When Flora finds out about her husband’s secret fling, she escapes to the one place she feels safe: her beloved café, The Cosy Kettle, in the charming village of Honeyford. Serving up cream teas to her café regulars is the perfect way to soothe her broken heart, and although she’s never lived in the area, the little community welcome her with open arms.
She’s soon lodging with local eccentric Luna in her remote and beautiful Starlight Cottage, snuggled between rolling green hills. Luna’s handsome son Daniel lost his wife several years ago, and as Flora gets to know him, sharing walks through the blossom-scented woods, they both slowly begin to heal… and she realises that behind Daniel’s quiet exterior, there’s a passionate nature that makes her forget all about her ex-husband.
As she settles into her new life, hosting a baking competition for the village’s summer celebration seems like a great idea… but with Daniel’s mysterious silences leading Flora to believe he’s hiding secrets, she can’t help but wonder if she can really trust him. And when the race to bake the perfect Victoria sponge stirs up old rivalries between locals, Flora starts to feel like she’s bitten off more than she can chew.
After her new start, will Flora ever truly belong in Honeyford? And, this summer, can she risk opening up her heart again?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of A Summer Escape and Strawberry Cake at the Cosy Kettle to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
What a beautiful cover for the second book in Liz Eeles' Cosy Kettle series set in the village of Honeyford. A Summer Escape and Strawberry Cake at the Cosy Kettle certainly looked very inviting and I was eager to return to the bookshop/café run by Flora with help from Becca. Now it was time for Flora to share her story as although she did feature in book one she was very close knit and didn't reveal much about herself or why she had come to Honeyford. New Starts and Cherry Tarts told the story of Callie and in this new book we don't see or hear much from here at all as she is busying running the café in the local hotel. Every now and again one character or another might say that Callie is away on a date somewhere but that is it, I would have loved to actually have had her in a scene or two just to get her perspective on the situation.
Callie had become somewhat close to Flora considering she was allowed to set up the Cosy Kettle café at the back of the bookshop so to not have her feature was a slight disappointment. But once I got over this I really settled down into Flora's story as things start to go belly up for her. What she thought was a happy and secure marriage lasting many years is about to implode in a big way and Flora is about to be faced with some life changing decisions. The question is will she make the right ones to secure a safe and happy future for herself?
Ever since Flora purchased the bookshop in Honeyford, which had long been in danger of closure, she has felt a new lease of life slowly starting to surface for herself. She has finally bitten the bullet and done something for just her and no one else. She has emerged from her husband Malcolm's shadow and is embarking on a fresh start. Although the road may be bumpy she wants to try new things and become apart of the close knit community that exists in Honeyford. She knows acceptance is not easy but is she willing to put in the effort required to become embraced by the villagers?
With the purchase of the bookshop Flora has felt more alive than she has done in ages. OK she mightn't be an expert in running a bookshop or managing a café but she has Becca to look after the café with all its delectable cakes and drinks. So her attention can turn to the bookshop side of things. So why did she leave Malcolm to run his restaurant in Oxford and Flora would commute to Honeyford? Why did she step out of her security blanket offered by Malcolm for as long as she can remember? Simply because she was bored and feelings of panic were springing up, she needed a change and in what Malcolm viewed as an act of rebellion the bookshop was purchased.
I thought Flora was brave to go against Malcolm's wishes and do something that would give her some form of independence considering Malcolm was dead set against it. But clearly this was a make or break time because if Flora hadn't made the move she would have been left lingering in a life dictated by her husbands working hours. What cements her decision and what makes her world really implode is when Malcolm is caught in a compromising situation, one in which he lies through his teeth about, and in fact for the majority of the story that's all Malcolm did was lie and manipulate Flora. I desperately wanted her to make the right decision when Malcolm presents her with a choice – himself or stay in Honeyford forever without him.
Malcolm was just a pure sleaze ball who I thought put unnecessary pressure on Flora when she was already very vulnerable. I don't think she had the strength or the where with all to make a snap decision that would change the way she lived her life. She needed time and space and as she became very much focused on being accepted by the villagers with all her efforts for the Charter Day celebrations I don't think giving Malcolm an answer was her sole aim. Surely Malcolm should have been there from the outset to support his wife in her endeavours as all she wanted was something she could call her own.
The bookshop was that outlet but Malcolm was so caught up in his own world and in making his restaurant a success that he sorely neglected Flora's needs. Malcolm's actions throughout the story were deplorable and I hoped that Flora would ultimately make the decision that would benefit her in the long run. She didn't need to be further dragged down but instead she needed to build upon and nurture the little strength she had in order to move forward in a positive way with her life. Flora is constantly seeking acceptance from the residents of Honeyford and as she repeated this so many times it did become a little repetitive at some points. She was always seeking the approval of others in particular the members of the book group and I thought really she should have just been herself but maybe having been with Malcolm for so long she had forgotten who she was and in a way he had sapped all her confidence.
Nicely balanced with Flora's quest to find herself were lots of comedic laugh out loud moments and the Charter Day Celebrations towards the end of the book provided those aplenty as well as Callie's grandfather Stanley who is still getting up to plenty of high jinks in his old age. The introduction of new characters Luna and her son Daniel and grandson Caleb were very much welcome as they gave a platform for another side of Flora to emerge. At first I thought it was very random that Flora should choose to take up Luna's offer of staying in her cottage but similar to Flora I think Luna for all her mystical and magical belief and antics saw a kindred spirit in her house guest. Someone who was on the fringes looking in and who wanted to become apart of everything.
Daniel and Caleb provided a real emotional side to the story and a lot of will they won't they as Flora begins to experience feelings that haven't bubbled to the surface in years as she battles with making the right decision for her. The storyline surrounding April Devlin was brilliant as it really got everyone enthused and it was Flora who was enabling this to happen. I did guess more or less straight away who was behind it all but that didn't matter as I thought it was brilliant when the reveal came and helped with the tying up of several strands of the story.
All in all A Summer Escape and Strawberry Cake at the Cosy Kettle was a really enjoyable read although I think if I had to choose Callie's story would slightly edge it out for me. Given how cold and aloof Flora had been in book one, I found it difficult to warm to her in initially. But she grew on me as a character and I enjoyed reading of all her experiences in Honeyford as she grapples with a major decision. This is a light hearted, warm and ultimately feel good read that is perfect for the lazy days of Summer. I'm looking forward to reading Becca's story which I hope might be with us before the end of the year.
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