I loved being back in Port Agnes with familiar characters. This book centred around midwife Anna and her fiancé Brae. I would have liked more Ella and Dan but it was nice to get to know Anna more.

The story started with a cliffhanger which sucked me in. This story is a nice easy read. Even if you haven’t read the first story you will be able to follow it as there were reminders of what had happened in the first story, I recommend you read the first story though as that was fab.

I can’t wait to read more books in this series and get to know the other midwives.

It is lovely to revisit Port Agnes in the second of the Cornish Midwife series. This one focuses on Anna, a senior midwife. Anna is about to get married and hopes to become a mum too. This story explores fertility, fostering and other topical socio-medical issues in an insightful way.

Anna is plagued with worries about conceiving, her need for a child an integral part of her grief at losing her parents. As an only child, I understand the relationship with her parents and her feelings of loss when they died. Brae is a supportive and understanding man, and you want them to achieve their dreams.

The story is full of life and medical dramas. The friendship and wider community spirit are believably written. It makes this a heartwarming read.

I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A Summer Wedding for the Cornish Midwife is a republication of Christmas with the Cornish Midwives. Although I have not read the previous edition, it seems that the main wedding premise between the two main characters is the same, but, maybe, the outside details have changed since the seasons are different. Although there are other Cornish Midwives novels, this is my first experience with the series and author. After reading this enjoyable novel, this will definitely not be my last!

Anna Jones is a senior midwife, who is about to marry her fiancé, Brae Penrose, who owns the local fish and chips shop. They live in the small town of Port Agnes with an amazing set of residents. Both characters were just adorable and Brae was just perfect, who did and said the right things while remaining sincere. Their main tension comes from outside circumstances, which made this a refreshing tale as the two had excellent communication with each other. There was no tension between them for a misunderstanding and instead they worked through the issues together.

There are a lot of disasters that come up throughout the novel that both Anna and Brae go through before they can walk down the aisle for their big day. The sense of community in this novel was heartwarming as they all banded together no matter the circumstances. After losing both of her parents, Anna would love to create a family of her own with Brae, but they are facing some fertility issues. Given this obstacle and Anna’s job as a midwife, there are many different scenarios that are discussed throughout the novel surrounding becoming parents, including becoming a parent later in life and infertility, among many others. It was all approached in a very empathetic way and it was easy to connect with all the characters and want their dreams to come true.

Overall, this story is extremely sweet and enjoyable. The sense of community and friendship was very heartwarming and the description of the setting was lovely. The pacing was decent and moved well for each part of the story as I liked how there was time for the reader to process the characters’ emotions without feeling rushed. There are some side characters that I would love to see featured in their own novels as I want to follow their stories more as I enjoyed how Anna and Brae’s story semi-wrapped up. It would be amazing to continue to read about them in future novels just to check in on this amazing couple. Based on this novel, I will definitely have to check out the previous one and any novels featuring these characters in the future!

**I give a special thank you to Rachel @rararesources and the publisher, Boldwood Books for the opportunity to participate with this enjoyable novel via Netgalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

We start the book in a wedding dress shop with Anna trying to find the perfect wedding dress, one as close to her mum's old dress as possible with her Bridesmaid and fellow midwife Ella. And yes, that is Ella from book 1 so we get to see a little bit about how her relationships are developing as well ;)

Despite having everything you'd want on the wedding front this book also has all the other things that you'd want from a midwife front. I'll not be spoiling anything to say that there's a few call outs and a couple of emergencies, but there were also a few times where you're not quite sure what's going to happen. There were also more than a couple of moments when I wanted to reach into the book and give Anna a massive hug - if only - but this is how strongly you develop a relationship with Jo's characters!

The sense of community and friendship is such a persistent feel throughout the book, but especially at the end when everyone rallies around to make sure that the only hitch at the wedding is that between Anna and Brae! I was reading this with a tear in my eye as you just want the best for them both and I couldn't even begin to think of what Anna must have been going through at the time.

Such an emotional, heart-felt and moving book that I absolutely loved, Jo you have written another fab book with the most delightful characters! I for one cannot wait for more in the series which I'm sure won't be far away at all!

