Welcome to the second novella in Rosie Green's Little Duck Pond series, Summer at the Little Duck Pond Cafe. You can read my review of the first book, Spring at the Little Duck Pond Cafe here.
Jaz Winters stuck a pin in a map and fled to the village of
Sunnybrook, looking for a brand new life – and after a rocky start, it’s
beginning to look as if she made the right decision. Her blossoming friendship
with Ellie and Fen has seen her through some dark times, and she’s managed to
land two jobs – waitress at The Little Duck Pond Café and working as a weekend
tour guide at Brambleberry Manor, the country house that’s been in Fen’s family
for generations.
Sure, life isn’t
totally perfect. There’s the irritating know-it-all guy who keeps popping up on
her manor tours, for a start. He seems determined to get under Jaz’s skin
whether she likes it or not. But she supposes it’s a small price to pay for the
relative peace she’s found, living in Sunnybrook.
But just as Jaz is
beginning to think rosier times are on the horizon, a shock encounter looks set
to shatter her fragile happiness.
Will she be forced
to flee from Sunnybrook and everyone she’s grown so fond of? Or will she find
the strength to stand her ground and finally face up to the nightmares of the
past?
This novella is part of a series:
Spring at the Little Duck Pond Cafe
Summer at the Litle Duck Pond Cafe
Winter at the Little Duck Pond Cafe
My Thoughts
I enjoyed revisiting the village of Smallbrook and meeting again some familiar faces from the first novella in this series. Jaz's story has extended the focus and introduced us to people within her orbit and I like to see how all these characters' lives interact. Smallbrook seems to be a place for new beginnings and starting again and therefore, a hopeful place to live. Jaz appeared in the first novella, so it was good to find out more about why she came to be in the village. There is a darker edge to her backstory which makes the friends she makes in Smallbrook seem all the more heart-warming and protective.
With fluid writing and a well paced storyline, I found this to be an enjoyable read which I finished in one sitting. There is still mileage to be found for a third story and I am looking forward to finding out what Winter will have in store and hoping that we will find out more about Fen's story. Rosie Green has created a thoroughly likeable place in which to spend a few hours.
In short: a warm and welcoming tale.
About the Author
Rosie Green 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.
Rosie’s brand new
series of novellas is centred on life in a village café. Summer at The Little
Duck Pond Café, published on 18th June 2018, follows the first in the series,
Spring at The Little Duck Pond Café.
Don't forget the rest of the tour!
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