The Lemon Tree Cafe by Cathy Bramley

The Lemon Tree Cafe

Cathy Bramley

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK (K £3.99 / P £3.99)

Synopsis:

When Rosie Featherstone finds herself unexpectedly jobless, the offer to help her beloved Italian grandmother out at the Lemon Tree Cafe - a little slice of Italy nestled in the rolling hills of Derbyshire - feels like the perfect way to keep busy.

Surrounded by the rich scent of espresso, delicious biscotti and juicy village gossip, Rosie soon finds herself falling for her new way of life. But she is haunted by a terrible secret, one that even the appearance of a handsome new face can't quite help her move on from.

Then disaster looms and the cafe's fortunes are threatened . . . and Rosie discovers that her nonna has been hiding a dark past of her own. With surprises, betrayal and more than one secret brewing, can she find a way to save the Lemon Tree Cafe and help both herself and Nonna achieve the happy endings they deserve?

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Another fantastic novel by Cathy Bramley, and one that I simply could not put down. I found that whenever I had a spare moment that I was running to grab this book and read more about what is going on in Rosie and her nonna's lives.

First of all, I just want to point out that you are never disappointed with a Cathy Bramley cover. This one is beautiful, the colours, the cakes, everything about it is just so beautiful and draws you in. I love the use of the yellow striped awning and of course the lemon trees either side of the cafe. Even the other little shops on either side look so cute! I love it.

I'm a huge Cathy Bramley fan, and this novel did not disappoint. At first I did wonder where the story was going, because the blurb didn't give much away but I think that just made it so much more interesting. I was dying to read about what was happening. I was drawn to this story! I'm so glad I waited until the full story was released though. I'm no good at waiting around for four separate releases! This way, I had the next part of the story straight away and I didn't have to wait! Of course, I can understand why it's released in four parts - this story definitely keeps the reader wanting to find out more!

So the story follows main character Rosie, after she walks out of her sexist job and returns home to the Lemon Tree Cafe. This is run by her Italian grandmother and after feeling a bit worried about how her grandmother is coping now that she's 75, Rosie decides to stay and work at the cafe for a little while, as a way of secretly helping out when her nonna isn't looking. However, Rosie soon finds that she loves working in the cafe and isn't very excited at the prospect of a new office based job. Rosie gets offered a job in Manchester, but after she meets single dad Gabe, she soon starts debating whether to take the offer as the pair get closer...

Along the way we learn so, so much about Rosie and her family. Rosie is hiding a terribly upsetting secret from everyone, and soon decides that it's time to come clean and let those closest to her know what happened to her all those years ago... However, Rosie isn't the only one hiding a secret from the family. We learn that her nonna is also keeping one, and if possible - an even bigger one! Queue the drama, the intensity! It's unbelievably good writing and I loved every moment of it.

Now this review is going on quite a bit and I don't want to spoil this story for you - so go and read it! You won't regret it. If I could give this more than 5 stars then I definitely would!