Book Review: Pippa’s Cornish Dream

By Becky Gulc

‘Every summer has a story…

Since Pippa Harte was forced to take over her parents’ farm, she’s barely had time to shave her legs let alone make time for a date. Now she’s more likely to be getting down and dirty mucking out the pigs – and avoiding those of the human male variety.

When Ben Retallick walks out of her childhood and back into her present it seems that perhaps Pippa has more time than she thought. All Poldark smoulders and easy-going charm, Ben’s definitely worth whipping her wellies off for!

But Ben is a man with his own past and his own issues – and as much as she’s enjoying having him around, she’s got to get a grip. After all life isn’t always a beach … Then again, this is Cornwall.

Set on the gorgeous Cornish coast at the height of summer, this is the perfect romance to take on your hols!’ (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon UK.)

Pippa's Cornish Dream has both the kind of look and synopsis I would be drawn to, and it didn’t disappoint. You get the sense from the synopsis that Debbie has quite a witty style of writing, and she does indeed. There is good balance though, so it’s not too full on.

Well, Pippa is probably one of my favourite fictional characters for a long time. She’s in her twenties, yet has the responsibilities of someone twice her age, yet she just gets on with it. This isn’t a downtrodden woman, she’s strong, pragmatic and extremely likable. She’s truly an inspirational character that you really warm to.

The chemistry between Pippa and Ben was so strong and immediately so, it just oozes off the pages, yet feels genuine and romantic at the same time. You quickly learn you can trust in these characters despite the difficult situations they’ve both encountered in the past.

I loved the setting of the farm; the quirky animal characters and the very distinctive children. It felt like such a strong family unit and you just want them all to be happy (not to say that they aren’t to begin with, which is part of the novel’s charm). The twists and turns in the novel felt very fitting and at moments had me on edge, but all in all this is such a pleasant and comfortable read set in a lovely location.

My only niggle has nothing to do with the author, it was just the font size, I found this too small and I admit it did affect my overall enjoyment of the book as I felt I was straining a bit despite not needing glasses.

This is a great light read with lovely characters. At 167 pages it’s also a shorter than average novel so if you like a quicker read this may very well suit you. Definitely an author I’ll enjoy again.

Thanks to Harper Impulse for the book in exchange for an honest review.