Book Review - Treasure of the Heart by Ruth Saberton

Amazon UK

Title: Treasure of the Heart (Polwenna Bay Book 4)

Author: Ruth Saberton

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied review copy

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 24th March 2016

Rating: 4.5 Stars

The heart is a deep ocean of treasure… 

For twenty-two years Issie Tremaine’s wild behaviour has driven her family to distraction. Now, with the future she’d dreamed of in tatters, she’s returned home to try and forget the past. When a huge winter storm and the arrival of a handsome stranger cause upheaval in the village there is an even greater tempest in Issie’s heart. Dare she trust again? Or will she only face more betrayal? 

As a professional treasure hunter, American Luke Dawson can’t risk any distractions. With his reputation hanging in the balance he’s staking everything on a major find in England and daren’t let anyone get in his way. Not even the passionate and free spirited girl he can’t stop thinking about. 

Alice Tremaine’s world has been her family. Since the death of her daughter-in-law she’s single handedly raised her grandchildren, often at the expense of her own happiness. Now they are grown up, Alice is resigned to a quiet life in Polwenna Bay until her past returns to challenge her and awaken a love she’d thought long lost … 

With a stormy start to the New Year, secrets and fears are swept away with the crashing tides and long forgotten truths are laid bare. What treasure lies beneath the ocean and in the hidden depths of hearts? And who will be brave enough to claim it? 

I can't believe its been under a year since I was first introduced to Polwenna Bay, and now this is book 4, and the series shows no signs of slowing down, in fact I'd argue it keeps improving, with each book having a completely different theme to it, as well as a different member of the Tremaine family to focus on. 

Each book in the series is definitely readable as a standalone, and this is no exception, although since the series is so great, I would be surprised if you didn't want to start at the beginning. 

This time around the focus is on Issie Tremaine, who is at the heart of the trip to Polwenna Bay, and during the night of a big storm, she is convinced she has found a shipwreck,which would prove a legend about missing treasure is true. She announces her find and the press, tourists and amateur treasure hunters all come to the town, to try and see if its true. 

At the same time handsome American Luke Dawson arrives in town, claiming to be researching a history paper, and attracts Issie's attention. Of course the reader has already been introduced to Luke, and know both sides of the story. 

We also get to see more of Alice Tremaine in this book, and in particular her lost love from her childhood, and although she is getting a bit older, she is wondering if it is too late for love. Her natural shrewdness does mean that she is wary of Luke, and also of a new incomer to Polwenna Bay who is running the beachside cafe. 

I'm not sure how she does it, but every time I read a Polwenna Bay book, while on public transport, Ruth Saberton has the ability to make me completely forget where I am, where I am going, and almost miss my stop, as I am so absorbed in the story. This absorption point in Treasure of the Heart arrived quite early on in the book, with an event that got my heart pumping, and had me worried for various characters. 

Treasures of the Heart is  a story of treasure hunting, Cornish folklore and legends, romance, new beginnings and also a continuation of all the characters stories from the previous Polwenna Bay books. It is a wonderful new addition to the series, and as always I can't wait for the next one. 

Thank you to Ruth Saberton for supplying a review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - A Time For Living by Ruth Saberton - Cornish Week

Amazon UK

Title:  A Time For Living: Polwenna Bay 2

Author: Ruth Saberton

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: ARC supplied by Ruth Saberton

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 17th August 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Is there ever a right time for love? 

Feisty horsewoman, Morwenna Tremaine, has always known what she wants from life and success as a three day event rider is all she’s ever dreamed of. Mo has neither the time nor the inclination for love. Even if she did it wouldn’t be with a man who stands for everything she despises… 

Beneath a tough and determined exterior, businessman Ashley Carstairs harbours a dark secret that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. Although aware that he is heading for trouble, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the one woman he knows he should stay away from – for both their sakes. 

As the autumn nights draw in and the trickling sands of time gather speed, emotions run higher than the tides and Mo finds herself unable to step away. What is Ashley hiding? Is there more to him that meets the eye? And will his secret destroy everything she now holds dear? 

I hadn't really given the title of this book much thought, referring to it continually in my mind as Polwenna Bay 2. It wasn't until I have just started this review that I can see just how apt and fitting this title is, to this particular book. 

I am not sure that I have the words to do justice to A Time For Living, it is a wonderful story, filled with heavily charged emotion, and a glorious romance. I have spent the majority of the second half of the book on the verge of tears, in a mix of sadness and complete happiness. There was even a very tender moment about a quarter of the way through the book, that touched me, and was almost my undoing. 

