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Penny Nichols #4
A Rather Remarkable Homecoming
Join the fun and frolic with American heiress Penny Nichols and her English hero Jeremy Laidley, as the adventurous couple sets off for more elegant travel and delightful sleuthing together!
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.
With her trademark wit, wisdom, and verve, C.A. Belmond's newest novel in her beloved "Rather" series provides a perfect armchair voyage of Europe's glamorous locales, with plenty of mystery, history, food, wine, love, and life's little pleasures.
342 pages, Paperback
First published September 6, 2011
42 people are currently reading
444 people want to read
About the author
C.A. Belmond
9 books134 followersC.A. (Camille Aubray) Belmond is an Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship winner.
A member of the Writers Guild of America, Belmond has written, directed and produced award-winning television drama and documentary, for CBS, PBS, ABC and A&E.
Belmond has taught writing at New York University. She is also a featured blogger for The Huffington Post.
A member of the Writers Guild of America, Belmond has written, directed and produced award-winning television drama and documentary, for CBS, PBS, ABC and A&E.
Belmond has taught writing at New York University. She is also a featured blogger for The Huffington Post.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
March 29, 2016
I am a big fan of C.A. Belmond's "Rather" series. They are light and fun, and she always transports her readers to the most interesting destinations. This fourth entry in the series is no exception. The book certainly stands on its own, but for anyone new to the series I would still recommend beginning with Book 1, A Rather Lovely Inheritance, or you'll miss out on all the enjoyment of watching Penny and Jeremy progress to this point in their relationship and their lives.
June 7, 2020
2020 bk 190 In the fourth adventure of Penny and Jeremy, the duo has just returned from their honeymoon when they are asked to investigate a mystery centered around the former Cornwall home of Penny's grandmother, Beryl. While the Shakespearean paper found in the house turns out to be a forgery, the pair learns of an even more important mystery involving smuggling, a red stone, a Maderian Opera Singer, and the ancient Celts. Another fun read.
August 20, 2017
I liked this book. It isn't great literature but the characters are fun the storyline moves along briskly and nobody dies. I'm very sorry that this was the last book in the series as it is clear that it wasn't meant to be the last....
July 29, 2016
Each of the Penny Nichols stories have their own charm and intrigue. What I find refreshing about this author is that her lead sleuthing characters of Penny and Jeremy are in every way equal. They are very intelligent, suckers for a good cause and a crooked tale of woe. Having returned from their last mystery that consumed their honeymoon, they are greeted almost immediately by a case that seems to have been sanctioned by the heir to the British throne (yes, the one with the ears) to try assist a group in Cornwall to save a large portion of a village from a large development with a cadre of bulldozers. Not coincidentally the development is also slated to raze the Cornish cottage that overlooks the sea coast that had been owned, until she died, by another of Penny's great aunts (besides Penelope for whom she was naned) Beryl.
There is an ancient story that William Shakespeare had once stayed at the house when the Earl's Players had occupied the house in the summer of 1592. While scouring for clues, they find a long shut children's playroom that was the haunt of their great aunts as children, and their secret journal of their 'Summer Explorers Club'.
As Penny & Jeremy take residence in a local cottage for their case, they are vandalized, run off the road and generally threatened by parties they assume to be connected with the Molesly Brothers (the developers). As each potential lead begins to run dry they are growing more desperate to find an endangered species or rare plant to foil the developers. When they learn more history about Beryl's cottage before it came to their family they find a long ago smuggler lived in the house, and his son became a shipbuilder who tragically died on the maiden voyage of a ship he had built for the love of his life, an Opera singer who ended her life on the island of Madeira. It is this last piece of information and a particular ruby rock with a Celtic symbol that provides the key to the mystery and their objective to save the cottage and the Cornish village of Port St. Francis.
If you've never read C.A. Belmont Penny Nichols stories, do start with book number one and then continue on through to this one. Each story gives layers to these characters and their irrepressible scoundrel of a cousin Rollo and his malevolent mother, and other, generally loving family ties. And if you want a hint of Nick & Nora Charles with a dash of Jonathan & Jennifer Hart but with much more charm, you'll love Penny Nichols and Jeremy Laidley and all of Belmond's 'Rather' enjoyable tales.
There is an ancient story that William Shakespeare had once stayed at the house when the Earl's Players had occupied the house in the summer of 1592. While scouring for clues, they find a long shut children's playroom that was the haunt of their great aunts as children, and their secret journal of their 'Summer Explorers Club'.
