Book Review: The Oddest Little Cornish Tea Shop by Beth Good

The Oddest Little Cornish Tea Shopby Beth Good

Goodreads

Amazon US / UK  / B&N

'I love Beth Good's quirky style!' Katie Fforde

It's a big day for Charlie Bell - the grand reopening of her Aunt Pansy's long-closed tea rooms in Tremevissey, a quaint Cornish seaside resort. But not everyone is happy for Charlie. The locals say the tea rooms are cursed. For Pansy was cruelly jilted by her lover, and walked out into the ocean, never to return.

Charlie dismisses the 'curse' as superstitious nonsense, but by the end of the first day, her world is in tatters, and she's not even sure the tea rooms can open again. 

Then in walks a rugged, taciturn man with a sexy smile and everything he owns on his back, looking for a summer job . . .

Is Gideon Petherick an angel in disguise? Or is history about to repeat itself?

The latest novella in Beth Good's quirky and popular 'Oddest Little Shop' romcom series.

Purchase Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oddest-Little-Cornish-Tea-Shop-ebook/dp/B07D2FR32B/

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:



…‘are you having it off with that total sex god, Gideon Petherick? … Oh come on, don’t tell me you’re too shy to admit it. I’d be telling anyone who’d listen if I’d caught someone like that.’ Elsie wriggled oddly beside her, as though her knickers were too tight and she was trying to adjust them. ‘After all, look at him. It’s not like he isn’t the sexiest beast on two legs in this back-of-beyond village. If I was you, I’d have jumped his bones soon as he walked into my place.’



Elsie fell silent suddenly, then made a kind of strangled moaning noise in the back of her throat. She was staring at Gideon’s rear as he bent over the pool table to take his shot. ‘Christ, will you look at that? I bet that’s a mouth-watering parcel in tight, white cotton boxers… Like two hardboiled eggs in a hanky,’ she finished under her breath.


‘Maybe a little bit handsome,’ she ventured, careful not to let him see how sexy she found him. Even though she had probably given it away once or twice. Okay, definitely twice. ‘Definitely not as hot as Poldark. But you’re ... passable. It wouldn’t be a hardship to be seen in public with you, let me put it that way. Especially in a posh car,’ she added shamelessly.



My Review:



I have come to the end of my Beth Good stash and am feeling a bit melancholy and rueful having completed this one as it is the last treat in the bag for me as I’ve now finished all the published installments of the Odd Little Shop series. I enjoyed the curiosity prickling storyline and adored all the colorful characters in this one. Poor Charlie, she had worked so hard to reestablish her family’s business but a string of disasters struck during the Grand Re-Opening the of the Cornish Tea Rooms, mainly due to personnel issues, like grossly incompetent ones. The locals had long claimed the Tea Rooms were cursed, but Charlie didn’t think so. Luckily, all was not lost as a very sexy knight in shining apron named Gideon arrived on her doorstep seeking a job. Gideon had the ladies all a flutter and overheating and caused Charlie to have recurring problems with concentration and breathing. They worked well together and found their collaboration leading to a different kind of business after-hours, which produced high temperatures in other rooms besides the kitchen.

How unexpected and ingenious for a series to not overlap in some way. I personally believe the divine and sublime Ms. Good should continue this cleverly amusing series into perpetuity, and why not? Cornwall appears to be a treasure trove of quirky villages with which she could continue to apply her own distinct and special blend of witty wares. I have cherished each of her five uniquely appealing and mirthfully entertaining novellas and she has hooked me with her pleasantly addictive style, and like a crack-head on the pipe, I feel rather desolate with the inability to reach for more.

Empress DJ

Author Bio – 

Born and raised in Essex, England, Beth Good has whisked away to an island tax haven at the age of eleven to attend an exclusive public school and rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Sadly, she never became rich or famous herself, so had to settle for infamy as a writer of dubious novels. She writes under several different names, mainly to avoid confusing her readers - and herself! As Beth Good, she writes romantic comedy and feel-good fiction. She also writes thrillers as Jane Holland, historicals as Victoria Lamb and Elizabeth Moss, and feel-good fiction as Hannah Coates.

