Tired of the smoke, the smog, and the spoiled females of London, Frederick Hawkins leaves the city behind and purchases an estate in Cornwall, hoping to escape his mother’s meddling-and to find a wife worthy of his devotion. When he happens upon a barefooted lady asleep on the beach and rescues her from the incoming tide, he hopes to have found such a woman. But first impressions can’t be … trusted. Born into wealth, Sophia Rosewall is offered everything on a silver platter. That is, until her father reveals he has lost their fortune and can now no longer fund their affluent living. Even worse, the intriguing gentleman who’d rescued Sophia on the beach is no one else but the pretentious man now taking possession of her home. Uprooted from everything she has ever known, Sophia relocates to Lowena, a small cottage at the edge of the sea. She clings to her former life, but when Society rejects her, life will never be the same.As their paths continually cross, Frederick begins to see glimmers of the carefree Sophia he’d first seen on the beach, and he cannot help but hope that there is more to the woman than a love of wealth and attention. But only Sophia can stop attempting to change her circumstances, and instead, change her heart.
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I will not summarize this story because it was already given in the description of this book and I do not want to give any of the plot away. The purpose of this review is to give potential readers information to make an informed decision about reading this book.
What I enjoyed about this book:
• During the opening scene I felt as if I was on a beach in Cornwall. I could see, hear, and smell the ocean. This immediately drew me into the story.
• I was amazed by the author’s ability to present visual and emotional details. The pictures in my mind were so clear and vivid. The struggles with life that the characters went through, I could feel. The anxiety, anger, fear, and happiness they felt. I felt.
• Sophia, who was she really? I liked learning about her as she learned about herself.
• Frederick was disillusioned with society and their games. Did all women flirt and play games? Will his disillusionment with women ruin his chance for love?
• The pacing of the story was neither too slow nor too fast.
• There was a smooth, coherent flow to this book. The story was well edited.
• This story had a satisfying ending.
I was given an ARC of this book. My review was voluntary and my opinions were my own. I highly recommend this book.
This was such a charming, sweet Regency romance of discernment, self-discovery, and forgiveness that I found difficult to put down. In Book 2 of her Cornish Romance series, Deborah Hathaway has penned another engrossing tale as readers watch the relationship of the kind and appealing hero Frederick Hawkins and Society beauty Sophia Rosewald undergo significant changes throughout the novel. It was so refreshing to watch Sophia’s personal transformation as the story moved along. Although this is part of a series, I have read two of the books out of order and found no problem following along as sufficient background information is presented. I highly recommend this book and the series, set in beautiful Cornwall, England!
Bravo Ms Hathaway! Excellent job!
Such a contrast from Sophia’s previous days living at Fynwary Hall to her move to the bare walls of Lowena. I loved watching her change. From the spoiled rich girl living for the next ball to attend, flirting shamelessly with the eligible rich men, going on shopping sprees for new gowns and ribbons; then her world was turned upside down when her father went bankrupt. Her shame gave her a piece of humble pie when she realized how awful she was. Still she could have turned bitter but with the help of Frederick, she was able to see herself as she had been and she chose to change. I loved watching her and Frederick softly falling in love. I loved the backdrop of the ocean. I could picture myself lying on the beach as Sophia did. There were some wonderful quotes in this book well worth highlighting. I say to Ms Hathaway, “Bravo, excellent job!”
Another Great Story by Deborah M. Hathaway
Ms. Hathaway beautifully conveys the capacity love has to forgive faults and flaws in others, inspiring them to change for the better. This story was sweet and heartwarming, the theme uplifting, and the setting breathtaking. Oh, how I love the sea!
Interesting story line. Really good.
“For there was something more beautiful than perfection—and that was two people doing their best to change for the better, to forgive each other’s mistakes, and to love unconditionally. And that was perfect love, indeed.” The perfect ending to another great sigh-worthy book.
This is book two of Deborah Hathaway’s Cornish romance series. Every moment of this book was enjoyable, especially chapter 14. I will always remember the meaning behind a beautiful seashell. I felt honored to be witness of the growth of the leading lady of this story, Sophia Rosewall. Everyone can benefit learning from the lessons she learned. This book certainly changed my view on life. I highly recommend you read this book as well.
