It’s a pleasure to again welcome author Laura Briggs as my guest today, this time as part of the blog blitz for A Cornish Daisy’s Kiss: this is the sixth book in her lovely series A Little Hotel in Cornwall, and is now available via Amazon for kindle. My thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support.
You might well remember how much I enjoyed the first book in this series, also called A Little Hotel in Cornwall – you’ll find my review here. I sadly couldn’t manage to fit in the next two parts – A Spirited Girl on Cornish Shores and Sea Holly and Mistletoe Kisses – but was really delighted to revisit the series with The Cornish Secret of Summer’s Promise (you’ll find my review here). It’s such a shame I haven’t been able to keep up with this series – but Laura did visit me again with a guest post as part of the publication day push for Train from Penzance to Paris (you’ll find it here).
So let’s find out what’s been happening to Maisie…
Weeks after boarding a train to Paris in pursuit of her writing dreams, aspiring novelist Maisie Clark is right back where she started: on the idyllic shores of Port Hewer in Cornwall, luggage in hand and heart filled with anticipation for what lies ahead. Except that nothing seems the same as Maisie left it, from her place among the staff at the hotel Penmarrow to her budding romance with groundskeeper Sidney Daniels, who isn’t quite ready to overlook the painful consequences of her sudden departure.
Losing Sidney would be unbearable, but Maisie can’t help fearing it might be true if the rift between them proves too deep to heal. She knows her feelings for him are unchanged, but whether he feels the same remains to be seen – particularly since she stopped him from expressing them in the first place. And to make matters worse, her position at the Penmarrow has been filled by another, there’s nowhere for her to live in the village, and her savings are finally dwindling to a pathetic number – with her book still unpublished after her startling discovery about the author helping guide her towards success.
But one thing which hasn’t changed is the drama and excitement at the hotel Penmarrow, where the staff is awaiting inspection from the dreaded owner Ms. Claypool. Stirring up trouble in the meantime is the owner’s special guest ‘Mad Ludwig’, an eccentric architect whose demands are definitely driving everyone on the staff a little crazy. And then there’s the hotel’s mysterious new desk manager, whose behavior ignites Maisie’s suspicions and causes her to become entangled in yet another form of intrigue – one that could unwittingly jeopardize the future of the Penmarrow and everyone who works there, unless Maisie can find a way to undo the harm.
With everything that matters to her most at stake this time, Maisie faces her biggest challenges yet…and her deepest question of the heart as she confronts the reason she returned to Cornwall and the Penmarrow in the first place.
I have a really lovely guest post from Laura, with the top romantic moments from the series so far… over to you, Laura…
Thank you to Anne for letting me share with her readers about the books in my series A Little Hotel in Cornwall. The sixth book, A Cornish Daisy’s Kiss, was released this summer and continues the experiences of Maisie Clark, an aspiring writer who finds adventure, romance, and artistic inspiration working at a seaside hotel in a tiny idyllic village. Since it features a special romance centric plot for Maisie and the handsome village groundskeeper Sidney, I thought it might be rather fun to revisit their most romantic moments leading up to this newest installment, according to its readers (and myself!). Here are the top choices in order of appearance:
The ‘meet cute’ (A Little Hotel in Cornwall)
It may seem cliché to say this, but the moment they met is still one of my absolute favorites for Maisie and Sidney’s relationship. Involving a bicycle tumble, a potential concussion, and a very random Disney reference, its gentle mix of humor and attraction sets the tone for their future exchanges. It even provides some early hints to Sidney’s mysterious side, as well as his nobler attributes—the role of village Good Samaritan and supporter of stray dogs to name a few.
The body in the library (A Spirited Girl on Cornish Shores)
Don’t worry, it’s not a murder from the pages of a classic mystery haunting the autumn in sleepy Port Hewer! Rather, this playful exchange during the vicarage Halloween party is a fan favorite for Maisie and Sidney as a would-be couple. It somehow manages to be both silly and swoon-worthy at the same time (and not the least bit scary, despite the game of ‘murder’ providing the backdrop to their romantic sparks.).
The storm watching (Sea Holly and Mistletoe Kisses)
Maybe scaling a rugged cliff to watch storm-tossed waves crash on the beach below doesn’t sound like a romantic outing, but for Sidney and Maisie it ranks among their best. The Cornish winter tradition known as storm watching is rather atmospheric in itself, and I do love the sense of closeness it creates between them on the page. It also sparks an emotional epiphany for Maisie that leaves her somewhat breathless—and maybe a few of the series’ fans too!
The goodbye kiss (The Cornish Secret of Summer’s Promise)
A moment that left readers with mixed feelings for its bittersweet quality, this is among the series’ most emotionally charged scenes and definitely one of its most passionate. But it left a lot more questions than answers, and left Maisie facing a decision she never wanted to make in the first place. Her choice—and its repercussions—are the focus of the newly released book six, which plays its own special role in Maisie’s path to happy-ever-after as readers will see when they dive into its pages.
There’s more romantic twists and turns still to come in the series’ remaining two books, of course. If you haven’t joined the series yet and love feel-good romances with a bit of humor, intrigue, and adventure for good measure, then I hope you’ll give the books in A Little Hotel in Cornwall a glance – it might be right up your street!
About the author
Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller A Wedding in Cornwall. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.