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The Vintage Village Bake Off by Judy Leigh #Review

  Here we are with another amusing romcom by Judy Leigh . The Vintage Village Bake Off was published by Boldwood Books on December 4th. Now in his seventies, Robert Parkin is stunned to find himself the unlikely sex symbol of the village gardening club. Living in happy solitude with his cat Isaac Mewton in the Devon village of Millbrook, entertained by his mischievous chickens and goats, Robert has never figured out the rules of romance. But as the local ladies vie for his company, it soon becomes clear that Robert's Victoria Sponge cake is the lure, and as his baking prowess grows, so does his confidence. Cheesecakes, meringues, puddings, Robert can do it all, but his real masterpieces are his scones - ginger, rosemary, coconut, fruit, his recipes are inspired and soon come to the attention of the local media. Which county does the best cream tea - Devon or Cornwall? It's time for an age-old debate to be settled with a competition. Robert's sisters Bunty and Ha

Snowdown at the Old Schoolhouse by Margaret Amatt #Review #GlenbriarBook6

 

We are returning to beautiful Scotland  for Margaret Amatt's sixth in her Glenbriar  Series, Snowdown at the Old Schoolhouse. This latest novel was published on 18th November by Leannan Press.

 You can read my review of the first, Stolen Kisses at the Loch View Hotel here and the second, Just Friends at Thistle Lodge here and the third, Pitching up at Heather Glen here, the fourth, Two's Compamy at the Forest Lights Show here, the fifth, Highland Fling on the Whisky Trail here. 

 
They didn’t forecast this!

When charismatic and handsome weather presenter Marcus Bowman walks back into Willow Roxburgh’s life three weeks before Christmas, her quiet job as an admin worker at the Old Schoolhouse residential care centre in Glenbriar is shattered. He’s not only the man she used to crush on, he’s also the one who thwarted her TV forecasting dreams.

But she’s no longer the anonymous studio assistant; she’s secretly Scotland’s new favourite weather forecaster, Rocky Rainman.

With the Schoolhouse facing closure, Marcus is on an assignment to drum up festive support. However, he’s discovered the internet sensation Rocky Rainman lives somewhere nearby and is determined to expose him after Rocky’s recent damaging comments on social media. Seeing Willow, the girl he used to obsess over, shakes his priorities.

When a blizzard hits, Willow and Marcus are snowed in, and she discovers her perception of him wasn’t as accurate as her forecasts. Marcus isn’t convinced it’ll be a white Christmas, but he’s determined to win Willow’s heart. Can their new love weather storm if he discovers her secret? Because how can there be a future for Marcus Bowman and Rocky Rainman?


 My Thoughts

This is quite a fun read with a distinctive central character. Willow has her own reasoms for wanting to be off camera but her talent and determination to be a successful weather forecaster are palin to see. With a big secret to hide, she finds herself in some tricky situations once Marcus has arrived in the Highlands.  Marcus too is not how he appears to the public and he has kept a few secrets of his own out of the public view. Secrecy has become second nature to him and he jas definite trust issues. However, the chemistry between Marcus and Willow is pretty clear.

    This story has quite a lot to say about following your dreams and facing up to what you actually want to do. Several stereotypes are dismantled and the message clearly is to look beneath the surface. As ever, the setting around Glenbriar lends itself to this expending series of stories and I am looking forward to number 7.

In short: Can you foretell the future?

 

About the Author

Margaret is a Scottish author and chocolate lover who has been writing stories for over twenty years (possibly more if you count her primary school efforts). Her early works will never see the light of day and are locked in dusty vaults on some old floppy disks. But after all those years of practise,

Margaret released her first novel A Winter Haven in 2021. This is the first of a ten-book series set on the gorgeous Scottish Isle of Mull. Margaret has also written six books in The Glenbriar Series with more planned for 2024.The stories are unashamedly romantic but with lots of drama and an eclectic mix of characters. Each book can be read as a standalone but followers of the series will enjoy catching up with the characters.

 

You can follow Margaret here:  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter 

                                                  Website

 Purchase links  | 

 

 Thanks to Margaret Amatt, Leannan Publishers and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

Check out the rest of the tour!


 


 

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