A Summer Wedding for the Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett takes readers through life as a midwife and as the mother giving birth. The struggle is even more real when the midwives find difficulty in getting pregnant themselves or even who turn to foster care or adoption. I love that this book brings to light such a taboo subject of not being able to get pregnant or even mental health during pregnancy and childbirth. These are topics that are not commonly discussed in social circles and are o more common than people realize. Many think they need to suffer through it alone.

Anna is the director of the local midwives team and it seems she and her team have developed a caring relationship with the families they work with. She’s always confident in her work while second guesses the motives of her fiancé quite often. She’s lucky he’s so patient with her! But it seems everyone in town loves him, too!

As a midwife, many unplanned events happen that pull Anna and her team away from whatever it was they intended to do. After all, who can schedule babies to be born naturally? It seems life as a midwife is constantly on spontaneous calls and concerns and deliveries. Planning anything must be with the understanding of needing an on call team for the unexpected!

Thank you so much to Jo Bartlett, Boldwood Books, NetGalley, and Rachel’s Random Resources for access to A Summer Wedding for the Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett. I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras because of the storms, the groom-saving, the fundraising, the births, the costume parties, the hotel fire, and the wedding. Oh, heck, everything in this book encompasses so many things that are usually kept quiet but it should to be talked about to normalize it!

This is my first Jo Bartlett novel, and I will certainly be reading more. I have to go looking for the first book in the Cornish Midwife series as well as eagerly await the next one! I loved it. Such a fantastic, light hearted romance. The characters and setting are both so approachable and I felt that I could be the midwives secretary! I was drawn in from the first to the last word.

I loved the Cornish Midwife, a heart-warming and uplifting story, and was happy to travel Port Agnes and catch up with the group of midwives.
This is the story of Anna, an emotionally charged novel that made me smile and moved me as it heart-warming and heart wrenching at the same time.
I read it in one afternoon and I couldn’t put it down as I was involved in the character’s life.
It’s a romantic story but it’s also deals with serious issues like how hard can be to accept that you are not going to conceive. I appreciated the empathy of the writer toward her characters and how she’s never judgemental even if she’s great at describing how judgemental people can be.
We read about Anna’s sufferance, fears and how she comes to accept that family means a lot more than the traditional mother/father/children.
She also has to face the unvoluntary cruelty of people and, working as midwife, she deals everyday with expectant mothers.
Her path is not easy and is full of bumps, but I loved how she grew accepting what good is her life and how true Brea’s love is.
I warmed up to her slowly and I loved how she “grew up”. I didn’t like her so much at the beginning as she grated a bit on my nerves. She’s still grieving the death of her parents after quite a long time (18 years is a long time, I lost my mother 18 years ago) but I also accept that everyone deals with grief in a different way.
The Anna at the end of the book is a grown up, fulfilled and happy woman that counts her blessings.
The author did an excellent job with the development of the characters as they are relatable, realistic and well thought.
My favourite is Jess, her story is heart wrenching and I hope we will read more about her in another novel.
Brea, Anna’s future husband, is great: a supportive and clever man who’s able to support Anna and never fails her.
There’s a strong sense of community and I loved the description the midwife’s work.
It’s an excellent and gripping story that kept me thinking about the characters even after I read the last page.
I can’t wait to travel again to Port Agnes.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I love a book that draws you in from the very beginning – and this one most certainly does that, with a life-threatening situation that involves a few of the key characters playing out while the midwifery team at Port Agnes continue to give exceptional care to the mothers-to-be within their small community.

This book is mainly Anna’s story – she’s the team’s senior midwife, head over heels in love with Brae, their wedding fast approaching. But her excitement is overshadowed by her intense need for a family, something she’s lived without for a long time since the loss of her much loved parents – she’s desperate to have a baby, to recreate the happy family she remembers so fondly. Her need is overpowering, all tied up with her many happy memories: if Brae didn’t love her so very much, it might just have caused problems between them, but Anna herself is more than enough for him and he really understands her emotional need. But the book also follows Jess’s story – another midwife on the team, now on her own after a rather toxic relationship, deciding to become a foster mother (driven by her own experience of foster care), beginning to negotiate that difficult path.

