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catriona90's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. A fairly average romance written fairly averagely but nice enough I suppose.
Possibly a bit harsh as this isn’t really my genre, so maybe romance fans will be more full of praise.
Possibly a bit harsh as this isn’t really my genre, so maybe romance fans will be more full of praise.
jo_bookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Sarah Bennett who delighted me and many others with her Butterfly Cove series is back with Spring at Lavender Bay, the first in another trilogy.
In this first book of course we meet all the characters that we are going to grow to love and possibly hate in the coming pages and subsequent books.
Beth returns to Lavender Bay when she discovers that the woman who brought her up has in fact left her a shop - not any old shop but an Emporium. Having not really left much of a life back in London, Beth stays for a while in Lavender Bay and it brings her closer to her old friends.
Libby still helping her father in the local fish and chip shop and not having grown out her dark hair and dark clothes is glad to see Beth back as she now sees what sort of life she could have had if she had left Lavender By.
Eliza has moved away to be with her husband and she doesn't come back home too often, but when she does all three girls get together. But it looks like Eliza is going to move even further away from Lavender Bay.
Of course this book has romance, and that is provided by Eliza's brother Sam. A chef. And a man who has a caring streak which simply jumps off the page as you read about him. Sam is also back home, because his father is ill and needs to take things easy. He has left behind a prosperous career to come back to the pub he knows as home. Sometimes it is nice to come home but you still need aspirations and when Sam meets up again with Beth, he realises that perhaps what he can achieve is actually in Lavender Bay.
Plenty happens in this book and just when you think everything is going well, there's a twist and it is almost like everyone has to start again.
Sarah Bennett manages to weave a story with warmth, humour, love and a sense of community and brings to life a fictitious place as if I could pop down to Lavender Bay to breathe the sea air and perhaps wander into the Emporium before popping to the local pub for a swoon over the hunky barman and chef!
I look forward to my return to Lavender Bay in the Summer.
In this first book of course we meet all the characters that we are going to grow to love and possibly hate in the coming pages and subsequent books.
Beth returns to Lavender Bay when she discovers that the woman who brought her up has in fact left her a shop - not any old shop but an Emporium. Having not really left much of a life back in London, Beth stays for a while in Lavender Bay and it brings her closer to her old friends.
Libby still helping her father in the local fish and chip shop and not having grown out her dark hair and dark clothes is glad to see Beth back as she now sees what sort of life she could have had if she had left Lavender By.
Eliza has moved away to be with her husband and she doesn't come back home too often, but when she does all three girls get together. But it looks like Eliza is going to move even further away from Lavender Bay.
Of course this book has romance, and that is provided by Eliza's brother Sam. A chef. And a man who has a caring streak which simply jumps off the page as you read about him. Sam is also back home, because his father is ill and needs to take things easy. He has left behind a prosperous career to come back to the pub he knows as home. Sometimes it is nice to come home but you still need aspirations and when Sam meets up again with Beth, he realises that perhaps what he can achieve is actually in Lavender Bay.
Plenty happens in this book and just when you think everything is going well, there's a twist and it is almost like everyone has to start again.
Sarah Bennett manages to weave a story with warmth, humour, love and a sense of community and brings to life a fictitious place as if I could pop down to Lavender Bay to breathe the sea air and perhaps wander into the Emporium before popping to the local pub for a swoon over the hunky barman and chef!
I look forward to my return to Lavender Bay in the Summer.
loribulb's review against another edition
1.0
I blame myself for this one.
I mean, I knew better one chapter in. That I should put it down and find something else.
But no. Some evil part of me made me keep reading.
I think if you added it up, the main character of the story, Beth, spent about 35% of the book sobbing for some reason. Allowing obvious romantic lead Sam to swoop in and console her, and there's the whole plot. Oh, and a good 15% of the story getting drunk, leaving Sam with blue balls because he's such a gentleman he would just help her to bed because she was so adorable and vulnerable.
I mean... c'mon.
A major pet peeve of mine is weak women in books. Beth was in constant need of saving, by friends, by Sam, by whomever was available. She was a business owner who couldn't handle the unpleasant side of business. I was disgusted when she hid away after the fire like a damn child instead of dealing with the problem. She was a perfect example of a professional victim and I just can't stand that kind of character- in books or otherwise.
I mean, I knew better one chapter in. That I should put it down and find something else.
But no. Some evil part of me made me keep reading.
I think if you added it up, the main character of the story, Beth, spent about 35% of the book sobbing for some reason. Allowing obvious romantic lead Sam to swoop in and console her, and there's the whole plot. Oh, and a good 15% of the story getting drunk, leaving Sam with blue balls because he's such a gentleman he would just help her to bed because she was so adorable and vulnerable.
I mean... c'mon.
A major pet peeve of mine is weak women in books. Beth was in constant need of saving, by friends, by Sam, by whomever was available. She was a business owner who couldn't handle the unpleasant side of business. I was disgusted when she hid away after the fire like a damn child instead of dealing with the problem. She was a perfect example of a professional victim and I just can't stand that kind of character- in books or otherwise.
ellaada's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
lisam0183_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I found this to be a lovely story. Beth was quite frustrating at times with wanting to run away from everything.
char_eli's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
phoebe_books's review against another edition
3.0
There were aspects of this book I liked and parts I didn't. I think overall the plot had great potential just needed expanding a bit more.
vickmwah's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
fionaaaaaa's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
What a treat. My favourite, friendships, romance and a happy ending 💖 A light hearted, fun read, a great escape.