Beth currently lives in the West Country where she spends a great deal of time thinking romantic thoughts while staring out of her window at sheep. (These two actions are unrelated.)

You can find her most days on Twitter as @BethGoodWriter where she occasionally indulges in pointless banter about chocolate making and the Great British Bake Off. Due to a basic inability to say no, she has too many children and not enough money, which means she needs as many readers as she can get.



Social Media Links – 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethGoodAuthor

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BethGoodWriter

Book Review: The Oddest Little Book Shop by Beth Good

The Oddest Little Book Shop

by Beth Good

Goodreads

Amazon US / UK / B&N

Escape to the gorgeous seaside resort of Port Pol, where love and laughter overflow in the Cornish sunshine.

'I love Beth Good's quirky style!' - bestselling author, Katie Fforde

After ten long years away, television star Daisy Diamond is finally going home.

She's not back at the gorgeous seaside resort of Port Pol in sunny Cornwall five minutes before she realizes the mistake she's made. Her childhood sweetheart Nick Old - affectionately known as 'Devil' - is still living there, running the local bookshop, and he is determined to rekindle their flame.

Daisy is no longer the dewy-eyed romantic of her school days. Her life may not have gone according to plan, but she's not afraid to show Nick how much she's grown since he famously dumped her at the school leavers' disco.

Even if it means bending her heart out of shape a little . . .

A charming summer novella from popular romantic comedy writer Beth Good and another entry in her quirky 'Oddest Little Shop' series.

My Rating: 

Favorite Quotes:


Part of her wanted to dissolve in a pathetic heap after the verbal lashing he had just given her. Another part of her wanted to go and throw mud pies at the disappearing back window of his car.

‘I look appalling. Like I charge by the hour.’ ‘Oh, the half-hour, I’d say,’ Kirsty corrected her cheerfully…

Ha, you really look terrified now. Betwattled, as my great-gran would have said.



My Review:



I enjoy a clever second chance romance and score – I stumbled on one by my new favorite author, and thankfully, she has delivered an exceptionally thoughtful and amusing tale that kept me guessing. I am blissfully enjoying the pleasantly amusing and entertaining arrangements of words from the talented wordsmith known as Beth Good. With The Oddest Little Book Shop, I am three novellas in with her Oddest Little Shop series, and one of my favorite things about this installment was the wily and cunning name given to a despicable paparazzi photographer – Ron Scrotes. I’m just immature enough to smirk each time he appeared. Ms. Good’s wry wit may have caused an indelicate yet gleeful snort or ten, as Mr. Scrotes tends to pop up at inopportune moments for the main characters.



I adored the lovely Daisy Diamond, who became the biggest celebrity ever to have sprung from the small Cornish village of her youth. The same small Cornish village she fled ten years prior with a broken heart after being crushed by The Devil, AKA Nick Old – again – she is just so crafty with the clever names. The twists and turns leading to her painful teenaged heartbreak were finally explained to her and were quite compelling, yet there were many complications that presented a quagmire to unravel and make right. I didn’t think it could be done in a novella but Ms. Good miraculously made it happen and with a highly satisfying and happy ending for all parties, even the harpy who didn’t deserve one, but apparently Ms. Good is generous like that.

Empress DJ

Author Bio – 

Born and raised in Essex, England, Beth Good was whisked away to an island tax haven at the age of eleven to attend an exclusive public school and rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Sadly, she never became rich or famous herself, so had to settle for infamy as a writer of dubious novels. She writes under several different names, mainly to avoid confusing her readers - and herself! As Beth Good, she writes romantic comedy and feel-good fiction. She also writes thrillers as Jane Holland, historicals as Victoria Lamb and Elizabeth Moss, and feel-good fiction as Hannah Coates.

Beth currently lives in the West Country where she spends a great deal of time thinking romantic thoughts while staring out of her window at sheep. (These two actions are unrelated.)

You can find her most days on Twitter as @BethGoodWriter where she occasionally indulges in pointless banter about chocolate making and the Great British Bake Off. Due to a basic inability to say no, she has too many children and not enough money, which means she needs as many readers as she can get.


Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethGoodAuthor

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BethGoodWriter

Book Review: The Oddest Little Beach Shop by Beth Good

The Oddest Little Beach Shop

by Beth Good

Goodreads

Amazon US / UK / B&N

'I love Beth Good's quirky style!' - bestselling author Katie Fforde

From the first day of Annie's arrival in the sleepy Cornish resort of Polzel, next-door neighbor Gabriel seems determined to make her life difficult.

Despite his sexy looks and angelic name, Gabriel behaves like an ogre to everyone and has apparently been that way since losing his wife in a surfing accident. Annie would do far better, her friend Claudia urges her, to focus her attention on Jamie instead. Jamie's the hottest lifeguard in the village - and her co-worker in the Polzel beach shop.

But when Polzel's famous annual pie-rolling contest sees Annie and Gabriel forced together, it turns out Annie might have a thing for big Cornish ogres after all . . .

A feel-good summer novella from popular romantic comedy writer Beth Good and another quirky entry in her 'Oddest Little Shop' series.

My Rating: 

Favorite Quotes:

‘Hundreds of jolly cyclists are due to pass through town on Wednesday. And if we’re lucky, a few dozen will stop for ice creams and beach fun. So you’ve arrived just in time to marvel at their beefy thighs and calves.’ Claudia winked. ‘And maybe sell them some cute little Lycra outfits.’

It did not seem a very dignified thing to be doing in public, straddling a dry surfboard in a skimpy gold and black bikini. Potentially disastrous too, if anything shifted or ripped. But maybe this was Jamie’s way of getting a proper eyeful of her assets.

She… flung her arms round Jamie, her air-kisses loud enough to puncture his eardrums. ‘Darling!’ she brayed, ‘You look so bloody sexy in your lifeguard clobber. Casanova in shorts.’

Gabriel’s slow smile was both a reward and a provocation. He was so horrid and knowing! And goodness, his abs were spectacular. She could do her washing on them, she thought, they were so flat and muscular. Why couldn’t he have been flabby and repulsive to look at?

‘I have to have some kind of a social life.’  Sarah adjusted her bra quite unselfconsciously, jiggling her large boobs as though to check everything was in the right place. Apparently it was, because she looked down at them with a satisfied expression. ‘I mean, if we can’t get out a few nights every week to boogie-woogie in the night spots or pick up some fresh-faced surfer or big, strapping farmer . . . Well, what’s the point of being single on the Cornish bloody coast?’

We’re absolutely desperate for fresh blood on the committee. We’re like vampires without a victim, I promise you.

Leo’s a teenage boy, darling. They have no room in their brains for anything but their own little problems. Spots and girls and the size of their willies, in other words.

My Review:

Ms. Good’s delightful sense of humor provided a comfortable balance for a story that could easily have been overly angsty due to the serious issues of sorrow and loss.  I am enamored with her humorous storytelling, quaint village way of life, and eccentric and colorful characters.  A small and quirky beach village in Cornwall provided the perfect backdrop for a sorely needed new beginning for a freshly minted and struggling family unit of an aunt and young teenaged nephew who were struggling to find their footing together.  

Annie’s life had been a series of upheavals after the death of her sister lead to the guardianship of her orphaned and surly thirteen-year-old nephew, Leo.  Her cad of a boyfriend wanted no part of that and promptly departed, leaving an additional gap in her life, although that one was a definite improvement.  Leo’s self-harming and problem behaviors became of mounting concern, resulting in a change of scenery and new school environment, so why not toss in a few additional transitions with a move from urban London to a small beach village on the Cornwall coast and a new job working in a friend’s beach shop, which just so happened to blossom into a brilliant plan - although they had to work the kinks out first.  

New additions to my Brit Vocab List include the comical entries of “tatty-bye” (a form of farewell coined by a comedian) and “get knotted,” which according to Mr. Google is, “a rude way to tell someone to go away,” I plan to use and abuse that one with the pesky phone scammers who so desperately want to talk to me about the viruses on my computer…      

Empress DJ

Author Bio 

Born and raised in Essex, England, Beth Good was whisked away to an island tax haven at the age of eleven to attend an exclusive public school and rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Sadly, she never became rich or famous herself, so had to settle for infamy as a writer of dubious novels. She writes under several different names, mainly to avoid confusing her readers - and herself! As Beth Good, she writes romantic comedy and feel-good fiction. She also writes thrillers as Jane Holland, historicals as Victoria Lamb and Elizabeth Moss, and feel-good fiction as Hannah Coates.

