Tremarnock

Tremarnock is a classic Cornish seaside village where Liz has found sanctuary for herself and her young daughter, Rosie. From early in the morning with her job as a cleaner, till late at night waitressing in the restaurant, Liz works all the hours God sends to provide for them both. But trouble is waiting just around the corner. As with all villages, there are tensions, secrets - and ambitions.

Liz has found refuge in the small fishing village of Tremarnock with her young daughter, Rosie, after her relationship with Rosie's father came unstuck. Now happily married to village restaurant owner, Robert Hart, all seems set for a quiet autumn and merry Christmas. But strangers have bought the local guest house and seem to have big plans. Why is he so charming and confident, but she so frightened? And what are they really doing with the guest house?

Bramble Challoner has had a very normal upbringing. She lives in the suburbs of London with her parents and works at the call centre down the road. She still goes out with the boy she met at school. Bramble is dying for an adventure. So when her grandfather, Lord Penrose, dies, leaving his huge, rambling house in Cornwall to her, Bramble packs her bags immediately, dragging along her best friend Katie. The sleepy village of Tremarnock had better be ready...

In June 1914, Sir Anthony Valentine, a keen mountaineer, arrives with his family to spend the summer in their chalet, high in the French Alps. There, for the first time, fourteen-year-old foundling Mathilde starts work as one of the 'uglies' - village girls employed as servants and picked, it is believed, to ensure they don't catch Sir Anthony's roving eye. For Mathilde it is the start of a life-long entanglement with les anglais - strange, exciting people, far removed from the hard grind of farming. Except she soon finds the Valentines are less carefree than they appear, with a curiously absent daughter no one talks about. It will be decades - disrupted by war, accidents and a cruel betrayal - before Mathilde discovers the key to the mystery. And in 1976, the year Sir Anthony's great-great grandson comes to visit, she must decide whether to use it. Vividly evoking the dramatic landscape that so enthralls the Valentines, this deeply involving, intriguing novel tells the story of an English family through the generations and a memorable French woman, whose lives seem worlds apart yet which become inextricably connected.

Escape to the Cornish coast with a new heartwarming Tremarnock novel, perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Philippa Ashley. In the quaint Cornish village of Tremarnock, Chabela Penhallow arrives for a holiday and to discover more about her Cornish ancestors. But, as always with newcomers to the small seaside town, rumours start to fly about this beautiful stranger. Is there more to her than meets the eye? Meanwhile, Rob and Liz Hart's marriage is on the rocks, but only one of them knows the real reason. Once the secret is out, will they be able to handle the repercussions or will it destroy their life together? For the residents of Tremarnock, the revelations will either bond or break them - forever.