“Spring at The Cafe at the End of the Pier” by Helen Rolfe in the second in this series of short stories.  Published by Orion Books and available on AMAZON UK as an eBook.

Synopsis:

Spring is coming to The Café at the End of the Pier… A feelgood novella and the start of a brilliant new series…

Jo has settled into running her grandparents’ little café at the end of the pier in Salthaven. She’s given it a spring-clean and a spruce-up and she’s getting to know the locals and starting to enjoy life by the sea.

But when her Harry, her ex-boyfriend, turns out to be her new accountant, feelings from the past start to flood back. He’s here to help sort out the café’s finances, which Jo’s grandparents left in a mess, but Harry seems to have a hidden agenda and Jo isn’t entirely sure spending time with him is a good idea.

Jo throws herself into her new plans for the café – turning it into a real café of love by arranging blind dates for some of the regulars. Her own love life might be non-existent, but it doesn’t mean she can’t bring a little bit of magic to the locals who have made her so welcome. This time she chooses single-dad Ben and doctor Jess. Will they find love at The Café at the End of the Pier?

And will Jo manage to put aside her feelings for Harry in order to give the café the future she dreams of for it…?

My Thoughts:

This continues on from “Valentines Day at The Cafe at the End of the Pier”, where Jo helps out at the cafe.  Now she is running her Grandparents cafe for four months and is really getting a feel for her regular customers, and realising that there is more to the business than she originally expected.  Paperwork, need I say more?

Helen has done it again for me with this book.  This book for me is very believable, I work in a cafe/ restaurant in Cornwall, a rural but near the coast location.  I love the way author has picked up on all the little aspects of this type of business, not just the achy feet, the customer nuances but also the behind the scenes aspects.  But then wrapped around this busy cafe is the story of Jo, she has a chance at a new start.  Her return to her home town means she will have to deal with an ex boyfriend, she will have to leave the bitterness of their separation behind her.

Helen gives wonderful descriptions of the cafe, the people, the town and the food.  I have a feeling that this author has a thing for cakes and smoothies as she describes them wonderfully.  I can close my eyes and see this cafe from the descriptions Helen has woven, if only it were real so I could eat those cakes. Into this there is the romantic side of Jo, too busy to look for love herself, she sets about trying to link up a couple of her customers.

I was gutted by the time I got to the end of this book, I was totally immersed in the story.  It is a wonderful story that meanders through the life of Jo, and the romantics will be spoilt for choice.  A perfect, quick read that is beautifully written feel good story that will make you smile as you read.

I love this series and I am eager to read the next one in June. Highly Recommended.

About the Author:

Helen J Rolfe writes contemporary women’s fiction and enjoys weaving stories about family, friendship, secrets, and community. Characters often face challenges and must fight to overcome them, but above all, Helen’s stories always have a happy ending.

Location is a big part of the adventure in Helen’s books and she enjoys setting stories in different cities and countries around the world. So far, locations have included Melbourne, Sydney, New York, Connecticut, Bath and the Cotswolds.

Born and raised in the UK, Helen graduated from University with a business degree and began working in I.T. This job took her over to Australia and it was there that she studied writing and journalism and began writing for women’s health and fitness magazines. She also volunteered with the PR department of a children’s hospital where she wrote articles and media releases. Helen began writing fiction in 2011 and hasn’t missed the I.T. world one little bit, although the I.T. skills have come in handy of course, especially when it comes to creating and maintaining a website.

After fourteen years of living in Australia, Helen returned to the UK and now lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and their children.

To learn more about Helen and her writing, find her at: Website  ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

The Series:

There are a further two books, to follow this series, I have already pre-ordered them, but at the time of publishing this post the covers are not available :o) xx

Many thanks for reading my post, a share or like would we wonderful. 🙂 xx