As Penny & Jeremy take residence in a local cottage for their case, they are vandalized, run off the road and generally threatened by parties they assume to be connected with the Molesly Brothers (the developers). As each potential lead begins to run dry they are growing more desperate to find an endangered species or rare plant to foil the developers. When they learn more history about Beryl's cottage before it came to their family they find a long ago smuggler lived in the house, and his son became a shipbuilder who tragically died on the maiden voyage of a ship he had built for the love of his life, an Opera singer who ended her life on the island of Madeira. It is this last piece of information and a particular ruby rock with a Celtic symbol that provides the key to the mystery and their objective to save the cottage and the Cornish village of Port St. Francis.
If you've never read C.A. Belmont Penny Nichols stories, do start with book number one and then continue on through to this one. Each story gives layers to these characters and their irrepressible scoundrel of a cousin Rollo and his malevolent mother, and other, generally loving family ties. And if you want a hint of Nick & Nora Charles with a dash of Jonathan & Jennifer Hart but with much more charm, you'll love Penny Nichols and Jeremy Laidley and all of Belmond's 'Rather' enjoyable tales.
November 28, 2012
This series is one of the best that I've ever read! I'm sad that this is the 4th and last title and hope that the author is writing more.
In this story Penny & Jeremy are summoned to Cornwall at the suggestion of none other than H.R.H. Prince Charles to help the town people save Grandmother Beryl's cottage and lands from being bought up by a conglomerate that plans on putting in a luxury resort which will ruin the countryside and put the local businesses out. The couple have a special place in their hearts for Grandmother Beryl's cottage since it's where they first met as children many years before. Their task is to find something historically significant that would make the place a national heritage site. A local thespian thinks that William Shakespeare may have spent the summer in the cottage. Penny and Jeremy go into high gear but their quest is foiled by somebody who does not want them to find anything. They race to unravel a riddle before the wrecking ball takes it all away.
In this story Penny & Jeremy are summoned to Cornwall at the suggestion of none other than H.R.H. Prince Charles to help the town people save Grandmother Beryl's cottage and lands from being bought up by a conglomerate that plans on putting in a luxury resort which will ruin the countryside and put the local businesses out. The couple have a special place in their hearts for Grandmother Beryl's cottage since it's where they first met as children many years before. Their task is to find something historically significant that would make the place a national heritage site. A local thespian thinks that William Shakespeare may have spent the summer in the cottage. Penny and Jeremy go into high gear but their quest is foiled by somebody who does not want them to find anything. They race to unravel a riddle before the wrecking ball takes it all away.
June 16, 2012
This series has much to recommend it and seems to get better with each book. Cornwall is a wonderful setting for a mystery; it has so much history and legend attached to the area. Penny and Jeremy have a large assortment of very colorful relatives and friends to assist them, and their history with this particular house, make it imperative they save it. The inhabitants of the village are equally colorful, and the developers make for some excellent villains. I am sure you will enjoy reading this excellent mystery to find out if Penny and Jeremy save the day once again.
Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
https://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Boo...
Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
https://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Boo...
November 15, 2015
Book four in the "Rather" series.....loved it!!! I liked each one in the series more as I went through them, making the fourth my favorite! The adventures of Penny Nichols and Jeremy Laidley are fun and entertaining as they solve mystery after mystery and build their life together. This adventure was the most interesting for me - not that I didn't enjoy the others - I did, it was just the icing on the cake! And.....I loved the way it ended. As of right now, there are only four in the series available, but it ends with the door definitely open for another adventure yet to come.....oh, please, let there be another.....and another!!!
July 17, 2012
C A Belmond's entertaining tales of the evolving lives of the interesting and intelligent Penny Nichols and Jeremy Laidley rank at the top of my enjoyment scale. Do yourself a favor and read the series in order.
June 29, 2022
Penny and Jeremy are a fun couple, and they get caught up in some amazing adventures. This was a charming wrap up to the Remarkable Series. I love this author’s easy-to-read books. They are a wonderful escape!
October 17, 2011
This has become one of my favorite series, and even though I didn't like this one as well as the first, I found it a relaxing, engaging read with characters for whom I've developed an affection.
