3.5 stars

I do feel - after reading a few of Alex Beecroft's books - that I'm quite familiar with the tone of her story. Foxglove Copse is not a happy book. Sam Atkins is still battling with his anxiety when an accidental walk put him in the middle of local clan's machination. The incident also bring him face to face with an attractive young man, Ruan Gwynn. Of whom unexpected compassion and friendship gradually bring Sam's self-confidence and sense of belonging back.

I could practically feel the gloomy air throughout the pages. Not only this book sets in a Cornish fictional town, it also takes time during winter. Combined with Sam's way of life, the grey veil (and feeling) is pretty hard to ignore. Adding to those are the mystery involving ritualistic killings, notorious clan, cyber bullying, and the famous underground caves and tunnels. I liken this to a darker (and bloodier) shade of Famous Five adventure, with a side of love affair.

The budding romance between Sam and Ruan is inevitable, I get that. And yet, the speed at which it develops is just too rushed. Also, I'm not quite sure if Sam's ability to tell fortune - for lack of other word - is legit other than lending paranormal feel to the story. I like that Sam's personal problem's not just resolved in matter of second, but that the healing process is in progress. However, mystery-wise, the conclusion feels a bit anticlimactic (I mean, after the body count in human and animal form, I was expecting a harsher punishment! blood-thirsty reader that I am). But overall, this book is a nice addition to the books of Porthkennack's universe I've read so far.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. Sam and Ruan are both such sweet guys, and I was glad their romance was smooth because they both had so much other stuff going on in their lives. Having read all the others in the series, this one fit perfectly, with the Lusmoore family seeming exactly as they were in the other books even though those were by other authors. I couldn't put this down. Fell in love with these two young men!

Of all the books I’ve read in this series, this one ranks near the top. I enjoyed the writing style, the exploration of anxiety/panic attacks and all its implications, and the return visit to Porthkennack with several of the characters mentioned in past stories by the various authors who are doing this series together.

Sam Atkins comes from a very wealthy and powerful family of finance gurus. In fact, he was once one of them, advising his clients on which investment strategies would work best for them, but the more he learned about the upper echelon in the banking and investment industry, the more he felt the losses suffered by his clients personally and the more it affected his own health and mental state. In short, Sam was too sensitive to live among the tigers and his panic disorder increased until he was physically incapable of continuing to pretend. Selling and/or donating everything he owned, he outfitted a van for living on the road and he took off to start his life unencumbered by other people.

Now, six months into this new life, he’s pretty much running out of money and regretting the fact that he didn’t keep more as a fallback. So instead of finding a rental location to park his van, he pulls into a little copse near the town of Porthkennack. It will turn out to be the best move he ever made.

Ruan Gwynn is out helping Auntie Jennifer trace what’s bothering her sheep herd late one night when they come across a slaughtered sheep with runes and sigils placed around its head—and a young man leaning over the body. The young man is, of course, Sam, and they’re hard-pressed to believe his story of simply hearing a commotion and stumbling upon the dead sheep. But Sam knows a bit about the occult, having all the time in the world to pursue interests other than his coding and app development hobby on the Internet, and he informs them that these signs don’t make sense as they don’t follow the pattern one would expect. Interested, and eventually believing him when they find evidence his van has been pilfered while he’s been helping them, they decide to explore the issues further.

Over time, the two young men work together not only to find the source of the slaughters that continue after that night, but also to track an IP address of someone who has been bullying Ruan’s sister and her high school friends, one of whom recently committed suicide after the bullying became too much to bear. It turns out the two issues are connected and they are connected in some way to the infamous Lussmore family—a family of smugglers we met in House of Cards, an earlier story in this series. And while Ruan and Sam are working to solve the mystery, Ruan relentlessly pursues Sam, encouraging him, loving him, helping him get grounded, and ultimately giving Sam a new role in life and a new place to call home.

As I said earlier, I enjoyed the author’s writing style, and I enjoyed both the mystery and the romance. I especially resonated with Sam, having suffered several extreme, and embarrassing, public panic attacks in the past. The author’s treatment of the disorder was thoughtful, well-informed, and respectful. Showing Sam’s inner core of strength and commitment to Ruan at a time he most needed it was a very positive move, and allowing Ruan to show his soft underbelly, while outwardly seeming to be so strong, grounded, and focused provided a sweet opportunity for Ruan to lean on Sam as his lover and chosen life partner.