And as their lives play out, all the many dramas involved in the day-to-day life of the midwifery unit continue – a series of episodes where we witness the exceptional care they consistently deliver within their beautifully drawn community. As if all that’s not enough, they also become involved in raising funds to save Port Agnes’ lifeboat service – and then there’s the build-up to Anna’s wedding, where things certainly don’t go anything like as smoothly as everyone might have hoped.

Anna’s a wonderfully drawn character, and the author really makes you understand why she’s so driven by her need for a child, with a perfect emotional touch – but I did feel that it sometimes interfered with her seeing that what she had with Brae was something already to be treasured. I’m really a little bit in love with him – he has the patience of a saint, always understanding, gentle and thoughtful, seeing past her ups and downs and just wanting to show her how much he loves her.

But this book’s all about the wider community too – all the people whose lives are touched by the exceptional work of the midwifery unit, every single one of them ready and willing to show their gratitude when everything starts to go off the rails as the wedding date approaches. The last quarter of the book is simply one of the most heartwarming and moving sequences I’ve had the pleasure to read, and it certainly brought a tear to my eye – I love books with a strong sense of community, and you really won’t find it done much better than this. There’s a strong focus on family and what it means – but also on the importance of friendship, the family you choose.

When I read the first book, I mentioned that it had the feel of a Sunday night TV series, with a strong central story line, the perfect location, characters you take to your heart, and a succession of dramatic moments that move you, keep you gripped, and involve you in their lives. The writing really is quite excellent – easy reading in many ways, sensitive handling of some quite difficult and challenging issues, with plenty of all-involving dramatic moments to get you on the edge of your seat, but also full of warmth and gentle humour, and overflowing with love. I thoroughly enjoyed this one – the perfect summer read, and I look forward to spending more time with my friends at Port Agnes as the series continues.

#Blogtour

Returning to the pretty Cornish village of Port Agnes is like meeting with treasured friends and in A Summer Wedding for the Cornish Midwife we get to spend lots of lovely time with community midwife Anna Jones as she prepares for her wedding to the man of her dreams. Those who have read,The Cornish Midwife, which is the previous book in the series, will be familiar with Anna, and her fiancé Brae Penrose, but in this book they have their own special moments in the spotlight. It’s not all hearts and flowers though as Anna and Brae have some difficult life choices to make but their love for each other and the combined support of their friends, and community, help the couple through their difficult times.

I love being able to follow characters who have become so familiar that they feel like friends you could have a good old natter with as you meet for a coffee in The Cookie Jar on the high street in Port Agnes, their troubles become your troubles, and equally you rejoice when things go right for them. Whilst A Summer Wedding for the Cornish Midwife is unashamedly romantic, after all, it is about a loved up couple, and a wedding, however, it's also about some important issues which the author highlights with a strong sense of empathy for her characters. The midwifery elements sympathetically interspersed throughout the story are handled really well, these vital inclusions into the story line certainly help to highlight the importance of midwives working in small communities.

Beautifully written from start to finish, A Summer Wedding for the Cornish Midwife is a perfect summer read and a wonderful continuation of this heartwarming series.

After reading the first book in this series, I couldn't wait to return to Port Agnes to be reunited with some much loved characters, and to meet some new ones along the way.

The book starts with the build up to Anna and Brae's wedding. As we know from the first instalment in this delightful series, Anna is the senior midwife in the small Cornish village who doesn't hesitate to put others needs before her own. Whilst Anna is out dress shopping with her friend when she receives news that her fiancé and his friends are missing at sea during a terrible storm.

Anna is distraught, left thinking she may have lost the man she loves, but when she is called to duty to assist a woman who has gone it to labour, she pushes her own feelings aside and goes to help. The RNLI are out searching tirelessly for the missing boat, and finally their hard work pays off when they manage to get all of them to hospital safely - and all of them looking pretty much unscathed by the terrifying ordeal.

When the team responsible for Brae's safe return announce that their funding is about to be cut as there is another team close by - Anna is left reeling as she considers how different the outcome may well have been if they hadn't been so close to where the boat went missing. This is something that the community simply won't let happen, and before long they are all pulling together to raise the vital funds needed.