Ashley Carstairs is hiding a deep secret from Morwenna, one that he alternates between thinking he should reveal, and wanting to keep it hidden. As a reader we are let into the secret quite early on, and all I will say is its a health issue, so be prepared to have the tissues handy. 

There are times I just wanted to shake Ashley, and the rest of it, I was falling in love with him myself. Morwenna is a fiesty lady, who normally prefers the company of horses to men. But yet she can't get Ashley out of her head, and as it was said by Ashley, in the first book - "There is a fine line between love and hate", and it is so true. 

It was brilliant to return to Polwenna Bay, there is something about the place and the families that live there, that is so real, so community minded and very picturesque. As this features a different main characters to Runaway Summer I believe it can be read as a stand alone should you chose to. There are of course recurring characters between the books, which I always love to see. 

This book doesn't just focus on the story between Mo and Ashley, but also on the survival of the church in the village, and lets just say the fund raising efforts are some of the funniest bits in the book.. much to Jules the vicar's dismay!

Towards the end you start getting hints as to who book three may focus on, and I did guess before it was properly hinted at in the epilogue, and all I can say is I can't wait. I am so excited to know this is not the last we will be seeing of Polwenna Bay, 

My only small problem with A Time For Living is that it had to end. It was such an enjoyable emotional roller coaster ride of a book, that I didn't want to put it down. Very pleasurable reading experience, and anything that makes you have a reaction is always a great thing for me. 

Thank you so much to Ruth Saberton for this review copy, in time for Cornish Week!. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - Runaway Summer: Polwenna Bay 1 by Ruth Saberton

Happy Publication day to Ruth Saberton for this fantastic new release. 

Amazon UK

Title: Runaway Summer: Polwenna Bay 1

Author: Ruth Saberton

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Review copy from Ruth

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 1st May 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Lose your heart to Cornwall’s Polwenna Bay. Watch fishing boats dance in the harbour, hear the waves breaking on the beach and explore the pretty village where new friends wait and there’s love to be found, warmer than the summer sunshine... 

Running Away… 

Since leaving Polwenna Bay for the bright lights of London, actress Summer Penhalligan has tried her hardest to never look back; Jake, her childhood sweetheart, let her down terribly and the beautiful Cornish village holds nothing but painful memories. It’s only when a volatile relationship threatens to destroy all she holds dear that Summer finds herself returning to the place she knows so well. 

Jake Tremaine has travelled the world but reluctantly finds himself drawn back to Polwenna Bay to run the family marina and take care of his unruly siblings. While Jake knows his attention should be on the rescuing the business, determined Ella, daughter of a wealthy hotelier, is set on working her way into his affections and beneath his sheets. The last thing Ella will tolerate is the reappearance of a rival… 

As the holiday season approaches and seaside life gathers pace, Jake suspects that Summer is keeping a huge secret from him. But Summer is not the only person in the village with something to hide. Is she just an echo of Jake’s past or are there far more important matters at stake?

Actress Summer Penhalligan is running away from London, and her relationship with fiancee Justin. She leaves in a rush without a phone or purse, gets into her car and heads to Cornwall, to Polwenna Bay. This is the first time that Summer has returned to her childhood home village in many years, having tried to forget about her childhood sweetheart Jake. 

Jake Tremaine, comes from a huge family which he takes a lot of responsibility for. He is trying to rescue the family businesses and could do without the return of Summer. He is somewhat distracted by Ella. who is determined that Jake should be hers. Ella is not overly impressed to hear that Summer is back, and that Jake is no longer angry with Summer. 

I found Runaway Summer started really slow, with chapters filled mainly with background information and description, however it turns out that due to the amount of characters and stories that are touched upon in this book, it was all really relevant information. 

I loved the descriptions of Polwenna Bay, it sounds very picturesque, the sort of place that would be lovely to go on holiday, and seems like a wonderful place to set a series of novels. 

The characters are all really well written, and you end up with large amounts of sympathy for Summer, and the hidden depths and secrets that all the characters have is simply astounding. Once this book gets going properly, it becomes for the second half of it, completely unputdownable. I ended up going to bed at 2am, on a work night, purely because I needed to know what happened. 

This book contains so much action, emotion and romance. It is a very enjoyable story, which I am delighted to have discovered. 

The epilogue hints at what the story and character focus for the next book in the series may be about, and if I'm right, then I can't wait to see what Ruth Saberton has in store for us next in this new Polwenna Bay series. 

Runaway Summer is out today, and I would like to thank Ruth Saberton for giving me an advance review copy. All views expressed in this post are my own.