I was really looking forward to reading this. I loved Katy Carter Wants a Hero and hoped that this novel would be as good. It was actually better.
This is the story of Andi, her sister Angel, and Angel’s flatmate Gemma. All three girls have reached rock bottom in their lives and, having nothing left to lose, decide to head off to the glamorous Cornish resort of Rock for the summer.
Angel, whose life and career plan is to simply find a rich husband, is mortified to find herself staying in a tatty caravan, but soon sets about creating the image of a wealthy young woman to attract her future spouse. Andi, the solid, reliable sister who has always taken care of her, quickly finds a job working for a wealthy businessman thanks to her boss’s attractive but broke brother. Gemma, a budding actress who has struggled with her weight and is under strict orders to lose the pounds or lose her agent, finds herself colliding (quite literally) with a fellow foodie, and tries to make amends in the way she knows best – through his stomach. Unfortunately, her new friend is under even more intense pressure than herself to get trim and there are plenty of people determined to keep him well away from the girl who may be too much of a temptation in more ways than one.
I have to say I loved all the main characters in this book. It’s not easy to come up with three likeable, yet very different heroines but Ruth has managed it beautifully. Not only that, but she has managed three heroes who prove to be worthy of our lovely girls.
Of course, there has to be many twists and turns first before there can be a happy ending, and the author provided plenty of those with plot twists and red herrings galore.
The novel is very well-written and Ruth really has a gift for metaphor. She also describes Cornwall so beautifully and so vividly that I felt a huge longing to be back there, soaking up the sun and hanging out with such lovely characters.
Each of the protagonists goes through a satisfying character arc and I ended up feeling extremely proud of them – particularly Angel who at first glance seemed rather shallow. Then I thought, why would she hang out with Gemma if she was that one-dimensional? There has to be more to her than that. And there was. Her concern for Mrs Yuri, her love for her big sister, her protective attitude towards her best friend are all clues that there is a lot more to Angel than first meets the eye, and the reader soon learns that she has grown a protective shell after a less-than-happy childhood and a tragic loss in her life. Angel probably goes through the biggest changes and I was hugely glad that she found her own hero eventually.
I cheered on Gemma as she learned to take a compliment and believe in herself, and adored Cal, who fought his own battles and loved his girl just as she was.
Andi, responsible, serious Andi, needed someone to take care of her for a change after being badly let down in both her romantic and professional lives. Such vile betrayal is hard to cope with, and learning to trust again is hard, but the divine Jonty soon brings a smile to her face and he seems to be just the antidote she needs to the poison in her past. But Jonty has his own secrets and Andi’s faith is tested once again. I loved this romance and felt Jonty was the perfect man for Andi. And what a fabulous ending!
There are some real laugh-out-loud moments in this book and it’s a perfect summer read. It held my attention the whole way through – in fact I bitterly resented having to put it down when real life called!

A real Cornish treasure! 5/5

Buy it here