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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wow! SO. MANY. EXCLAMATION. POINTS! And lots of sentences in all caps!
I found the style distracting and the book just jumped giant chunks of time without really developing anything. They'd just drop a piece of info and move several weeks ahead.
I won't be reading the sequel. Charming cover though.
I found the style distracting and the book just jumped giant chunks of time without really developing anything. They'd just drop a piece of info and move several weeks ahead.
I won't be reading the sequel. Charming cover though.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is what I would call a very fluffy book. There's an insta-love relationship between Ellie and Joe, with just the most minimal conflict.
It is what it says on the tin. I found it very much to be a nice form of escapism for a tough week at work.
The odd references to Disney characters on Ellie's first sight of the castle, and her 'talking' in caps letters during some of the sex scenes with Joe were a bit over the top and childish, but those were the only things that bothered me.
I loved the family closeness, beautiful imagery and of course, anything with an MC who loves to bake is something I enjoy.
It is what it says on the tin. I found it very much to be a nice form of escapism for a tough week at work.
The odd references to Disney characters on Ellie's first sight of the castle, and her 'talking' in caps letters during some of the sex scenes with Joe were a bit over the top and childish, but those were the only things that bothered me.
I loved the family closeness, beautiful imagery and of course, anything with an MC who loves to bake is something I enjoy.
Very average, in terms of writing and characterisation. The northern England castle setting was underutilised. The ins and outs of learning how to run her own teashop was interesting but I wasn't at all invested in the romance angle. I loved hearing about her ideas about the teashop and got frustrated when about halfway through stopped thinking about the teashop and wouldn't shut up about sex with with this average, boring dude.
I struggled to connect with most characters. I found the stereotypes to be over generalised - of course Lord Henry doesn't understand basic technology and of course being from an upper class family he must be stuffy and condescending right? Of course Ellie and Joe from the working class must be the hard workers who have had hard lives. Of course as a female, Ellie is massively girly and all she likes is baking and shopping and high heels and sqeals at the sight of mud and needs Joe to protect her from said mud and any other difficulty outside of a kitchen. Of course Joe the boy loves steak (only thing he eats in the whole book besides Ellie's cake) and Batman and being outside like a proper boy and can't be trusted in the kitchen besides making tea (and even then needs supervision). Ellie's mum is awful, she basically doesn't believe in her daughter at all and spends the whole book telling her she'll never make it, so why bother trying? She wants her to just settle for a bland little life like she did, and stay away from even daring to dream. She constantly wears her down with her "you'll never make it" and "you're wasting our money " and "why even try, it won't work ". I found this disturbing, all the more so because I know someone like her and that attitude really negatively effected her own kids. I also found it disturbing because the author didn't condone this behaviour and I think we were meant to like the mum!
The sex is cringe worthy. The relationship was boring. I honestly don't see these two people together. The end was unnessecary, and focussed only on the romance side of the plot (that I didn't care about) and never addressed the teashop side of the story that I did care about.
I chose this book because I am trying to read a little outside my comfort zone and I got it for free. I was having a tough couple days and wanted something light. Which this was, just too bad it wasn't more guilty pleasure and less eyeroll stereotypes.
I struggled to connect with most characters. I found the stereotypes to be over generalised - of course Lord Henry doesn't understand basic technology and of course being from an upper class family he must be stuffy and condescending right? Of course Ellie and Joe from the working class must be the hard workers who have had hard lives. Of course as a female, Ellie is massively girly and all she likes is baking and shopping and high heels and sqeals at the sight of mud and needs Joe to protect her from said mud and any other difficulty outside of a kitchen. Of course Joe the boy loves steak (only thing he eats in the whole book besides Ellie's cake) and Batman and being outside like a proper boy and can't be trusted in the kitchen besides making tea (and even then needs supervision). Ellie's mum is awful, she basically doesn't believe in her daughter at all and spends the whole book telling her she'll never make it, so why bother trying? She wants her to just settle for a bland little life like she did, and stay away from even daring to dream. She constantly wears her down with her "you'll never make it" and "you're wasting our money " and "why even try, it won't work ". I found this disturbing, all the more so because I know someone like her and that attitude really negatively effected her own kids. I also found it disturbing because the author didn't condone this behaviour and I think we were meant to like the mum!
The sex is cringe worthy. The relationship was boring. I honestly don't see these two people together. The end was unnessecary, and focussed only on the romance side of the plot (that I didn't care about) and never addressed the teashop side of the story that I did care about.
I chose this book because I am trying to read a little outside my comfort zone and I got it for free. I was having a tough couple days and wanted something light. Which this was, just too bad it wasn't more guilty pleasure and less eyeroll stereotypes.
Full review here: https://theresnoenjoymentlikereading.co.uk/the-cosy-teashop-in-the-castle/
LOVED this book! Whole time I was written it I was praying the recipe for the choffee cake was at the back and YES, there it is! Going to try making it myself! Back to the book itself, loved this story, makes me want to go live in a castle now! So well written and really pulls you in.
I loved this cosy little book and it was definitely pure escapism for me. Teashop in a castle? I was sold by the name alone and loved seeing the journey Ellie went through, from leaving her comfortable but boring life in Newcastle for a risky Teashop on a lease with nothing but uncertainty in her future. Both financially and personally..
It was great to see her grow and the evolution of the Teashop too since she started working there. The passage of time throughout the seasons and a few surprises thrown in for good measure. It was a lovely read! Definitely heartwarming, romantic and feel good. The relationship between Ellie and Joe was lovely too. I’m excited to read more in this series!
And made all the better with the inclusion of the recipe for the famous Choffee cake featured so heavily in the story. My mouth was watering at some of the delicious creations Ellie made in this book. Wouldn’t mind a visit there myself!
It was great to see her grow and the evolution of the Teashop too since she started working there. The passage of time throughout the seasons and a few surprises thrown in for good measure. It was a lovely read! Definitely heartwarming, romantic and feel good. The relationship between Ellie and Joe was lovely too. I’m excited to read more in this series!
And made all the better with the inclusion of the recipe for the famous Choffee cake featured so heavily in the story. My mouth was watering at some of the delicious creations Ellie made in this book. Wouldn’t mind a visit there myself!
I enjoy chick lit. I like stories of women making or remaking their lives, figuring out who they are and what they want to do, and--inevitably--finding love along the way.
This book had potential. Ellie is in her mid-20s, works at a call center for an insurance company, recently separated from her fiance, and lives at home. She loves to bake, is good at it, and has a recipe book from her beloved grandmother. When she sees an advertisement to take over the tea shop at a nearby castle, she goes for it. Naturally, because this is chick lit and despite her complete lack of any experience in food service other than occasionally helping out at a friend's shop, she gets the job.
A lot of the first part of the book involves Ellie trying to figure out how exactly she's supposed to run the shop. I should've stopped then, when I got annoyed with her for not realizing the basic steps she could take. (I mean, I've never worked in food service, either, but came up with steps to take before Ellie had to have them spelled for her.) But I liked seeing her get her life and job together at the castle.
Unfortunately, Roberts decided to focus on Ellie's romance with Joe essentially to the exclusion of everything else in this book. I was enjoying that the tea shop wasn't immediately successful (though Ellie did a bit too well initially--but it's fluff, so whatever) and was looking forward to Ellie learning how to manage staff. But Ellie and Joe got together and nothing else was followed up on. Roberts moved on to a lot of telling about what was going on with the shop and any non-Ellie or -Joe characters (and by "a lot," I mean "not a lot at all, but occasional comments"). It was beyond frustrating, particularly when Ellie mentions numerous times being concerned about what she'll do once the castle's season ends.
Pro tip: Don't start multiple chapters with a sentence that's essentially, "Everything was perfect and Ellie had never been so happy." Particularly when you don't actually introduce any obstacles between those chapters.
The writing itself was also weak, to the point that I was surprised that this author has written numerous other books. In some ways it felt like a writing exercise by a teenager (did I need to see the phrase "trouser snake" in this book? I did not) that received some editing, but ultimately was given up on by an editor.
If Roberts had kept the focus of the book on Ellie and her development and growth, it would've been an enjoyable read. Instead, it felt like someone who wanted a real plot but then wanted to give up on it and just write about clothing and sex and wish fulfillment.
This book had potential. Ellie is in her mid-20s, works at a call center for an insurance company, recently separated from her fiance, and lives at home. She loves to bake, is good at it, and has a recipe book from her beloved grandmother. When she sees an advertisement to take over the tea shop at a nearby castle, she goes for it. Naturally, because this is chick lit and despite her complete lack of any experience in food service other than occasionally helping out at a friend's shop, she gets the job.
A lot of the first part of the book involves Ellie trying to figure out how exactly she's supposed to run the shop. I should've stopped then, when I got annoyed with her for not realizing the basic steps she could take. (I mean, I've never worked in food service, either, but came up with steps to take before Ellie had to have them spelled for her.) But I liked seeing her get her life and job together at the castle.
Unfortunately, Roberts decided to focus on Ellie's romance with Joe essentially to the exclusion of everything else in this book. I was enjoying that the tea shop wasn't immediately successful (though Ellie did a bit too well initially--but it's fluff, so whatever) and was looking forward to Ellie learning how to manage staff. But Ellie and Joe got together and nothing else was followed up on. Roberts moved on to a lot of telling about what was going on with the shop and any non-Ellie or -Joe characters (and by "a lot," I mean "not a lot at all, but occasional comments"). It was beyond frustrating, particularly when Ellie mentions numerous times being concerned about what she'll do once the castle's season ends.
