A lovely read. An enjoyable escape. I liked the characters and the plot was believable. I liked the two heroines. Will read this author again. Recommended.

I have to admit, I was drawn to this title because of the Arthurian reference. I wasn’t disappointed that the plot didn’t involve the legend apart from a few references – it never claimed to. What I was disappointed with, however, was the book as a whole.

Although romance isn’t my normal genre, I was prepared to give this one a go. It wasn’t their stupidly fast love story (seriously: they hate each other, they jump into bed, have multiple rounds of sex and suddenly he is shopping for engagement rings!), it was the characterisation and the realistic development of their relationship that I had problems with.

I had issues with Rosa. She acts as the innocent one who can do no wrong because she is there for her grandmother. But she is rude, acts superior over local matters and expects everything to revolve around her.

For example: her first date with Talan. After their conversation is interrupted, she, in no-uncertain terms, tells him that she just wants to know about the area and use his historical knowledge. She is blunt in saying it as well – no wonder Talan doesn’t think she has any romantic notions towards him.

I could not connect with Rosa’s character the entire way through the novel. Frankly, she annoyed me. When you can’t empathise with the main character, even if they do suddenly realise they can talk to ghosts, the book lacks any true meaning.

There were moments where other character expectations also irritated me. Willa is in love with Rosa: fair enough. But she knows that Rosa doesn’t return those feelings. So why, for goodness sake, does she suddenly start moping around because she thought turning up unexpectedly would suddenly make Rosa love her? She knows Rosa is heterosexual – why did she suddenly expect a change and then sulk about it? So infuriating!

It wasn’t just the characterisations. The romance genre can make some exceptions when it comes to flowery language: they have to set a scene, after all. But James’ writing was too flowery for me: phrases such as “mid-May delicately introduced herself via the purple Campion, yellow buttercups and bluebells along the hedgerow” are fine the first time. But when that style of writing is repeated throughout, it becomes jarring. The pacing falters when you have to navigate through personified weather and explorations with all the senses.

That being said, I was left with the desire to visit Cornwall, so something in there got through to me.

There were some characters who were fun and enjoyable. Scenes of Rosa with her grandmother were also quite moving, as was the moment between Rosa and Daisy after the big reveal.

For me, personally, there were too many streams of consciousness, too many moments of Rosa feeling like the world was against her and too many desired-but-unattainable relationships occurring to feel the eventual relationship between Rosa and Talan was realistic.

If you enjoy romance, then perhaps you’ll read deeper into this book. Not for me, however.

I really liked this book, but not the supernatural twist to it, so for me that lost a star. I did think the writing was good, and loved reading about Tintagel as I know the area. I would read this author again. I received a review copy.

Summer In Tintagel by Amanda James is a wonderful contemporary romantic mystery which I loved.
Set mainly in Tintagel, the scenery comes alive with Amanda James vivid descriptions. The reader 'walks' through the action, fully involved rather than a passive participant.
Cornwall is a place 'of mystery and magic." The reader 'experiences' this air of mystery as they become immersed in the novel.
Skipton is another setting. As I am familiar with 'the gateway to the dales,' it was wonderful to 'see' the town.
The novel has the difficult topic of domestic abuse. This is sensitively and accurately portrayed, right down to the stiff upper lip attitude of 1968.
Two time periods occur in the novel as a mystery from the past needs to be unravelled.
Major themes are the need to be yourself and a search for identity. Forced to deny who you are, only works for so long. We all need to be who we were created to be.
Family is important. Family bonds are beautifully portrayed and the reader can 'feel' the bond between grandmother and granddaughter which is wonderful to witness.
There was a bedroom scene in the novel which I was uncomfortable with, so I skipped over it. This did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
A cleverly constructed story which I really enjoyed.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

A lovely heart warming, heart breaking story set in the beautiful town of Tintagel, it was like being home again. The characters were really good, the descriptive writing was excellent and the story line absorbing. This was a great read..