Beth currently lives in the West Country where she spends a great deal of time thinking romantic thoughts while staring out of her window at sheep. (These two actions are unrelated.)

You can find her most days on Twitter as @BethGoodWriter where she occasionally indulges in pointless banter about chocolate making and the Great British Bake Off. Due to a basic inability to say no, she has too many children and not enough money, which means she needs as many readers as she can get.

Social Media Links – 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethGoodAuthor

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BethGoodWriter

Book Review: The Oddest Little Romance Shop by Beth Good

The Oddest Little Romance Shop

by Beth Good

Goodreads

Amazon US / UK  / B&N

'I love Beth Good's quirky style!' - Katie Fforde

Izzie has the perfect plan for a perfect life. Work hard, get married, settle down, start a family. But when a mysterious Valentine's day card arrives, asking in a bold scrawl, 'Will you marry me?', it upends everything.

Because Izzie thought she'd found Mr. Right - and the card isn't from him.

Puzzled, she sets out to discover the identity of her secret admirer . . . and is shocked by the truth. Torn in two directions, Izzie doesn't know what to do.

Should she stick to the plan, or is it time to take life in a bold new direction?

Another quirky, charming novella in the 'Oddest Little Shop' series from popular romantic comedy writer Beth Good.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:


‘Oh get a grip, you can’t seriously marry someone called Norman. I mean . . . Norman.’ Her friend said his name with breathless emphasis as though in the throes of passion, then shook her head. ‘No, it’s not a name to send chills of expectation down your spine. Unless you’re desperate for a truly comprehensive insurance policy.’



She did want to marry Norman, she really did. He was a really nice guy, and he was so amazingly keen on her . . . It was just that, in the middle of the night, she did keep waking up in a cold sweat, wondering if she was making the biggest mistake of her life.



She clasped her handbag tight on her lap. Like an old granny worried about losing her lottery tickets. Not a good look.



As their lips met, bodies pressed together, Isabel realised that forcing Norman to kiss her tonight was the worst thing she had ever done in her life. Possibly barring the incident with the snail sandwich in Year 3. Which had been unspeakably grim… Then there was the fact that his breath smelt a bit whiffy. And his lips were damp. Not wet, exactly, which would have been horrible. But kind of clammy. Eww.



He sounded like her dad the time he discovered a steamy romance novel hidden under her mattress when she was only twelve. And she did not really want to marry her dad, did she? Quite apart from the fact that any Freudian therapist would have a field day with it.



One of the women, wearing a leopard-print fake fur hat and a thick winter scarf, made an obscene gesture at Lewis. Or she might simply have been rubbing her nose.


My Review:



I smirked and giggled-snorted my way through this delightfully entertaining and gleefully amusing tale. I may have even bounced in my chair a few times with unrestrained joy. I have a new favorite author and I am totally fangirling as I venerated her clever wit, writing style, and engaging storylines. I am greedily hungering for every word this clever author has ever penned, like pronto. I adored this – start to finish.

Empress DJ

Author Bio –

Born and raised in Essex, England, Beth Good was whisked away to an island tax haven at the age of eleven to attend an exclusive public school and rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Sadly, she never became rich or famous herself, so had to settle for infamy as a writer of dubious novels. She writes under several different names, mainly to avoid confusing her readers - and herself! As Beth Good, she writes romantic comedy and feel-good fiction. She also writes thrillers as Jane Holland, historicals as Victoria Lamb and Elizabeth Moss, and feel-good fiction as Hannah Coates.

Beth currently lives in the West Country where she spends a great deal of time thinking romantic thoughts while staring out of her window at sheep. (These two actions are unrelated.)

You can find her most days on Twitter as @BethGoodWriter where she occasionally indulges in pointless banter about chocolate making and the Great British Bake Off. Due to a basic inability to say no, she has too many children and not enough money, which means she needs as many readers as she can get.


Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethGoodAuthor

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BethGoodWriter