I am very happy to be back in St Lucia for the second novel in Daisy James' Paradise Cookery School, Confetti and Confusion. As a taster, I have an extract for you to read. I reviewed the first in the series, Sunshine and Secrets and you can read my post here.
The Paradise Cookery School is officially open!
Stepping in for a celebrity chef, Millie Harper is feeling
the pressure to make the first ever Paradise Cookery School classes a dazzling
success and ensure that bride-to-be Imogen and friends have an unforgettable
experience.
Meanwhile, Millie is trying to play it cool around handsome
estate manager Zach Barker. But whenever he is near Millie cannot fail to
notice the chemistry between them – until someone from Zach’s past arrives and
any potential romance seems out of the question.
When disaster strikes and the wedding is in jeopardy, Millie
realises she may have to go above and beyond to make sure the school is a
success. Can Millie manage to create a day that dreams are made of, and will
she find a way to tell Zach how she feels?
Allow yourself to be transported to the balmy St Lucian
sunshine by his uplifting summer read – perfect for fans of Jenny Oliver and
Sarah Morgan
Extract - Chapter Three
‘Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the Paradise Cookery School!’
said Millie as she concertina-ed back the full-width French doors to allow the
scant morning breeze into the kitchen.
‘Hi, Millie. Hi, Ella,’ chorused the enthusiastic bakers as
they grabbed a freshly laundered apron each and made their way to their
respective workstations.
‘I’m sorry, Millie, Mum can’t make it today,’ smirked
Imogen, catching her sister’s eye. ‘She sends her apologies.’
‘So she should!’ laughed Karen. ‘I’ve never seen her as sozzled
as she was last night.’
‘Yes, but don’t you think it’s romantic?’
‘Everything’s romantic to you at the moment, Immie. Anyway,
it’s probably just a holiday fling.’
‘It might not be,’ interrupted Carla, tying her pale-lemon
apron securely and slumping down on a bar stool, not looking exactly
daisy-fresh herself.
Millie’s ears pricked up with interest. She loved engaging
in a bit of harmless gossip and without her best friend Poppy around she had
been starved of her regular fix. However, she was reluctant to intrude on
family chatter that was none of her business. Fortunately, Karen wasn’t as
circumspect with her mother’s privacy.
‘Would you believe that Mum bumped into an old flame in the
hotel bar last night? Apparently, she and this guy called Brad Maxwell went to
art school together – they even dated for a couple of months before they
graduated. I remember Mum telling me about him the Christmas after Dad died
when we were going through a box of old photographs. Brad left to take up an
internship at a New York art gallery and asked Mum to go with him but she’d
just been offered a job as a trainee interior designer at Liberty and their
relationship sort of fizzled out because of the distance. Then she met Dad and,
as the saying goes, the rest is history.’
‘He is kind of dreamy though, don’t you think?’ said Imogen,
her chin cupped in her hand. ‘Sort of an older George Clooney. Mum’s definitely
got excellent taste.’
‘Well, looking at their body language last night, they could
have melted a chocolate bar at ten paces!’ grinned Harriet, as she gathered her
copper-coloured hair up from her shoulders and tied it into a high ponytail.
‘Yes, well, she should be here instead of lolling around the
pool nursing her headache,’ tutted Karen, clearly upset about her mother
rekindling the friendship.
‘Well, she did promise to chase up the flowers with the
wedding planner, didn’t she? And the personalised confetti. You know, Kaz, I’m
started to think Mum’s right about her. She’s definitely been conspicuous by
her absence since we arrived. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not as obsessed as Mum is
about all the arrangements, but I would like to have a wedding bouquet and a
couple of posies for my lovely bridesmaids and flower girl!’
‘Heaven help the woman if Julia finds out she’s forgotten to
organise the butterflies!’ laughed Carla. ‘Maybe we’ll be able to round up a
flotilla of turtle doves for you instead, Immie.’
‘I’m pleased Mum has reconnected with an old friend. She
deserves a bit of romance after everything she’s been through. Dad’s been gone
for three years now and she’s refused to even think about having dinner with
anyone. She’s only forty-eight. I don’t want to think of her being alone for
the rest of her life. I wonder if she’ll invite him as her plus one to the
wedding?’
‘Immie! It was a drink, that’s all.’
‘And a walk round the grounds in the moonlight.’
‘Ah, she didn’t tell me that bit.’
‘Well, that’s probably because—’
‘Okay!’ interrupted Ella before the sisters embarked on a
sibling squabble. ‘A very warm welcome to the second day of your Chocolate and
Confetti course here at the Paradise Cookery School. Today we’re going to be
showing you how to create a new twist on a Mississippi mud pie, experiment with
a chocolate shortbread recipe my grandmother invented, and prepare a pina
colada trifle made with chocolate custard and laced with Caribbean rum. So
ladies, aprons on, let’s get started.’
