Title: The Cornish Key to Happiness (A Little Hotel in Cornwall #8)
Author: Laura Briggs
Published on: 21 October 2020
Genre: Romance
Ever since I read A Stargazy Night Sky, I have been waiting to read the next and final installment in A Little Hotel in Cornwall series by Laura Briggs.
As the final book in the series, The Cornish Key to Happiness was supposed to be a revelation story of sorts. We (and Maisie Clark) would finally be introduced to the real Alistair Davies. Also, we saw a mysterious guest at the Penmarrow give Maisie a package and asked it to be delivered to Sidney. (In the previous book).
The previous story ended with Sidney closing the door on Maisie’s face after receiving the package. Maisie had gone over to tell him about her book – she would soon be a published author and she wanted Sidney to be the first one to know.
The Cornish Key to Happiness starts with Maisie knocking on Sidney’s door. It’s been two days since he closed the door on her face. Mrs Graves is complaining and so are the rest of the villagers. Gossip spreads like wild fire through the village – Sidney has run away, again. Maisie visits Dean and he asks her to go to London and talk to Sidney. The mysterious guest who gave her a package is from Sidney’s past.
Maisie leaves for London in search of Sidney.
The Cornish Key to Happiness is nothing short of a jaw-dropping revelation. As a fan of this series, I was expecting some shockers but this… this was way beyond ‘just a shock’. The whole time I was like, what… uh? wh.. no.. I..? Completely speechless!
Expect the unexpected.
Maisie meets Sidney all right but what she finds when she sees him is sure to make you fall off the chair. Looking back, I feel the only constants throughout this series was Kip (the dog) and Mrs Graves’ (un)edible biscuits. 😉 Even Dean is… I have no words.
It doesn’t matter I had my mouth open the whole time as I reading through. 😛 I loved the twists and the shockers Laura Briggs threw in my way. I am not going to make this review a spoiler but I will tell you this, I am pretty sure none of the followers of this series would have expected the shocking, jaw-dropping revelations. Yep.
Coming to the identity of the real Alistair Davies, I actually had to read it twice just to make sure I was reading it right. Like Maisie, I was shell-shocked. But, looking back at the previous books in the series, this did not feel like a huge surprise. Also, with so much of suspense built up, the ending seemed a little abrupt.
Nevertheless, it was good to see things work out for the best as the story (and the series) ended. I will miss reading about Maisie and Sidney. I will definitely (not) miss Mrs Graves excellent baking. 😉 It’s hard to say goodbye to a series and characters I felt so invested in. But all good things must come to an end…
INTERVIEW WITH LAURA BRIGGS
Hello Laura and welcome to my blog. Please tell me and my readers about yourself.
Thanks so much for letting me drop by and share with your readers today, Rekha! I’m a writer of feel-good romance reads who lives in the country with a lovely view of surrounding woods. I tend to write books with idyllic settings, plucky heroines, and larger-than-life adventures. Even though I’ve never been there, several of my books are set in the beautiful county of Cornwall (which I definitely hope to visit some day!).
In my spare time I do a bit of gardening and occasionally some baking. I love spending time with family, caring for my pets, going to church, and going to the occasional movie or play. Visiting local or nearby historical sites is something I really enjoy, as well as travelling overseas with friends (I very much hope to make return visits to the UK and Europe in the post-pandemic world!).
What is the inspiration behind A Little Hotel in Cornwall series?
So many things! But one of the biggest influences would have been the works of Lucy Maud Montgomery, as well as the television show based on some of her books, Road to Avonlea. In fact the idea of a luxury hotel where adventurous things are always happening was mostly inspired by the White Sands from the television show (whereas the appearance of the hotel was based on that of The Headland Hotel in Newquay).
The final book in the series is releasing today. Can you tell us more about it?
It’s called The Cornish Key to Happiness and it wraps up the adventures of aspiring author Maisie Clark who came to Cornwall in pursuit of her writing dreams. Along the way, she became entangled in romance, adventure, and even a bit of intrigue as she worked as a chambermaid at the seaside hotel Penmarrow. In this final installment, secrets will be revealed that Maisie has been curious about almost since she first came to Cornwall—including the true identity of her literary hero, the brilliant and reclusive novelist Alistair Davies.
What are your plans next? Any new series in the making?
A reboot of my original Cornish series ‘A Wedding in Cornwall’ is my current project. It continues the story of Julianne Rose, a busy wife and mum determined to make her new event planning business a success in the tiny village she calls home. With the help of her good friend Kitty, she finds herself ‘rescuing’ weddings and other celebrations in need of a helping hand. But when a so-called ‘runaway bride’ signs on as their newest client, the event planning duo wonder if they’re up to the challenge, or if their budding business will be the talk of the village for all the wrong reasons!
What does a day in Laura Briggs’ life look like?
It starts with the feeding and care of some very demanding kitties, LOL! Writing takes about five to eight hours a day, depending on what else I have going on. It’s very much like a regular work routine, with the weekends providing a much-needed change of pace!
Thank you, Laura.:)
Many thanks to Rachel for the blog tour invite.
The Book Decoder 
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