Want to read
September 4, 2011Yay!! A new one! :)
February 7, 2017
Loved it! :-)
January 9, 2025
Another fun mystery in the modern day Nick & Nora series
Reviews have compared this series to a modern day Nick & Nora and Christie's Tommy & Tuppence. The author captured the fun vibe of those series that can only be called madcap. Our protagonists, Jeremy and Penny, are finally married and have started an investigation firm. They end up traveling to Cornwall by royal command to try and save a historical property that used to belong their grandmother. The set up was slow despite the sweet family memories of their grandmother, but the action and fun picks up when their no good Cousin Rollo shows up! This book seems to be the last in the short series but I can't help but hope for more.
Reviews have compared this series to a modern day Nick & Nora and Christie's Tommy & Tuppence. The author captured the fun vibe of those series that can only be called madcap. Our protagonists, Jeremy and Penny, are finally married and have started an investigation firm. They end up traveling to Cornwall by royal command to try and save a historical property that used to belong their grandmother. The set up was slow despite the sweet family memories of their grandmother, but the action and fun picks up when their no good Cousin Rollo shows up! This book seems to be the last in the short series but I can't help but hope for more.
December 13, 2020
3.5/5. This is the fourth and I’m assuming final book of the series. It was left at the end like more can be coming but this book was published around 2011 so I highly doubt another is coming. I really enjoyed this series for a light hearted Mystery/RomCom book series. This fourth one was probably the weakest not in storyline but in overall character development. The other books had the two main characters bantering and growing with each other more and even in their interactions with other characters the first three felt more like they were growing. This felt a bit flat in that department. But the story was still a fun mystery to read!
May 30, 2017
This is #4 in this four volume series and though I've been enjoying the ride, I've had enough. I found this one boring and full of way-too-convenient co-incidences. The dialogue written for the narrator of the story (the main character, Penny) is cheesy and not very believable. The whole thing was a bit over the top for me. I'm not sorry I read the series but I'm more than ready now to move on to something with a little more substance. Still, if you're looking for something light, this series might be just the thing.
August 3, 2023
This one is as good as the first one in the series. I thought Inheritance was so much fun. Then I read book two and three and was pretty much disappointed. I almost didn't read Homecoming. I'm so glad I did. I especially liked that the story included the then Prince Charles and his mum, the Queen. I'm sorry the series ended. Might Ms. Belmond consider checking back in with Penny and Jeremy and Rolo?? And now KING Charles.
July 5, 2020
These stories are a lovely distraction from what's going on in the world. This time, Penny & Jeremy are called upon to save the historic family home in Cornwall. As usual there was some romance and some suspense, but nothing really bad happens. Good prevails over evil and for a moment, all is well in the world.
July 18, 2020
Good book
I liked this book. I have read all the books in this series and I enjoy the relationship between Penny and Jeremy and their adventures together. I wish there were more books in the series and am disappointed that it doesn't seem there will be since this book was published in 2011. Too bad.
I liked this book. I have read all the books in this series and I enjoy the relationship between Penny and Jeremy and their adventures together. I wish there were more books in the series and am disappointed that it doesn't seem there will be since this book was published in 2011. Too bad.
March 16, 2018
A Rather Remarkable Homecoming was more of the same fun found in the first three books in the series. I did feel by this point the series was becoming a bit predictable. It lacks the depth of characters or story to make it a really amazing series, but it's still a fun, light read.
October 6, 2020
I read the first three of this series probably five years ago and then somehow waited until this month to read the final installment. Pure fluff, all style, no mystery plot that could possibly be puzzled out. But lots of charm and a kind of Thin Man relationship and setting that pleases me.
October 29, 2021
My favorite of the series. Each of these books was better than the last. I wish they continued- the last page alludes to another case, but this one being written 10 years ago gives me little hope for more romantic adventures of Nichols and Laidley. :(
January 15, 2023
I loved it! This book in the 4th in the series, and I've enjoyed them all. I like the personality of the characters and the fact that the story never descends into a cheesy romance. I love their adventures, the fun people they encounter, and the places they travel. This was a perfect, light read.
June 19, 2018
A rather delicious escape! (Except for the final implication which has apparently never been followed up on.)
July 14, 2018
This final installment of the series adds touching moments to the formula made so refined in the first three books. It's simply elegant adventure and leaves me withing there was a fifth book.
August 16, 2019
I absolutely loved it and am reading her second book. Her books are hard to find because she uses different versions of her name.
November 7, 2020
This was a light, amusing fourth book to the series.
October 2, 2021
The fourth book in the Penny Nichols series. Light and cute.
November 12, 2021
Delightful; best of the series.
April 18, 2022
Loved the entire series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews