What do you think?
Rate this book
The Colonials #2
Cochin Fall
British Cochin, 1934.
Returning to her home among the palm trees that line the coast of Cochin, South India, after six years at school in England, Clara Saunders is thrilled to learn that the future mapped out for her by her trader father is the one she would have chosen herself.
It’s a future that will unite her with her childhood sweetheart, George Goddard, the son of a neighbouring trader. It will also cement her friendship with George’s vivacious sister, Lizzie, and bring even closer together the two successful trading companies.
Trader Lewis Mackenzie, an employee of Clara’s father, is both ruthless and ambitious. Keen on seeing an expansion of Saunders & Co, and frustrated by the complacency shown by Henry Saunders, he determines to take matters into his own hands.
One simple misunderstanding gives rise to further misunderstandings, and in the face of potential disaster, the happiness of several people hangs in the balance.
Returning to her home among the palm trees that line the coast of Cochin, South India, after six years at school in England, Clara Saunders is thrilled to learn that the future mapped out for her by her trader father is the one she would have chosen herself.
It’s a future that will unite her with her childhood sweetheart, George Goddard, the son of a neighbouring trader. It will also cement her friendship with George’s vivacious sister, Lizzie, and bring even closer together the two successful trading companies.
Trader Lewis Mackenzie, an employee of Clara’s father, is both ruthless and ambitious. Keen on seeing an expansion of Saunders & Co, and frustrated by the complacency shown by Henry Saunders, he determines to take matters into his own hands.
One simple misunderstanding gives rise to further misunderstandings, and in the face of potential disaster, the happiness of several people hangs in the balance.
- GenresHistorical FictionIndia
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2022
125 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Liz Harris
25 books57 followersBorn in London, Liz Harris graduated from university with a Law degree, and then moved to California, where she led a varied life, from waitressing on Sunset Strip to working as secretary to the CEO of a large Japanese trading company.
Six years later, she returned to London and completed a degree in English, after which she taught secondary school pupils, first in Berkshire, then Cheshire, and then in Oxfordshire.
In addition to the eighteen novels she’s had published, she’s had several short stories in anthologies and magazines.
Liz now lives in Windsor, Berkshire. An active member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Historical Novel Society, her interests are travel, the theatre, reading and cryptic crosswords.
To find out more about Liz, visit her website at: www.lizharrisauthor.com. You can sign up to her monthly newsletter from her website, and as a thank-you gift, you’ll receive a free book, Word Perfect, a romance set in California.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 10, 2023
I couldn't put it down. Fabulous book.
This is the best of the Colonials series and although the others were great too, this one topped them all. I feel I know all the characters personally due to the excellent description of their personslity. I also feel I know that part of India in detail due to the beautiful writing which creates such an atmosphere of the place and weaves into it the historical background of the time. The personal stories of all the people intertwined with the British colonial history of the time makes this the most enjoyable read.
This is the best of the Colonials series and although the others were great too, this one topped them all. I feel I know all the characters personally due to the excellent description of their personslity. I also feel I know that part of India in detail due to the beautiful writing which creates such an atmosphere of the place and weaves into it the historical background of the time. The personal stories of all the people intertwined with the British colonial history of the time makes this the most enjoyable read.
March 30, 2022
A Reviewer's Choice
Cochin Fall is a delightful and entertaining story that takes place in beautiful Cochin, South India, 1934. A story of love and misunderstandings, it will please those who enjoy romances and appreciate an ending where all is made well.
Clara, just back from school abroad and the daughter of British business owner and trader Henry Saunders and his wife, is hoping to soon be engaged to her childhood friend, George Goddard, the son of another local British trader. Such an alliance, she knows, will be approved as it will strengthen the position of the two trading companies. Clara is also good friends with George’s sister, Lizzie, who is one of the two antagonists in the story, albeit a mild one. The other antagonist is Lewis Mackenzie, her father’s company agent and who is singly focused on financial success. The final and other significant character in the book is British diplomat Edward Harrington. The most decent and honest of all, he falls in love with Clara though recognizes that she is enamored with George. Harris does a marvelous job creating sympathetic characters whose stories demand a happy ending.