Pro tip: Don't start multiple chapters with a sentence that's essentially, "Everything was perfect and Ellie had never been so happy." Particularly when you don't actually introduce any obstacles between those chapters.
The writing itself was also weak, to the point that I was surprised that this author has written numerous other books. In some ways it felt like a writing exercise by a teenager (did I need to see the phrase "trouser snake" in this book? I did not) that received some editing, but ultimately was given up on by an editor.
If Roberts had kept the focus of the book on Ellie and her development and growth, it would've been an enjoyable read. Instead, it felt like someone who wanted a real plot but then wanted to give up on it and just write about clothing and sex and wish fulfillment.
Hmm I did like the first book in this series better than the second book (more on that in another review). Roberts decides to tell her story through two characters POVs (Ellie and Joe). Ellie is a 20 something working a job she doesn't love. Still at home with her parents and wishing to make her dream of opening a bakery a reality, Ellie interviews for a job at a castle running a tea shop. Though she has no real world experience besides baking for family and friends, Ellie thinks she can make the tea shop a success. When she gets the job she finds herself pulled more to the general manager of the castle, Joe.
I did like the central plot. Young woman decides to move away from home (just an hour) in order to follow her dream of owning her own bakery. Ellie loves to bake and has her grandmother's old recipe book in hand. When she moves into the castle though you see that she has not thought everything through. It would have been great if Roberts had included more missteps by Ellie such as ordering too much or not enough for visitors. Learning how to make other recipes. Dealing with difficult customers, something. Instead we have Ellie having some minor difficulties with one of the older waitresses and having to go and ask Joe for help and almost crying because he was harsh with her for not knowing how to run a bakery. Did I mention that Ellie lied during her interview? Yeah. I would have been harsh too.
Joe's story was much more interesting. I don't want to spoil for potential readers though. I found him less interesting as the story went on since Roberts just focuses on how sexy Joe is finding Ellie and when the sex scenes start that is just the rest of the book really until the end.
The writing was okay. I think it just got way too repetitive for me towards the end. We know that Ellie is worried about making the tea shop a success, we get that she's worried about what to order and bake. I just really wanted something more. We know she had a broken engagement, but it's given no real depth in the book. I wish we had gotten a prologue or something with the ex fiancee or something. He was just some faceless character.
The flow was wonky between segues of Ellie and Joe's POV.
The setting of the castle should have been played up more than it was I think. I love the idea of a castle with a tea shop attached to it. We also know that Lord Henry (the owner) is dealing with the costs to keep up the place and I loved the reality of owning something like that and the taxes and other things you need to worry about.
The ending was okay but felt flat. Things felt very rushed to me and I wish we had more time with the main character with them interacting and talking more. Seriously, towards the end there was just a lot of boom chick a wow wow. I love that in a romance, but I didn't see a connection between Ellie and Joe. This book made me long for the Escape to New Zealand series (the first few books). That's the way to give you some red hot romance with plot/tension mixed in.
I did like the central plot. Young woman decides to move away from home (just an hour) in order to follow her dream of owning her own bakery. Ellie loves to bake and has her grandmother's old recipe book in hand. When she moves into the castle though you see that she has not thought everything through. It would have been great if Roberts had included more missteps by Ellie such as ordering too much or not enough for visitors. Learning how to make other recipes. Dealing with difficult customers, something. Instead we have Ellie having some minor difficulties with one of the older waitresses and having to go and ask Joe for help and almost crying because he was harsh with her for not knowing how to run a bakery. Did I mention that Ellie lied during her interview? Yeah. I would have been harsh too.
Joe's story was much more interesting. I don't want to spoil for potential readers though. I found him less interesting as the story went on since Roberts just focuses on how sexy Joe is finding Ellie and when the sex scenes start that is just the rest of the book really until the end.
The writing was okay. I think it just got way too repetitive for me towards the end. We know that Ellie is worried about making the tea shop a success, we get that she's worried about what to order and bake. I just really wanted something more. We know she had a broken engagement, but it's given no real depth in the book. I wish we had gotten a prologue or something with the ex fiancee or something. He was just some faceless character.
The flow was wonky between segues of Ellie and Joe's POV.
The setting of the castle should have been played up more than it was I think. I love the idea of a castle with a tea shop attached to it. We also know that Lord Henry (the owner) is dealing with the costs to keep up the place and I loved the reality of owning something like that and the taxes and other things you need to worry about.
The ending was okay but felt flat. Things felt very rushed to me and I wish we had more time with the main character with them interacting and talking more. Seriously, towards the end there was just a lot of boom chick a wow wow. I love that in a romance, but I didn't see a connection between Ellie and Joe. This book made me long for the Escape to New Zealand series (the first few books). That's the way to give you some red hot romance with plot/tension mixed in.