Oh I was so excited to be reading another novel by the lovely Liz Eeles again! I have adored every single one of her books and this one was no different. I really loved the first one in this series of novels and I was looking forward to being back in Honeyford with such caring characters and it's idyllic sounding setting. The cover, as I knew it would be, is absolutely beautiful and it's certainly the type of novel I would go out of my way to pick up - it's very eye-catching with it's bright colours and sweet treats along the bottom of the cover! I love the pink sky, the colourful bunting and flowers and the cute awning over the cafe windows.

This particular novel follows bookshop and cafe owner Flora, who I've been intrigued about since book one and couldn't wait to read more about her. She seemed quite reserved and quite snobby in the first book but I quickly warmed to her during this one. At the beginning, Flora leaves work early to go and meet her husband, Malcolm, at his restaurant and finds him in a tight embrace with one of the - much younger - restaurant staff. Heartbroken, Flora moves out and moves in with slightly crazy but completely lovely Luna, as well as her son Daniel and his son Caleb.

A lot happens for Flora in such a short amount of time and I completely felt for her. It must be horrible to be with someone for so long, only to find them with someone else. And I must say that I thought Malcolm was a really horrible man! He was patronising, made nasty remarks and I just couldn't stand the man! Malcolm was the only character whom I didn't like however, and I loved all the rest. I particularly warmed to Caleb, bless him, as well as Becca and of course Stanley. They all seem like such lovely people.

I also love the events that take place throughout the novel, the Charter Day event, the parade, the book club and the author event all sounded really fun and I loved the community feel that you got throughout this novel. I fell in love with Honeyford all over again and I really hope this isn't the last one in the series! I'd love to read about all of the characters if I could! Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

I read this story in a day, I couldn’t put it down. So good and once again the characters are so real and relatable.
How I wish I could own this bookshop and cafe and be introduced to all the wonderful people the author has conjured up for our enjoyment. Quick synopsis: flora runs a bookshop and cafe, she has some relationship decisions to make. She lodges with the delightful Luna, who’s son Daniel and grandson Caleb also reside after trying to come to terms with a devastating loss. There ensues a glorious tale of friendships, love and fun.

I am back in the Cosy Kettle for another cup of tea and a piece of cake and to catch up with the villagers of Honeyford. 

In this second in the series, the main storyline features Flora, the owner of the Cosy Kettle and Bookshop in Honeyford who we met in the first book and was a characters who I thought was very reserved and quiet but I wasn't sure why. 

Now having met more of her husband, Malcolm and realised what you thought about him in book one is true and when Flora discovers his infidelity she suddenly realises that perhaps something is missing in her life. She has always been under someone else's shadow and it is time for her to step into the light. 

As she does, Flora becomes even more involved in village life, but after years of knowns the unknown seems very frightening and it be easier if she slipped back into her old life. 

However, Honeyford, the book ship and the cosy kettle have other ideas for Flora. 

Taken in by Luna, who runs the mystical shop, Flora embraces a different way of living and also has to share the house with Luna's widowed son Daniel and his son, Caleb. 

Getting involved in summer celebrations, Flora throws herself into hosting a famous author, a baking competition as well as trying to make a decisions about her husband means that Flora has a lot goign on. 

But when she returns to Luna's home, she can see the simplicity of nature and that all around her and she perhaps needs to make a change in her life to be able to move on. 

Is Flora going to make the right change?

Another satisfying read and with the right amount of well developed secondary characters, Becca the manager of the Cosy Kettle, Knackered Mary, unlikely friends Millicent and Marigold, Callie (prominent in the first book), her eccentric grandfather Stanley still making his hilarious mark as well as some sumptuous descriptions of cakes and you have all you could want from a book. 

Great for a light summer read!

Feeling tired and a bit fed up today and this fun, feel good story was just the pick me up I needed. I empathised with wronged protagonist Flora and cheered when she found the strength to move out from under the shadow of her overbearing husband. The plentiful cake mentions sprinkled through the tale did make me crave sweet things however! This book works effectively as reading ‘medicine’ to help cheer you up and it willleave you with a smile on your face.

Loved this! The first book in the Honeyford series was a great read so I was excited to read the second book. Poor Flora, the readers realized how terrible Malcolm was in book one. It’s great to finally see her get a the happy ending she deserves.

I’m looking forward to reading more in this series and I will be picking up all of the authors other books!

I am new to Honeyford, but I have fallen in love with the town and its eclectic and eccentric residence. From Flora who wants to fit in and set down roots after the ultimate betrayal to Luna who enchants and slightly scares people when first introduce.