I highly recommend this story. Though several of the family names have been used throughout the series, the book is certainly a standalone. If anything, it may pique the interest of readers who decide to explore more in the series. I do have my favorites, and as I said, this is one of them. Those who enjoy UK contemporary romance, with a bit of the rural Cornish countryside thrown in, a little late night witchcraft, and a mystery to solve along the way should definitely enjoy this one.

3.5 stars- The story was good, the romance fizzled a little

I’ve become quite hooked on the Porthkennack series and get a little giddy when I see a new release announced. I love the mystic, storied history of the small Cornish town, and always wonder where the next author will take it. While they are all written as standalones, the fact that Foxglove Copse worked in elements and characters from another book in the series, House of Cards, was a surprising bonus. Foxglove Copse itself is a little harder to rate. Initially, I liked the characters and was really interested in Sam’s story and how he had come to leave his wealthy lifestyle behind for a more transient, off-the-grid existence. However, the pairing of Ruan and Sam felt a little forced and too convenient. I found myself more invested in the suspense and mystery element of Ruan and Sam attempting to solve the origin of the cyberbullying and curses, with the romance being relegated to a background plot.

The backstory of both characters had a lot of promise, and in many ways it eventually delivered. While I understood the emotions both characters worked through on their own and enjoyed seeing much of it play out on page, I found myself wishing it carried over to their time together. In my opinion, the chemistry between Ruan and Sam fell flat. I didn’t feel a simmering attraction and the sexual tension was minimal. The physical chemistry also was lacking, with all the intimate scenes taking place off page. While that in and of itself isn’t a deal breaker for me, the lack of physical connection combined with not feeling the emotional chemistry build between characters made it difficult to really believe in this love story. Thankfully, towards the end of the book, there was much more of that connection playing out on page and it was readily apparent just how much Ruan and Sam meant to one another.

Although the romance didn’t draw me in that much, the main plotline and conflict was intriguing. The action scenes flowed well and there was a nice air of suspense that built throughout the book. The different elements- the occult, cybertracking, tattoos, tarots, etc- were all very interesting. There were a good number of unexpected moments and I found the resolution satisfying. I also thought Sam’s personal growth as he dealt with his anxiety was handled pretty well and added a good deal of depth to his character. Unfortunately, I think the development of the different layers of this mystery and the personal struggles Sam and Ruan faced meant the relationship didn’t get quite as much energy at the beginning. So while I was invested in the story, I wasn’t as taken by the couple. That said, I think there are plenty of readers who will enjoy Foxglove Copse, as long as they aren’t particularly looking for the romance to steal the show.

I've loved all the books in the Porthkennack series that I've read - but this one was a miss for me. Perhaps the tattoo and lost souls theme is growing old, or the subject matter - animals gutted, the occult, mafia elements - is simply too distasteful...I'm not quite sure. Those things didn't appeal to me but on reflection, the principals didn't either.

Sam's backstory is largely a void - he had a successful career, and then a panic attack and his conscience completely derail his life. I understand (and it's clear) that his family isn't ideal, but honestly? I can understand their concern when he appears to suffer a crisis and then disassociates himself from everyone and everything he's ever known. He can't seem to express the roots of his anxiety to his family and though they are a rather unsympathetic lot, I understand their hurt and confusion when he simply shuts them down.

Ruan is an appealing match/hero, but how these two intend to forge a future together is a mystery to me. He might be a tattoo artist? Or a waiter? Sam might be a fortune teller? The whole relationship is never fully developed and the lack of character development - on both sides, is a major failing of this book. Ruan is simply a nice likeable guy. But I needed more substantive information to decide if he's also a good partner life wise.

There's little to no heat in this story either - come on! After the sexy novels that came before, I expected a similar flow to this story. Everything - and I mean everything - is off the page. There's little passion or chemistry on the page.

The mystery of the symbols and the dead animals? Well it was DOA for me. It's all gross & the answers, when the finally come, were a bit of a letdown.

Alex Beecroft is a beautiful writer, with interesting plots and well-developed characters. But all of her books that I have read left me somewhat dissatisfied with the love story, and unfortunately Foxglove Copse didn't do anything to change my opinion.

