I am happy to feature Sharley Scott's latest novel, Bedlam and Breakfast at a Devon Seaside Guesthouse.
Katie is desperate to leave her stressful job, so she
doesn’t think too hard about moving to Devon to run a B&B, even if it means
uprooting her family. She is certain that she and Jason have a strong and
loving relationship which can weather any storm.
Hooked by the beauty of Torringham with its quaint harbour
and stunning coastline, they purchase Flotsam Guesthouse which needs more than
a lick of paint to keep it afloat. Soon, Katie finds that renovating and
running a guesthouse is taking its toll, especially when dealing with
challenging guests and madcap neighbours, Shona and Kim. Katie comes to learn
that trouble is afoot whenever Shona begs a favour.
However, when her adored daughter moves back to their old
hometown, she wonders if they’ve made a huge mistake, especially when cracks
begin to show in her marriage.
Her seaside idyll is crumbling along with her relationship.
Should she let Flotsam Guesthouse founder while she salvages her marriage?
Katie needs to decide where her priorities lie. The only issue is, she doesn’t
know.
My Thoughts
There is lashings of humour in this book which has such scope for it given the number of guests who come through the guesthouse doors. There seems to be a ring of truth about some which is hardly surprising given the author is in fact a guesthouse owner. I am sure there are plenty more stories up her sleeve.
The story travels at a good pace and you are genuinely interested to find out how Katie and Jason's enterprise pans out. The B & B community is portrayed as a supportive, fair-minded but completely overworked lot and there are some larger than life characters among them. The seaside setting makes you wish it were summer and indeed this would be a great holiday read.
In short: Travel to Devon for escapades galore.
About the Author
While 'Bedlam & Breakfast at a Devon Seaside Guesthouse'
is fictional, I am a guesthouse owner. Thankfully, we have been blessed with
lots of amazing and kind-hearted guests, who are nothing like some of the
characters featured in this novel and the subsequent books in the series. I
would be a lot greyer if they were.
Likewise, Jason is quite different to my husband, who I
sometimes nickname Victor Meldrew. He is lovely though and has a fab sense of
humour, although some of his dryness has rubbed off on Jason.
Bedlam & Breakfast is set in South Devon, in the
fictional town of Torringham, which is loosely based on Brixham. If you've been
to Brixham you may recognise some of the local features, including the seals,
fishing industry and the fantastic lifeboat crew, but the businesses, people
and a number of settings are fictionalised.
The same applies to the B&B owners featured. Many
guesthouse owners undertake work when they move into a property and our current
B&B was not an exception. While, thankfully, our previous owners were
nothing like Jim and Maureen, this also means we don’t get to live next door to
the fabulous Shona and Kim. But we do have many lovely B&B friends.
B&Bers are a wonderful and hardworking bunch, although the ones we know
have a perchant for parties in the low season. That's why I had to end Bedlam
& Breakfast at a party.
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