On the Shores of Tregalwen

Cornish Romance #0.5

by Deborah M. Hathaway

A Clean, Regency Romance Novella
When her estranged mother beckons her to London, Hannah Summerfield has no choice but to answer her call. Forced to leave behind her peaceful life in Cornwall, she bids farewell to the seaside, her grandparents—and her childhood sweetheart, Thomas. She becomes subdued at once by Society’s rigid rules and her mother’s censure, and when Thomas’s letters unexplainedly stop, she is left to wonder if she ought to embrace her new life in Town after all. But when her mother pressures her to accept an unwanted proposal, Hannah cannot help but flee to the one place she has ever called home—to the only boy she has ever loved.

After three years apart, Thomas Causey has all but given up hope of Hannah ever returning to Cornwall, fearing she has fallen in love with another. But when she appears on his doorstep, soaked through with rain and covered in mud, he allows himself to long once more for a future with the woman he still loves.

However, Thomas quickly realizes that Hannah is not who she was before. She has left London for a reason—a reason he cannot uncover. He longs for the truth they once so easily shared, but Hannah must first find the courage to rediscover herself—and what her heart truly desires.

Genres: Romance, Regency, Historical, Regency Romance, Novella, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction

102 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 4, 2019

About the author

Deborah M. Hathaway graduated from Utah State University with a degree in English and Creative Writing. As a young girl, she devoured Jane Austen's novels while watching and re-watching every adaptation of Pride & Prejudice she could, entirely captured by all things Regency and romance.

Throughout her life, she wrote many short stories, poems, and essays, but it was not until after her marriage that she was finally able to complete her first romance novel, attributing the completion to her courtship with, and love of, her charming, English husband.

Deborah finds her inspiration for her novels in her everyday experiences with her husband and children and during her travels to the United Kingdom, where she draws on the beauty of the country in such places as Ireland, Yorkshire, and her beloved Cornwall.

Reviews

[Julie Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

You guys I absolutely loved this one! I snuggled in and read some before bedtime a couple nights ago and then couldn't wait to finish it the following day. Let's just say that I got my Saturday chores done quickly and found some quiet reading time while my kiddos were finishing their chores. Hee Hee! Let's also just say that it was an insanely long week and this book was just what I needed to enjoy and finish off the week with. *breathing calmly*

Hannah and Thomas are childhood friends. When Hannah is pulled away from the only home she ever knows, and the comfort of her grandparents and Thomas, she is forced to conform to who her mother wants her to be. I was thinking about Hannah's situation and wondering how easy/hard it would be to stay true to yourself in that type of situation. Not in the sense of doing anything against what you believe, but in not shutting off and withdrawing into yourself, being a shell of who you truly are. I think sometimes everyone has moments like that in their lives. Probably not always to an extreme, but in a small sense of having to conform and act a certain way.

Hannah finally gains the courage (maybe fear) to flee London, her mother and society, and return to Cornwall where she was truly happy and loved. Can I just tell you all how much I loved her tenacity. Yet, she had become unsure of herself after trying to make herself someone that her mother would love. This book switches perspective between Hannah and Thomas and I loved seeing what each of the characters were thinking and feeling.

Without giving anything away, I will say that Hannah and Thomas have some great chemistry. It may not be 100% accurate for how a couple would act in this time period according to the strictures of society but other than that, it was well done with the time period. Fun and full of charm, humor, sweet and tender moments and a happily ever after!

This is a prequel to Deborah Hathaway's upcoming new series based in Cornwall. And if some of the characters that were background characters are the main characters in the upcoming novels, I am super excited to read their stories! Yay!!!

Content: Clean. A couple sweet kisses.

I received a copy from the author. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

[Joleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My preference is historical Christian fiction. However if there’s a story close enough to that, and it’s clean, and it’s sweet, I can thoroughly enjoy it. On the Shores of Tregalwen is that story.

Very brief story of Hannah, a 15-year-old who has lived her whole life with her grandparents in Cornwall while her mother lived the society life in London. Hannah loved Cornwall and she was especially fond of the neighbor lad (Thomas) with whom she grew up riding horses, exploring their surroundings and playing pranks on the servants.

At nearly sixteen, though, her mother decided it was time to introduce her to London's social life and find a proper husband. So Hannah left her beloved Cornwall.

Such a sweet book. All the characters (except for the mother) were wonderful. The romance was clean and chaste. Refreshing!

The story introduced Abigail who is the lighthouse keeper's niece in the next book I’ve nearly finished.

