Summer at Seaspray Cottage

Cornish Connections #5

by Angela Britnell

What’s a girl from Tennessee to do with a little cottage in Cornwall?

Feisty Thea Armitage has just inherited a Cornish cottage by the sea from her late aunt. Great news, right? Not quite.

She hasn’t set foot in Cornwall since she was a heartbroken teenager. And now she has to put her life in Tennessee on hold and spend the summer readying the place to sell.

But she definitely didn’t expect her next-door neighbour to be local bad boy Harry. Who just happens to be her first love.

And the reason she vowed never to return twenty years ago.

But are Thea and Harry the people they were all that time ago? Perhaps Thea’s time at Seaspray Cottage is the perfect opportunity for a second chance at love . . .

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 24, 2023

About the author

Find me on Facebook.

I was born in the beautiful county of Cornwall in southwestern England and grew up in a small village there. I return frequently to visit family and friends but especially to savor the cool rainy weather and hot tea. After school I joined the Royal Navy and served for nearly six years. I held varying jobs from being the only woman in the staff of a sports center to arranging social engagements for the Captain of the base. My last assignment was to Denmark where I thought I would spend a wild two years in Copenhagen only to discover I was being sent to a NATO Headquarters in a quiet town on the Jutland Peninsula. I was only disappointed for a while as I met my own tall, dark, handsome stranger there - a US Naval Officer named Richard who became my husband.

That was the beginning of an itinerant life as from Denmark we went to Sicily where we had our first son. Then it was on to Monterey, California and the birth of our second son. From there we headed to Patuxent River, Maryland where we had our third son. Richard's last assignment was to London where we spent a wonderful three years. Retiring from the Navy he took a job in Brentwood, Tennessee near where he grew up. Now he's retired for the 2nd time and I'm still writing!

I have always been a voracious reader, even at 5 years old my school reports show a keen interest in English and very little in math - some things never change! Although I enjoyed writing in school it wasn't until 2001 that I was tempted to take a creative writing class at a local recreation center which has sparked my new career.

I hope you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoy writing it so sit back, make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy a break from everyday life.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arriving in Cornwall after her long flight from the US, Thea Armitage was looking forward to a shower and bed. Certainly bumping into her old friend Kelsey wasn't part of the plan. Thea had inherited Aunt Millie's cottage - which was a shock - but she was prepared to spend the summer readying the cottage for sale before heading back to Tennessee and her job in her father's bank. She felt she was at a crossroad in her life - she hadn't returned to Cornwall in twenty years but some things never changed.

As Thea worked her way through Millie's cottage, she reminisced when memories struck, and was astounded at how much Millie had accumulated over the years. But she also remembered her aunt with great fondness.

When Thea bumped into Harry Venton, her boyfriend at sixteen and one of the reasons she'd left the village and never returned, she couldn't believe he was living in the cottage next to hers. As Thea got to know Harry - the adult version - she could see he had made his way, even with the childhood he'd endured. Harry had changed for the better, but there were still some of his old hang-ups visible occasionally. Could they be friends again? She was heading back to the US when her three months was up anyway...

Summer at Seaspray Cottage is another delightful story by Angela Britnell which I thoroughly enjoyed. With a mix of friendships, angst, misunderstandings and love, and a worthy set of characters, I have no trouble recommending Summer at Seaspray Cottage highly.

With thanks to ChocLit Publishing for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen Mace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just delicious!! It's one of those books that you just totally lose yourself in and start packing up your belongings so you can move to the location featured - and hope to bump into someone like Harry!!

The story centres around Thea and her return to an area she was desperate to get away from in her youth. She inherits a cornish cottage by the sea, idyllic for most people, but her plan is to sell it ASAP!

On her return she reconnects with her friend Kelsey, and also Harry, who was the main reason she left 20 years ago. He's not liked by many of the locals, but had a tough upbringing and Thea knows him better than others so she's always willing to fight his corner, despite their relationship ending on a bad note. But time is a healer eh, and now they're all grown up maybe there is peace to be had and old feelings to explore!!

