Lessons in Love at the Cornish Country Hospital - Jo Bartlett

 

Lessons in Love at the Cornish Country Hospital

A broken bond…

Wendy Tyler’s marriage ended when she discovered her ex-husband, Mike, had got his much younger new partner, Chloe, pregnant. Wendy’s over Mike, but suddenly she fears her own daughters will find a new baby much more exciting that their old mum…

A chance encounter…

But when Wendy bumps into Chloe at St Piran’s, it’s clear something is troubling the fragile young woman. Wendy doesn’t want to be sucked into Chloe and Mike’s relationship, but she can’t help worrying that Chloe needs someone to turn to.

A lesson in love.

And when Wendy realizes that Chloe is more fragile than any of them realised, she knows she has to step up. She might not love Mike anymore, but Chloe is about to join their family and Wendy can’t just stand by. Sometimes life is hard, but the easiest lessons are built on a solid foundation of love.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/lessonslovesocial

My Review:

This is another fantastic series from Jo Bartlett so I was keen to see what everyone is doing in the fourth book set at St Pirans Hospital.

This time we focus on Wendy and her family; rekindling love with a childhood sweetheart following a difficult divorce leaves her feeling both very lucky and extremely happy,  but she cannot help but feel pangs of hurt when her ex-husbands new girlfriend becomes close to her two daughters.

After initially feeling jealous of his young girlfriend Chloe’s bond with, she starts to see that actually Chloe isn’t the issue. Wendy’s family issues actually all go back to their Dad and his inability to commit to anything or anyone. When Chloe finds herself at her lowest and in need of support, Wendy finds herself stepping up to be the one Chloe can lean on. As the life they all know starts to unravel, can Wendy figure out a way to help everyone who needs it.

We also catch up with favourites from previous books. Danni’s pregnancy is nearing the end, she is excited about creating their own little family but also worry sets in that she will be like her own mother and not feel much of a maternal bond. She knows she can love, as she adores her Charlie but she is afraid that motherly love she craved as a child will pass her by as well.

When a situation escalates, Danni’s love is tested more than ever. Her dream has turned into a nightmare and she relies on the help of her friends and colleagues to make it end. Wendy has tried to do the best by everyone but has she missed signs of things being so dreadfully wrong, has she let everyone down?

A rollercoaster of emotions throughout, this tear-jerker will break your heart but also repair it. The community within the book is it’s heart, the friendships and relationships between characters are special. Some serious, upsetting themes used throughout but done so sensitively.

Another wonderful visit to this special, Cornish hospital/community. 

Author Bio:

Jo Bartlett is the bestselling author of over nineteen women’s fiction titles. She fits her writing in between her two day jobs as an educational consultant and university lecturer and lives with her family and three dogs on the Kent coast.

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Finding Friends at the Cornish Country Hospital - Jo Bartlett

 

A fresh beginning…

Esther Hamilton, is finally finding her feet after her split with her horrible ex, and is looking forward to her new single life. She has a job she loves in the busy Accident and Emergency department, a new home and for the first time ever, a chance to just have fun with her good friends. Love is very much off the cards…

An old friend…

Until the arrival of Joe Carter – the brother of Esther’s best friend, Danni. Joe is also newly single and still as gorgeous as ever, but Esther can’t lose her heart to Joe. If it all went wrong, she’d lose two of her best friends.

A second chance at love?

But working together over a troubled patient, the connection between them is undeniable. And when Esther's parents' marriage hits trouble, Joe is there for her, offering her support, and Esther knows she's fallen hard.

Are they brave enough to take a risk on love, or are they destined to remain friends forever?

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/friendshospitalsocial

My Review:

As a fully fledged fan of Jo Bartlett books, I couldn’t wait to return to The Cornish Country Hospital for the second book in her latest series. Whist I am a lover of reading a series in order where possible, you could happily read this as a standalone ( I do recommend all books by Jo anyway though!)

This time we focus on Esther and how she is coping following her recent break up from (the awful) cheating Lucas. As she is Danni’s best friend we also get to see how her romance with Charlie is progressing from the first book in the series.

I love Esther’s characters, I did in book one and even more so now. She’s lucky to be near family, but doesn’t necessarily see that things are not exactly rosy there either. Caroline, Esther’s Mum, was looking forward to having a fun filled retirement with her husband, but he no longer seems bothered by her or anything she tries to do.

We also meet Joe, Danni’s brother, who sounds swoon worthy in every way. He and Esther have always got along but Esther has always fancied him, could a close friendship be in jeopardy if romance takes hold?

Fantastic, as always. I loved finding out more about each character, they have ups and downs, things aren’t smooth sailing for anyone. A traumatic event brings Esther and Joe closer together, but in her eagerness to help others Esther also puts herself at risk.

A engaging story about friendship, kindness and being there for those you love. Things are not always going to be simple but with some support you can make your way through any difficulty. It has brilliant storylines, drama, tension, romance as well as humour at times (Good old Gwen!)

I really like this new hospital setting and look forward to reading what’s next. 

