Recently I've Read...A Whole Lot of Romance

I've read some fantastic romance lately!  Here are the books that have set my heart aflutter - perfect love stories for long summer nights.

 

The One with the Engagement Party - Erin Lawless

 

 

Nora and Harry have just got engaged and so of course, it's time to celebrate! With their friends by their side they can start planning for the big day, but they each have their own hurdles to overcome. Perfect summer reading which left me gagging for more. Heartwarming and humorous, The One with the Engagement Party is Erin Lawless at her best.

The Sunshine and Biscotti Club - Jenny Oliver

 

 

Jenny Oliver whisked me away to the sun with this story of a group of friends helping to set up a baking holiday resort. As ever Oliver's descriptions of the food - aroma, taste, texture - are fantastic. Each character grows as the story progresses which makes this a satisfying romantic read. The only reason I didn't give this 5* is that it took me a long time to differentiate between the characters, especially the males, which meant I was referring back to make sure I wasn't getting muddled. All in all, a delightful summer read.

The Little Bookshop on the Seine - Rebecca Raisin

 

 

I loved this book! A story of self discovery and long distance romance set in a Paris bookshop. Rebecca writes setting and description beautifully - and creates characters that are easy to relate to through common themes of friendship, love and trust. A comforting read which I quickly became engrossed in - Rebecca Raisin has come up trumps again!  

 

Give them a try - they're the perfect blend of uplifting fun and love-riddled angst.  They're all available NOW.                 

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe - Jenny Oliver

The Blurb

Home, Sweet Home….?

There’s nowhere more deliciously welcoming…

When Annie White steps back onto Cherry Pie Island, it’s safe to say her newly inherited Dandelion Café has seen better days! And while her childhood home on the Thames-side island idyll is exactly the same retreat from the urban bustle of London she remembers, Annie’s not convinced that Owner of The Dandelion Cafe is a title she’ll be keeping for long. Not that she can bear the idea of letting her dedicated, if endearingly disorganized staff lose their jobs. Plus café life does also have the added bonus of working a stone’s throw away from millionaire Matt and his disarmingly charming smile!
One (shoestring budget) café makeover, a few delightful additions to the somewhat retro menu and a lot of cherry pie tastings later, The Dandelion Café is ready for its grand reopening! But once she’s brought the dilapidated old café back to life, Annie finds herself wishing her stay on the island was just a bit longer. She always intended to go back to the big city…but could island living finally have lured her back home for good?

Perfect for fans of Lucy Diamond, Sophie Kinsella and Cathy Bramley.

The Cherry Pie Island series
The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café – Book 1
The Vintage Ice Cream Van Road Trip – Book 2
The Great Allotment Challenge – Book 3
One Summer Night at the Ritz – Book 4

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café is Book 1 in The Cherry Pie Island series.

Each part of Cherry Pie Island can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story – or as part of the utterly delightful series.

The Review

I've read a few of Jenny Oliver's books and there are two things I've really enjoyed about them - the way she writes about community and the descriptions of food.  Honestly, there's no one else who can make my mouth water so much purely through their writing!

I absolutely loved The Parisian Christmas Bake Off when I read it a few years ago and also found The Little Christmas Kitchen and The Vintage Summer Wedding were good reads, although didn't captivate me in the same way.  However, with The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café Jenny Oliver had me hooked from the very first page - she's back to her baking best!

Firstly, I loved that Annie had a past.  She's not broken by it, but it's there - an ex-husband from a Vegas wedding, an insecurity built on her father's preference for her brother over her, a lack of money management skills... I felt that by knowing more about Annie's history I empathised with her plight as she fought her inner battle over what to do with the café she's inherited.   Should she stay and revamp it?  Is it financially viable?  Or should she sell it and allow developers to change the landscape of Cherry Pie Island forever?

Of course, this is a romance so there's a love interest (Hello Matt!)  Annie and Matt's friendship develops throughout the book and it's a cute and believable progression.  Both characters had baggage from their pasts but I was cheering this couple on and willing them to get together!