This is all about making peace with the past, and the more time she spends in the area, the more she grows and understands she's right where she needs to be, despite her father back home in Tennesse wanting her to take the promotion he has offered her. There's a lot about family relationships as there are many issues to sort out between various characters, and I really enjoyed seeing how they worked through their problems.

This is a story full of sexy seaside summer shenanigans!! I loved how the characters were mature about the more serious issues they were faced with and weren't afraid to confront their feelings and see things from a different perspective! Now I just need to find a Harry of my own!!

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all I have to say how much I enjoyed the Cornish setting of this book. I never grow tired of reading about pretty villages and close knit communities. I particularly enjoyed the warm way the residents of Chough Cove were portrayed. With some Cornish dialect included, I could almost hear their voices in my head.

Harry and Thea were madly in love as teenagers till some poison pen letters led their families to force them apart. With Thea living in Tennessee, they were certainly a huge distance between them. But it was clear when they met again that the attraction was still well and truly sparking away between them. Was that going to be enough to reignite their relationship twenty years on? I couldn’t wait to find out! It wasn’t going to be an easy path not least because of the very difficult relationships they both had with their fathers. Also what happened in the past had a huge influence on how both of them approached serious relationships.

Houses play an important role in the story. Thea lives in a small fisherman’s cottage inherited from her aunt and Harry is building a very different, modern kind of house. The issue of housing for local people in popular tourist areas is also touched upon. I felt a lot of this book was about what makes a house a home. It’s not just the building but the people and love that fill it. I have to mention Harry’s commitment to a programme giving troubled young people a chance by involving them in his building company. It just showed what a deep down highly principled person he was, somewhat changed from the rebellious teen he was.

Summer at Seaspray Cottage is a very enjoyable romance, with plenty heat between the main characters, making it an ideal summer read.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but the storyline didn't grab me as much as I would have liked. The characters were good and the location was lovely. I did like how there was lots of Cornish dialect and I did love the Cornish characters. For me, the storyline slowed up a little in the middle, but the ending was well written and I enjoyed following the story to the end. There was the right amount of romance, and I did like the love/hate relationship between the two main characters.

[Yvonne Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit from this talented writer, whose stories regularly feature the stunning locations of Cornwall and Tennessee. This novel does not disappoint.

Thea has returned from Tennessee to Cornwall, a place with both happy and sad memories, mainly linked with local lad, Harry. Since Harry has similarly mixed memories of his native village, why has he now decided to return there too? A story of whether two lost souls can overcome their pasts and move forward with their lives, alone or together. I loved this story and highly recommend it. Perfect summer read!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely summer seaside romance which runs along the predictive lines but with more than enough twists to make you want to keep reading. The inheritance makes Thea return to where she spent holidays as a child opening the memory boxes she had been ignoring for the inbetween years. The story brings those boxes into the open together with her long lost love. The author brings all these strands and those of the families involved in Thea and Harry's twisted history to life, leaving you keen to find out what happens next.

[Donna Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thea returns to Chough Cove after 20 years away in America when she inherits a cottage from her Aunt Milly.
Harry still lives in Chough Cove. He & Thea dated years ago but he walked out on her.
Will she give him a second chance or is the past too painful for her to move on from?
I liked the characters of Thea & Harry very much: Thea for her feisty nature & Harry for his quiet determination. Found it hard to put the book down. Another brilliant novel from Angela Britnell.

[Anni Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another transatlantic treat from Angela Britnell set in a beautiful Cornish village. Thea and Harry are just the most perfect characters you could wish to meet. I loved the book from start to finish and read it happily at one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down.

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

My few chapters before bed turned into a late night again – I finished it in one sitting of course. As usual with Ms B, we got a good story, a feisty heroine, and a most satisfactory HEA, so what’s not to like? An easy 5 star rating for a great and enjoyable read.

[Isabelle D]

Transatlantic romances are the author's speciality so it's no surprise that this new book belongs to that category (although in this case the heroine is half-English, she was born in Tennessee, only visited her aunt's Cornish village during summer holidays and hasn't set foot there in 20 years when the story starts) but who's tired of it? Not me! Plus, this one is also a second chance romance in which the heroes dated when they were teenagers, which happens to be one of my favourite romance tropes, so I was bound to enjoy watching Thea and Harry rebuild the connection they had at 16.
Other things I particularly liked in this story include Thea's collection of seaglass and Harry's backstory (sad, but leading to interesting scenes in the present).

