Blogger Day – Summer at the Ice Cream Café by Jo Thomas @jo_thomas01@RandomTTours #BloggerDay #BookReview #BookBlogger #SummerAtTheIceCreamCafe

I’m resharing this post as I am taking part in a special Blogger Day for Summer at the Ice Cream Cafe. Jo Thomas is an author whose books I always look forward to. I know that I will be treated to a wonderful romance, mouth-watering food, and an escape to a new destination. This is the first time that we’ve visited Wales together, but her magic made it a destination that I am now eager to explore. If you would like to read a couple of my previous reviews, you can follow these links: Chasing the Italian Dream and Retreat to the Spanish Sun.

I am grateful to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the blog tour support and for arranging my advance reading copy, gifted to me via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. You can read my thoughts below.

Synopsis

It’s time for a fresh start…

After a decade of building her career in the city, Beca is ready to escape the humdrum. When she sees her dream home for sale in her hometown, it starts to seem like fate.

But when she arrives and visits her grandparents’ ice cream parlour, Beca is horrified to find out that the new owner, her ex-boyfriend Ed, has stripped the heart of it out. Determined to honour her family’s legacy, Beca decides to follow in their footsteps and make delicious ice cream with the help of a long-forgotten recipe book and boat house.

As a fierce rivalry develops, Beca must rely on her oldest friend, Griff, to help her make the parlour a success.

But when disaster strikes, is Beca about to discover that true happiness has been right in front of her the whole time?

Review

It made a change to read about a UK destination, instead of a sun-drenched French or Italian village, but I still found myself captivated by the story. Jo Thomas writes about romance, food, and drink, in a way that leaves me craving the delights on each page. This was no exception because ice cream is a firm favourite in our household, no matter the weather.

I immediately took to Beca and felt myself willing her to succeed in her bid to recreate some of her grandparents’ ice cream magic. There’s something rather special about finding a perfect recipe and recreating the tastes of years gone by. Of course, this requires trial and error and there’s a process to get it just right.

Beca has big plans for her life in the farmhouse and she’s thrown into the deep end almost immediately. Leaning heavily on her childhood best friend, Griff, she starts to take charge and is soon rewarded with the knowledge that she can succeed. Of course, like with the ice cream, there’s some trial and error, and not everything goes smoothly.

I simply adored Griff. His love and loyalty shined through from every page, and I felt myself viewing him differently as the book progressed. I imagined him like Liam Neeson’s Blackie from A Woman of Substance. I digress! His friendship with Beca was unfailing and loyalty like that is worth more than gold.

I must admit that I like the romanticised concept of moving to the countryside and running a small farm, but I would need help with the twice-daily milking, that requires a special type of dedication. Of course, Beca finds the help and support that she needs to ensure that she can provide the milk and shelter that her new venture requires.

Even the less savoury characters like Ed, are not irredeemable and Jo’s careful hand brings a satisfying conclusion to what could have taken the story in an unwelcome direction.

I have a strict policy of not including spoilers in my reviews and sticking within the constraints of the synopsis. I will not break that but must hint that there is a whole chunk of story waiting for you. Two more characters who bring stress and worry to Beca are waiting for you to discover them. You’re in for a real treat.

As anticipated, this is another wonderful escape and I hope you love it as much as I did.

Author Bio

Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer, including time at Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Radio 2’s The Steve Wright Show. Jo’s debut novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller and won both the RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the Festival of Romance Best eBook Award. Her recent book, Escape to the French Farmhouse, was a #1 bestselling eBook and in every one of her novels Jo loves to explore new countries and discover the food produced there, both of which she thoroughly enjoys researching. Jo lives in Pembrokeshire with her husband and three children, where cooking and gathering around the kitchen table are a hugely important and fun part of their family life.