But the absolute highlights for me were the deliciously tempting descriptions of food being sold in the café and Jenny Oliver's charming titbits of information about the café's homely interior.  Even by the end of the book it's nothing swish, but that adds to the delightful normalcy of it.  It's exactly the kind of place you hope to stumble across for friendly conversation and a bite to eat, and is the perfect fictional retreat.

I'll definitely be back for another slice of cherry pie as the series continues.  Mine's a large slice with cream please, Annie. 

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café is out now, published by Carina.

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Gingerbread Cafe trilogy- Rebecca Raisin

 

I am over the moon excited to be the first stop on Rebecca Raisin's blog tour for The Gingerbread Café Trilogy!  I read and adored these books as they came out and am so pleased they have been repackaged as a set-after all, what book lover doesn't love a set?! 

 

You can read my reviews for Christmas at the Gingerbread Café, Chocolate Dreams at the Gingerbread Café and Christmas Wedding at the Gingerbread Café by clicking on the links, or find out more by reading the blurb below. 

 

If you haven't discovered Rebecca Raisin yet you're in for a deliciously scrummy treat- pun very much intended!

The Gingerbread Café Series Blurb

Enjoy the warmth, cupcakes and hot chocolate of The Gingerbread Café series, and follow Lil’s journey to happily ever after…

Lil has every recipe down, from gingerbread men to cinnamon muffins. So when gorgeous outsider Damon opens a shop opposite The Gingerbread Café, Lil refuses to let him steal her customers without a fight – no matter how much he makes her heart flutter.

When it comes to love, Lil’s never quite got the method right! But it looks like this time, deviating from the recipe might just lead Lil to the magic ingredient she’s been missing all along…

Don’t miss this delicious series from best-selling author Rebecca Raisin – the ultimate romantic indulgence.

 

About The Author

Rebecca Raisin is a true bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. She's been widely published in short story anthologies, and in fiction magazines. And now she is focusing on writing romance.

Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships and believe in true love.

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK AMAZON US NOOK

Cherry Pie Island series- Jenny Oliver BLOG TOUR

I am a huge fan of Jenny Oliver and I'm really excited about her latest delicious series, Cherry Pie Island.  Jenny very kindly agreed to do a Q and A with Books with Bunny as part of her blog tour, so let's get down to business!

Are you a baker, and if so have you always baked?  What are your earliest memories of baking?
- My earliest memory of baking is helping with the chocolate cake at Christmas - creaming butter and sugar till my arm hurt! At primary school we had baking on rotation and I always prayed it was my turn. I loved it. We would make little cupcakes and eat them when they were still warm. At secondary school we did Home Ec - I remember making swiss roll and us sneaking into the classroom and eating what we’d made at lunchtime which was totally against the rules! Having to go home and tell your parents you got in trouble for eating swiss roll is so ridiculous. We did learn a lot of the basics of cooking though, and I think it was a really important lesson that I hope doesn’t fall off the curriculum completely.

Have you ever had a baking disaster?

- Oh loads! The one that scarred me for life was in the aforementioned Home Ec lessons. We had to make a flan for an exam - my pastry crumbled, my pie dish was too small, my patisserie creme didn’t set so all the strawberries sunk into it and disappeared without a trace and then my jam glaze congealed into a lump. It was so awful. Not one bit went right. It sat forlornly at the bottom of our fridge for ages when I took it home. Not even my dad would eat it which is saying something.

You write the most beautiful, vivid descriptions of food in your books- don't you find it makes you hungry to write?  Because as a reader my mouth is always watering when I read them!

- Have you seen the film Hook? When they’re hungry they imagine that they’re eating something and savour the taste in their minds. For me, writing about food is a bit like that. I feel like I’ve been living off cherry pie for weeks.

This is the first book in the Cherry Pie Island series, how many do you envisage overall and how long will readers have to wait for the next instalment?

