Everyone’s favourite bus goes on a summer adventure full of sunshine and the promise of romance…
Charlie has a new helper on her bus, her free-spirited and loveable cousin, Delilah, who’s paid a visit to the charming Cornish village of Porthgolow and is helping out on Charlie’s adorable cream tea bus.
When the Director of a new TV series filming further along the coast tells Delilah that the bus would be the perfect addition to their onsite catering, she takes him a bit too literally, and before long she and the bus have taken a rather unexpected journey…
Amazon Affiliate Link: Kindle
Many thanks to Harper Collins via NetGalley for my copy of The Cornish Cream Tea Summer : Part One: All You knead Is Love and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
What an absolute delight that Cressida McLaughlin has chosen to continue writing about The Cornish Cream Tea Bus and all its adventures. I absolutely loved the previous book, which I read as each part was published and I am going to do the same again this time around as I can't wait for the full length publication. Charlie and her pride and joy Gertie, her newly renovated bus which she inherited from her Uncle Hal, really struck a chord with many readers and I am thrilled the story is to be continued albeit with more of the arrival of a new character and the problems she brings with her. This new story is called The Cornish Cream Tea Summer and the title of part one as always with Cressida has a great play on words that really fits the theme - All You Knead is Love. Again there is another gorgeous, bright cover which really makes you wish that the beautiful Cornish coastal village of Porthgolow could be real.
We get straight down to business with no messing around, right from chapter one. Any filling in relation to the previous books is slotted in, in a paragraph or two when necessary so it's not strictly essential to have read Charlie's story. Although to be honest to really appreciate what a wonderful cast of characters, with a great setting and fun and exciting plot the author has created, I would read the first book. Delilah Forest, Charlie's cousin, turns up in the village unannounced and unexpected but of course she is welcomed with open arms as Charlie is never one to turn anyone away despite how busy she may be, or what might be going on in her life. Charlie is now happy and successful with the running of the bus and her love life is flourishing as well but the same can't be said for Delilah. From the outset it is clear she is running from something and she thinks getting away and hiding in Porthgolow may give her the chance to break free from what is haunting her.
I loved how we weren't kept in the dark for too long as to what was bothering her as I didn't think this element of the story could be sustained throughout four parts. So having the focus on Delilah rebuilding her life and establishing a positive future was a good idea. The seeds of which were very much sown in part one. I could see why she would be so cut up over what had happened and her role in it but after trying to fix things up with no success I think she did the right thing in removing herself from the situation allowing for reflection and a new perspective even though she had tried her utmost to make amends.
Delilah gets to know the village and meets some of the villagers and the fabulous descriptions of the coast and the set up of the market with the bus at its centre really helps the reader refamiliarise themselves with what had happened previously. Delilah feels perhaps Charlie's success will put her failures into sharp focus and she soon comes to realise she needs to get up and at it and make some changes in her life. She seemed to be a bit of a lost soul to me, someone who had lost her purpose and was nervous of what could come next. It was like she almost feared history repeating itself but I admired her guts and determination that when she saw an opportunity she went for it even if Charlie did feel a bit head hunted and with little choice but to say yes.
I felt on edge throughout part one almost as if I was waiting for Delilah to fail spectacularly once again and I thought Charlie put great faith in her. I questioned as to whether Cornwall could work its magic and sort Delilah out and be the making of her or was it all going to come tumbling down once again. Can she achieve something worthwhile rather than being notorious for all the wrong reasons? I thoroughly enjoyed that grabbing the chance to be part of the catering team for a TV series which was shooting in the local area gave Delilah the opportunity to prove herself to Charlie. It also provided a change of setting and the introduction of some new characters and I enjoyed guessing who was going to play a more prominent role in the future parts of the story.
There were little sub plots established throughout part one and it will be interesting to see how they will be explored and developed. I felt we got to know Delilah fairly well and that she is a person who is spontaneous and although she may be quick to rush into things for better or worse that really underneath it all she does have a heart of gold and only wants to do her best. OK she may be a little lost and not certain as to the direction she sees her life going in long term but at least she knows she had done wrong and now is trying to make amends in other ways.
All You Knead is love was the perfect introduction to The Cornish Cream Tea Summer series. It was a lovely read which I know I am always guaranteed with any book that Cressida writes. She has that unique talent to create spectacularly wonderful settings which almost become characters in themselves. She also finds a unique angle to base the series around be it canal boats, nature reservations, guest houses or pets and each one feels so different and special. Part one provided just enough plot and introduction of characters to keep the readers interested peeked and I thought a lot was covered given the constraints in relation to length when serialising a book. The tools are in place for Delilah to redeem herself and make a difference but will she use them wisely or will some curve balls be thrown her way? Will Charlie's business continue to grow from strength to strength as well as her love life? Given we ended on a little mini cliff hanger of sorts when Delilah is given some liberties I do hope she will make the best of it. Part two Beauty and the Yeast is published on March 19th and I am excited to see what is next in store.
All Amazon UK book titles in bold are Amazon UK Affiliate links which will earn me a few pence if anyone clicks through and makes a purchase - any money earned will go towards buying books or gifts for giveaways.
No comments:
Post a Comment