My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Choc Lit
Summary: Secrets, lies, carrot cake – and an owl called Skrillex!
Amy Knowles has always been the plain sidekick to her pretty best friend Jules. And whilst the tearoom they both work in on the Monkpark Hall estate in Yorkshire is not exactly awash with eligible bachelors, it’s obvious where the male attention is concentrated – and it’s not just on the cakes!
There is one man who notices Amy. Joshua Wilson also works at Monkpark, where he flies his birds of prey for visitor entertainment. He lives a lonely existence but he has reasons for choosing isolation – and, in Amy, he may have found somebody who understands.
Then a management change brings slick and well-spoken Edmund Evershott to Monkpark. He’s interested in Amy too, but for what reason? Josh suspects the new manager is up to no good – but will Amy? Because Edmund could leave her with much worse than a broken heart …
When springtime rolls around I'm always in the mood for a little chick lit and I tend to like the British variety. So When I saw that this had a setting of a teashop and a great house, I was already half in. When I saw that this had two main characters that had had their self esteem whittled down but still weren't bitter and tried hard, I was all in. I promptly requested this on Netgalley, was quickly denied so I bounced over to Amazon to buy it. When the reading heart wants what it wants it can't be denied & this was exactly the kind of read I hoped it'd be. Simply put, I adored this book.
Amy & Josh were wonderful to follow and I enjoyed watching them both grow beyond the hurts their pasts had doled out so that they could carve out better lives. I felt that their fits, starts and even their retreats were realistic and well done. In addition, the supporting characters were sometimes surprising. And of course, there was cake. I admit to stopping while reading so I could look up recipes. While there was quite a bit I knew would happen, the reveal and unfurl was so enjoyable so I didn't mind. I'd love to read another with these two. Also, Gran was great (loved the resolution to the spoons & curtains). The alternate POVs was nicely done & didn't simply show the same scene from the other person's pov so the story never stalled. Also points to the cover art. I don't know what it is but these sorts of covers always make me want to pick them up and read.
This was my first read by Jane Lovering but won't be my last. Highly recommended if, like me, you like your romances alpha-hole free and also like to be reminded that kindness & niceness do sometimes win in this world.
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