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Coffee, Tea, The Gypsy And Me (2012)

by Caroline James(Favorite Author)

3.64 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0957378203 (ISBN13: 9780957378209)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Ramjam Publishing

review 1: This was definitely a fun read – and I’m so pleased the author has revised and re-published it.Caroline James has thrown a veil of fantasy over the harsh realities of how a single parent deals with raising capital to buy a new life for her and her son. And isn’t that what fiction is for? I don’t want to read about deprivation, self-pity and soaring interest rates. Seduction, sex and success are mixed with more than a few glasses of Cointreau as the heroine looks for support behind the bar.Some of the plot is fanciful, but if I want to know how hard it really is to run a hotel, be a mum and find love (if not passion) I'd reach for a different book and my own bottle of Cointreau. Gritty realism may not be found here, but escapism and a good yarn will be.As involv... moreed as I was with the plot, it was only towards the conclusion that I realised how much I'd come to enjoy my time with Jo, her friends, those gypsies and their roving eyes…
review 2: ‘She closed her eyes and remembered the most tumultuous year of her life…’Jo Edmonds has been left by her husband Greg, who has run off to Spain with their former nanny, leaving Jo alone to bring up their son, Thomas. Jo and Greg had run a pub together, and now she is looking for a new start. When the local estate agent suggests Kirkton House to her, she jumps at the chance to take it on and open a country house hotel there. Employing helpers from the community, she puts together a team and sets about transforming the hotel and herself reading for opening. The locals are very supportive of the new venture. Each year there is a major event nearby, a large fair that attracts gypsies from around the country, and this is a boost for Jo and her business. This is a light, easy read about a strong, independent woman making a new start to provide for herself and her son. As the novel commences, Jo is looking back over the past year, and these events are then recounted for us, and we learn why it has been such an eventful year for her. There is passion and intrigue as a new man comes into her life. But who is this stranger and will he be around for long? And is this the last that Jo has seen of her scoundrel of a husband, Greg, or will he return? Hattie, who is the general assistant at the hotel, makes for a colourful character alongside Jo, and together they are quite a double act. Hattie is a strong support to Jo at the hotel, and also encourages her to change her image. The novel is set in 1987, there are some colourful characters and the humour is quite racy and saucy at times, with several men lusting after Jo. The author creates a strong sense of community between the locals and there is a real feeling of support towards Jo and her new venture. Jo is depicted as a strong female character; she is determined to make a success of her life and her business through the good times and the hard times. She also feels the gap left in her life by her husband and there are passionate encounters described with newcomer John. I found some of the humour and references felt slightly old fashioned but they may well have been appropriate to the setting of the novel in the 1980s. I did find some of the happenings amusing and I warmed to Jo and Hattie and enjoyed their exploits; their newly-formed friendship was pleasing and convincing. The beautiful countryside setting is well evoked, and it was interesting to get a look behind the scenes at the running of the hotel. This is a lighthearted, romantic comedy written with warmth and heart that many readers will enjoy. less

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