I’m really delighted today – at long last! – to be joining the blog tour for The Lost Heir by Jane Cable, and sharing my review. Published by Sapere Books on 11th August, this is the second in her series of Cornish Echoes dual timeline mysteries, available for kindle (free via Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my reading e-copy.
Just this once, I won’t run through my usual history of every book I’ve enjoyed from this talented author – if you pop her name (or that of her alter ego Eva Glyn) into the search bar on the right hand side of the page you’ll find reviews of every one, beginning with her first, The Cheesemaker’s House, first published way back in 2013, but recently re-issued with a striking new cover. This latest series of dual time stories with a Cornish setting – each one to be a standalone – had particular appeal for me, as it’s a format I’ve always really enjoyed. I absolutely loved the first, The Forgotten Maid, with its strong sense of place, well developed characters, central mystery, historical authenticity, romance and small touches of the supernatural – in fact, it was one of my favourite reads of 2021 (you’ll find my full review here). And now we have another, and it was one I was really looking forward to – let’s take a closer look…
Cornwall, 2020
At the beginning of lockdown, teacher Carla Burgess needs to make some changes to her life. She no longer loves her job, and it’s certainly time to kick her on-off boyfriend into touch. But then, while walking on the cliffs she meets, Mani Dolcoath, a gorgeous American with a dark aura.
Mani is researching his family history, and slowly their lives and their heritage begin to entwine. The discovery of a locked Georgian tea caddy in the barn on her parents’ farm intrigues Carla, but then she starts to see orbs, something that hasn’t happened since her grandmother died. They terrify her and she’ll do anything to outrun them, but will she lose Mani’s friendship in the process?
Cornwall, 1810
Harriet Lemon’s position as companion to Lady Frances Basset (Franny) perfectly conceals the fact they are lovers. But when Franny is raped and falls pregnant their lives are destined to change forever.
The one person who may be able to help them is Franny’s childhood friend, William Burgess, a notorious smuggler. But he has secrets of his own he needs to protect. Will his loyalties be divided, or will he come through?
A compelling and well told dual time story, the perfect Cornish setting, romance and forbidden love, a mystery at its centre, a touch of the supernatural – this was a book I knew I was going to love.
The present day story is set during lockdown – a time I always thought I wouldn’t want to be reminded of, but it’s particularly well handled as Carla, unable to work as a teacher, has the space and time to think about her future, and whether she can make a successful business out of her passion for creating art from glass. Much of that contemplation is during her daily clifftop walks, where she meets Mani, an American staying in the area and taking his own regular runs – remaining firmly within the rules, they develop a friendship, and slowly uncover the possibility of a shared history that intrigues then both and makes them want to investigate further. There’s a lovely focus on family, Carla’s farming parents struggling financially and hoping for the promised government assistance, while and she helps where she can and watches her dream career move ever further out of her reach. At the same time, she’s struggling to extricate herself from her (perhaps unwise) relationship with the hapless Kitto – a fisherman living alone, struggling to abide by the restrictions, and reluctant to let her go.
The nineteenth century story focuses on Lady Frances Bassett (Franny), heiress to the estate at Tehidy, and her relationship – a forbidden love – with her companion Harriet Lemon. Franny sees the world a little differently, literal in her interpretations and naive about life’s realities – Harriet is her protector in many ways, but that doesn’t prevent her being assaulted while protecting her beloved horses, or the pregnancy that follows. Sent to a cottage in Torquay to see out the pregnancy away from public gaze, the couple enjoy the freedom it allows their relationship – but despite Franny’s overwhelming love for the child when born, their time together will have to end, and the child found a suitable home. But there’s also a parallel story, and one with more than a touch of drama – of Franny’s childhood friend William, a former groom with hidden connections to the Bassetts, now heavily involved in the dangerous smuggling trade, who uncovers their story and hopes to offer his support.
I’m always a fan of a dual time story, but sometimes find an alternating chapter structure a little repetitive and metronomic – and something I particularly enjoyed about this story’s telling was that both timelines were given time to unfold over several chapters and for the characters to develop, the links particularly natural and smooth as the discoveries in the present day were played out in the historical story. I enjoyed too the way the timelines were drawn together – the discovery of the tea caddy, its contents providing some of the missing details needed to finally resolve the intriguing mystery. The characters were excellent – I had a particular affection for Franny with her particular vulnerability, could feel Harriet’s bravery and love, and William’s exceptional loyalty and the complexities of his character were beautifully captured. And that applied to the present day story too – the developing relationship between Carla and Mani was very real, and one I entirely believed in.
The Cornish setting is stunning – I guess most of us will have ridden across those same clifftops with Poldark, but the author includes a level of detail and description that entirely captures its wild beauty. And I must mention the supernatural elements. Carla’s has an ability to see auras, one inherited from her grandmother, and the darkness around Mani takes a while for her to understand – and the feeling of dread and appearance of strange orbs is particularly chilling, but very much part of the fabric of the story.
Emotionally, I thought the whole book was perfectly judged – one of those books you really feel, wanting to get to the bottom of the heartbreaking story that slowly emerges, knowing it won’t be possible to write your own ending, but wholly satisfied (and wiping away a tear) at its conclusion. This was a book I so enjoyed – and one that I’d very much recommend to others.
About the author
Jane Cable writes romance with a twist and its roots firmly in the past, more often than not inspired by a tiny slice of history and a beautiful British setting.
After independently publishing her award-winning debut, The Cheesemaker’s House, Jane was signed by Sapere Books. Her first two novels for them are contemporary romances looking back to World War 2; Another You inspired by a tragic D-Day exercise at Studland Bay in Dorset and Endless Skies by the brave Polish bomber crews who flew from a Lincolnshire airbase.
Jane lives in Cornwall and her current series, Cornish Echoes, are dual timeline adventure romances set in the great houses of the Poldark era and today. She also writes as Eva Glyn.
Follow Jane on Twitter, on Facebook, or find out more (and sign up for her newsletter) via her website.
