Near the Ruins of Penharrow

by Deborah M. Hathaway

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She never should have fallen in love with the mine owner’s son.

A Regency Romance

Cornwall, 1815

Bal maiden Gwynna Merrick is more than prepared to resume her work at the copper mine, if only to keep her family safe from destitution. But when her upper-class friend convinces Gwynna to have one final night of enjoyment, a borrowed gown and a false identity give her a small taste of the freedom she has always craved. That is, until the mine owner’s handsome son arrives and threatens to reveal her identity.

Heir to his father’s mine, Jack Trevethan has returned to Cornwall to visit his father's new venture, Wheal Favour, though he prefers spending his time chasing women to forget the memories of his past. However, when he finds the bal maiden he’d met days before now attending the ball, he cannot resist learning more about this intriguing woman.

After a disastrous first meeting, Gwynna wants nothing more than to avoid Jack, but as her work at Wheal Favour begins, she’s continually thrown into his company. As Jack’s flirtatious façade falls, revealing the wounds of his childhood, Gwynna begins to see the real gentleman behind the rake. But rumors surrounding their relationship and Jack’s past will not yield, forcing the two of them to either trust and lean on each other—or fall victim to ghosts of the past.

This is the third book in the clean and sweet Regency Cornish Romance series by Deborah M. Hathaway. Although this Cinderella romance is a stand-alone novel, the books are best enjoyed in order.

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Book Details

Genre

Historical Romance

Subgenre

Regency (1811–1820)

Series

A Cornish Romance • Book 3

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

2 Mild

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

2 Mild

Publication Date

August 16, 2024

Language Versions

English

Narration Type

Human

Fiction Form

Novel

Sensitive Themes

Addiction or recovery themes, Child abuse/endangerment, Death of a child, Grief or loss of a loved one, Historical discrimination, Natural-disaster scenes, Poverty or homelessness, Power-imbalance relationships (e.g., teacher/student, boss/employee), PTSD or trauma recovery

inspiring story of strength and forgiveness

While likely a little fanciful because of the class structure in England, it was an interesting and thoughtful story. I kept wondering when the ruins would come into play, which they hardly did really?! Overall I enjoyed the book and will look forward to the next one in the series.

My favourite story so far!

I loved this book. Gwynna is by far my favourite character, and I adored her relationship with Jack. His progression from emotionally wounded scoundrel to a healing, kind-hearted gentleman was beautiful. Ms. Hathaway has truly outdone herself with this story of forgiveness, grief, loss and healing. I'll be impatiently awaiting book 4!

Another Excellent read

The research and the description of the workings of the mines was superb A beautiful unlikely love story makes this book one you can’t put down until it is finished Absolutely loved it

clean romance

I truly enjoyed this stand alone continuation of the Cornish Romance series. The author creates such well developed characters and plot lines that they jump off the page and become real. I could feel the rain and smell the seas. I could imagine myself at the mine.The story is unique in that we are given a very real and personal story of life and hardships as a miner and their family. The imagery of the mine darkness and dirt were very real.The author does a great job of showing how some people had hard ideals regarding the hard working miners and how their lives could be improved with wise investments.The hero and heroine are both strong characters which overcome their challenges. They may not share the same type of struggles but they each have something to teach and learn from each other.This love story of reaching past the social structure and finding inner peace is lovely and full of hope.As a stand alone this book excels but do yourself a favor and read each in order as it makes each book richer and a great world that is enjoyable to be experienced.

Heartwarming and Lovely

Let me tell you how much I am loving Deborah’s Cornish Romance series! Every single read has had the strongest females mentally and physically, than is usually portrayed. These women push through everything thrown and you’ve got to be strong through the storms of life. Anyone with a small frame able to wield a hammer to split Ore is mighty!The underlying theme that both MC’s learn is Finding the strength to forgive and also having the strength to acknowledge grief so that they can grow. Forgiveness is a Journey and every pivotal moment in this read captured my heart.Gwynna Merrick needs work and is able to start as a Bal Maiden, a safer of the mining tasks. Before she puts her head down to work she craves a moment to see what it would be like to attend a ball. Her friend lends her a dress and the secrets don’t stop there.Jack Trevethan comes to Cornwall to visit his father and see Wheal Favour. His father has put so much of his time into this investment. Jack has some hurt feelings towards his father until he takes time so look at it with a different perspective. Jack happens upon Gwenna when he’s least wanted and ends up keeping many of her secrets.I’m glad I keep being able to squeeze in a beautiful read by Deborah! Her writing is so poetically beautiful. Every time this series whisks me away to Cornwall and I don’t want to come back.