I’m delighted to be kicking off the blog tour for Nicola Pryce’s latest book in her Cornish Saga, The Cornish Lady. You can read my review below but do also check out the posts by my tour buddies Joules at Northern Reader and Cassandra at MADEUP Book Reviews.
Thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the tour.
I’m pleased to say there’s also a giveaway (open internationally) with a chance for one lucky person to win a signed copy of The Cornish Lady, a box of Cornish Fudge and some bookmarks.
Please enter using the Rafflecopter link here.
Giveaway Terms and Conditions:
- Worldwide entries welcome.
- Open to entrants aged 18 or over.
- The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner.
- Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.
- I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
About the Book
Cornwall, 1796. Educated, beautiful and the daughter of a prosperous merchant, Angelica Lilly has been invited to spend the summer in high society. Her father’s wealth is opening doors, and attracting marriage proposals, but Angelica still feels like an imposter among the aristocrats of Cornwall.
When her brother returns home, ill and under the influence of a dangerous man, Angelica’s loyalties are tested to the limit. Her one hope lies with coachman Henry Trevelyan, a softly spoken, educated man with kind eyes. But when Henry seemingly betrays Angelica, she has no one to turn to. Who is Henry, and what does he want? And can Angelica save her brother from a terrible plot that threatens to ruin her entire family?
Format: Paperback, ebook (464 pp.) Publisher: Corvus Books
Published: 7th March 2019 Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com ǀ Hive.co.uk (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme
Find The Cornish Lady on Goodreads
My Review
Angelica Lilly is an independent-minded, strong-willed young woman with the prospect of an advantageous marriage to a wealthy aristocrat but who nevertheless finds herself longing for the freedom to make use of the commercial instincts gained from exposure to her father’s business in the same way a son would. Instead she finds herself in the position of being expected to marry for the approval of society and to fulfil the wishes and ambitions of others. It’s not that there aren’t a range of potential suitors including the wealthy aristocrat previous mentioned, a childhood companion and a more unexpected candidate.
However, as Jane Austen taught us in Pride and Prejudice, first impressions can be deceptive and Angelica’s childhood experiences have left her mistrustful of others’ motives – especially men – even when it transpires they don’t deserve that mistrust. Having said that, Angelica’s not averse to using a little artifice herself when the occasions demands, utilising the skills inherited from her actress mother.
Structured like a three act play, Angelica’s mission to find someone with whom she can be ‘her true self’ runs alongside storylines involving political events of the day: riots caused by grain shortages due to naval blockades, fears of invasion and the treatment of French prisoners of war confined within the walls of Pendennis Castle. The last act brings everything together in a satisfactory way with villainy revealed and the reputations of others vindicated.
I particularly loved the setting of the book, around Truro and Falmouth, an area I know well from holidays spent there. So I got an extra thrill from mentions of places I’ve visited like Pendennis Castle, Custom House Quay and The Quayside Inn in Falmouth, Flushing and Malpas (the location of The Heron Inn – a great deal more respectable these days than in the book!).
The Cornish Lady, with its spirited heroine, wonderful setting and fascinating period detail, is an engaging historical romance sure to find favour with fans of the genre and readers of the previous books in the series.
To find more books set in Cornwall, in various genres, follow these links – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
I received an advance review copy courtesy of publishers, Corvus, and Rachel’s Random Resources.
In three words: Engaging, lively, romantic
Try something similar…Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
About the Author
Nicola Pryce came to writing after a career in nursing. She has an Open University degree in Humanities and is a qualified adult literacy support volunteer. She lives in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset and when she isn’t writing she’s probably gardening or scrubbing the decks. She and her husband love sailing and for the last twenty years they have sailed in and out of the romantic harbours of the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure: it is there where she sets her books.
The Cornish Lady is her fourth book. The others are Pengelly’s Daughter, The Captain’s Girl, and The Cornish Dressmaker. Nicola is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Historical Writers Association.
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