Author Bio:

Jo Bartlett was born a stone’s throw from the English Channel and still lives near the sea in Kent. Jo has had numerous bestsellers in the UK, Australia and Canada, including a UK Top 10. Since joining Boldwood Books in 2021, Jo has had a further eight bestselling novels in The Cornish Midwife series.

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A Leap of Faith for the Cornish Midwife - Jo Bartlett

 

Midwife Izzy is devastated to learn that her beloved grandmother is dying. Abandoned as a baby by her own mother, her grandparents have been the only family Izzy has ever known and she wants to spend every last precious moment with them.

New locum vicar, Noah, is a wonderful support – kind, considerate and always there for Izzy whenever she needs a shoulder to cry on. But secretly Noah is battling his own doubts about his faith – how can he offer Izzy comfort if he doesn’t truly believe his own words?

When Izzy and Noah are brought together to support grieving parents, Noah reaches breaking point. He can't stay in Port Agnes and live a lie. But Izzy is adamant it’s the only place she can be….

Will love find a way or will Izzy's hopes of a future be dashed?

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3KKwSX

My Review:

An emotional return to Port Agnes and our favourite group of midwives. I thoroughly enjoy returning to this series with each new book giving us more about one of the lovely midwives we have already come to know. Whilst it’s great to catch up with the previous characters storylines, each can be read as a standalone – if you haven’t read any of this series don’t worry, this book in particular is quite a step away from what we have come to know and love (but in a brilliant way of course!)

Its an emotional, poignant read that will strike a chord with even the coldest heart. Whilst we still look at the lives of soon to be parents, and new born babies, Izzy’s story also lets us take a look at the sad, but realistic aspect of those getting to the end of their life too. Izzy has known her Nonna’s terminal illness has but a limit to the time she has left but everyone is determined they make the most of the time they have left. This leads to wonderful, life affirming, memorable moments but of course, it comes with sadness and heartbreak too.

In finding some final days of happiness, Izzy’s Gran turns to Noah, Port Agnes’ temporary Vicar, and the church gardens. Noah himself is having a crisis of faith, wanting to do good but not confident he has found the best way to do this. His chemistry with Izzy is instant but both struggle with their own personal battles and this could be the barrier neither can get over.

I really enjoyed A leap of Faith for the Cornish Midwife; emotive and engaging but containing both heart break and heart-warming moments. As always the supporting cast of characters brought their own moments of entertainment and I am already looking forward to the next book.

A great summer read, I recommend everyone take a read of this book but also the others in this series.

Author Bio:

Jo Bartlett is the bestselling author of over nineteen women’s fiction titles. She fits her writing in between her two day jobs as an educational consultant and university lecturer and lives with her family and three dogs on the Kent coast. Her first title for Boldwood is The Cornish Midwife – part of a twelve-book deal.

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The Cornish Midwife - Jo Bartlett

 

WELCOME TO THE BEAUTIFUL SEASIDE TOWN OF PORT AGNES.

A fresh start…

Midwife Ella Mehenick left the small Cornish town of Port Agnes for London and never looked back. But when her seemingly perfect life crashes down around her, there’s only one place she can heal her battered heart – the place she once called home. 

A new arrival…

Ella is quickly welcomed into the small community midwife team and loves her new job caring for mums and their precious babies – it’s what she does best! But being back also means facing ex-flame Dan Ferguson…the first man to break her heart. 

A second chance at love?

Dan is still as gorgeous as ever, but he’s never forgiven Ella for leaving. And now she’s back it’s clear that there is unfinished business between them. As Ella settles into her new/old life, she can’t stop the memories of how she once loved Dan so completely – and maybe never stopped.

Maybe coming home to Cornwall is Ella’s chance to love again…

Meet The Cornish Midwives of Port Agnes- where community, friendship and love are always delivered.

An uplifting and escapist read, perfect for fans of Christie Barlow, Jessica Redland and Holly Martin!

This book was previously published as Return to Port Agnes.

My Review:

I found this to be a lovely, light hearted and easy, enjoyable read. Having never read anything by this author I was pleasantly surprised and will look to read more. When her London life falls apart and she becomes infamous for all the wrong reasons, Ella returns to her childhood home town. She joins the community midwifery team just for a few months in order to figure out what she will do next. Going home also means confronting some of the old ghosts she’d laid to rest – or so she thought. She soon finds herself face to face with her childhood sweetheart, the one that got away. I enjoyed this from start to finish, its predictably full of will they/wont they romance and of course, we can all guess the outcome but its still fun all the same. There is fun and plenty of drama as you can imagine with a midwifery unit; I loved the bunch of characters she works with and feel we will get plenty more stories from them. The characters are really relatable and well written. Hearing this is the start of a series of books means there will hopefully be plenty more fun and frolics from the community of Port Agnes.

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3tpFg7V

Author Bio:

Jo Bartlett is the bestselling author of nineteen women’s fiction titles. She fits her writing in between her two day jobs as an educational consultant and university lecturer and lives with her family and three dogs on the Kent coast. Boldwood is publishing the first title in The Cornish Midwife Series – part of a twelve-book deal – in April 2021.

