The Little Cornish House by Donna Ashcroft is a new to me author. I have mixed feelings about this book. Overall, I really enjoyed the romance between Ruby and Gabe. I love how Ruby learns to step out of her confined boundaries and take some chances. I love that Gabe is so dedicated to his family and seeing the best in his brother. Ruby and Gabe do a great job of drawing each other out. I love their adventures together and the way their personalities clicked. I did not like Ruby’s determination to “help” her friend, despite being asked not to, because of her own traumas. Ruby is often selfish and self-centered in this respect, and it was a turn off for me. While I loved the romance between Ruby and Gabe, the romantic scenes felt more explicit than they needed to be for the character of the rest of the book. Again, it fit Ruby breaking out of her rigidity, but it just didn’t fit with the rest of the story. If you don’t mind a little heat in a couple of the scenes, then you will probably love it. I absolutely adored the grandmother who creates the perfect balance to this book! The narrator did a great job with capturing the essence of the characters. The pace was perfect, and words were clear. The story came to life with her telling. I received an audiobook copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

There is just something about a Donna Ashcroft book that gets me every time. This one grabbed me from the start. Ruby has moved back to Cornwall for the summer to help her grandmother save her home and business. She expects to spend her days helping out with her pottery school and keeping everything as simple as possible. She does not expect Gabe. Gabe is the local brewery owner with a bit of trouble of his own. There is a mystery to this book as Gabe keeps having trouble with vandals and the town has no idea who is causing all the trouble. As Ruby and Gabe work together to solve the mystery, attraction grows. I enjoyed the romance between these two. While I did feel Ruby could be a bit immature at times, she does grow throughout the book. I love how Ashcroft writes small-town stories that pull the towns people all together. She continues to be one of the best at including characters from several generations all working and living together. If you are looking for a light, cozy romance with a bit of mystery tied in, this book is the perfect fit.

The narration for this book was fantastic. She does a great job of differentiating between characters and puts you right into the setting on the Cornish coast. I would recommend this in audio format.

Ruby has journeyed back to her beloved Cornwall to help her grandmother’s failing pottery shop. Ruby loves her grandmother more than anything, so even though she has mixed emotion about returning to Indigo Bay, she does so immediately. She vows to save her grandmother’s home and refuses to be distracted by her growing attraction to local brewery owner Gabe Roskilly, but when it turns out that Gabe may be the one person who can help her save her grandmother’s home, well, what’s a girl to do? Risk having her heart broken again? Lovely, escapist reading