The real enjoyment comes twofold. First, the background and setting may open up to the casual reader a world with which some might be unfamiliar. There are palm trees and rainstorms and sea-going vessels exporting local spices like pepper and cardamom. References are made to Bolgatty Palace, the residence of the local British governor; Indian servants play a background role. The story itself takes place during the British Raj, a period of British rule in India that lasted nearly 100 years from 1858-1947. Harris’ research is evident in the way she couches the story in a rich, historical context.
Second, the reader will enjoy having a bird’s eye view of the various entanglements, all of which are rooted in misunderstandings and misguided assumptions. Characters find themselves in untenable positions. Clara cares for George, who seems to care for her, but may not really know her. Lizzie is interested in Lewis. Lewis is interested in Clara. Clara is trying to keep George’s interest, while Edward is pining for her in the background. Operating within the social expectations of the time, characters meet in public places, are accompanied by chaperones, and are thrilled by stolen kisses. It’s a tangled story of “love and war” and one that keeps the reader engaged as it’s not immediately clear how it can possibly end well. Happily, though, there is resolution. Misunderstandings are revealed and crimes accounted for.
Readers, especially those who enjoy romances set outside of Europe or the United States, will find this an engaging story with a satisfying ending for all.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
Cochin Fall is a delightful and entertaining story that takes place in beautiful Cochin, South India, 1934. A story of love and misunderstandings, it will please those who enjoy romances and appreciate an ending where all is made well.
Clara, just back from school abroad and the daughter of British business owner and trader Henry Saunders and his wife, is hoping to soon be engaged to her childhood friend, George Goddard, the son of another local British trader. Such an alliance, she knows, will be approved as it will strengthen the position of the two trading companies. Clara is also good friends with George’s sister, Lizzie, who is one of the two antagonists in the story, albeit a mild one. The other antagonist is Lewis Mackenzie, her father’s company agent and who is singly focused on financial success. The final and other significant character in the book is British diplomat Edward Harrington. The most decent and honest of all, he falls in love with Clara though recognizes that she is enamored with George. Harris does a marvelous job creating sympathetic characters whose stories demand a happy ending.
The real enjoyment comes twofold. First, the background and setting may open up to the casual reader a world with which some might be unfamiliar. There are palm trees and rainstorms and sea-going vessels exporting local spices like pepper and cardamom. References are made to Bolgatty Palace, the residence of the local British governor; Indian servants play a background role. The story itself takes place during the British Raj, a period of British rule in India that lasted nearly 100 years from 1858-1947. Harris’ research is evident in the way she couches the story in a rich, historical context.
Second, the reader will enjoy having a bird’s eye view of the various entanglements, all of which are rooted in misunderstandings and misguided assumptions. Characters find themselves in untenable positions. Clara cares for George, who seems to care for her, but may not really know her. Lizzie is interested in Lewis. Lewis is interested in Clara. Clara is trying to keep George’s interest, while Edward is pining for her in the background. Operating within the social expectations of the time, characters meet in public places, are accompanied by chaperones, and are thrilled by stolen kisses. It’s a tangled story of “love and war” and one that keeps the reader engaged as it’s not immediately clear how it can possibly end well. Happily, though, there is resolution. Misunderstandings are revealed and crimes accounted for.
Readers, especially those who enjoy romances set outside of Europe or the United States, will find this an engaging story with a satisfying ending for all.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
March 10, 2022
Cochin Fall is an excellently researched novel and brings British Cochin in the 1930s vividly to life. Detailed descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells are so beautifully written that the reader can easily lose themselves in the world of the British Raj.
