This was a very enjoyable story based in the times of the Napoleonic Wars. Involving escaped French sailors, Cornish smugglers and ladies looking for husbands. Lots of action, great descriptions and a satisfying conclusion.

This story was so unlike any I’ve read before. The characters and the setting were so different from what I am used to in Historical Romance Novels. The heroine Laura, is living where she doesn’t quite fit in. After her parents died she was adrift, and thankful to have distant family take her in. Laura had no clue how different other peoples customs and ways of life could be. It was so fun seeing the “Cornish ways” through her eyes, and I couldn’t imagine living in so different a place and seeing the things she did. I can imagine how poverty could cause people to do things that we might see as inhumane and weird, but to them it was just a way to provide for their families.

I loved watching the romance grow between Laura and the man she rescued. In a world torn by war it’s hard to know who can be trusted, and no one can blame anyone for being weary of strangers. Love might not know the difference between sides, but secrets often have a way of revealing themselves. This story was so unpredictable and I enjoyed every moment of it. I found myself feeling a range of emotions from total elation to completely nervous. I loved how Laura cared for others, and longed to bring comfort to the loved ones of those lost to the sea. I had the hardest time putting this book down. And when I wasn’t reading, found my mind wandering back to the story and dying to pick it back up again. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers and was in no way forced to post a review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

A Castaway In Cornwall is Julie Klassen's newest novel. I loved all of the descriptions of bygone days in Cornwall. Julie obviously did quite a bit of research into the customs and language. The characters were realistic and I loved the dialogue. The plot was a little slow to develop but picked up towards the end. I do recommend this book to all who love Great Britain and Regency era books.
So Brew a pot of tea and settle in for your latest Historical fix.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.com. All thoughts are my own.

What an interesting and unique story. Fans of Poldark and/or England will especially enjoy it. Even if you’re not a fan of those, you’ll enjoy it. Laura is such a sweet character. She makes the best of each circumstance. Alexander is trying to do the right thing. He’s shipwrecked and almost dies, but Laura saves him. And they have a journey together and with the beautiful Cornwall setting. The way the author describes it makes you feel like you’re there seeing the beauty. Highly recommend this book! I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All views stated are my own.

Filled with melancholy and hope, A Castaway in Cornwall tells of Laura's search for her true home.

Although she lived in Cornwall for the past eight years, the community still considers Laura to be an outsider. And honestly, she feels like one as well. Shipwrecks are common in this area and Laura spends her time finding things that are lost with the hope that she can return them to their owner. What is left after the wreckers take their haul, that is!

When Alexander washes up on the shore during a storm, Laura immediately sets out to do what she can to help him. But this mystery man is clearly more than he appears.

Reading the beautiful descriptions of this lonely Cornwall coastal town had me longing to roam the land and the tiny village. The characters were presented so realistically I felt that I knew them. And Alexander was fascinating! I wasn't sure what to expect as it began to unfold and was surprised to find out who he truly was and how he ended up on the ship.

There is a thread of faith that flows throughout. As Laura questions how a loving God could allow the bad things in her life and Alex ponders the same, they find hope in God's sovereignty and learn to trust Him.

Readers who enjoy historical fiction with mystery and adventure will want to read this lovely story!

This is my first book from Julie Klassen. I enjoyed the book, the descriptions of Cornwall, shipwrecks, the wild sea and shoreline. The story will take you on a journey. I would recommend this book.

I give a 4-star rating.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK

Love me some well-written historical fiction! When I started reading this, I was questioning whether or not I would like it, because I had recently read another book about shipwrecks and thought it may be too similar. Happily, I was proved wrong. :) It was a very different story, and a good one.. Though there are some challenges to the romance, it's not one of those wishy washy back and forth forever ones that I can't stand. ;) I also love learning about actual history through fiction,and this book does a great job of this.

