My enormous thanks to Kate Shepherd for sending me a copy of New Dreams at Polkerran Point by Cass Grafton in return for an honest review. It’s my pleasure to share that review today.

New Dreams at Polkerran Point is published by Canelo on 21st September 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

New Dreams at Polkerran Point

A surprise inheritance will open the doors to her future, and also the past…

When Aunt Meg leaves her cottage to Anna Redding in her will, Anna immediately packs up and heads to Polkerran, the Cornish fishing village where she was so happy as a child.

With ambitions to turn the cottage into a B&B, a job working for the enigmatic historian, Oliver Seymour, and the return of her childhood crush, Alex Tremayne, it seems the stars have all aligned for Anna.

But Aunt Meg left behind a mystery for her to solve, and a shock discovery reveals she may be living a dream that isn’t really hers to hold. Can Anna rescue the new life she’s made for herself? Who in Polkerran can she really count on in her time of need?

Previously published as The Cottage in the Cornish Cove.

My Review of New Dreams at Polkerran Point

Anna’s life is about to change.

New Dreams at Polkerran Point is just lovely. It’s perfect escapism wrapped in an engaging and absorbing story that I loved. There’s a smooth and engaging style to the writing, with natural dialogue and a lovely smattering of humour that adds colour and makes it feel as if the things taking place are true rather than fictionalised. I found myself thinking about the book during the times when I wasn’t reading it because I felt so drawn to the story. I thought the literary quotations from authors like Austen, Bronte and Hardy at the start of each chapter were quite perfect. 

The way Aunt Meg steers and influences events even though she has already passed away is beautifully handled by Cass Grafton and Meg’s presence really drives this hugely entertaining and interesting plot. There’s a mystery to be solved involving her that adds another layer of interest to this beautifully depicted romance. 

What works so well for me in New Dreams at Polkerran Point is the way Anna takes time to realise just what it is she is looking for in her life. She’s surprisingly conventional in her desires, but Cass Grafton still makes her multi-layered and fascinating. Indeed, I loved meeting all the characters, especially Oliver who feels three dimensional from the very first time we encounter him, to Mrs Lovelace who brings such gentle humour through her malapropisms. I’m hoping to encounter more of the folk of Polkerran in future stories.

Equally, Polkerran feels just as much a character as the people. The descriptions, the sense of close knit community, reference to the ways Cornish villages are threatened and invaded by outsiders all serve to place the reader at its heart. 

New Dreams at Polkerran Point is absolutely smashing. Written with heart and understanding, it leaves the reader with a warm feeling of fulfilment. I thought it was gorgeous.

About Cass Grafton

Cass began her writing life in Regency England, enlisted Jane Austen’s help to time-travel between then and the present day and is now happily ensconced in 21st century Cornwall. 

Well, in her imagination and soul; her heart and physical presence reside in northern England with her ever-patient husband and Tig and Tag, their cute but exceptionally demanding moggies. 

A bit of a nomad, Cass has called three countries home, as well as six different English counties, but her aspiration is to one day reunite with her beloved West Country.

In the meantime, she writes feel-good contemporary romances set in Cornwall and, in doing so, manages to live there vicariously through her characters and settings.

An Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, Cass is also a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Jane Austen Society UK and the Society of Authors.

For further information, follow Cass on Twitter @CassGrafton and find her on Facebook and Instagram.