A Gingerbread Cafe Christmas by Rebecca Raisin
Release Date: 22nd October 2015
Publisher: Carina
Buy: Paperback | Kindle
Rating:
Enjoy the warmth, cupcakes and hot chocolate at The Gingerbread Café…
Christmas is the season the Gingerbread Café was made for and Lil has every recipe down, from gingerbread men to cinnamon muffins. So when gorgeous outsider Damon opens a shop opposite The Gingerbread Café in the lead up to Christmas, Lil refuses to let him steal her customers without a fight – no matter how much he makes her heart flutter.
When it comes to love, Lil’s never quite got the method right! But as the snow begins to fall, it looks like this time deviating from the recipe might just lead Lil to the magic ingredient she’s been missing all along…
Poor old Lily is feeling far from festive. She is facing spending Christmas alone once again after her beloved husband ran off with another woman. As hard as she has tried Lily just can’t stop herself from still being in love with Joel and holding out hope that he will come back to her.
However, work is Lily’s savior. As owner of the gorgeous Gingerbread Cafe, she finds baking utterly therapeutic and would be lost without her best friend CeeCee working by her side.
But when a handsome stranger opens up a shop directly across the road from the Gingerbread Cafe which also sells baked goods, Lily looks to have a fight on her hands. Everyone flocks to the new shop (mainly because the owner, Damon, is almost as nice as the food he’s selling…) And after all Ashford is only a very small town – surely there isn’t room for both stores?
It’s then that you discover all three books in this magical series, staring with Christmas At The Gingerbread Cafe, Chocolate Dreams At The Gingerbread Cafe and Christmas Wedding At The Gingerbread Cafe.
As soon as you are introduced to Ashford and the wonderful characters inhabiting this beautiful area you will not want to leave. There’s friendship, romance, laughter and of course, lots and lots of baked goods…
Rebecca Raisin is an author who I have been meaning to try for AGES! Her books always receive such wonderful reviews and she comes highly recommended by so many book bloggers. So when the lovely Sophie over at Reviewed the Book sent me Rebecca’s collection of the Gingerbread Cafe books I thought now would be the perfect time to get started.
I quickly came to the conclusion that I have been missing out – BIG TIME! Rebecca completely enchanted me with this gorgeous, heart-warming tale and sucked me into the world of Ashford good and proper.
Ashford is absolutely idyllic. Rebecca really brought it to life for me through her descriptive writing, so much so that I am all ready and pack up and move there. It just sounds perfect, there’s a hairdressers, a brilliant bookshop and of course, the Gingerbread Cafe. I could happily while away the day sat on one of the squishy sofas infront of a roaring fire whilst sipping on a candy cane hot chocolate. Totally dreamy…
Then there’s the characters. They are such a wonderful bunch, each with their own distinct personalities and quirks. My ultimate favourite would have to be CeeCee. I want to meet CeeCee in real life, have her bake me one of her legendary pies and call me sugar plum. She is one of the warmest, most caring and sweetest characters I think I have ever read about. Not only that but she’s funny, wise and the best friend you could possibly ever ask for.
I also adored Lily and Damon. CeeCee says they’re meant to be together and whatever that lady says is Gospel as far as I’m concerned. But the pair get off to a bad start and it doesn’t look as though they can even be friends, let alone anything more…
Lil is one of those characters who deserves to be happy more than anything. She’s sweet, self-deprecating and always puts her friends first. I loathed Joel and when he paid a visit to Ashford I couldn’t wait to see the back of him. How DARE he try to hurt Lil. Still, something tells me CeeCee wouldn’t let that happen in a month of Sundays.
Damon is definitely a mighty fine looking young man (who liked to wear checked shirts) and his daughter, Charlie (or Charlie Bear as I like to refer to her) was adorable.
The whole of Ashford were such a lovely group of people. Throughout the three stories you are introduced to more characters and they become not only friends of Lil’s, but friends of yours too. Imagine my excitement when I realised that two of Rebecca’s other books (The Bookshop on the Corner and Secrets at the Maple Syrup Farm) involve characters who we are introduced to in the Gingerbread Cafe series! This is surely fabulous news and I cannot wait to re-visit Ashford.
These three books are a complete dream. Whether you read them individually or in one big gulp (which incidentally is how I would eat those delicious truffles that are on display in the Cafe…) then you are guaranteed to enjoy. Even better – there’s not even any calories in these books! (Unless you actually eat them, which I wouldn’t recommend…) Saying that the recipes and description of the foods will make you salivate. Make sure you have plenty of sweet snacks to accompany your reading and you won’t go far wrong…
Rebecca Raisin has definitely got herself an even bigger fan after this gem of a novel. Her storytelling is full of warmth and love and the community that she has created is definitely something special. Pick up this novel and become encompassed in it’s squishy, sweet storyline – you’ll soon forget your January blues.
A huge thank you to Sophie from Reviewed the Book for sending me a copy of A Gingerbread Cafe Christmas. If you aren’t already a fan of Sophie’s then be sure to check out her fabulous blog. ♥
If you want to read the series of books individually then click here for Christmas at the Gingerbread Cafe, Chocolate Dreams at the Gingerbread Cafe and Christmas Wedding at the Gingerbread Cafe.
Rebecca Raisin is a true bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. She’s been widely published in short story anthologies, and in fiction magazines. And now she is focusing on writing romance.
Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships and believe in true love.
♥Rebecca Raisin♥ | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads |
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