a future together we have to work through this and find a way back to each other, not just for the children’s sake but for ours,’ says Oliver. ‘If you truly don’t feel happy with your circumstances I think it’s time we did something about it.’
Deanna’s mouth drops open. This is Oliver at his best: sympathetic and tender. It makes her powerless to resist… if only he knew.
‘I am prepared to put my career on hold while you examine your options and find out what it is that fulfils you.’
Deanna’s jaw drops further. Quickly, she composes herself. ‘Ollie, you have no idea what that means to me.’ Placing her arms around his neck, she draws him into a kiss.
Oliver’s eyelids briefly close, but almost immediately they snap open at the sudden vision of a beautiful golden woman standing on a deserted beach, shining her God-given light.
Swiftly, Oliver gets to his feet. ‘Come on, Dee, let’s join the boys.’ He pulls his wife out of her chair. ‘I have gifts to distribute.’
About the Author
After pursuing a career in publishing and acting, Kate found her passion in writing. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors. Her self-published debut novel Summer in a Cornish Cove received a Chill with a Book “Book of the Month” Award.
She currently lives with her husband in the Tamar Valley in a renovated 200-year-old Cornish sawmill. She finds the Cornish landscape a great source of inspiration. When she is not writing she enjoys reading, art, theatre and travel.
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About the Book
About the Author