[Heidi Robbins (Heidi Reads...) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet romance without much conflict, but it was still a pleasure to read as Hannah follows her impetuous desire to visit Cornwall and leaves her manipulative mother and London society behind. Thomas and Hannah's renewed friendship turned to romance rather quickly, and I would have enjoyed more of them getting to know each other again. It works well as a novella though, and inspired me add Cornwall to my travel bucket list!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet novella. I enjoyed every moment of it. I loved the childhood friendship that developed into love. This is sweet and clean.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute story! This is a really short prequel that shows the relationship between one of the couples from Behind the Light of Golowduyn. I loved Hannah and Thomas. Although the story is so short I really saw the main hero and heroine's personalities. They were adorable. I loved every second of it! (Minus Hannah's mother).

[Melissa (christianbooksandcoffee) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute story! Loved Hannah and Thomas! Definitely recommend this cute novella!

[Kathy Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up, Hannah and Thomas were the best of friends. They were inseparable and couldn't imagine life without the other one in it. But when Hannah's estranged mother calls her to London, they both fear they'll never see each other again.

With promises of writing each other, Hannah leaves her beloved Cornwall and her childhood sweetheart behind and heads to London. It doesn't take long before she becomes a shadow of her former self. She's miserable and dislikes the busyness of London. But nothing she does or says can convince her mother to let her go home to Cornwall.

When her mother tries to force her to accept an unwanted proposal, Hannah decides it's time to take back her life and do what she has been dreaming of doing for three years... go home.

Thomas has almost given up on ever seeing Hannah again when she shows up on his doorstep, lost and soaking wet from the storm. Even though it's been three years, nothing has changed between them. They still have that easy friendship, but there's something different about Hannah, she's holding herself back. Thomas is determined to not only help her discover who she's meant to be but to find the HEA they have both been longing for all these years.

*dreamy sigh*

This was a super cute book! If you're a fan of best friends to lovers troupe, then this book is for you! Hannah and Thomas were fun characters and the setting was absolutely perfect! It was easy for me to picture every detail in my mind. I love when an author can do that! I am definitely looking forward to the other books in this series!

Ms. Hathaway's books are always a fun break from reality. It isn't a secret that I have a hard time getting into regency and historical romances. Very few authors can get me excited to read these genres and I'm happy to say that she is definitely one of them! I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!

And what review of mine would be complete without my casting?! I adore these two! What do you think?

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the Shores of Tregalwen was such a sweet, darling story, featuring an adorable friends-to-lovers romance set against the lovely setting of Cornwall. I loved both Thomas and Hannah and thought they were such a fantastic couple; watching their relationship blossom was a lovely way to spend the evening. There was very little conflict, but I didn't mind as I was in the mood for a more slow-moving, fluffy story. I’m eager to read the remainder of the series and experience the romances of some of the other characters introduced in this delightful novella.

[Ru4repeat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, but oh so sweet

The length of pages were few, but the storyline made up for it. The characters were relatable and engaging. The romance was sweet and tender. It was great to see Hannah's growth and her determination to go after her own happiness.
On a steaminess level I would rate this a pleasant PG.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! This series initially intrigued me because it is set in Cornwall, and having loved the scenery in Poldark, I thought it would be fun to “revisit” Cornwall. Let me just say that I loved this novella. Best friends falling in love? Yes, please! I loved Thomas and Hannah and their friendship. The part where Thomas was singing Tykki Duw at the gathering on the beach, while gazing at Hannah, was dreamy. Reminded me a bit of the scene in Edenbrooke where Philip teaches Marianne to write a love letter. You know, a man confessing his feelings for a woman without actually saying the words. I was swooning. Loved it.

[Vicki Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book by this author and it's a prequel to her new series on Cornwall. This story centered on Hannah who has been raised in Cornwall by her paternal grandparents. She returns to London with her mother for her "coming out", but is leaving her best friend, Thomas, behind in Cornwall. A very clean and sweet romance with good character development. I look forward to reading more from this author about this lovely country.
I received an ARC copy of this book. This is my voluntary and honest review with my own personal thoughts and opinions. Vicki from Wyoming

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just discovered this new series and am quite excited about it. I love the Cornwall setting! Beautiful beaches, a bon fire get together, horse races on the beach, a life long friendship that turns into a wonderful romance. All in all a super start to a series that I look forward to reading more of. Clean, with just a chaste kiss.

[Peach · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a darling story! Friends to lovers is my very favorite trope, and to have the beautiful setting of Cornwall only added to this story’s charm. A quick, excellent read!