- At the moment there are four in total, but I’m sure I’ll pop back there in the future. They’re coming out one a month so you don’t have long to wait for the next one!

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions Jenny, as always it's a pleasure!

- Thanks for having me! x

 

THE GRAND REOPENING OF THE DANDELION CAFÉ, the first book in the Cherry Pie Island Series, is available now.

Find out more about the Pie Bake Off here.

 

Afternoon tea with Rebecca Raisin

On Sunday 29th March around thirty book bloggers met in London to celebrate Rebecca Raisin's arrival on British soil!  Despite travelling from Australia just the day before, the author looked relaxed and glamorous, and perhaps most surprisingly, wide awake! 

Rebecca has a huge following here in the UK and as her Gingerbread Café trilogy is being repackaged as a collection it was certainly cause for celebration.  The venue was well selected for a host of bibliophiles- the 5th view bar on the fifth floor of Waterstone's Piccadilly, the largest bookshop in Europe. 

We were treated to a gorgeous selection of what our table described as 'teeny tiny food'-the mini Yorkshire puddings and chocolate brownies were dwarfed by the delicious and generously sized scones.  We also had a glass of Prosecco to accompany it, plus a choice from a variety of different teas and coffees.


The teeny tiny food

I had a brilliant time on my table sat with Tay (Chicks That Read), Rebecca (Brunette Lifestyle), Laura (Little Northern Soul), Lisa (Reading Room with a View) and Trish (Trish B's Blog).  We chatted about anything and everything (although admittedly, mostly books) and had a real laugh.

Rebecca gave a short speech thanking everyone for coming and supporting her work, and it was so, so wonderful to spend time talking to her in person.  She's been a huge inspiration and support to me on my own writing journey and given me invaluable feedback, so being able to give her a real hug rather than a virtual one was lovely!



Me with Rebecca Raisin

I finished off my time in London with a visit to the British Library where I pawed at the glass covering the manuscript of Jane Eyre and dreamed about a CIP catalogue record of my book being available from there one day (I have no idea what that actually means, but I ALWAYS notice that phrase in publication details at the start of books.  Whatever it is, I want it.  It sounds awesome.)

At the British Library

All in all a wonderful day full of bookish fun. Huge thanks to Rebecca and Carina UK for allowing me to be part of it, and to 5th View for being so accommodating.

Love, Lies and Lemon Pies- Katy Cannon

The Blurb

Love, Lies and Lemon Pies, the debut YA novel from Katy Cannon, is the perfect summer read for fans of Sarah Dessen and Louise Rennison. With a Bake Club recipe at the start of each chapter, this book perfectly captures the current appetite for all things baking!

Sixteen-year-old Lottie is on a mission to protect her biggest secret, and it’ll take every lie and every baking trick she can muster. Since her dad died, life hasn’t been the same for Lottie. When the school suggests she joins Bake Club to get her back on track, Lottie reluctantly agrees. The alternative – the school paying her mum a home visit – is not an option. But Lottie’s uncertainty about Bake Club melts away as she rekindles her love of baking and gets caught up with Mac, school rebel and another unwilling Bake Club member.

As the end-of-year Bake Off approaches, the tension rises. Can Lottie keep up the façade of her perfect life? And can her bubbling romance with Mac survive the pressure?

The Review

Having read and reviewed Katy Cannon's Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines last month I just had to start Love, Lies and Lemon Pies as soon as humanly possible! 

This is actually the first in the series (I never like to be conventional!) but as both books can be read and enjoyed in their own right it didn't really matter that I'd been a little bit squiffy with the order I'd read them in. 

Lottie is the central character in this one, and she's thrown into Bake Club.  Although she's reluctant at first, she can't deny it's an escape from the realities of life-home, her Mum and the accumulation of 'stuff' which is taking over their house.  Throughout the book she develops as a character, maturing and realising that sometimes in life you do need the love and support of your friends.  The teens in Bake Club are an unlikely group but become a tight unit working towards a common goal and their loyalty towards each other is heartwarming.