As Anna and Brae come to terms with how close they came to losing one another for good, their big day can't come soon enough. They still have some rather daunting hurdles to overcome, and as their journey to making a family of their own is far from smooth sailing, with the support of their closest friends and the community they are proud to be a part of they learn that families do in fact come in all shapes and sizes.

This is one of those stories that really takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. From the heartache that Anna feels when she believes she has lost her love, and the overwhelming sense of love that emanates from the community. Anna is one of those characters you feel such a strong connection with from the start. She has faced her share of hardships over the years, but the selfless way she always helps others when they are in need is heartwarming. Brae is still as charming as ever, and as the story unfolds I found myself enchanted by this wonderful man and the bond he shares with Anna.

With a captivating storyline, a cast of vibrant and intriguing characters and a love story that warms your heart, it is impossible to not fall in love with Port Agnes and all of those who live there!.

This was an absolutely beautiful book to read ! This is the first book I have read by Jo Bartlett and it certainly won't be the last I read from her , I love her writing style , the techniques she uses to keep the reader hooked on it.

This book us in the point of view of three different midwives Anna , Ella and Jess. I adored each of these women and the close relationship between them , even though each of them are going through different tough times in their lives. They are the kind of characters that you immediately wish you had in your life, that they were people you knew, I will definitely be going back to read the first book to get to know these characters even more !

If you like contemporary romance book that are brilliantly written then I recommend this book !

Oh what a treat – the chance to be reunited with some old familiar characters from ‘The Cornish Midwife’ whilst meeting some new friends, this time around.

I found it incredibly easy to get caught up in the excitement of midwife Anna’s wedding to the lovely Brae, such was the enthusiasm with which this instalment of the Cornish Midwife’ series began. I did however feel overwhelmed with sadness at the thought of how close Anna has been to her parents, and the fact that they were no longer with her. I loved her romantic notion of regaining a family, once married, yet conversely felt such sadness that her Mum was not there to help her choose a wedding dress. The author could have hardly chosen a more poignant life snapshot in time.

I was completely shocked at the hint of tragedy at the beginning of the book, having earlier become totally engaged by the beautifully narrated characters I had already met in that first chapter. Such was my engagement in this story at such an early stage, I found myself ‘cheating’ by reading the ‘about’ of the book on an online store! I was starting to read this book late at night and found myself ‘having’ to stay up even later, until I could find out for certain whether or not tragedy had been averted.

The author deals with the subject of struggling to conceive, especially for a midwife and later on in life, in an incredibly sympathetic manner and I defy anyone, particularly any woman or mother to not be moved by the concept. The topic was broached in such a manner that I myself felt nothing but empathy, knowing that whilst this was a novel, the subject is all to real (apart from the being a midwife part) for so very many women. All credit to Jo Bartlett for approaching what is an incredibly emotive subject in such a truly benevolent manner.

I was shocked yet entirely sympathetic to Jess’s story and again felt that her tale had been dealt with in such a way that completely endeared her to me. I felt terrible that she felt ashamed that her marriage had collapsed after such a short period of time, despite the fact that her Husband had walked out on her. I would anticipate her story giving real hope to those that might want to foster children. In fact hope and despair are common threads of more than one of the characters in the book, and one just hopes that their sensitive portrayal in this tone, might breed optimism for those in a similar situation in real life.

Fertility testing was broached in an empathetic way. Nobody can surely understand the trauma of going through it and anticipating results, if they have not been through it themselves? Equally those who do not know what to expect, must garner comfort from reading such frank, honest depictions of the process and peoples’ experiences.

I was in awe of the portrayal of the mutual adoration between Anna and Brae, the pinnacle being when they buy the perfect gifts for each other after a small lottery win. It made me feel so happy let alone them!

When Anna and Brae’s wedding was under threat, my heart just leaped at the outpouring of love from friends and family and the overwhelming sense of community, with just one common purpose. I absolutely loved the sense of karma created by the author, with seemingly every person that Anna had ever helped, wanting to return that assistance in some way, from catering and table centrepieces to venues and cakes. A true testament to the fact that people do not forget receiving help in their time of need, and will go above and beyond, once given the opportunity to repay that assistance in any way.