There are some serious problems in the small seaside town of Porthkennack, including animal sacrifice, bullying, suicide and smuggling. In the midst of this mess Sam Atkins arrives in his small van and finds himself both accused and potential hero. Fleeing from a stressful job and his emotionally abusive family, his self-esteem is low and he can't quite understand why handsome, easygoing Ruan Gwynn takes an interest in him, nor how Ruan's family can accept him so readily (once the cloud of suspicion is quickly lifted). I love the way Beecroft describes Sam's tentative foray into happiness:

Sam had been running away from pain so long he'd forgotten there was something on the other side of it. He'd forgotten that joy was a thing, and it edged back into his life as though scared it was going to be turned away.

She also understands what it's like to be in the middle of a panic attack:

Trying to force his mind to work was like trying to contain a cloud of panicking bats between both hands. Everything was scrabbling, biting, trying to burst apart and fly out.

Ruan, a natural caretaker, is immediately drawn to Sam, and it's rewarding when Sam realizes he has something to offer the relationship as well. But with everything going on in a short 250 pages, it just didn't work for me for Ruan to start talking about "forever" after one night together. The couple just didn't seem like they were there yet. This was one case where a HFN would have made more sense than a HEA.

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this rating, but given the fact that Ms. Beecroft is on the list of authors I will occasionally try if the plot sounds interesting but not an auto-read, I'm sticking with 3. A glimpse of one of the MCs from book #4 in the series House of Cards at the end of this story did pique my interest, so good job series authors. Also I like the fact that although this is an MM romance, there are several strong female characters who arguably save the day.

Warning: some very creepy and explicit descriptions of cruelty and violence to animals.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Foxglove Copse, A Porthkennack novel, Alex Beecroft

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA

Well, I almost always enjoy Riptide novels - I think maybe there's a handful out of many reads that haven't worked for me. Porthkennack novels I love too, remind me of Bluewater by the sea ;-) and of course its written by Alex Beecroft. 

It was great being back in Porthkennack, and meeting the mighty Luscombes again....and a update on Brix, I loved that guy. There were some terrific new characters too who I hope we catch up with in later novels.

Sam's wandered into Porthkennack on his travels escaping from his awful family.
Poor Sam, he really is suffering, had what seemed like a charmed life to many, wealthy family, great, high earning job, home of his own. The pressures of keeping it all up, earning the high income which stressed his conscience, trying to keep up with his family, who just don't understand him, don't even attempt to, led to him almost breaking though and he knew he had to get away, go off grid so to speak.
Now funds are low and he doesn't want to go back, even thinking about it brings on panic attacks. They can be incredibly scary, and I so felt for Sam. Going back would probably kill him, and somehow I felt his family were so awful they'd rather he died than have to explain to their freinds why Sam is different. No wonder he left.

He meets Ruan under difficult circumstances. His aunt has been having sheep ritualistically  killed and Sam comes across one freshly butchered, and there he is, on the scene, a stranger in the village when Ruan and his aunt find him. 
Ruan soon sees Sam just isn't capable of doing something like this, but Sam can't move on as his aunt is determined that the police will do something, so insists on pressing charges. I loved Ruan, perfect foil for Sam. He felt slightly Fey almost, with an uncanny insight and unusual way of dealing with issues. The attraction between the two was just perfect, and I loved this story. 

I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded, the sheep killings that needed to be stopped, the way the teens in the village came into the story. It had a real camaraderie about it, but also some pretty scary events too, things that are too common in this age of technology and cyber crime.
I enjoyed too the descriptions of how Sam had adapted the van, how he used nature to support himself, the bender tent, the makings of the fire, cooking outside, and the use of solar energy. It all felt so real. Its a mix too of the old ways, living off the land, and the new, Sam's talent with PCs means his laptop, powered by solar, lets him stay connected, keep up with life, find out information on his interests, which converge neatly with the satanic ritualistic appearing killings he comes across. He fits in so well, has the skills they need and is able to be himself.

Its real village life here too, where everyone knows everyone, history and feuds go back generations, and often the law is put in place outside the actual Law, dealt with by villagers who protect their own. 

Its not just a romance, but a story with so much more, and that's just what I look for. One to keep and reread. 

Stars: Five, beautiful tender romance, wrapped up in some very real suspense. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers