Book review stop! Today I’m delighted to be the host for Summer at the French Café, a romance book written by S. Moorcroft.
First thing first, let me thank Rachel and the publisher, Avon Books UK, for providing me with an e-copy of this book. Much obliged *hat tip*
MEET THE BOOK
As soon as Kat Jenson set foot in the idyllic French village of Kirchhoffen, she knew she’d found her home. Now she has a dreamy boyfriend, a delightful dog and the perfect job managing a bustling book café in the vibrant Parc Lemmel. ‘
But when she learns her boyfriend isn’t all he seems, it’s the start of a difficult summer for Kat. Vindictive troublemakers, work woes and family heartache follow, and the clear blue sky that was her life suddenly seems full of clouds.
Then she gets to know the mysterious Noah, and her sun begins to shine brighter than ever. But Noah has problems of his own – ones that could scupper their new-found happiness. Together, can they overcome their many obstacles, and find love again?
Romance, women’s fiction
368 pages
Avon Books UK
Publication date: 12/05/22
Purchase links
READ MY REVIEW
Cover: Sunny and smile-inducing.
I’ve been having an incredible string of bad luck, technology-wise, so my reviews are going to be on the concise side. Force majeure, as screen-freezes are more common than fleas on a dog. [Update: my PC is fixed; after cleaning up the backlog, things will go back to normal again]
So, without further ado, I’ve got to say that Summer at the French Café is a peculiar one. It’s well-written, even if a bit slow here and there, and with an interesting pair of MCs. Kat and Noah have good inner voices, and they’re quite fun to follow along; maybe they should be a little more proactive though, less–less ‘life is steamrolling all over me’, but that’s a matter of personal tastes.
The third POV works fine here–great choice! The most compelling trait of Summer at the French Café though is its atmosphere: Moorcroft does a fabulous job with the setting.
My issue with it, if it could be called an issue, is that it has too much going on. Subplots are the mitochondria of a story, no questions asked, but if we have too many of them, it becomes hard to keep track of everything without getting overwhelmed. Picking a couple of themes and sticking with them would have helped the plot along, I think.
3.5 stars on GR.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author and has held the coveted #1 spot in the Amazon Kindle chart. She’s won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award, the Readers Best Romantic Read Award and the Katie Fforde Bursary. She writes contemporary fiction of life and love.
She also writes short stories, serials, articles, columns, courses and writing ‘how to’.
An army child, Sue was born in Germany then lived in Cyprus, Malta and the UK. She’s worked in a bank, as a bookkeeper (probably a mistake), as a copytaker for Motor Cycle News and for a typesetter, but is pleased to have wriggled out of all ‘proper jobs’.
Newsletter sign-up: http://bit.ly/SueMoorcroft-Newsletter
Website: www.suemoorcroft.com
Blog: http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com.
Twitter: @suemoorcroft
Facebook: sue.moorcroft.3
Instagram: suemoorcroftauthor
Facebook author page: www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor
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