The event and the nature of the help offered instilled in me a genuine sense of pride and well being that would be nigh on impossible to surpass. A genuine coming together of like minded people with one shared purpose. What a genuine display of affection for a bona fide well loved, palpably nice couple who would do anything to help anyone and full marks to the author for having the imagination to create the event in its joyous glory, and to deliver such feelings of unadulterated joy and pleasure to the reader.

One final bit of wonderful nostalgia brought this over emotional reader to tears, when Brae’s Mother’s Pearl earring made an appearance. What a marvellous extra touch from Jo Bartlett. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved the descriptions of the locale and the portrayal of the characters. I would just ask one thing of the author though – to please hurry up with the next book in the series as I find myself desperate to know what the future has in store for Brae and Anna and for Ella and Dan. Secondly, I would like to thank the author for the pleasure that this book has brought to me from start to finish; a thoroughly enjoyable read.

What can I say! What a beautiful book. It’s my first book by Jo Bartlett and it won’t be my last.
This is the story of Anna who heads up the midwife Unit and her relationship with Brae. As they plan their wedding and future together life takes a turn for Anna in a direction she’s devastated about.
Her best friend and fellow midwife Ella and her boyfriend Dan are close friends of the couple and turn out to be the best friends they could have when their wedding day takes a turn for the worst.
A lovely warm story of how women support each other in their hour of need.
Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an early copy of this lovely book

Thank you NetGalley, author Jo Bartlett, and Boldwood Books publishing for giving me a free arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
5 stars
TW: talks about infertility, talks about eating disorders and mental health, the birth of a cleft lipped newborn
After the the first book "The Cornish Midwife." I was so excited to see there was going to be another book with these amazing characters. This book is told from the povs of three women (Anna, Ella and Jess) from the midwifery unit in Port Agnes.
This book can be read as a stand-alone, but I would recommend reading the first book. It will give the reader a deeper understanding of the characters and relationship dynamics within this series. I was glad to catch up with all the midwives and their clients as well as the most anticipated event- Anna and Brae's wedding. I really enjoyed reading how close these women have become despite each of the women going through their own struggles with motherhood and relationships. Ella had a lot of growth throughout this book. I loved seeing how far she had come with not only in her professional life, but also in her relationship with Dan. I was glad to see her thinking of marriage again after her heartbreak went public. She also was such a great friend to Anna and really made Anna's wedding day very special. Jess was also a great character, but the reader did not have too mush of her pov towards the end. Despite not having the best experiences in foster care herself, I loved how she was willing to become a foster mother herself. I would have liked to see the foster process wrapped up by the end, but maybe that will be the focus of the next book.
Anna was such a beautiful character. I loved how supportive she was towards one of her clients, a woman, who lived with past eating disorders and mental health. Anna and Brae were also a wonderfully supportive couple especially in regards to the possible future of no biological children. Brae was willing to help Anna talk out their different options as well as giving her the reassurances she needed to face such a future. This book dealt with some very sensitive issues that some readers might find hard to read about, but author Bartlett handled each issue was care and love. It really gave the reader one of the most important pieces of advice- "They are not alone in their struggles!"
The latter half of the book demonstrated how much the people of Port Agnes loved the midwives. They came together when one of the midwives' was in need. Overall, The ending was wrapped up perfectly. I can't recommend this series enough to those who are looking for a small community contemporary romance! I can't wait for the next installment in this brilliant series!

A Summer Wedding for the Cornish Midwife is an absolute gem of a book that delivers a wallop from the very first chapter.

If you have read the first book in the Cornish Midwife series, then you would have met Anna and Brave, and know they have that special kind of love for each other, that pureness that few have in the real world and few authors write about.

So we start the book in the build up to Anna and Brae’s wedding, and Anna just can’t seem to shake that weird feeling that she has, like something is going to go wrong, and oh boy does it! But you just can’t help but have a strong connection to Anna and sympathize with her. Also you can’t help but admire Brae’s dedication and love for her. But there is more to St. Agnes that just the wedding, and the one part that will stick with me forever is Brae and Dan and their reenactment of ET!