Cochin Fall is an evocative reminder of what it feels like to be eighteen again and deeply, madly, passionately in love. Clara and her childhood friend, George, pledged to marry when they were only eleven and twelve years old, before they were sent to England to be schooled. When they finally meet again in Cochin seven years later, they discover their feelings for each other have only grown stronger. Their two families, both traders with successful businesses, are delighted that they will be united by the young couples’ engagement. Clara’s parents insist that they must wait for six months to ensure that they have time to get to know each other before they marry.
Clara’s friend, Lizzie is George’s sister and her parents intend her to make an advantageous marriage to a man she hasn’t yet met. Lizzie, however, has different ideas and becomes infatuated by handsome, raffish Lewis Mackenzie, employed by Clara’s father. She knows such an alliance will not please her parents.
The author perfectly captured the restrictive social norms for young women at this time. Clara and Lizzie are bound together by their desperate scheming to escape their chaperones and spend time alone with the objects of their passion. Ultimately, this has dramatic repercussions not only for the two girls but for their families, too.
Cochin Fall is an enjoyable love story is with a surprising twist at the end, set against a fascinating and exotic historical setting.
Cochin Fall is an evocative reminder of what it feels like to be eighteen again and deeply, madly, passionately in love. Clara and her childhood friend, George, pledged to marry when they were only eleven and twelve years old, before they were sent to England to be schooled. When they finally meet again in Cochin seven years later, they discover their feelings for each other have only grown stronger. Their two families, both traders with successful businesses, are delighted that they will be united by the young couples’ engagement. Clara’s parents insist that they must wait for six months to ensure that they have time to get to know each other before they marry.
Clara’s friend, Lizzie is George’s sister and her parents intend her to make an advantageous marriage to a man she hasn’t yet met. Lizzie, however, has different ideas and becomes infatuated by handsome, raffish Lewis Mackenzie, employed by Clara’s father. She knows such an alliance will not please her parents.
The author perfectly captured the restrictive social norms for young women at this time. Clara and Lizzie are bound together by their desperate scheming to escape their chaperones and spend time alone with the objects of their passion. Ultimately, this has dramatic repercussions not only for the two girls but for their families, too.
Cochin Fall is an enjoyable love story is with a surprising twist at the end, set against a fascinating and exotic historical setting.
Read
July 18, 2022I thought the storyline was good. The description of the surrounding area did make you feel you were actually there. I found though that I did know the outcome of the story long before it finished.
September 10, 2022
Books about Empire-era India make up a popular sub-genre of historic fiction. Most are quite lightweight romances with rather obvious plots. Cochin Fall is such a book. It's a light, fluffy distraction but not something you should expect to remember a couple of weeks later.
Everything that happens is well sign-posted in advance. Everything is very obvious. Good looking young bucks, and conniving lower-class employees compete with solid but dependable gentleman for the hand of young Clara, back from school in England and ready to be married off for the most commercial advantage.
There are tons of these books set in the Himalaya and I had to keep reminding myself that this one was set in Kerala. Unfortunately, the lack of depth or insight about Kerala suggested that the setting was probably derived from a half-hour travel documentary. It's all Chinese fishing nets and rice barges. Local people are barely there in this story unless you want a tireless brown fellow with a string tied to his toe to pull the punka are a liveried footman to serve a Gimlet.
Everything that happens is well sign-posted in advance. Everything is very obvious. Good looking young bucks, and conniving lower-class employees compete with solid but dependable gentleman for the hand of young Clara, back from school in England and ready to be married off for the most commercial advantage.
There are tons of these books set in the Himalaya and I had to keep reminding myself that this one was set in Kerala. Unfortunately, the lack of depth or insight about Kerala suggested that the setting was probably derived from a half-hour travel documentary. It's all Chinese fishing nets and rice barges. Local people are barely there in this story unless you want a tireless brown fellow with a string tied to his toe to pull the punka are a liveried footman to serve a Gimlet.
February 3, 2022
This is the second book in a "series" set in colonial India, but a completely independant story (no connection between the characters) so, if you haven't read Darjeeling Inheritance yet, don't let that stop you from diving into Cochin Fall.
