We are now up to Book 15 in the redoubtable Little Duck Pond Cafe series, with Sweet Pastries and Sourdough by Rosie Green. How lovely it is to be back in Sunnybrook!
Ellie's brand new enterprise, the True Loaf Bakery, is
finally open and classes are due to start. But when Katja's ski-ing holiday
ends in disaster, a new teacher must be found very quickly. Anita is up for the
challenge, but - fresh from a break-up and an operation that's left her feeling
physically and emotionally vulnerable - the last thing she's looking for when
she moves to Sunnybrook is a new relationship. So it's Sod's law that she
should find herself with not one but two guys vying for her attention. Sven,
from Denmark, is a bit of an enigma - but maybe passion lurks beneath his cool
reserve? And as for twenty-five-year-old football coach Ross - surely she'd be
asking for trouble getting involved with a gorgeous man a decade her junior?
(Although her football-mad son Rufus seems to love him.)
Moving in with Bertha proves a real comfort - but can Anita
get to the bottom of what's troubling the older woman?
Anita's job at the True Loaf Bakery is only temporary, but
she finds herself drawn ever deeper into life in the village - especially when
she finds a child's bracelet from long ago, in the rubble of the
newly-renovated building. Solving the mystery of who it belongs to takes Anita
on a journey of discovery - a journey that might just help her discover what
her own heart really needs...
My Thoughts
Is there a better way to spend a sunny afternoon than revisiting Sunnybrook and the cast of characters from The Little Duck Pond Cafe series? I think not! Ellie's latest enterprise, The True Loaf Bakery is about to open and this introduces us to Anita and her young son, Rufus. She has some interesting and unexpected issues to work through and finds a kindred spirit in an unexpected place. As ever, Sunnybrook proves itself to be a warm and welcoming community.
In addition to the central story concerning Anita and her life choices, there is also a mystery to solve. Bertha has lived with it for years and it is up to Anita to try out some amateur sleuthing to get to the bottom of it. You also realise that appearances can be deceptive. Tara may present as a preoccupied teenager without much sense of responsibility but there is more to her than meets the eye. This is a great addition to the novella series and could be read as a standalone.
In short: Great storytelling and a range of characters
About the Author
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.
You can read my review of more of this series here:
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