Moving and enchanting:
True to her other works, this book flowed seamlessly with beautifully written prose. It was full of adventure, mystery and a gentle romance. It was interesting discovering more about life on the Cornish coast during the Napoleonic war, which was rife with smugglers, spies and danger.
It had a bit of a slow start but it kept my attention and I enjoyed the various twists and turns along the way. I connected with both of the main characters and although Laura and Alexander faced numerous obstacles and challenges, I was so pleased when things worked out for them. There were also an enjoyable cast of supporting characters who livened up the story and gave it depth.
Overall I found this standalone book really interesting and the light Christian message uplifting.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

The first book I've read by this author (don't know why) but it won't be my last.
Smugglers, Shipwrecks and personal belonging along the Cornish Coastline, loveable characters, a rolacoaster of emotions in this beautifully written book, an excellent read.

Poldark meets Jane Austen!

Laura, orphaned daughter of a physician, lives with her Uncle in Cornwall. She feels out of place in the county as she only arrived there in her teens, and spends much of her time searching along the shore. After a ship is wrecked, she rescues one of the survivors, preventing one of the looters from killing him. She cares for him and he recovers. Who is he? Does he have family? Where does he come from?

The story has many twists and turns; the friendship between Laura and Alex deepens, but he must leave. Will they meet again?

A well-woven story, with great descriptions of Cornwall and other places that the story takes you to.

Well worth reading.

After her parents have passed, Laura has been living with her uncaring relations in Cornwall. Feeling unwanted, she spends time walking along the beach, searching for anyone whose ship has been wrecked in storms, trying to help or salvaging what she can. When she finds a wounded man, she takes him back to her relatives’ home to help him to recover.
The scene is set by an expert hand. There is a real sense of Cornish history, and you can visualise the poverty and customs of the time, with short Cornish quotes at the beginning of each chapter adding dimension. Characters are well written and you feel empathy with Laura who was abandoned by her parents as a child, and the caring way she tries to help others in need.
The book unfolds at a steady pace, keeping your interest as secrets are discovered regarding Alexander, the wounded man that Laura rescued from the shipwreck. Growing increasingly concerned as she wonders whether he is who he says he is.
On the downside, I feel that the story is quite long and loses a little pace and vibrancy as the story unfolds. On the whole though, a well-written entertaining historical read.

Review to come!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Castaway in Cornwall is a book that has everything, mystery, history and romance. This is the first historical fiction book I have read and I was pleasantly surprised, I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be looking for more books by Julie Klassen in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy.

Laura captures my heart as she tries to solve the mystery at hand I feel for her heart as I too have felt like a castaway. It's adventurous, mysterious, romantic, but the waves pull you into the depth of your soul searching. The satisfying ending will leave you smiling and pondering for days to come.

Julie Klassen’s A Castaway in Cornwall is a sweeping tale with mystery, romance, and adventure.

I wasn’t sure about this novel at first, and it took me a few chapters to get into it. But once I was sucked in, I was invested and ready to reach the ending.

Klassen blends suspense and romance with a historical setting that is rich and vibrant. This small parish on the coast of Cornwall almost felt like home, and the rich characters that populate this village seemed like old friends.

And by characters, I mean characters. From wrecker Tom Parsons to gentle giant Jago. I couldn’t help but love each one. But Alexander definitely grabbed my interest from the moment he opened his eyes in the Brays’ guest room. The melding of his secret with Laura’s protectiveness drove the plot as hurdles appeared and friendships were tested. I found myself entranced as clues were slowly revealed and everything began to come together.

The story definitely took a surprising turn, which I don’t want to spoil for you. But it deepened the plot and forced the characters to face their past in an unexpected way, leading to a satisfying ending.

There’s also a great spiritual thread about God’s hand in our lives. Klassen ties in the castaway theme with this thread, and I don’t know how to fully explain. You’ll just have to read it to find out.

Overall, A Castaway in Cornwall is a satisfying Regency romance filled with intrigue and adventure.

(Note: I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.)

A Castaway in Cornwall

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Story Notes

Julie Klassen welcomes readers to journey with her to Cornwall and the coasts that hold so many secrets during the time of England's war with Napoleon to find out the story of a young rescuer and the mysterious man she finds along the shore.

