The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

The ship was rising and falling, the wind tugging at our cloaks. 'There - on that promontory - that's Pendennis Castle.' Mary James handed me the telescope and an outline of turrets and battlements sharpened into focus.

'The soldiers have got their telescopes trained on us.'

Around us, angry white crests peaked and broke; a fresh burst of spray carried on the wind and Mary clasped her cloak tighter. 'They'll be expecting us. Mr Trevelyan's very particular about letting them know we're coming. They'll recognise our flags. One shows we're from America and one shows we're carrying grain'...

***

In the wake of her mother's death, Pandora Woodville is desperate to escape her domineering father and finally return to Cornwall. Posing as a widow, she safely makes it across the Atlantic, bright with the dream of working at her Aunt Harriet's school for young women. But as Pandora is soon to learn, the school is facing imminent closure after a series of sinister events threatened its reputation.

Acclaimed chemist Benedict Aubyn has also recently returned to Cornwall, to take up a new role as Turnpike Trust Surveyor. Pandora's arrival has been a strange one, so she is grateful when he shows her kindness. As news of the school's ruin spreads around town, everyone seems to be after her aunt's estate. Now, Pandora and Aunt Harriet must do everything in their power to save the school, or risk losing everything.

However, Pandora has another problem. She's falling for Benedict. But can she trust him, or is he simply looking after his own interests?

***

This is one of a series of books set in Cornwall by Nicola Pryce. They appear to be standalone novels with the setting being the linking factor. By coincidence, I have read a few books set in Cornwall recently. It is a beautiful county and I will never tire of reading the beautiful descriptions of the environment in any book.

This book offered everything that I like in historical fiction; a strong main character along with an immersion into the time and place in which it is set. The book is set during 1801 and Ms Pryce has researched her period extremely well and reading felt like a participatory event.

The main character, Pandora, was very likeable and easy to engage with. She is a resolute and determined character who faces the challenges in her life with strength and resilience. Along the way she discovers things from her own past and it was interesting to see how she dealt with uncertainty and revelation. When she meets Benedict, the main male character in the story, she is initially very wary of him. He is a surveyor for a Turnpike company who want to build a road going through land owned by Pandora's aunts school, and I will not say whether or not her fears were correct as I would hate to give away the very satisfying ending of this book.

I enjoyed this book very much. A story of courage and resilience all set in a beautiful environment in an interesting period of history. I highly recommend this book and I intend to read more by this author.

ISBN: 978 1838959197

Publisher:  Corvus

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  480 (paperback)

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

About the Author:

Nicola Pryce trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. She has always loved literature and completed an Open University degree in Humanities. She is a qualified adult literacy support volunteer and lives with her husband in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. Together they sail the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure.

(author photo courtesy of Katia Marsh)

(book and author info. courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)