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The Cornish Cream Tea Christmas by Cressida McLaughlin

The perfect Christmas read from the number one bestselling author of The Canal Boat Cafe.

Hannah Swan is looking forward to Christmas for the first time in years. Her new job as an eco-consultant is taking her – and her geeky colleague, Noah – to the beautiful Cornish village of Porthgolow for the first time. They’re are helping the Crystal Waters Hotel to ramp up its green credentials, though after a bumpy journey, Hannah can’t shake off the feeling that Porthgolow is strangely familiar. Never able to resist a mystery, her interest is piqued when the hotel’s staff and customers report odd noises and sightings, believing the hotel to be haunted.
When bad weather cuts off Porthgolow, Hannah and Noah are looking at a Cornish Christmas. It gives them plenty of time to work out what is really going on, but will their yuletide escape send shivers up their spines? Or will it be as warm and toasty as a glass of mulled wine?

My Review:

Yet another mouth-watering, fun filled book by Cressida McLaughlin. I am a big fan of The Cornish Cream Tea series – this is book 3 but really they can each be read as a standalone. I would highly recommend each book.

As always, we are treated to some delicious sounding goodies and meals, honestly you shouldn’t read these books if you are hungry. Always be curled up with a mug of tea and some snacks. This time we have the addition of ghost stories, forbidden love, and family secrets to add to the excitement that seems to keep Porthgolow going!

Hannah takes a trip to Porthgolow for work, meeting local freelancer Noah who is supposed to be helping on her first assignment for the company. He doesn’t make a great first impression, if I’m honest I wasn’t holding much hope they would even get on at all, but as the story unfolds, we see how first impressions can change and how sometimes things aren’t always as they seem. Noah was a great character in terms of how he developed, loosen up and joined in the festivities; he seemed to really open himself up to Hannah and got involved with all the ghost hunting shenanigans.

We know that falling in love is usually key in these stories, but for fans of the other books of the series we also know that the real love story is with Porthgolow itself, and once you are there it is very hard to leave.

I’d be the same, it sounds amazing. The locals are quite an eclectic bunch who provide a lot of comedy and entertainment as always. Although the Cornish Cream Tea bus does feature as always, I enjoyed the ghost hunting and historic mystery element to the storyline, with some funny happenings that sent shivers through me!

Its definitely a great book to cosy up with this winter – I highly recommend this and others by this author. I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store!

Thank you to Random Things Tours & Harper Collins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

About Cressida McLaughlin:

Cressy was born in South East London surrounded by books and with a cat named after Lawrence of Arabia. She studied English at the University of East Anglia and now lives in Norwich with her husband David. When she isn’t writing, Cressy spends her spare time reading, returning to London or exploring the beautiful Norfolk coastline.

The Cornish Confetti Agency - Daisy James

Welcome to The Cornish Confetti Agency!

When the grand finale of Lexie Harrington’s catwalk show ends with a disastrous twist on the ‘ice bucket challenge’, she was expecting her highly-strung boss to fire her on the spot. What she wasn’t expecting was to bump into her fiancé cosied up with an attractive blonde in the restaurant opposite their apartment!

Desperate to escape her heartbreak, Lexie flees to her childhood home of St Ives to hold the fort at The Cornish Confetti Agency for her best friend Freya, leader of the yummy mummy network and firm believer in ‘happily ever afters’. Little did she know that delivering a Caribbean-themed wedding in sunny Cornwall would rival the fashion industry for drama, tantrums and mysterious goings on.

Who is responsible for dousing the bridesmaid’s dress with tomato ketchup? Or hiding the bride’s beloved Jimmy Choos? Or attaching googly eyes to everything in sight?

The perfect Cornish wedding? Is there such a thing for The Cornish Confetti Agency?

My Review:

A fun filled read that will make you laugh and keep you guessing. A lovely book that's a nice quick and easy read, a great distraction in times of worry. 


Lexie is quite the character, hit by disaster after disaster. Poor thing – everything seems to go wrong at the same time so I cannot blame her for wanting to get away from it all. Lucky her best friend happens to have a great solution for her.


Disaster seems to follow her around though and nothing she does goes smoothly; helping organise a Caribbean themed wedding sounds simple enough but not when things seem to be going wrong and it becomes very apparent someone is against the wedding taking place!


She turns detective to find out what exactly is happening and who is causing so much drama. Who does not love a little bit of mystery thrown into a feel-good story? It’s all on her to ensure this wedding takes place and she forms an unlikely partnership that is beneficial for her in more ways than one.


A lively set of characters that made me laugh out loud at times, full of lovely descriptions and a wedding theme that I was quite envious of! It is the first in a series I believe so will be quite fun to see what happens next time. A fun read!

Available HERE

Daisy James is a Yorkshire girl transplanted to the north east of England. She loves writing stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plotlines.

When not scribbling away in her peppermint-and-green summerhouse (garden shed), she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter.

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