** I received a free copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Count me hooked! I started with this novella because I have this need to read book series in order and I was not disappointed. It was such a quick and swoon worthy read. I cannot wait to jump into the full length novels next.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars only because it was a novella and rushed. It was a really sweet story of best friends to lovers. 💕

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

Sweet, clean, and safe. I didn’t love the secret keeping, but it was all innocent enough. The characters were decently developed for a short.

[Christi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I am a sucker for a good romance there must be some kind of conflict or tension to keep me interested and I felt like On the Shores of Tregalwen fell flat in this area big time. Hannah and Thomas are childhood friends that have developed more than a friendship as the years have gone by, so when you start the story they're pretty much already in love with each other. Hannah's mother forces her to leave the beautiful shores of Tregalwen for the stuffy London society, which is everything Hannah hates. While in London, Hannah can no longer stand not being where she wants to be, so she runs away back to Tregalwen and back into Thomas's arms.

Sugary sweet and hard to swallow is how I would define this novella, to the point to where I skimmed the last few chapters because the outcome is so blatantly obvious that I completely lost interest. The story started off with such promise but it quickly left me wanting more.

On that note, I will say that the descriptions of Tregalwen paints a beautiful mind portrait and the writing itself is well done, which makes giving a negative review heartbreaking for me. Still, I refuse to give up on this new series and hope that the next installment will have more intrigue.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first met Hannah and Thomas in Behind The Lighthouse Of Golowduyn, they were already married for a year and expecting their first child. This novella is their story. When Lady Beatrice, Hannah's mother, was widowed after only 3 years of marriage... she could not wait to leave Cornwall for the parties and her own brand of excitement that could only be found in London. She left Hannah with her paternal grandparents until Hannah was 16... when she reentered her daughter's life. Torn between her love for her grandparents, her childhood friend Thomas Causey and the wild carefree freedom of Cornwall vis~à~vis her duty to her mother, Hannah reluctantly went to London where Lady Beatrice could control and direct her daughter's life towards what she thought would make Hannah happy. Inevitably, her concept of joy ran contrary to her daughter's... for despite the cut~off ties due to her duplicity and the passing of years Hannah never forgot Cornwall and the loved ones she left behind.

p.s. ~ In Chapter 5, "the roasted duck and pheasant were 'divvied up' on plates..." divvied is too Contemporary and jolted the Timeline a bit.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't ever read a story by Deborah Hathaway before, but found one of her books for free or cheap (FOR THE LADY OF LOWENA) and decided to go ahead and take a look at the series. This is book 0, a preview, and it was very good.

The story takes place on the coast of Cornwall, and our heroine loves her home in Cornwall, and she loves Thomas, a man beneath her station, but her best friend. Hannah's mother left Cornwall for London when she became a widow and didn't look back very often. She hated Cornwall, and hated that her daughter's best friend was a "nobody". When Hannah turns 16 her mother brings her back to London with her and does everything she can to cut her off from Cornwall and the people she loves back there, lying to Hannah and to her grandparents (whom she was living with) and to Thomas. Hannah hates London and wants nothing more than to go back to Cornwall, and when her mother pushes her where she doesn't want to go one time too many, Hannah flees London!

To find out what happens in between all of that you will have to read the story. It is clean.

[Winnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting in Cornwall drew me into this story. The author’s descriptions of the countryside were easy to visualize, and I can see why Hannah would prefer it to London society. Hannah was a lovable heroine, and the friendship and affection that she and Thomas had for each other was sweet. The characters were well-drawn for a short story. Hannah and Thomas were endearing, and I was glad to see Hannah develop some backbone in dealing with her mother’s manipulations.

I would like to have seen a deeper development between Hannah and Thomas as adults. It seemed a bit rushed, even as a novella. The writing is clear and concise, and I’m looking forward to reading more of this author’s work.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a review, and all opinions are entirely my own.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am still slowly working my way through Deborah M. Hathaway’s backlist, and I am not even a little bit sad that I still have some of her books to read. Because every read is delightful and full of depth and heart and love and swoon and it’s beautiful.

This book is short, but Deborah still masterfully packed a rich and heartfelt romance into these pages. If you want a quick little bite of some tug-and-pull, childhood best friends, years-gone-by, yearning and pining, choose this one.

