Emma's Review: The Windmill Cafe: Autumn Leaves by Poppy Blake

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Summer days drifting away…

As the last rays of summer sunshine fade away, Rosie Barnes swaps serving ice-cold fizz and strawberries for warm, spiced pumpkin latte and chocolate brownies. Her love for the Windmill Café remains as strong as its peppermint green sails.

So, with time on her hands, Rosie agrees to help gorgeous Matt Wilson on one of his outdoor expeditions – camping under the stars with rugged Matt the perfect chance to wind down.

As the Autumn mist rolls in, the change in weather brings with it a sense of danger when one of the camping group is shot with a bow and arrow! An unfortunate accident, or a killer on the loose in picture-perfect Willerby?

If news escapes, Rosie knows dreams of building a life at Windmill Café will be over for good. Unless she and Matt can solve the mystery before it’s too late!

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Many thanks to Harper Impulse via NetGalley for my copy of The Windmill Cafe: Autumn Leaves to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.

Summer Breeze, the first in The Windmill Cafe series by Poppy Blake, was a story that I stumbled upon quite by accident but I was certainly glad I did so. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first instalment as I feel books centred around cafés have been done to death recently. But with this brilliant series Poppy Blake has brought something totally fresh, new and innovative to the genre. This being the inclusion of a mystery element. Normally, I'm not the biggest fan of mystery books so I would have never have expected this to be present judging the book on its cover but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the story. It doesn't have the twee cosy crime element either instead we have a lovely balance between Rosie and her job running the Windmill Café in the town of Willerby in Norfolk and some romance is thrown in too. But trouble and strife always seem to arrive at her door with a conundrum/mystery to be solved and it makes for a riveting, page turning read.

Thankfully I didn't have to wait too long for the second story in the planned trilogy. Autumn Leaves with its gorgeous cover called out to me as soon as it landed on my Kindle and knowing how much I loved my first introduction to Rosie and co I got stuck straight in and thoroughly adored my return visit. The stories can easily be read as stand alone adventures but to get a real flavour of just how brilliant Poppy Blake's writing is I would suggest you start with Summer Breeze.

A new season is approaching at the café where Rosie is manager. It's a place that offers comfort, warmth and contentment and within the first few pages your mouth will certainly be watering at all the descriptions of such delectable cakes and treats that are on offer. Chocolate and pecan brownies, blackberry and apple roulade, pumpkin and treacle tarts, apricot and cranberry brownie. I could go on and on but suffice to say don't read this book on an empty stomach. Rosie is preparing for the Autumn Leaves Halloween party but understandably given the events that occurred during the Summer she is anxious that all will go to plan. To be honest I think Rosie would be anxious anyway. It's in her nature, it's part of her character as well as her obsession with order and cleanliness. Everything in the café has its place and she can never rest easy until every surface is spotless. Routine and cleaning are part of her daily life and it seems as if she will never be able to relax with regard to this aspect of her personality.

We have already been privy to some aspects of Rosie's past and the reader can tell she is still hurting and it is hindering her moving on the present particularly when it comes to the romance element of the story. She is loosening up a bit but healing and opening up again takes time. I think Matt from Ultimate Adventures will be there for her no matter what. He is patient, kind and understanding and maybe the time is not quite right for things to go that little bit further. Apart from being able to focus on romance the pair have more than enough to keep them occupied especially with the arrival of a group of guests who stay on site at the holiday cottages near the café. What problems and worries await them as the Myth Seekers Society are on the lookout for ghostly and unusual happenings. They are legend lovers, thrill seekers and adrenalin junkies but will they get a lot more than they at first bargained for?

That is what is so great about this series, it's not the run of the mill setting up a café, it gets into difficulties and everyone has to club together to get things sorted and make a success of it. No the café is more a feature in the background as the members of the society cause trouble, unrest and upset which could be devastating for both the future of the café and Matt's adventure centre. The cynic in me thought, god ghosts and strange happenings this is all a bit far fetched and I will find parts of the story just laughable and boring but it's the way the author writes and develops the story that has you drawn in and wanting to keep turning the pages to see what happens that meant I forgot all my scepticism and just got lost in the story. I wanted to know who had been the person who let fly the arrow that hit Rick in the foot and led to plenty of secrets being unveiled. The night spent camping outside and visiting Garside Priory did not go to plan and Rosie was right to be worried before she embarked on the trip. I think she was very reluctant to go but she wanted to be there for Matt and support him with regard to his business just like he does the same for her. They have a beautiful friendship but the reader does wish they could really talk and get everything out in the open because they would just be so perfect together.

There are plenty of suspects in the case of who shot the arrow and as Rosie and Matt work together to find the answers so they can save the reputation of their respective business the story took on so many twists and turns. So much so you I never knew for sure until the very end who the actual culprit was and I was delighted to be kept guessing. At the end of every chapter I was convinced who it was but then within a few paragraphs of the next my opinion was changing and this happened time and time again. I wouldn't really blame anyone for wanting to get rid of Rick, even if the target didn't hit the desired spot. He was one of the most unlikeable characters I have read about in a long time. He was full of snide comments, put downs and his competitive streak left a lot to be desired. How the other members of the society put up with him I will never know but I suppose they all had their reasons for keeping him as a member.

Rick was obnoxious, rude, arrogant and in constant pursuit of superiority and wanting to gain one up on everybody else. But Matt and Rosie make a great team and with their shared love of puzzle solving they won't rest until they have all the answers and their journey to uncovering the truth kept the reader on their toes guessing. The development of their friendship and the support they offer each other through the trials of finding out who who was responsible only added to the overall brilliance of the book. Emma and Brad, Steph and Phil and Helen all had their own motives and I thought these were expertly woven into the story and then developed. Each character and their situation was given ample time and explanation as sometimes I feel given so much time is spent setting things up that it is such a shame when the fall out is never fully examined and analysed.

At the same time I think we got more inside Rosie's head and I understand her doubts and fears an awful lot more now. My only hope is that all these can be allayed at some stage in the future. Matt, too has his own worries and doubts and maybe with the pair working together they can resolve each others issues. Again as with book one the ultimate reveal/climax was brilliantly written and we were thrown plenty of curve balls which leave the reader breathless and excited to uncover what exactly happened once and for all. As for that ending, wow, what a cliffhanger and it throws everything so wide open. I was so frustrated that it had to end there but if it hadn't already guaranteed it Poppy Blake made sure you will return for part three Christmas Trees when it publishes in September. Bravo Poppy Blake for writing another first rate story.

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