Book Review: Lemon Drizzle Mondays at the Little Duck Pond Café (Little Duck Pond Cafe #9) by Rosie Green

Lemon Drizzle Mondays at the Little Duck Pond Café

(Little Duck Pond Cafe #9) 

by Rosie Green

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

Molly Hooper has a secret. It haunts her dreams and casts a dark shadow over life with her gorgeous three-year-old daughter, Eva. Arriving in Sunnybrook has given her a glimpse of sunshine. 

The Little Duck Pond Cafe crew seems so welcoming and there's even the chance of a new job. Baking delicious cakes has always taken Molly to a happy place, so the job - at the glorious Brambleberry Manor Cafe - might just be perfect for her. It would mean she and little Eva could finally put down some roots at last. 

But is Sunnybrook the sanctuary Molly is searching for? Or will the past come back to haunt her, wherever she hides?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

‘Married forty-two years. And we’ve never had an argument serious enough to consider divorce. Murder, yes. But divorce, never.’ Her face is completely deadpan.



Arlene picked on Lisa because she was shy and had long red hair. The nicknames wore her down – things like Garfield and Fire Crotch.



I suppose I must be sex-starved. One sniff of an attractive man and my heart starts racing as if I’m on the Dive Bomber ride at the fair.



Kindness is love made visible… That’s what my lovely granny used to say.



Honestly, you kids don’t know the half of it. Do you have any idea at all how traumatising it is to see the skin on the back of your hands waving about under a hot air hand dryer?

My Review:

This sweet series continues to introduce new and enticing characters with realistic concerns and situations that easily captivate and ensnare my interest as well as squeeze my heart. Ms. Green expertly peppers her engaging narratives with equal servings of perceptive insights and amusing slices of wry humor from a quirky and oddly interesting cast of new and familiar characters. My new favorite is Bertha - I adored her comedic deadpan humor and feistiness.


I scored big time with three fun new additions to my Brit List with plonker – a fool, servery -a counter or service hatch were food is served, and damp squib – a dud/failure/or something that doesn’t work as expected.

About The Author

Rosie has been scribbling stories ever since she was little.

Back then, they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by 'the baddies'.

Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all - unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie's series of novellas is centered around life in a village cafe. The latest, ‘A Winter Wedding at the Little Duck Pond Cafe', is out now.

Rosie has also written a full-length, standalone book, 'Snowflakes over Moondance Cottage', out now.

Follow Rosie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

Book Review: A Winter Wedding at the Little Duck Pond Café (Little Duck Pond Cafe #8) by Rosie Green

 A Winter Wedding at the Little Duck Pond Café

(Little Duck Pond Cafe #8)

by Rosie Green

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

With Zak and Ellie’s wedding day approaching, there's high excitement in the pretty village of Sunnybrook, especially among the Little Duck Pond Café crew. Ellie is over the moon with her romantic surprise wedding gift from Zak, and Madison is promising to organise a hen party to remember. Everyone has high hopes for a magical Christmas Eve wedding celebration at gorgeous Brambleberry Manor. (Even Maisie-Moo has a sparkling new outfit.)

But sometimes, even the best-laid plans can go wrong. And with the journey to the altar turning out to be rockier than expected, it’s going to take nothing short of a Christmas miracle to ensure a happy ending . .


My Rating:

Favorite Quotes: 

The only time Zak gazes into my eyes these days is if I’ve got a bit of grit in them.



You have reached your final destination. Welcome to the Pleasure Palace. Calories do not count on a hen do, ladies.



I don’t believe in signs. Except for ones that say, “Free cake this way”.



Apparently nicotine patches work like magic… Yeah. You stick one over each eye and then you can’t find your fags.

My Review: 

This quick and easy to follow installment was written from multiple POV and was a fun and busy update featuring the plans for rapidly approaching wedding as well as the family issues experienced by all the ladies working at the café. The storylines varied from light and amusing to tense personal issues and anxious concerns, although it all leveled out at the end with happy news across the board. I still adore the sweet and mellow character of Rob best of all.

About The Author

Rosie has been scribbling stories ever since she was little.

Back then, they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by 'the baddies'.

Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all - unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie's brand new series of novellas is centered around life in a village cafe. The latest, 'Bonfires & Hot Chocolate at the Little Duck Pond Cafe', is out now.

Watch out for 'A Winter Wedding at the Little Duck Pond Cafe', which will be published in December 2019.

Rosie is also writing a full-length, standalone book for Christmas 2019, entitled 'Snowflakes over Moondance Cottage', which will be out in November.

Follow Rosie on Twitter

Book Review: Bonfires & Hot Chocolate at The Little Duck Pond Cafe (Little Duck Pond Cafe, Book 7) by Rosie Green

Bonfires & Hot Chocolate at The Little Duck Pond Cafe (Little Duck Pond Cafe, Book 7)

by Rosie Green

Amazon  US / UK / AU / CA 

If you love all the colors of autumn, you're sure to warm to this uplifting story of love, loss and starting over.


Primrose Wilkins arrived in Sunnybrook with a burning desire to find the family she's never known. But after a heart-breaking false start, she's beginning to have second thoughts. Can she find the courage to battle on in her quest? And with her romantic life at an all-time low, will meeting the intriguing and attractive Callum Davy be just what she needs to renew her faith in love?


Meanwhile, Fen is also finding it hard to be brave. She's made it through to the final of TV show 'Battle of the Bakes' (thanks to Ellie entering on her behalf), but she's always shied away from being in the spotlight. How will Fen cope now that she's a famous 'celebrity', recognised in the street everywhere she goes?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Apparently alcohol kills brain cells slowly… But that doesn’t bother me because I’m not in a hurry.


I met Harvey at a speed dating event that Gran persuaded me to go to… I later found out he’d gone on the Greek jaunt in question in the company of my mobile hairdresser, Kirsty, who I’d thought was my friend. Presumably Harvey had lots of fun in the sun and a free haircut. (I know what I’d have been tempted to do with Kirsty’s scissors.) It was a double blow. I lost a boyfriend. But worse, I had to find myself a new hairdresser.


I’m Barry, your friendly local photographer. Available for weddings, christenings and contract killings. I shoot people.


The only time I ever saw that depth of affection in my ex’s eyes was when he was checking his own reflection in shop windows, which he seemed to do an awful lot.


And who wouldn’t enjoy being desired by an attractive man like him? Against the backdrop of a starry sky and the lovely party, that kiss should have been a dream come true. But it wasn’t. The reality was that our teeth clashed and his tongue was thrusting in and out of my mouth like a mechanical digger, which made me feel weirdly invaded.

My Review:

I rarely read serials but I have enjoyed all of Rosie Green’s wryly amusing and engaging Little Duck Pond novellas, each comfortable and breezily entertaining installment has featured a different worker or the owner of The Little Duck Pond Café which is a mainstay in a small British village; while also providing interactions and updates on those previously spotlighted.

This volume was written from the first-person POV of Primrose, a newcomer to the village, who arrived with a mission to find the sixty-year-old woman who would be her grandmother. This unknown, unsuspecting, and mysterious grandmother had given her child up for adoption as an unwed teenage mother and had no knowledge or awareness of Primrose or her plans. I adored Primrose, she was a quirky and sensitive little thing, yet she was also highly relatable despite her penchant for wearing unique, garish, and vividly colored outfits and hair colors. Primrose apparently applied her makeup with a trowel. I truly revel in Rosie Green’s distinctive brand of levity and writing style.

I fell into a rabbit hole session with Mr. Google and Wikipedia as I felt compelled to research Bonfire Night, Guy Fawkes, and ginger parkin - which is a centuries-old Bonfire Night traditional food that is a sticky and rich cake made with oatmeal ginger, and molasses. And now my diet has been ruined once again by that palate tease known as Rosie Green, she is a bane for my waistline.

About The Author

Rosie has been scribbling stories ever since she was little.

Back then, they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by 'the baddies'.

Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all - unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie's brand new series of novellas is centered around life in a village cafe. The latest, 'Bonfires & Hot Chocolate at the Little Duck Pond Cafe', is out now.

Watch out for 'A Winter Wedding at the Little Duck Pond Cafe', which will be published Christmas 2019.

Rosie is also writing a full-length, standalone book for Christmas 2019, entitled 'Snowflakes over Moondance Cottage'.