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Coco · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* An entertaining book that might even boost Cornish tourism.

Twenty years have passed since Thea Armitage's last visit to Cornwall where she spent many carefree summer holidays with her Aunt Milly in Chouch Cove. The summer she was sixteen, malicious lies were spread about her and her teenage boyfriend Harry, resulting in Thea's father immediately taking her back to Tennessee. That was the last time she saw her aunt.

After inheriting Aunt Milly's cottage, Thea has returned to Cornwall, intending staying a couple of months to clear and sell the cottage.

Moving into her aunt's cottage she immediately reunites with her old friend Kelsey. Her big surprise/shock is Harry, no longer the gangling teenage tearaway, he's now a successful business man. She can't avoid him as he's even living next door to her.

Another excellent read from Angela Britnell's Cornish series.

[Sally Coles · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Thea inherits her Aunt's cottage in Cornwall it couldn't have come at a better time, she is feeling the pressure of following her father in the banking world when she is not sure it is right for her, a trip back to the UK to sort out the cottage and put it up for sale is just what she needs! Once back in Cornwall for the first time in twenty years it is a though time has stood still, her old friend Kelsey is still there and so is Harry, the boyfriend she left behind, but has he really turned over and new leaf and what other secrets are there to come to the surface?

A lovely feelgood book that definitely makes you want to be in Cornwall, great characters and a good storyline make this a perfect summer beach read

[Barbara Deeprose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Lovely Book

When Thea inherits a cottage in Cornwall, she is at a crossroads in life and returns from Tennessee to Cornwall to think about what she wants to do in life. Originally she was going to sell the cottage, but meets up with Harry again, her teenage boyfriend, until it all went terribly wrong and she returned home in disgrace. The attraction is still there, but will they be able to work through their problems, now they are older, and maybe wiser? This is a lovely book and I enjoyed every page.

[Isobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story takes you to Cornwall to meet a group of people who are still affected by something that happened in their shared past. The question is, will it affect their futures? Will they allow it to affect their futures or is there a new way forward? Is forgiveness possible?
As ever Angela Britnell poses difficult questions in an apparently simple summer read. If she has not hooked you already with her transatlantic stories then don't loose any more time getting caught!

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thea hasn’t been back to her Aunt’s cottage since she was a teenager. When her aunt passes away, she inherits the cottage and travels back with the intention of selling it. Instead, Thea ends up traveling back to her past to resolve past hurts from those who were closest to her.

The was a great beach read! Thea and Harry’s story proves that a connection with those who touch you deepest, endures time and separation. It was a lovely read and I highly recommend it.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book disappointing, as it had the potential , from the synopsis to be so much more . The characters were 1 dimensional, with no real depth, and often appeared childish , with unrealistic vocabulary and responses to situations and relationships , which inhibited you becoming invested in them .

[Jan Martindale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romantic Reunion & Second Chance

All the good things imaginable, an enchanting story of a “young love” couple broken apart by jealousy, returning to Cornwall as adults, seeking a new life. Bumps & bruises along the way, as they work put how to be with one another once again.

[Margaret Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

long lost love ??

A nice love story between families, with second chances.
Lovely story line, ideal holiday reading.
Who doesn’t love romance eh

[Jitka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great escapism, but the story line was quite simplistic and predictable. Also, most conflicts did not make sense since there was not enough character building in the beginning of the book.

[Dobby]

I made it to 13%. This book desperately needs an editor.

Her teeth sank through the lurid pink squishy icing and soon she’d demolished the whole thing. If the second bun made it back to the cottage to enjoy later she’d be amazed.
...

Harry relished the shock spreading across Sharon Trevail’s grim face. Her skin had turned the colour of chalk unlike Thea’s which was now bright enough to be seen from outer space.
...

‘Uh, thanks but I can hop on the bus it’s no problem.’