Julie Klassen has a special skill to weave a fascinating story filled with intrigue, love and danger that is neither modern nor overwhelming. I love stories written in days gone by but this one will probably stick with me for a while because it's location is not one I've often read about. Cornwall is a close-knit community on the edge of the British Isles that is known for keeping its secrets. The people there are not-welcoming to outsiders but hold tight to those from their coasts. This story had so much history included alongside the fiction that it was easy to picture the happenings described. I loved that the supporting characters also had good depth and personalities as well as the main. Stories that are complex like this one draw you in and carry you along on an adventure you never knew you wanted to go on. Often I found myself quite a bit anxious or holding my breath to see if certain things would happen or be discovered. I'll not spoil the story for others by telling more but will say that I will recommend this story to others as a very good read that will both engage and educate readers. I certainly was and am looking forward to whatever story Ms. Klassen may have coming next.

I received this temporary complimentary E-book from Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Don't you just love it when the book itself is every bit as brilliant as the cover that pulled you in? I first saw A Castaway in Cornwall pop up all over my Instagram feed and with the cloak blowing back in the wind, the atmospheric sea behind the figure, and the woman herself, alone yet somehow appearing strong and resilient, I was captivated. The mood set by this scene is reflected in the story, with Laura, a young woman who scouts along the coastline for treasures brought in by the waves, as the main character. Equal parts romance and mystery, I felt like I was reading something that could have been written years and years ago and could feel the author's Austen influences in both the character descriptions and in her gorgeous sense of completely setting a scene. You can practically smell the sea air and hear the various accents as you are fully immersed in this enchanting story.
The beginning of the book may be a bit slow for some, but for a book to lose yourself in during these cold winter months, this one hits the spot. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary advance copy. This did not impact my review.

Smugglers, Refugees and a Rescuer. The beautiful Cornish setting really makes this book and I love the snippets of poetry and prose ending each chapter. I've seen the buried church of St Enodoc, so could visualise the scene there. The Christian message largely went over my head though. A pleasant romantic story of Cornish smugglers, an injured French refugee and how he's torn between his growing love for the girl who rescued him and his need to return home to help his brother, incarcerated in a French prison.

Cornwall has a history of being the location for classic titles such as Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. In recent years, perhaps due to the success of the 2015 television adaption of the Poldark novels, it has become a favored location again. This is the third novel I’ve read this year that focuses on the area, and its dangerous coastline, and a way of life that includes shipwrecks and smuggling.

As with Julie Klassen’s other novels, A Castaway in Cornwall is set during England’s Regency era, towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The prologue - intriguingly written in a first-person narrative as is the epilogue - focuses on the thoughts of a young woman wondering where she belongs in life. In the first paragraph, I learned there is a difference between Flotsam and Jetsam; I’d always believed the two words were part of a phrase with one definition. Ah, well. The bulk of the story is then written in the third-person format, and readers get the perspectives of both Laura and Alexander.

The book has many twists and turns within its pages, and I wasn’t sure where it might finish. This is just one of the many reasons to keep reading. Another is the description of the area of Cornwall in which the book is set. It includes real places such as the half-buried St. Enodoc Church that, today, sits in the middle of a golf course. I never got to this part of England when I lived there, and now I wish I had. Also, A Castaway in Cornwall resonated with me on a thematic level, for its theme of finding family and home. This year, I've found myself missing the country of my birth more than ever and longing to be back there. Which is ironic given that at one point in time, I couldn't wait to leave. So, yes, I well understood Laura's thoughts about having a place to call home.

Disclaimer: Although I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, the words and opinions above are my own.

An excellent book by Julie. This story is told with rich character development and vivid narration.

I could identify with Laura and how she felt like an outsider at times and like she didn’t belong. Alex seems to bring her connection.

I enjoyed all of the characters in this book and I like the ending and a bit of surprise we get, although I can’t share it here.

If you enjoy historical romance with a flare for the sea you will love this book.


A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own