Follow Rosie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

Book Review: Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Cafe by Rosie Green

Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Cafe

by Rosie Green

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

Wedding fever is in the air in the village of Sunnybrook. With Ellie and Zak's Big Day on the horizon, the sun is shining brightly on the Little Duck Pond Cafe community. But when dark clouds begin to roll in from more than one direction, several close relationships look to be under threat. Will the wedding of the year actually take place at all?


My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:



Practically the only bonus of getting older is that you don’t give a flying fart about what other people think of you.



Now, what can I get you from the drinks machine to get your strength up? Coffee that’s bitter enough to hold a grudge for years? Or hot chocolate that’s so pale and uninteresting, it could do with a week on a beach in Benidorm?



My Review:



This was a busy, eventful, and rather tumultuous installment with a variety of stressful events and health issues for several different characters. The devious Ms. Green cunningly provides enough charm and interesting new storylines to feed and maintain our addiction to the series while also dangling several loose ends to keep us craving more. She has also added to my Brit Word List with oxters – an Old English and Scottish word for armpit. I adore obscure words.

About The Author

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.
​
​Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centered on life in a village café. Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Cafe will be the sixth in the series

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

Book Review: A Bakery at the Little Duck Pond Cafe by Rosie Green

A Bakery at the Little Duck Pond Cafe 

by Rosie Green

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

Ellie’s dreams of opening a bakery in Sunnybrook are finally coming true and best friends Fen and Jaz are happily rallying round, helping her to plan a fabulous grand opening day. Everything in their garden seems to be rosy – until the arrival of a newcomer brings chaos to the village and tests relationships to the limit. Can the bakery succeed in the face of such upheaval? And more importantly, can firm friendships survive?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:



Gran might be seventy-six but she’s as sharp as a spine on a sea urchin.



I haven’t felt this self-conscious since I was climbing a tree for a dare when I was nine and a sharp branch ripped a hole in the seat of my trousers, revealing Mickey Mouse knickers.





My Review:



I have read every installment in this sweet and wryly amusing series and each one has given my heart a squeeze and put a least 3 smiles on my face. The tone of this story was rather tense as Katja/Kate was struggling with several issues and had an uncomfortably big secret. She was also in contention for a new bakery job with the same spiteful and competitive person she was forced to room with, although her roomie had a rather unexpected and embarrassing secret of her own. The engaging storylines were easy to follow and quite relatable with an interesting cast of characters dealing with real-life issues. I only needed to Google one unfamiliar Brit reference for my word list; Yodel vans – which is a delivery service like Fed Ex or UPS to those of us living in the USA.

About The Author

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.
​
​Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centered on life in a village café. Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Cafe will be the sixth in the series

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

Breaking News - Coming Soon!

 Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Café 

With Ellie and Zak’s Big Day on the horizon, the sun is shining brightly on the Little Duck Pond Café community. But as dark clouds begin to roll in, threatening more than one close relationship, will the wedding of the year take place at all?

Follow Rosie Green on Amazon to hear when its published and available for purchase - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosie-Green/e/B07CZYV7DW

Book Review: Snowed In at The Little Duck Pond Café (The Little Duck Pond Cafe, Book 4) by Rosie Green

Snowed In at The Little Duck Pond Café

(The Little Duck Pond Cafe, Book 4)

by Rosie Green

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

The biggest snowfall in years has blanketed Sunnybrook, cutting the village off from the outside world. For Fen, who finds herself snowed in at The Little Duck Pond Cafe, it's little more than a minor inconvenience. Her love life is finally running smoothly; it looks as if she's found the perfect man for her.

But then a shocking secret threatens to destroy Fen's new-found happiness.

Will being snowed in be the final straw? Or will Fen find a way through the snowdrifts to the perfect love?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:


‘I’ll be okay, Lellie,’ Maisie assures her earnestly. ‘Daddy says you fuss too much because you love me like I love Goldie.’ Ellie laughs and turns to Zak, who’s next to her on the sofa. Zak grins. ‘It’s true. I’m not sure anyone could love a hamster quite as much as Maisie loves Goldie.’


Most methods of contraception are found to be slightly less than wholly effective. But two thick winter coats, I can confirm, are one hundred percent foolproof.


