Book Review: The Little Café in Copenhagen

The Little Café in Copenhagen 
by Julie Caplin

Published: February 2018 by Harper Impulse
Format: ebook / paperback
ASIN: B06XWD4MTP
ISBN: 978-0008259747

Summary
Welcome to the little cafe in Copenhagen where the smell of cinnamon fills the air and the hot chocolate is as smooth as silk.

Publicist Kate Sinclair’s life in London is everything she thought she wanted: success, glamour and a charming boyfriend. Until that boyfriend goes behind her back and snatches a much sought-after promotion from her.Heartbroken and questioning everything, Kate needs to escape.

Leaving behind rush hour and late nights in the office for a city break in beautiful Copenhagen, Kate discovers how to live life ‘the Danish way’. From candles and cosy nights in to the easy smiles of tall, gorgeous Vikings and eating your body weight in pastries (ok, that’s just her), the city offers her a new perspective.

Can the secrets of hygge and happiness lead her to her own happily-ever-after?

Review
To the outsider Kate's life looks perfect. She works hard, loves her job and her boyfriend, but when he stabs her in the back and steals a promotion from her things start to change and she re-evaluates what's really important.

As always, Ms Caplin's characterisation is great. I loved getting to know the cast of characters and spending time with them. Kate's attempts to organise the journalists on the press trip was much like trying to herd cats, and just as funny. Ben, the hero, was gorgeous and I so wanted to spend time in cafe Varmé with the wise, all-knowing Eva.

I came away from this book with a warm, rosy feeling and finally understood what hygge is all about.  It felt like I had actually visited Copenhagen by the time I'd finished the book, and it is now right at the top of the list of places I want to go.

If you want to lose yourself in a fun, heartwarming read with some sexy sizzle, try this book. You won't be disappointed.

Rating
Loved this book and give it 5 stars. I can't wait to read Sophie's story in The Little Paris Patisserie.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Impulse for giving me the opportunity to read it.

T.G.I. Friday

via GIPHY

Book Review: Blueberry Muffins and Misfortune

Blueberry Muffins and Misfortune (Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 12)
by Agatha Frost

Published: May 2018 by PinkTree Publishing Ltd
Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
ASIN:  B07BPW7TYZ

Summary
When Barker's book launch is ruined by the sudden appearance of a decade-old skeleton, Julia finds herself with another cold case on her hands. It quickly becomes evident that the skeleton belongs to Mabel Crump, the former manager of the library, but with Mabel supposedly having fled Peridale for a new life in Spain ten years previously, how did she end up there, and more importantly, why?

With Mabel's family gathered in Peridale for the ninetieth birthday of her husband, Julia soon realises the Crump family are not all they seem. Did one of the Crumps kill Mabel, or did someone in Julia's family murder the former librarian? Between the skeleton, Barker's sudden rise to author fame, and an unexpected love rival, Julia must juggle the different sides of her life to piece together her most challenging case yet. With secrets and lies spanning back ten long years, can Julia crack the case before everything crumbles around her?

Book 12 in the Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery series! Can be read as a standalone but will be enjoyed more as part of the series. A light, cozy mystery read with a cat loving and cafe-owning amateur female sleuth, in a small village setting with quirky characters. Written in British English. No cliffhanger, swearing, gore or graphic scenes!

Review
I could not put this book down. Read it in two sittings and absolutely loved being back in Peridale. This time there is a complication to Julia’s love life in the form of a beautiful love rival; a crisis of conscience over blueberry muffins and we meet the Crump family - who are certainly colourful and take dysfunctional to a whole new level.

Rating
Ms Frost gets better and better.  Another 5 star read.

Thank you Ms Frost for providing an Advance Review Copy. 

Book Review: Cupcakes and Casualties

Cupcakes and Casualties (Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 11)
by Agatha Frost

Published: March 2018 by PinkTree Publishing Ltd
Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
ASIN: B07B6BHQ53

Summary
The residents of Peridale don't like change, so when the famous actress, Candy Bennett, rolls into the village to demolish a historic cottage, things don't go as smoothly as she would have hoped. With the 'Peridale Preservation Society' protesting her plans to build a modern home on the land, things quickly turn sour. Days into the project, Candy's lead builder, Shane, is murdered and the task to solve the mystery once again falls into Julia's lap.

Did one of the protestors kill the builder to make a statement, or was he murdered by someone from within his own team? With the preservation society, the actress, the architect, and the builders all keeping secrets, Julia soon has her hands full gathering evidence, but it's a familiar-looking new arrival in the village that commands her attention. Julia's life is torn apart when she learns of the stranger's true identity, but will she be able to focus on the challenging case before another body turns up? The only certainty is that Julia's life will never be the same again.

Review
A fun, enjoyable read that kept me guessing right up to the final reveal.

This was my first Peridale Cafe book, but that didn’t matter as it was explained who all the characters were and their relationships to each other.

Loved the characters and can’t wait to visit Peridale again.


Rating
I enjoyed spending time with Julia and the residents of  Peridale and give this book 5 stars.

Thank you Ms Frost for providing an Advance Review Copy.