Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Review: A Rather Remarkable Homecoming by C.A. Belmond

Paperback, 416 pages
Expected publication: September 6th 2011 by NAL Trade
ISBN0451234618 (ISBN13: 9780451234612)

From Goodreads:

Penny and Jeremy are just returning from their honeymoon, only to be greeted by eccentric friends of Prince Charles bearing a rather royal request: to rescue a historical village on the coast of Cornwall, England. A property developer is bulldozing his way across the countryside to build a monstrous new development, and he's heading straight for Grandmother Beryl's old homestead where the newlyweds first met long ago as kids. Can Penny and Jeremy solve an ancient puzzle in time to save Grandma's house-and the entire village-from total destruction?

On the romantic rocky cliffs of Cornwall, amid Celtic lore and tales of Shakespeare, smugglers, and shipwrecks, Penny and Jeremy must contend with a rakish cast of local characters: a bird-watching earl, a famous TV chef, a vain actor, a New Age farmer, a pair of thuggish real-estate tycoons, a rebel rock-and-roller, and a band of determined "eco-warriors." Following a trail of cryptic clues, Penny and Jeremy's new caper takes them to the lush island of Madeira and the legendary castle of Tintagel, in a race against time to find the astonishing truth... before the wrecking ball strikes.


My thoughts:

 Having never read this author before, I was not sure what to expect but the word "Cornwall" grabbed my attention right away. For some reason, I love stories set there even though I've never seen it. The location conjures up vivid images of rocky cliffs, pounding waves, shipwrecks and smugglers. Heady stuff!

What I found was a most delightfully witty story with a tremendous amount of atmosphere, a fun mystery and fantastic characters. Penny and Jeremy have been likened to Nick and Nora but they reminded me of Christie's Tommy and Tuppence; a delightful pair who sleuth with style and flair complete with vintage auto!

The story was fast paced and the mystery first rate. No lag of interest in this one at all. The pages seemed to turn themselves as I was immersed in the  locations of Cornwall, a short visit to the island of Madeira and the exploits of the newly weds Jeremy and Penny; characters so well fleshed out and likeable they felt like old friends by the time the book ended.

 Although this the fourth book in the series, I had no feeling that I was missing anything. The other three are on my tbr list as I enjoyed this one so much. A 4**** read for sure!

C.A. Belmond's "Rather" series includes her debut novel A Rather Lovely Inheritance and the sequels A Rather Curious Engagement and A Rather Charming Invitation. C.A. Belmond can be found at this website.

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Nal Trade in exchange for my honest opinion.

10 comments:

  1. What a great review! "Cornwall" conjures up the same images in my mind as in yours! This definitely sounds like something for when I'm looking for an absorbing but fun read!

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  2. This was a really fun review to read, and your enthusiasm for the book was palpable. I would love the chance to read a mystery like this one, so I am adding it to my ever growing list. So glad to hear that you liked it! Great review!

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  3. Fun! Your review and the trailer have put this series on my TBR list. Thanks for that ;-)

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  4. Sounds like a fun read. I'm hooked on any book set in the UK, it doesn't even matter where. I'm just in love with the locales I guess, so I totally understand.

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  5. Hmmm. I'm not much of a mystery reader, but the description at the beginning caught me. I love Cornwall too.

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  6. And now I want to read this one too. I love Cornwall stories as well as detective storoies. Tommy and Tuppence? Can't wait.

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  7. I do like books set in Cornwall generally - usually so descriptive. This sounds like a good mystery as a result. Liked your review kaye.

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  8. I have never been to Cornwall either but I find myself drawn to that locale in books! This one sounds a solutely delightful and I like the fact that you were able to pick this up latr in the series and not have any problems with getting to know the characters!

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  9. Cornwall does sound positively delightful. We should have a bloggers retreat there!

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  10. You find the best books! I'm going to have to check into this one. Great review, as always! :)

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