A Cornish Summer Holiday -Little Duck Pond Cafe by Rosie Green

The Little Duck Pond Cafe girls are looking forward to a well-earned break in the Cornish seaside town of Pengully Sands, where Sylvia’s sister, Aggie, owns a holiday home. With the glorious golden sands, sparkling azure sea and an ice-cream parlour only yards away, it seems like the perfect location to relax and watch the surfers riding the waves (and maybe even have a go themselves). But when they arrive, the girls find it’s not quite the seaside idyll they were expecting. The house is less ‘holiday home’ and more ‘creepy, dilapidated haunted house.’ Gracie, who runs the ice-cream parlour, has problems of her own and the last thing she needs is a bunch of high-spirited girls arriving to disturb the peace and isolation she craves. And when a handsome stranger looks set to destroy her livelihood, it seems like the last straw. Will Gracie get her happy ending - and maybe even make friends with the girls next-door? This wasn’t the relaxing break the Little Duck Pond Cafe girls were expecting, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be the holiday of a lifetime!


Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/

My Review:

I adore this series; I have raved about it with every new release, but it’s the truth. It always shoots straight to the top of my reading pile.

A Cornish Summer Holiday at the Little Duck Pond Café is the tenth book on the series (wow!) and it is just as special as the others. If you haven’t read any of the series so far, you can read this as a standalone very easily, but I do recommend you catch up with the others. This is the first in the series that is not set in our favourite little community -the girls have decided to take a holiday.

Pengully, Cornwall is our setting and we are introduced to Gracie. The story is told from her point of view as well as the Little Duck Pond Café Ladies, which I really enjoyed.

Gracie is going through a difficult time and, as many of the ladies from the café have had to do in the past, she needs to figure out who she is and what she needs to do moving forward. Things have not been easy for her and the arrival of the café ladies is not a welcome addition.

As the story progresses, we see our favourite ladies do their best to renovate their holiday home, look after each other through problems as well as befriending and supporting Gracie.

I love the different characters we have grown so used to over the series, each are different yet complement each other – forming a formidable friendship group who stick together throughout anything.

Rosie Green writes in such a lovely way, we connect with each character, laugh along with their fun but really feel their pain too. Easy to read, with fun and heart-warming moments throughout.
I already look forward to the next in the series – long may it continue!! 



Author Bio:

Rosie has been scribbling stories ever since she was little.

Back then, they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by 'the baddies'.

Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all - unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Her series of novellas is centred around life in a village cafe. The latest, ‘Lemon Drizzle Mondays at the Little Duck Pond Cafe', is out now.

Rosie is currently writing a full-length book, ‘Lucy’s Great Cornish Escape’, which – in a fun twist – will feature favourite characters from the Little Duck Pond Café series.


Follow Rosie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

The Hopes And Triumphs of The Amir Sisters - Nadiya Hussain

Synopsis:

Mae has watched as her three older sisters have gone through the process of finding their place in the world and faced the challenges of parenthood head on. Now ready to spread her wings beyond her close-knit family, Mae is ready to take the world by storm.

But a series of events will shake the strong self-belief Mae has always had in herself and will leave her questioning where it is she really fits in.

The Amir sisters will need to draw on all the love they have for each other, if they are going to navigate the challenges life has to throw at them and help Mae along the path to self-discovery.

My Review:

Thank you to HQ Stories and Jessica Lee for the opportunity to read and review this charming read. I must admit I didn’t realise this was part of a series at first and generally I always try to read books in order but my enjoyment or understanding of this book was hindered by this. There was enough backstory included throughout that added context where needed.

I really felt for Mae for most of the time, even if she verged on being a little selfish at times. Clearly surrounded by people who have a lot going on, the family is busy and chaotic, but they love each other and are all just trying to find their way through their lives the best they can.

Being 19 and unsure of where you fit in can be hard and this book delicately shows how it might not always go right, but you must push through, fight the battles and make the choices you need to in order to find your own way.

This is a lovely read, nothing too intense or that will leave you with many questions. I enjoyed how we gently navigated themes of family, love, sexuality and cultural traditions. It is well written with characters that are likeable and entertaining.

I’ll definitely recommend this book for fans of the author and those looking for a warm, funny read.

About the Author:

Nadiya Hussain is a British baker, columnist, author and television presenter. The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters is her debut novel.

Hussain was born to a British Bangladeshi family in Luton, where she grew up. She developed her interest in cooking while at school and largely self-educated herself in cooking by reading recipe books and watching instructional videos on YouTube. She married and moved to Leeds, where she began studying for an Open University degree. In 2015 she appeared on the BBC's The Great British Bake Off and won the contest. She was subsequently invited to produce a cake for the 90th birthday celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II and to present her own BBC documentary, The Chronicles of Nadiya.

Hussain is a columnist for The Times Magazine and Essentials magazine, has signed publishing deals with Penguin Random House, Hodder Children's Books, and Harlequin. She is also a regular reporter for The One Show and a guest panellist on Loose Women. Hussain was named by Debrett's as one of the 500 most influential people in the UK in 2016. Hussain was on BBC News' 100 Women list in 2016. Nadiya Hussain is a British baker, columnist, author and television presenter. The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters is her debut novel.

Hussain was born to a British Bangladeshi family in Luton, where she grew up. She developed her interest in cooking while at school and largely self-educated herself in cooking by reading recipe books and watching instructional videos on YouTube. She married and moved to Leeds, where she began studying for an Open University degree. In 2015 she appeared on the BBC's The Great British Bake Off and won the contest. She was subsequently invited to produce a cake for the 90th birthday celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II and to present her own BBC documentary, The Chronicles of Nadiya.

Hussain is a columnist for The Times Magazine and Essentials magazine, has signed publishing deals with Penguin Random House, Hodder Children's Books, and Harlequin. She is also a regular reporter for The One Show and a guest panellist on Loose Women. Hussain was named by Debrett's as one of the 500 most influential people in the UK in 2016. Hussain was on BBC News' 100 Women list in 2016.

Nadiya Hussain rose to fame after winning the sixth series of The Great British Bake Off. She was one of the most memorable contestants ever due to her captivating smile and inspirational winner’s speech. Since winning, Nadiya has presented the BBC documentaries The Chronicles of Nadiya, Nadiya’s British Food Adventure, Nadiya’s Family Favourites. She has also co-presented The Big Family Cooking Showdown and Junior Bake Off and is a regular guest on The One Show.

Her cookery books and cookery/story books for children have reached bestseller status and include Nadiya’s Family Favourites, Nadiya’s British Food Adventure, Nadiya’s Kitchen and the Nadiya’s Bake Me a Story trilogy. Nadiya has also written two novels – The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters and The Fall and Rise of the Amir Sisters. Her first picture book, My Monster and Me, is publishing in October 2019, as is Finding My Voice, an emotive look at the different roles Nadiya plays in her life and how they have shaped her.

Nadiya makes regular appearances at cookery events throughout the UK and abroad, including the BBC Good Food Show and many more, and has featured in the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women list. She also features regularly in the media with columns in The Times and previously BBC Good Food Magazine and Essentials.

Nadiya lives with her husband Abdal and their three children in Milton Keynes.