Mostly told in Clara's point of view, the story also includes sections centred on other characters, which provides the reader with more information than the heroine has and made me wish I could warn her when someone misinterpreted her intentions and/or had harmful ones. And even though a romance novel is supposed to end happily, I spent a long time wondering if Clara could end up with "the right person", or if I would have doubts about who that should be (I must say the author is really good at giving me such doubts, as it happened before). All that means I felt very involved in the story and found the book hard to put down.
Mostly told in Clara's point of view, the story also includes sections centred on other characters, which provides the reader with more information than the heroine has and made me wish I could warn her when someone misinterpreted her intentions and/or had harmful ones. And even though a romance novel is supposed to end happily, I spent a long time wondering if Clara could end up with "the right person", or if I would have doubts about who that should be (I must say the author is really good at giving me such doubts, as it happened before). All that means I felt very involved in the story and found the book hard to put down.
October 7, 2022
The author creates a plot of misunderstandings that alter expected events, but nevertheless provides the reader clues that make the ending not the surprise it is to those involved.. There are the stock elements of many historical romances I have read-a virtuous but lively and likeable heroine, pitted against a self-centered friend and a conniving villain one can love to hate. A central character is not fleshed out enough to be of interest, perhaps as intended, but that is what makes the ending predictable. The novel kept my interest mainly by the descriptions of colonial life during the British Raj in India. There always servants waiting in the wings to fetch a drink, a snack, or an elaborate dinner, conveniently dismissed when not needed. Slices of mango and banana, macaroons and tea cakes are instantly made available to visitors. This sort of trivia kept me reading.
October 28, 2025
This was not my favorite Liz Harris book. The story takes place in British Colonial India and centers around traders. The main character, Clara was very sweet but there just wasn't enough depth to her even though she showed some growing maturity throughout the story. Of course, given the time and place, she was your standard young woman. Three men are in love with Clara and that makes this more of a soap opera. I would have liked something added in about the workers and their families. I also guessed the ending shortly after I started the book. I admit that I finished the book only to see if my guess would come to fruition. Although I was expecting it, I must say that I teared up a bit with happiness. If you like a nice romance set in British Colonial times than this novel is for you.
February 20, 2022
A perfect getaway to exotic India.
The setting and the story is just as charming as with the first book in the Colonials series. Darjeeling Inheritance and Cochin Fall are standalone novels but have similar atmosphere, plot and characters.
The author shows us an enchanting India with its mouthwatering meals, refreshing drinks, stunning architecture, and the strict rules of society of the British community. There is romance, intrigue, balls and dinners in the English Club, lots of coffee and cakes. I really enjoyed reading this novel and will be looking forward to the third book in the series, Hanoi Spring.
Many thanks to the author for an Advance Review Copy.
The setting and the story is just as charming as with the first book in the Colonials series. Darjeeling Inheritance and Cochin Fall are standalone novels but have similar atmosphere, plot and characters.
The author shows us an enchanting India with its mouthwatering meals, refreshing drinks, stunning architecture, and the strict rules of society of the British community. There is romance, intrigue, balls and dinners in the English Club, lots of coffee and cakes. I really enjoyed reading this novel and will be looking forward to the third book in the series, Hanoi Spring.
Many thanks to the author for an Advance Review Copy.
February 15, 2022
Liz Harris's latest book Cochin Falls did not disappoint. The story is well researched and written. Set in India in the days of the British Raj it's easy to imagine the colourful sights, sounds and rich aromas from the detailed descriptions. The plot develops at a good pace with characters who are believable and likeable (mostly). There are many twists and turns following a simple misunderstanding which results in the ending not being predictable, always difficult with a romantic novel. I really enjoyed this story which is well worth a read.
February 26, 2022
Amazing
I loved this book. I felt as if I was there hin Cochin. I didn't want this story to end.
I loved this book. I felt as if I was there hin Cochin. I didn't want this story to end.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews