Can Kerra's Cornish hometown offer the fresh start she needs?
When Kerra left the quiet Cornish town of Penvennan Cove for the bright lights of London she didn't look back. But after the death of her mother, she's decided it's time to face her past and return to the place she called home. Her father needs her, and perhaps she needs him more than she's willing to admit?
Tackling town gossip, home renovations and a flame from her past, it's not quite smooth sailing for Kerra. Ross is the bad boy she was meant to forget, not a man who still sets her heart aflutter. As he helps bring her dream home to life, they begin to break down the barriers that have been holding them back and in the process learn things about themselves they never thought possible.
As friends old and new come together, the future in Penvennan looks bright.
Perfect for fans of Milly Johnson, Phillipa Ashley and Julie Houston.
That particular call had left me even more desperate to wrap things up and be on my way. I’ve been working a six-day week to get everything tied up. On the seventh day it’s been all about packing cases to store away the more personal items in the apartment. The expensive, designer furniture and furnishings I was happy to leave behind. The new tenant will only use the apartment Monday to Friday, as his family home is a large manor house in Somerset and he wanted something set up ready to go.
And it’s all about home, isn’t it? I kidded myself that my life was bigger and better in London, but it wasn’t—not really. The closer to Cornwall I get, the more it now feels like I was castaway on an island. A place where there was an alternate reality. And my family bought into that, too, unable to fully comprehend how very different my life was to theirs. There was absolutely no crossover between the two, but they were happy for me because they felt I was living my dream.
After the funeral, Dad insisted I head back to London. He assured me he had plenty to keep him occupied because Home from Home was going to remain open for business. To Dad, though, a dog is a pet. And that’s how he’s treating all of his tail-wagging guests now, who are clearly missing Mum’s firm, but loving hand.
The irony of the timing of the offer to sell my business wasn’t lost on me. I realised fate was offering me a chance to redeem myself and I grabbed it.
I’m nervous and that’s only natural given the situation. Returning to the place where people remember you growing up means their view of you is very different. And going back will probably rake up memories of the first love of my life. You never get over the first one, do you? All those fantasy ‘what if?’ daydreams, although in my case it was more if only… I was way too shy, in those days, to let my feelings be known. He also happened to be the one guy every girl I knew wanted to date and every guy wanted to be him. Intelligent, cool and charming without even having to try, he stood out from the rest. But for me it was all about those eyes and that charming smile. One glance in my direction and suddenly the sun began to shine and my heart would start to dance.
Ironically, our paths never crossed during any of my trips home and when I heard he’d married I was glad of that. I would be a sad and hopeless individual indeed, to still feel something for someone who never really noticed me when we all hung around together at school. ‘Well, mister, you’re the one who missed out,’ I say out loud, laughing to myself. My words are tinged with a hint of contempt and a huge dollop of self-satisfaction. You are a self-made woman, Kerra, and when you are good and ready you’ll choose someone worthy of the love you have to give. The focus now is on keeping a low profile until people are used to seeing you around again. Simple. You can do this. Fading into the background is a skill you were particularly good at back then. It’s a coping mechanism that will come in handy, I suspect.
About the Author
From interior designer to author, when Linn B. Halton's not writing, or spending time with the family, she's either upcycling furniture or working in the garden. Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award; her novels have been short-listed in the UK's Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards. Living in Coed Duon in the Welsh Valleys with her 'rock', Lawrence, and gorgeous Bengal cat Ziggy, she freely admits she's an eternal romantic. Linn is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Authors. Linn writes feel-good, uplifting novels about life, love and relationships.
1 comment:
Thank you so much, Kay, for being on the tour and your kind words - so appreciAted! X 😘
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