I definitely don’t wish her any harm. A small Chinese burn, perhaps, but nothing major.


My Review:


The clever wordsmith known as Rosie Green strikes again with another sweet and entertaining installment of her Little Duck Pond series, I’ve read all four and have enjoyed each one. This somewhat angsty and heart-squeezing novella continued the freshly bloomed relationship between Fen and Rob but trouble soon surfaced (within a week) when Rob was caught in a small lie of omission, which then snowballed when he was caught in another one, and then yet another rather big one… sigh. MEN! But Fen, being rather naïve and inexperienced and prone to social anxiety and humiliation over the least little thing, was crushed and stewed in her angst, oh the drama. But what holiday season would be complete without at least a little light drama?

In addition to the Fen/Rob saga, Ms. Green also continued with ongoing events of the café and small village community. I adore the denizens of this quirky little hamlet. And instead of new Brit words for my ongoing list, today I have gleaned two unfamiliar British idioms with “gone down a storm” (well received) and “pushes the boat out” (to celebrate lavishly). I can always count on Ms. Green to further my education. 

Empress DJ

Author Bio

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

​

​Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centered on life in a village café. The first two stories in the series are: Spring at The Little Duck Pond Cafe and Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café.

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

Book Review: Christmas at The Little Duck Pond Cafe by Rosie Green

Christmas at The Little Duck Pond Cafe

by Rosie Green

Amazon US / UK / CA/ AU 

Fen has always hated being the center of attention.

She loves her new job, working behind the scenes at the Little Duck Pond Cafe and baking the scrumptious cakes that have helped its reputation soar. But frankly, she'd rather scrub the public toilet floor with a toothbrush than have to come out and talk to the customers.

She's always been happy to stay in the background as long as she has a good supply of books to escape into. That's her kind of romance - the fictional sort where she can read about other people taking a chance on love, but she doesn't have to risk her own heart.

But that was before Ethan Fox arrived in the village and turned her world upside down. Ethan is a leading light in the local amateur dramatics theatre company and Fen knows he's way out of her league.
But when the popular village Christmas pantomime hits a crisis, Fen and Ethan find themselves thrown together. Can Fen overcome her shyness and find the courage to step on stage and save the day?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I’ve always hated my blushes. You can’t have any secrets if you turn as red as a ripe tomato at anything that’s even mildly unsettling. When I was younger, I used to wear a weird green-coloured cream on my face that was supposed to hide the blushes. Then my latest crush commented loudly, in front of the whole class, that I always looked like Casper the friendly ghost. So the tube of cream went in the bin.

He of the hard muscles yet adorably soft centre.

I prefer muted colours. (Mum describes these colours ‘jokingly’ as ‘shades of sludge’ and is always trying to encourage me to dress more colourfully.)

I wish I had more confidence. So when I’m pitching for an important business contract and I know I’ll be nervous, I do my ‘Superman pose’ before I go to the meeting… It’s a little-known fact that you can con your brain into believing you’re confident, which then makes you feel more confident. And one way to do that is to adopt what they call a “power pose” to make you feel more powerful. In private, of course. They might carry you off if you were to do it on public transport.

My Review:

This was book three in the series and my favorite to date.  I continue to adore these quirky characters and have been curious about the excruciatingly timid yet talented Fen since her first introduction.  Fen was painfully shy and suffered from feelings of inadequacy and paralyzing anxiety, which was superbly captured and cleverly portrayed by this wily author.  The multiple and equally intriguing storylines were well-crafted and shrewdly paced with equal measures of levity, family drama, and attempts at romance as Fen and company were attempting to push past her restrictive comfort zone as well as deal with the community, work, and family concerns.  I enjoyed Fen’s inner musings, confused insights, skewed observations, gradual ripening, and finally her personal shackle shattering awareness and epiphanies.  I was highly amused by the manner Fen drew plot similarities and concepts from her favorite romance novels and beloved heroines to draw confidence, check her deportment, or assimilate her feelings while attempting to interact with men she found attractive. Now that Ms. Green has dealt with the three women working in the café, I am eager to see whom her keen writer's eye hones in on next.  

Empress DJ

Author Bio

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centered on life in a village café. The first two stories in the series are: Spring at The Little Duck Pond Cafe and Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café.

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988