The main story revolves around Flora, who is finding herself whilst trying to ensure her fledgling business survives and blossoms and Luna’s son Daniel, who is coming out of the darkness which enveloped him following his wife’s untimely death. They are bound by their affection and love of Daniel’s son.

I adored this book; it made my morning and evening commutes something to look forward to as I was whisked to Honeyford rather than the grey dankness of a North East industrial town. The humour threaded into the characters lightened the burden of some of the deeper issues, infidelity, death and bullying.

My thanks to #Netgalley and #Bookouture
for allowing me to read an advance copy of #ASummerEscapeAndStrawberryCakeAtTheCosyKettle

I rate this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and highly recommend it to all who are looking for a summer escape.

A very enjoyable book. What's not to love about a cafe, a bookshop and some eccentric characters.

I didn't read the first book in the series but didn't find that a problem. This book is about Fiona who owns the Cosy Kettle Cafe, which is at the back of the bookshop in the village of Honeyford. Her husband, Malcolm, runs a successful restaurant and considers Fiona's business a hobby. When she finds out her husband has been having an affair with one of his staff she moves out and sleeps a couple of nights in the dusty attic of the shop. Luna, another shopkeeper, who is considered a bit eccentric in her dress and ideas offers Fiona a room in her house but Fiona doesn't realise that her son Daniel and her grandson Caleb Will also be living there.

Fiona has been married to Malcolm for twenty years and has moved around a lot when he wanted to build up his restaurant business. He is a devious, manipulative man who will go to,any lengths to undermine her confidence and get his own way. Fiona doesn't want to throw away twenty years of marriage and is torn, she loves Honeyford and is making friends there but can she believe her husband?

A great holiday read, I loved it.

A delicious read centred around a devious husband, a charming bookshop and a mysterious man. A perfect lighthearted summer read and just the ticket for anyone who needs a reminder that they can do whatever they set their mind too. Loved it!

Lovely,pleasant read,liked all the character's in the book and the way they developed.
This book should be on your summer reading list.

A sweet, fun romance. Likeable characters. Great setting makes you want to go there. Will go back and read first in the series

Flora takes over the Honeyford Bookshop (in book 1 of this series) and sets up the Cosy Kettle (teashop and bakery) at the back of the bookshop. She stays in Oxford, with her husband, Malcolm, who runs a restaurant.

On returning home from work one day, she finds out that Malcolm is having an affair with a young waitress of the restaurant. She decides to leave him and settle in Honeyford till she sorts out things in her own head. Once she is in Honeyford, after a initial rough two days, she starts settling in. She longs to belong to this community and carry on running her own business.

A kind but local eccentric woman, Luna, offers her a room to stay in her house. She is initially reluctant, but accepts because she has no other place to stay.
As Flora starts interacting with the locals, she starts feeling at home. The only hitch is, she hasn’t started off on the right foot with Luna’s son Daniel and his son, Caleb.
The Honeyford Charter is also round the corner – and everyone in the community is expected to contribute. Flora jumps in, as she is keen to be a part of this place. She suggests a Honeyford Bake-off and also a famous author to come and talk about his books.

As the preparations start, Flora finds herself being asked by Malcolm to give him a second chance as he’s truly repenting. She is torn between being a loyal wife and staying back to enjoy her business.

This is Flora’s journey to discover where her heart truly lies and to connect with the Honeyford community.
It is a delightful read. Throw in a book-club and its colourful characters, her developing friendship with Luna, her off-beat understanding with Daniel and you have a charming read.

This is one feel-good book, which I would totally recommend, as a light breezy and easy read.
Though I haven’t read book 1 of the series, I didn’t have any problem with this one. It can be read as a standalone.

4.5/5 for me

I got this ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I only gave two stars because this book hasn't really touched my feelings the way it should. ./
I am not sure if I should have read the first book from this series and maybe that was my mistake because I couldn't warm up to the main character Flora in any way at all.

And I am usually a huge fan of these 'coffee shops finding their new life women characters stories. ' I feel that the main character hasn't developed the way she should, her confusion throughout the whole book was annoying and the story overall was very predictable.

I think that the writer wanted to introduce us to the other characters that might be main ones in some of the next books and just forgot to depict and describe Flora's relationships with the people mentioned in the book and the relationship development with them.

I constantly got the feeling that something is being missed, that every conversation could have been put to a higher level.

The idea of the book was very sweet, a 40 year old woman finding her own way in life in a small place, but somehow the various puzzle pieces of the story were not been put together in the way it should have.

The cover art is beautiful, the characters intriguing, the setting in the Cotswalds of England was lovely. This is a perfectly nice summer read, you do not have to read the first book in the series to enjoy this one. My only complaint was that it was a tad too predictable and the writing seemed very informal. The term "loved-up" was repeated several times and the tone was quite casual. If you like Robin Pilcher and are looking for something lighter for a summer read then you should try this one.

