A Summer Escape and Strawberry Cake at the Cosy Kettle
Liz Eeles
Rating: 5 stars
The Cosy Kettle cafe is the perfect place to escape this summer, for fans of Cathy Bramley, Jenny Colgan and Debbie Johnson. Guests can tuck in to fruit puddings and strawberry-studded ice cream, but for Flora, the warm summer breeze is blowing in big changes...
When Flora finds out about her husband's secret fling, she escapes to the one place she feels safe: her beloved cafe, The Cosy Kettle, in the charming village of Honeyford. Serving up cream teas to her cafe regulars is the perfect way to soothe her broken heart, and although she's never lived in the area, the little community welcome her with open arms.
She's soon lodging with local eccentric Luna in her remote and beautiful Starlight Cottage, snuggled between rolling green hills. Luna's handsome son Daniel lost his wife several years ago, and as Flora gets to know him, sharing walks through the blossom-scented woods, they both slowly begin to heal... and she realises that behind Daniel's quiet exterior, there's a passionate nature that makes her forget all about her ex-husband.
As she settles into her new life, hosting a baking competition for the village's summer celebration seems like a great idea... but with Daniel's mysterious silences leading Flora to believe he's hiding secrets, she can't help but wonder if she can really trust him. And when the race to bake the perfect Victoria sponge stirs up old rivalries between locals, Flora starts to feel like she's bitten off more than she can chew.
After her new start, will Flora ever truly belong in Honeyford? And, this summer, can she risk opening up her heart again?
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Oh I was so excited to be reading another novel by the lovely Liz Eeles again! I have adored every single one of her books and this one was no different. I really loved the first one in this series of novels and I was looking forward to being back in Honeyford with such caring characters and it's idyllic sounding setting. The cover, as I knew it would be, is absolutely beautiful and it's certainly the type of novel I would go out of my way to pick up - it's very eye-catching with it's bright colours and sweet treats along the bottom of the cover! I love the pink sky, the colourful bunting and flowers and the cute awning over the cafe windows.
This particular novel follows bookshop and cafe owner Flora, who I've been intrigued about since book one and couldn't wait to read more about her. She seemed quite reserved and quite snobby in the first book but I quickly warmed to her during this one. At the beginning, Flora leaves work early to go and meet her husband, Malcolm, at his restaurant and finds him in a tight embrace with one of the - much younger - restaurant staff. Heartbroken, Flora moves out and moves in with slightly crazy but completely lovely Luna, as well as her son Daniel and his son Caleb.
A lot happens for Flora in such a short amount of time and I completely felt for her. It must be horrible to be with someone for so long, only to find them with someone else. And I must say that I thought Malcolm was a really horrible man! He was patronising, made nasty remarks and I just couldn't stand the man! Malcolm was the only character whom I didn't like however, and I loved all the rest. I particularly warmed to Caleb, bless him, as well as Becca and of course Stanley. They all seemed like such lovely people. It was also interesting reading about the relationship between Flora and Daniel, you could just feel the spark between them!
I also love the events that take place throughout the novel, the Charter Day event, the parade, the book club and the author event all sounded really fun and I loved the community feel that you got throughout this novel. I fell in love with Honeyford all over again and I really hope this isn't the last one in the series! I'd love to read about all of the characters if I could! This book was like a warm hug. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.
A lot happens for Flora in such a short amount of time and I completely felt for her. It must be horrible to be with someone for so long, only to find them with someone else. And I must say that I thought Malcolm was a really horrible man! He was patronising, made nasty remarks and I just couldn't stand the man! Malcolm was the only character whom I didn't like however, and I loved all the rest. I particularly warmed to Caleb, bless him, as well as Becca and of course Stanley. They all seemed like such lovely people. It was also interesting reading about the relationship between Flora and Daniel, you could just feel the spark between them!
I also love the events that take place throughout the novel, the Charter Day event, the parade, the book club and the author event all sounded really fun and I loved the community feel that you got throughout this novel. I fell in love with Honeyford all over again and I really hope this isn't the last one in the series! I'd love to read about all of the characters if I could! This book was like a warm hug. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.
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