All the women, apart from Gracie, who wore her pink glittery
sandshoes with pride, had clearly learned a lesson from the previous day and
had swapped their designer heels for embellished flip-flops or, in the case of
Carla, neon-coloured Skechers. They watched in fascinated silence as Ella
talked them through her family recipe, liberally interspersed with anecdotes
about her childhood in St Lucia. Then it was over to them and, like the
previous day, the burble of contented conversation accompanied the occasional
burst of laughter as the students crafted their own, individual versions of the
recipes.
Before they knew it, lunchtime arrived. Ella lit the
barbeque on the veranda and set about grilling red snapper marinated in lime
juice and diced chillies, tuna and chicken skewers coated in fresh mango salsa,
and for dessert, bananas with their skins sliced open and stuffed with cubes of
pineapple drizzled with honey. The aroma of chargrilled meat and fish wafted
through the air as the party tucked in with gusto.
‘I love your earrings, Imogen. I’ve never seen anything like
them.’
Ella was something of an aficionado of eclectic jewellery
items and always sported a vast array of bold pieces, most of which had been
hand-crafted by her friend Anisha, who had a shop in Soufrière. However, Millie
had to agree with her. Imogen’s earrings-and-necklace combo was exquisite. The
twisted silver links caught the midday sun, streaming through the French
windows into the Paradise Cookery School’s kitchen, beautifully.
‘Thank you! I’m so pleased you said that,’ Imogen beamed.
‘These are from a brand-new range I designed myself especially for the bridal
party, but after the wedding, I plan to roll them out to my clients.’
‘Ah, so you’re a jewellery designer?’
‘Yes, I trained as a silversmith. I mainly do commissions,
but I’ve always wanted to move into the wider bridal jewellery market.
Everything went manic when Pippa Middleton was photographed wearing one of my
pieces at Wimbledon in July and now I can’t keep up with demand. It’s amazing
and I’m so excited about the future. I’ve made our wedding rings, too.’
Millie’s heart softened at the excitement written across
Imogen’s face when she spoke of her impending nuptials. She really did look
like the happiest girl on the island, with a smattering of freckles on her
upturned nose, and her hair smoothed down into an elegant chignon to combat the
attack of frizz that was inevitable in the humidity of the Caribbean. Despite
the fact that her mother had turned her wedding into a royal occasion, Imogen
seemed to have taken it in good spirits. And why shouldn’t she? Millie had
taken a quick peek at the website of the wedding venue. How could anyone
complain about getting married in a magnificent white gazebo amid the lush
manicured gardens of an upmarket St Lucian hotel?
‘Shall we get back to the kitchen?’ asked Ella, replenishing
everyone’s glasses with home-made iced lemonade for them to take back to their
benches.
‘What’s on the itinerary for this afternoon?’ asked Harriet,
dabbing her lips with a napkin after her second helping of chocolate trifle and
snatching up a white chocolate chip cookie to take back to her workstation with
her.
‘Millie’s going to showcase her fabulous chocolate and
orange lava fondants and then I’ll guide you through the most delectable
chocolate tiramisu bombe – and you’ve guessed it – it’ll be soaked in Caribbean
rum.’
The women set to work. The all-encompassing fragrance of
warm cocoa and melted orange caramel was so intoxicating Millie wished someone
would bottle it so she could feast her senses on it whenever she wanted. It
would be instant happiness in a jar!
My Thoughts
I loved going back to the Caribbean to see what Millie was up to now. She's a thoroughly likeable heroine, who can think on her feet and adapt to any given situation. She may lack the organisation of some but can react to events. This makes her the saviour of several situations in this book. The setting on St Lucia is beautifully conjured up, full of sounds, scents and colour and you can really visualise the idyllic scenes.
There are lots of familiar faces to reacquaint with in this second novel and some lovely new ones as well through the wedding party who have signed up for the inaugural cookery course. There is some real humour to enjoy and I found it so easy to read- the words flew by and I read it in one sitting. I am looking forward to the next in the series, Mistletoe and Memories which is due out in September 2018.
In short: Sunshine soaked romance in the beautiful Caribbean.
About the Author
Daisy James is a Yorkshire girl transplanted to the north
east of England. She loves writing stories with strong heroines and
swift-flowing plotlines. When not scribbling away in her summerhouse, she
spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She
loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something pink and fizzy or
indulging in a spot of afternoon tea – china plates and teacups are a must.
Thanks to Daisy James and Ellie Pilcher of Canelo for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Be sure to check out the rest of the tour!
A huge thank you for being part of the Confetti & Confusion blog tour, Marianne. I'm delighted you enjoyed your trip to St Lucia. Love Daisy xx
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