DebJpole “Our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
“Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” – W.B. Yeats
Now for something a touch lighter after my last review!
Welcome to Claverham Castle!
Ellie is sick of her job at an insurance company. A desk job is not where here dreams lie. Her real dream lies in continuing her Nanna’s baking legacy – owning her own Teashop.
“A place to escape, and the chance to achieve the dream she’d harboured for years, running her own café, baking to her heart’s content, and watching people grin as they tucked into fat slices of her chocolate fudge cake or strawberry-packed scones. A chance for change. So this was it!”
And whilst her parents think it’s a crazy idea, she’s determined to give it a go. For her Nanna as well as herself…she knows she can do this.
“Just follow your heart…it’ll tell you what to do.”
But when she meets the owner of Claverham Castle, Lord Henry, so stuck in his old fashioned ways that Ellie wonders if maybe her baking bubble is about to burst. Can she win over her employees at the Teashop, Lord Henry and the other employees of the Castle and it’s grounds?
“Hope – it lifted you up, made anything seem possible. It was a dangerous thing.”
Now all that is missing is some romance?
After escaping her home in Newcastle because of an awful ex, maybe the brooding estate manager Joe can add some spice? But Ellie has been hurt before, can she trust him not to break her heart?
“But how did she get it so very wrong again? How did she let someone in, past her defences, just to hurt her? When it had seemed he really cared, had felt something for her too? She must be such a crap judge of character…Or was it just that all men were like that?”
This book is wonderful in so many ways! It reminds me a little of Billy and Me and Always with Love.
It’s warm, plenty of charm in every page and provides a pure escapism for the reader. It proves like many Disney films prove, that dreams really can come true if you work hard and persevere.
I can definitely see myself in Ellie and her fear of being hurt. Caroline Roberts has well and truly created a warm, cosy book, perfect for an autumn read under a blanket with a cup of tea. You’ll feel right at home reading this!
The ending is absolutely beautiful…by ending I mean the middle of chapter 20 to the end of the book. There’s a heart breaking moment before this and a heart stopping moment during this section before wanting to cry tears of happiness at the end.
“There was so much more to come. They could dream their dreams together now.”
If this homely, baking novel interests you, check it out on Amazon!
Keep an eye out for the sequel, The Cosy Christmas Teashop, on my blog!
Keep reading!
Until next time,
D x
Ps If baking is your thing, there’s a recipe at the back of the book!