Of course, there's a romantic element too when Lottie falls for bad boy Mac.  He's troubled and edgy and has a reputation which everyone around school believes.  But when he's stirring a cake mix or kneeding a dough he's a different person, and Lottie sees that.  It's just a shame that the secrets they're hiding have the potential to end their relationship before it's properly begun...

I admire Katy Cannon greatly for writing contemporary teen romances which don't revolve around sex.  Instead they're built on gently moralistic foundations- the need to be honest, to believe in yourself, to take help when you need it- vital lessons to learn at any age. 

The writing itself is also top notch.  It's well paced, appropriate for the target audience and I loved the dialogue. The added bonus of some simple recipes (without hundreds of ingredients, which is my bug bear when baking) offers something different which sets this apart from other teen romances. 

These books are without doubt some of my favourites in this genre. I'm desperately hoping there are more in the pipeline! 

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Love, Lies and Lemon Pies is out now, published by Stripes, an imprint of Little Tiger.

The Little Christmas Kitchen- Jenny Oliver

 

 

I loved Jenny Oliver's last Christmassy offering.  The Parisian Christmas Bake Off was sweet, fun and festive (you can read my review) and it's fair to say I was very excited to find out what she'd be bringing to the table this year.

 

The Blurb

 

Christmas at the Davenports’ house was always about one thing: food!

 

But when sisters Ella and Maddy were split up, Ella to live in London with their Dad, and Maddy staying in Greece with their Mum, mince pies lost their magic.  Now, a cheating husband has thrown Ella a curved snowball…and for the first time in years, all she wants is her mum. So she heads back to Greece, where her family’s taverna holds all the promise of home. Meanwhile, waitress Maddy’s dreams of a white Christmas lead her back to London…and her Dad.  But a big fat festive life-swap isn’t as easy as it sounds! And as the sisters trade one kitchen for another, it suddenly seems that among the cinnamon, cranberries and icing sugar, their recipes for a perfect Christmas might be missing a crucial ingredient: each other.

The Review

The Little Christmas Kitchen started off with a bang as Ella ran from her problems in London and hot tailed it to Greece- I was immediately interested in her story.  We are led to believe she had a nigh on perfect life until finding out her husband has been cheating on her with one of 'the girls' and I would perhaps have liked this to have been shown a bit more of their relationship before things went belly up.  However, I loved the imagery and doubt of her 'taxi scene' and the thought of her hapless cheat balancing a ten or twelve foot tree precariously as she walks from their flat. 

Maddy on the other hand-well, I struggled to warm to her at first -I'm not sure if it was because in the early chapters she was portrayed as self centred and jealous of her sister's London lifestyle (although I did always admire Maddy's drive and the pursuit of following her dreams to sing).

Being honest, this story didn't grab me in the same way The Parisian Christmas Bake Off did. I loved the wonderfully descriptive writing and zippy dialogue, yet there were occasions in the first 25% where I skimmed over the text.  I suppose it was a bit of a slow burner for me.  However, by the end I was well and truly won over, enjoyed finding out how life changed for both sisters, and when it came to the descriptions of the food ... wow. Just wow.  I think I actually physically drooled. 

Overall, this is an easy chick lit read about the difficulties families and relationships face, with festive undertones and a foodie flavour.  If, like me, you aren't immediately hooked, it is well worth persevering.  My opinion definitely changed as the story developed and characters I was convinced I didn't give two hoots about won me over and had me hoping for resolutions and a hopeful future.  The Little Christmas Kitchen is a charming read.

Jenny’s latest novel THE LITTLE CHRISTMAS KITCHEN is out now.

 

Hungry for more? Try  THE VINTAGE SUMMER WEDDING and THE PARISIAN CHRISTMAS BAKE-OFF, which are also available in paperback.

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a galley copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.