I’ve never forgotten the holidays I spent in Cornwall as a child – that sea! So here we are with a sweet ‘n’ sour post from the south west of England. Each S&S post features one romance or feel-good book and its blurb, set in an area I’ve visited, and one in a crime fiction genre. Click the covers to see the books on Amazon.

Sweet: The Little Shop in Cornwall, by Helen Pollard

Claudia thought she knew how this summer was going to go. Turns out, she didn’t have a clue…

It’s been two years since Claudia arrived on the beautifully rugged Cornish coast with nothing but a suitcase to her name. She’d walked out on the husband who had never loved her, ditched the corporate job she’d never wanted and vowed that no gym membership card would come within ten feet of her ever again.
Swapping boardrooms and cocktails for a little shop right at the end of the beach road should have been a bit of a shock. But from the moment she first laid eyes on the empty, run-down store, Claudia knew this was where she was meant to be all along.

After all that upheaval, Claudia was looking forward to a quiet summer, full of the usual holiday makers and long walks along the clifftops. But life in her patch of paradise is about to change in more ways than one.
Enter recently widowed Jason, dragging his sullen teenage daughter Millie in tow. Millie and Claudia immediately hit it off. And while Millie loves everything about Claudia’s free-spirited way of life, practical architect Jason is less than thrilled about his daughter’s new interests. He doesn’t shy away from telling Claudia exactly what he thinks and sparks fly every time they meet.

But as circumstances throw Claudia into Jason’s path in increasingly unexpected ways, she begins to glimpse what lies beneath his fiery temper and sharp tongue. Claudia was sure her new life was perfect in every way. But was there something missing after all?

If you enjoyed Helen’s Little French Guesthouse series, you’ll love this one too! I only wish I’d read it on a Cornish beach… And isn’t it a gorgeous cover?

Sour: Dark Deception by Amanda James

Who can you trust when the past won’t let you go?

Kerensa and Leo are a happily married young couple who live in Cornwall. Leo works part-time in London as an investment advisor to wealthy businessman Paul Donaldson. The couple hope to start a family soon, and life couldn’t be better.  

But Leo has been stealing from Paul – and Paul isn’t the sort of man you steal from.  

When Leo realises Paul knows what he’s done, he has no choice but to resort to drastic measures.  

Meanwhile, after discovering that she’s pregnant, Kerensa can’t wait for her husband to return home so that she can share her news. But Paul has gone missing… 

After receiving a threatening phone call from Paul, Kerensa realises how much trouble her family are in.  

Just how far is Paul prepared to go to get revenge? And will Kerensa ever be happy or safe again? 

I read most of this book with my heart in my mouth – and the ending! I don’t think anyone would see that coming – and as it’s only 99p TODAY ONLY, there’s no excuse not to buy it…

And a lovely photo of Cornwall to finish off with: