What nicer way could there be to return to blogging than to be taking the opportunity – with great pleasure – of joining the weekend blitz to celebrate the paperback release of The Little Kiosk By The Sea by Jennifer Bohnet. I so enjoyed this book, and reviewed it here on Being Anne when it was only available for kindle – and I think I might just be as thrilled as the author that you can now find it on the shelves at Sainsburys (also on-line, and at all good bookshops)!
One summer they’ll never forget…
Meet Sabine, desperately fighting to save her little kiosk from closure whilst turning down her friend Owen’s proposals, time and time again.
Cue Harriet, returning to Dartmouth after thirty years, haunted by the scandal that drove her away and shocked by a legacy that threatens her relationship with her journalist daughter.
Enter Rachel, the mysterious newcomer who has an unexpected chemistry with a local widower, and who sets in motion a chain of events she could never have predicted…
One thing’s for sure, as the autumn tide turns, there’ll be more than one secret laid bare!
And I’m delighted to share my review once again…
I love Veronica Henry’s books. Now that’s really no way to start a review of Jennie’s lovely book, but if I was comparing her writing to anyone’s books I’ve enjoyed reading, that’s the one I’d use. There’s that same wonderful sense of place, the cast of characters all drawn so strongly, a great story or several, a gentle humour, secrets unfolding, romance developing, and an ending that allows you to set the book aside with a satisfied sigh.
The Dartmouth setting is simply wonderful, so vividly described that by the end I felt I’d visited the kiosk, walked round the harbour, made my way from Johnnie’s cottage to Sabine’s loft conversion, dropping in for prosecco on the terrace with Rachel and BB before heading up to visit Harriet and admire the view from the bench in the garden. Every character became a friend – from lovelorn Owen to the slightly mysterious Rachel, from BB the lovely young American on a mission to Sabine who is everyone’s very best friend. I particularly liked the fact that the cast – with a few exceptions – was a little older than average, because it meant I identified with them more easily, appreciated their pasts and the lives and losses that had shaped them.
The stories are wonderful – past scandals, decisions to be made, secrets to be hidden or revealed, histories to be uncovered, how to move forward into the future. It was a lovely, lovely read, and I enjoyed every moment. I do hope Jennie returns to Dartmouth to see what happens to the characters – I’m missing them all dreadfully already. Jennie, you write quite beautifully – I’m so glad I’ve discovered you at last.
Giveaway
With thanks to Jennie, and Jenny at Neverland Tours, I’m pleased to be able to offer one lucky reader (UK and Europe only) the chance to win a paperback copy of The Little Kiosk by the Sea AND Rosie’s Little Cafe on the Riviera. Here’s the rafflecopter for entry:
Author Bio:
I’m English but I’ve lived in France for the past 17 years. After 11 years down on the Cote d’Azur where Richard my husband was a guardian for a villa, we moved from the Mediterranean coast to a small quirky cottage in Finistere, Brittany. A bit of a culture shock to say the least! When I’m not writing I love reading, cooking and having friends around for lunch – lunches that follow the French tradition of lasting for several hours. The Little Kiosk By The Sea is set in my absolute favourite place in England, Dartmouth, South Devon, where we lived for several years before moving to France.