Such a delight to see characters of the Regency era that prefer authenticity over society norms of presentation to better one financially. To see the snobby society miss grow more compassionate and accepting of her reduced circumstance was uplifting. More please.
I REALLY like how the lead characters evolve. This isn’t a one-note romance story.
I chose this book because of the Masterpiece Theater series Poldark which takes place in the same era and location. it is such a good story and I could relate to the mines and landscape of Cornwall England.
The author writes very well: both characters and plot. The story takes place in a British village and involves a rich family who loses everything and must live in a run-down cottage. The heroine through adversity learns to become a much better person. Unfortunately, I found the hero to be sanctimonious and it was hard for me to like him at the end. The heroine learns a good lesson about society, but hero makes her suffer too much. The book is a good read for the beach.
I didn’t finish this book. It was so descriptive that I just stopped reading.
I really liked the main characters and their interactions. The journey to their HEA had its twists and turns but I enjoyed every step of the way.
loved it
This book Is a typical romance:man meets woman, sparks fly; the relationship progresses then crashes. Uncertainty, angst, and indecision rule. Man and woman get together! But not, but yes! Happily ever after. What sets this book apart is that Sophia’s father is bankrupt but has not told his wife and daughter that he’s sold their home. Oh and they have to be out of the manor in two days. SophIa is vain, self-centered, spoiled, and oblivious to any any of the realities of her world. Hawkins, the new owner of the estate, tries to lead Sophia away from air+headed vanity to maturity. The author includes several speeches regarding overcoming and accepting and growing beyond one’s flaws. This aspect was well done.
For the Lady of Lowena is the second book in “A Cornish Romance” series, but is easily read as a stand-alone. The description and dialogue immediately put me in the Jane Austen frame of mind, and cultural and social references as well as the manner of speaking effectively evoked the era. I struggled for a bit to relate to Sophia, but that may be the vast age difference (she’s young enough to be my granddaughter). Spoiled and selfish, she cares about no one but herself for the first quarter of the book, which I found frustrating. But the writing is strong, and I liked the other characters, so I kept reading. I’m glad I did. I won’t give spoilers, except to say that Sophia grows and matures into a likeable young woman. There are bumps along the way, and she gets hurt, but she is better for the lessons learned. Frederick is a wonderful hero, and I appreciate his integrity and faith. And despite his frustration with his mother, he loves her dearly and does his duty by her. The secondary characters are interesting, and I especially like Gwynna.
Lots of good messages about growing up and accepting responsibility for one’s life.
Good story and no yukky sex.
Fun, easy summer read. I liked the character development.
Frederick Hawkins is tired of the smoke, smog and spoiled females of London. He leaves the city and purchases an estate in Cornwall, longing to escape his mother’s meddling and to find a wife worthy of his devotion. When he happens upon a barefooted lady asleep on the beach and rescues her from the incoming tide, he believes he has found such a woman. First impressions cannot be trusted though. Born into wealth, Sophia Rosewall had everything on a silver platter. That is until her father reveals he lost their fortune and can no longer fund their affluent living. Even worse, the intriguing gentleman who rescued Sophia on the beach is the pretentious man taking possession of her home. Sophia relocates to Lowena, a small cottage at the edge of the sea. She clings to her former life. Society rejects her, and nothing will ever be the same. As their paths continually cross, Frederick begins to see glimmers of the carefree Sophia he first met on the beach. He cannot help but hope there is more to the woman than a life of wealth and attention. He does what he can to help her find confidence in her new life, but only Sophia can stop attempting to change her circumstances and instead change her heart, – Sophia was sweet and lovable when Frederick met her on the beach. She was very different at social gatherings. When her father no longer had money, she had a rude awakening. Frederick and her friend Gwynna helped her see the matter and life a better way. Sophia in turn helped Frederick some of his errors. This is a good story.
I LOVED this book. I started out hating the main character but by the end she came around. This kept me interested the whole time and I stayed up late reading it. It’s a second in a series but you do not have to read both to enjoy this. I would definitely recommend this book to friends it was amazing.