Although the book can be read as a stand alone it is a marvelous sequel to "New Starts and cherry Tarts at the Cozy Kettle" Flora has made her bookshop/coffee shop a success, although her restaurateur husband calls it her hobby and sees no value in what she is doing. `Flora sticks to her guns and while there is so much going on around her realizes her bookshop is where she is meant to be. You won't be able to put this book down once you start reading. A fun, heart-warming read.

This is a book I read in one sitting. It was a light, quick read but thoroughly enjoyable. The characters were brilliantly written. Malcolm is a wonderful bad guy who you love to hate and want Flora to stay away from and stand up to. The changes you see in Flora through the book are a nice read, seeing her become herself more rather than who she has been forced to be. The supporting characters are a wonderful filler to the book and help keep the story moving and engaging. And though you know the way the book is going to end..because it’s that kind of book..it’s a great ending, makes you feel good and everything is as it should be.

Please don't read this book if you're on a diet or you're diabetic because the description of the food are mouthwatering.
The first book in this series was very good and I think this is better.
I loved everything and it made me crave for summer, sun and holidays.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I loved the first book in this series and was delighted to be able to get my hands on a copy of this book, the second in the series and I have to say I loved it just as much!

I thought that this was a feel good holiday read, the story was good and all the characters worked well together. This was a slow burn romance and I loved the build up from the author, the pace was spot on. Her writing style is lovely and it works so well with this genre.

It is another 5 stars review from me for this one - I loved it!

Oh, it was so good to be back at the Cosy Kettle and wander once again through the streets of Honeyford. In March of this year I was very excited to share my review of New Starts and Cherry tarts at the Cosy Kettle with you! But today I am equally excited to share my review of its follow up A Summer Escape and Strawberry Cake at the Cosy Kettle.

In this second installment of the series we follow Flora. And to be honest I was really curious about how her story was going to play out, considering that we don’t get a lot of information about Flora in the first book. She is there, but we never get to see behind her facade. We only see her trough Callie’s eyes and I was really curious to see who Flora really was.
With flora we wonder down a different story pad then with Callie. Flora is older and has been married for 20 years. So when her husband cheats on her, everything she t

Thought she knew is on the line. I think Liz really brought Flora’s struggle to life on the pages of this new book. Everybody, including Flora knows Malcolm is a ***, but there is such an internal struggle going on. 20 years of old habits and familiar situations isn’t something you just close the door on. I really appreciated the realistic take on Flora’s situation.

Apart from that I loved seeing Flora deal with her new life in Honeyford. She is really questioning herself and her bookshop. Will she ever be accepted in the little town or will she always stay the city girl who bought the bookshop on a whim. With Charter day on its way we really get to know the town and its locals more.

And then there is Luna. A lovely older woman who has a magical shop in the high-street of Honeyford. She is kind, caring, eccentric and well… witchy. Her character really made my heart sing. Luna is a wonderful character and I loved how her witchy ways were portrayed in the book. Never silly, always full of respect. A lovely way to bring paganism and esoteric living closer to regular readers.

Once again I must confess I absolutely loved being at The Cosy Kettle! I am already looking forward to spend my Christmas with Becca there!

Review will be published on my blog 24/06/2019.

Well I’m glad to say this isn’t a ‘sissy potboiler’, what it is however is an easy to read and uncomplicated book which is very relaxing to read. This is the first book I’ve read by Liz Eeles and whilst I read it quite happily as a stand-alone something about it made me suspect the characters were not new to her and I think reading the first Cosy Kettle book first would enhance your enjoyment of this. The characters were a wonderful mixed bunch, especially Stanley who is extremely colourful and joyous. Flora, the main character is well written with her insecurity about where her future lies. There were some bits I predicted but overall this was a good laidback read.

Earlier this year I read and reviewed New Starts and Cherry Tarts at the Cosy Kettle and absolutely loved I, so I was beyond excited to be given a chance to review this. I absolutely love the sound of Honeyford and the Cosy Kettle sounds bloody amazing. Stanley is an absolute hoot so I have loved catching up with his crazy antics. I knew from the first one that I had took an unliking to Malcolm and this book explains why, my heart was breaking for Flora but knew that Honeyford and it’s residents would help her through her tough time. The idea of a cute little cafe inside a book shop is my idea of heaven and this book caters for my every need. Funny, heart-warming and totally addictive, I just couldn't put it down. I am looking forward to reading Becca’s story next time. Thank you Liz for an absolutely smashing book I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this little beauty. I highly recommend you give this and New Starts a read, you won't be disappointed.