A Cornish Maid by Fenella J. Miller

Summary:

Demelza Tregorran is desperate to keep her brothers and sister in their ancestral home and to keep the roof above their heads. On the beach early one morning, she inadvertently pushes an autocratic stranger into the sea. She is not impressed by his manners but can't help but admire his appearance.

Dr. Lucas Fairfield is immediately attracted to Demelza and decides to use some of his unwanted inheritance to help her out of her financial difficulties. Demelza agrees to take Lucas in as a paying guest .With her friend Martha as chaperon, who can possibly object to the arrangement?

Lucas is a respectable gentleman and wealthy enough to pay her far more than necessary for his board. Demelza is a simple Cornish maid. What possible interest could such a sophisticated man have in her?

 Reviewer: PurpleRose

This novella was not unpleasant to read but the story was too simple and  too sweet for my taste. However, despite all that, I have to admit that  Fenella J. Miller is a good writer especially when it comes to descriptions. She does a great job at painting a vivid picture of the Cornish coast and its harsh, inclement weather with its noisy and even sometimes deadly storms. What a dog's life for the local Cornish smuggler! 

The two main characters are very likable. They possess very different backgrounds but they share the grief of having lost loved ones. Demelza Tregorran is a gently bred Cornish girl trying to make ends meet and it's not easy for her, having three young siblings under her care and a derelict big old house that leaks everytime it rains. At the beginning of the story, she gets off on the wrong foot with Dr. Lucas Fairfield ... but when fate has decided something, nothing and nobody can stop it! 

 Some  things are left unsaid and it leads to a misunderstanding and it is this the book pivots around. Unfortunately, that is all that really happens in this book. I give it  only 2.5 stars.

Publisher: Musa Publishing

Source: Manic Readers