From missing boats and breech births, to a shocking fire and a surprise proposal! A Summer Wedding for the Cornish Midwife has it all!

What a dramatic beginning to this book, and I was almost on the edge of my chair whilst reading. Jo Bartlett has a wonderful way of making her books so heart warming and lovely to read. I hope there will be more to come from the midwives of Port Agnes.

3.5 Stars

#2 in the Cornish Midwives series. The highly anticipated wedding of Anna and Brae needs to be postponed due to a fire at the venue. However, close friends and community pull together to save the wedding.

Thanks #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks for a complimentary eARC of #ASummerWeddingForTheCornishMidwife upon my request. All opinions are my own.

When I requested the ARC for A Summer Wedding For the Cornish Midwife and realized it was #2 in a series, I knew I wanted to read the first story before starting this. It may not have been necessary, but having the full context always adds to a more satisfying reading experience. The first book is called The Cornish Midwife and we are introduced to the group of amazing midwives and the charming, small community of St. Agnes along the Cornish coast. The stories revolve around a group of midwives…..and so far each story focuses on one of the midwives. Of the two stories, I think I enjoyed the first a bit more because of its compelling storyline and themes of starting over and second chances.

A Summer Wedding For a Cornish Midwife is an uplifting, engaging, and heartwarming read. Even with a few difficult themes, the story has an overall lighthearted, everything-will-work-out feel. A solid story (and series) for those looking for a light women’s fiction romance and for those interested in midwivery. I love a quaint, small-town setting (especially on the coast), a supportive community, amazing book boyfriends, and strong friendships. This was a perfect light read for me and I’m looking forward to the third installment.

Themes: supportive friendships, women helping women, close-knit community, creating a family, grief, midwifery, difficult childbirth, fostering

Content Consideration: infertility, grief, traumatic childbirth (baby born with a physical deformity)

What a nice read! Nice, heartwarming and uplifting. I hadn't read the first book of the series, so I've just bought it and can't wait to read it now, Anyway even being the second one, it is highly enjoyable also as a stand alone.
Loved the themes it touches, with compassion and true emotion, like friendship, infertility, adoption, importance of local community.
Hope there will be another instalment soon!

Thank you to netgalley and Bolwood Books for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh what a read, this is the ultimate light hearted read that gives you all of the feels as you read. I love the friendship between Ella and Anna and it was great to spend more time with Anna in this story as she wrestles with potential infertility and arranging her wedding which is only increasingly highlighting the void from when she lost her parents.

This book gave me a whole host of emotions as it touched on anorexia, infertility and adoption, it was written with compassion and emotion and I loved the impact it created and the importance placed upon the friendships and support that Anna had around her.

The last few chapters of this story flew by and I was desperate to keep reading, yet I wanted to savour the story as I was loving the momentum and emotion that was flowing from the pages. A superb story and I already can't wait to revisit Port Agnes and these wonderful midwives.

What a great book to be able to read and review , this book picks up the story of the Cornish midwives and the upcoming nuptials of Anna and Brae. Anna is the senior midwife in a small Cornish village who puts others before herself! The story starts with Anna trying dresses on for her big day when news hits that her fiance and his friend having gone missing at sea in a storm! Despite being scared and upset that she may have lost the man she loves she gets called out to a lady in labour and goes to her side to help. The RNLI are out looking for them and manage to find them and get them to hospital pretty much unscathed,,… the rnli explain that funding is being cut and they may get shut down as there is another team close by (however if they get there way then the outcome for Brae could have been different) as the other team was a call!!! This puts an idea into Annas friends head and they go on a mission to raise money to keep it open!!
Anna then realises how close she really had been about being alone again with no family as her mum and dad had died and she had been an only child!! That thought consumes her and when she gets to see Brae they discuss trying to have a baby, they undergo tests and are told the chances are slim! Throughout the book there are a few twists and turns and then it comes to the eve of there wedding when Anna gets a phone call to say the venue has had a fire…… can the locals and all the friends in the village help to get the wedding back on?? Does Anna manage to get what she’s always wanted??? A family of her own???? Read this book and you will find out!!!