Moving to Coombe Tollbridge by Roseanna Hall

 Moving to Combe Tollbridge 

by Roseanna Hall 

Moving to Combe Tollbridge by Roseanna Hall was published on 3rd August 2023. My thanks to the author and Farrago Books for sending me a copy to review and to Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour

Synopsis

When a cosy country cottage goes up for sale in Combe Tollbridge, a small fishing village tucked away on a quiet corner of the Exmoor coast, young couple Jane and Jasper decide to make the move.

But whilst Jane is returning to the place of happy childhood memories by the sea, another recent newcomer to the village, Angela, has sadder reasons for her move.

Receiving a warm welcome from the colourful residents who call the village home, all three soon become embroiled in rural life, and find it not as sedate as they might have once imagined...

My Review

This is a lovely quirky novel set in an idyllic Cornish village  and embracing a wide array of loveable and, at times, eccentric characters that bring these stories to life as the first in The Exmoor Harbour Tale series. For all those lovers of "Miss Seaton", which Roseanna has written under the pseudonym of Hamilton Crane, this new series will not disappoint.

Moving to Combe Tollbridge is an entertaining start ot the series, introducing you to the individual who run the shop, the pub, the various cottage industries and "The Gossip"......

From this perspective it is an ideal first novel for a series as it leaves you feeling as though you know everyone in the village, as well as some of the history surrounding Combe Tollbridge.

For those of you who love a series of books this will be one of those where you will be left waiting excitedly for the next instalment in the lives of the villagers that you have come to know personally whilst finding out how Jane, Jasper and Angela settle into their new lives, aided and abetted by the village characters.

A grreat 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read for me.

About the Author

Roseanna Hall is the pseudonym Sarah J. Mason has adopted for her series of "Exmoor Harbour Tales", to distinguish them from her mystery fiction. This new series is set in the fictional village of Combe Tollbridge. Sarah had previously written seventeen books in the “Miss Seeton” mystery series (created by Heron Carvic) under the pseudonym Hamilton Crane, in addition to eight mysteries under her own name.

Discussing her move away from mysteries to the Combe Tollbridge series, Sarah said "Life has been difficult enough over the last few years, so I’m writing about a seaside community in which most of the characters are essentially well-intentioned. I have set out to entertain rather than to excite, so there will be no violence, and no murders or other tragedies — in Combe Tollbridge, a body lying on the beach is only sunbathing!".

The "original" Roseanna Hall was Sarah's grandfather's grandmother. She married John George and gave birth to Sarah’s grandfather's mother, Elizabeth George, which would be a good name for an author, but sadly it’s already taken.

When not busy at the keyboard Sarah relaxes with craft work. Weaving inkle bands, patchwork, tapestry weaving, she's even made 3-D beaded animals, using the diagrams in a Danish-language textbook (no, she can't read Danish). As if her craft work wasn’t enough, she’s also a completeness-checker of donated jigsaw puzzles for her local hospice shop.