Novellas can be difficult to pull off and still get enough depth to feel like you’re getting a good story. But I was fully invested in Hannah and Thomas’s story and hoped so much they would achieve their happily ever after. This novella is a fantastic start to the entire series, and I can’t wait to finish it. (I’ve read them all out of order, so now I have two and three left. 😂)

[Emily Cronk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay friends. We're back with another round of "why in the world did it take me so long to read this book?!" Because this little novella is the sweetest and I loved it.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the full length books in this series, so it was so much fun to revisit the series in this prequel novella. I'm pretty sure On the Shores of Tregalwen has everything you could want in a book - a determined heroine, a kind-hearted hero, Cornwall, a bonfire and horse races on the beach, an awesome cast of side characters, the sweetest childhood best friends to lovers romance....what is there not to love here??

If this little beauty (along with the rest of the series) isn't on your TBR lists already, it needs to be. I have spoken.

[Marie Bourgery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet Regency romance. Hannah and Thomas grew up together, best friends racing horses on the sand and getting into trouble until her mother who abandoned her as a toddler to her grandparents in Cornwall calls her to London for the season. Three years later, Hannah is disenchanted with London, misses her best friend, and her mother has tried to force a betrothal on her, so she runs away back home to Cornwall. There were several miscommunications and misunderstandings between Hannah and Thomas as they think the other one has moved on. I loved the song that Thomas sang at the bonfire about “love” traveling far away and coming back home.

[Elda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mother’s love?
Do you ever wish that you could have better control of your own life? That others would not have the control over you that they did? Such was the state of Hannah’s life. Her mother had manipulated her so that she could make a lady of her in the society of London. But having been raised by her grandparents in Cornwall, Hannah had already tasted the life she led there and had fallen in love with Thomas. Her only option was to flee London and return to Cornwall. I praised Hannah for her courage and determination to make herself happy by taking that step on her own. And I praise Ms Hathaway for her excellent writing skills in this novella. Very well written and enjoyable.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance! I did have a couple of issues with it.

First, the heroine calls her maternal parent Mother--a genteel young lady would have called her Mama. I realize that the only reason I know this is from reading Charles Dickens; but the author knows about Grandmama and uses it interchangeably with Grandmother.

The other issue was the abrupt and unannounced perspective change in the final chapter. I had to reread it to be sure I hadn't missed something!

Oh, and the fact that a girl of nineteen would not be able to defy her mother and marry whomever she wished. 🤔

Otherwise, it's a sweet story and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful short story

I am excited to have discovered a new author. I was first captivated by the cover of book 2 in her Cornwall series. Since I am one who likes to read books in order, I of course had to begin with this novella. It did not disappoint. As a preview to the writings of this author it was absolutely perfect. I got to nibble at her delightful way of creating characters and weaving an engaging story. I'm all ready to jump in to her official book 1 of her series.

[Danielle Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice prequil

Enjoyed this book immensely. Short and sweet I have already read the 3 in the series, but would have liked to have realized this was part of it and read it first. But since it was short it was fine being out of order.

Very good writing, much better than the 2nd and 3rd , no weird similes. Not sure why the creepy into the other books. But I'm glad they were missing in this. The writing flowed smoothly.

This is set of books I've read from this author. So I'm interested to see what the others are like. 😃
So far all worth reading.

[Maria Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the setting for this series. It sounds so beautiful and I want to go there.

This is a novella and was perfect for my mood this afternoon. I didn't want a lot of angst but instead just a sweet romance. I loved the Hannah and Thomas and really disliked her mother. Glad she stepped away from her. Loved the grandparents. And I really liked Mr. Hawkins as well. The story is well written, the characters well fleshed out, especially for the length of the novella and lovely to read.

Sex: no
Language: no
Violence: no

[Angela - Enjoy Life With Me Podcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short prequel novella. Read it all in one sitting on a fall afternoon.

Not a lot of drama, perfect if you need a clean, sweet romance.

The characters were wonderful. Learning to listen to themselves, learning to follow their hearts, learning to communicate honestly.

I wish novellas were longer so we could explore the characters more but I was happy with how it ended so I can jump into the rest of the series.

Language: None
Spice: Mild (Kisses only)

(I received a free copy; all opinions are my own)

[Brooke Losee · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWWW! This was just so sweet! I loved this novella. It was the perfect short read with no shortage on content swoony sighs. Hannah and Thomas are just perfect together and it was heartbreaking when they parted. But true love never fades. These two were drawn to each other, despite the distance, and I was drawn and INVESTED in them finding their happily ever after. BUT...now I'm sad. I've officially finished the series. I don't want to be done. I need more Cornwall, Deborah!!

A great quick read that will leave you with that happy floating feeling. Can't recommend this series enough <3