Little Teashop of Horrors
Jane Lovering
I am so thrilled to be taking part in the Blog Tour for Little Teashop of Horrors by Jane Lovering. Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the tour and also to the author and publisher for providing me with a review copy.
Little Teashop of Horrors
Secrets, lies, carrot cake and an owl called Skrillex!
Amy Knowles has always been the plain sidekick to her pretty best friend Jules. And whilst the tearoom they both work in on the Monkpark Hall estate in Yorkshire is not exactly awash with eligible bachelors, it’s obvious where the male attention is concentrated – and it’s not just on the cakes!
There is one man who notices Amy. Joshua Wilson also works at Monkpark, where he flies his birds of prey for visitor entertainment. He lives a lonely existence but he has reasons for choosing isolation – and, in Amy, he may have found somebody who understands.
Then a management change brings slick and well-spoken Edmund Evershott to Monkpark. He’s interested in Amy too, but for what reason? Josh suspects the new manager is up to no good – but will Amy? Because Edmund could leave her with much worse than a broken heart…
My Review
When a new estate manager arrives at Monkpark Hall, Amy is seriously worried about the security of her job. She works in the tearoom but also lives in an estate owned cottage with her gran, so her job really does depend on everything. Her childhood friend Julia also works in the tearoom and colleague Josh calls in often between his bird of prey displays for a cup of tea and one of Amy’s delicious cupcakes.
I loved the characters, their Northern wit had me chuckling, especially Amy’s gran who reminded me so much of my own grandma. I felt the pain of Amy when she compared herself to her more confident and attractive best friend and worried about Josh because he seemed quite lonely and fragile. A wonderful addition was the birds of prey who all had their own little personalities and their interaction with Josh was so charming.
I think what set Little Teashop of Horrors apart was the fine detail and constant laugh out loud moments. I could just imagine Amy and Jules in their cumbersome and comical Edwardian outfits with their unflattering mop caps which pinged off at every opportunity.
This was the first book I have read by the talented Jane Lovering and I enjoyed every single page. I thought it was going to be a light-hearted romance but soon realised that the story had some darker layers and unique, quirky characters who tugged at my heart. My only disappointment was that it had to come to an end!
Author Bio –
Jane was born in Devon and now lives in Yorkshire. She has five children, three cats and two dogs! Jane is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and has a first-class honours degree in creative writing. Jane writes comedies which are often described as ‘quirky’. Her debut Please Don’t Stop the Music won the 2012 Romantic Novel of the Year and the Best Romantic Comedy Novel award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Her Christmas novella, Christmas at the Little Village School, was the winner of the RONA Rose Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association in 2018.
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