Review + Giveaway: Coffee, Tea, The Caribbean and Me by Caroline James

Coffee, Tea, The Caribbean & Me by Caroline James

Series: Coffee, Tea ......... #2

Release Date: 12th February 2016
Publisher: Ramjam Publishing Company

Genres:  Women's Romantic Fiction

A romantic comedy – the sequel to Coffee, Tea, The Gypsy & Me, which shot to #3 on Amazon and was E-book of the Week in the Sun.

Continuing the Coffee, Tea... series, join Jo and Hattie as they romp into their middle years and prove that anything is possible!

Coffee Tea The Caribbean & Me was a top ten finalist at The Write Stuff - London Book Fair 2015. The judge’s comments included, “Caroline is a natural story-teller with a gift for humour in her writing.”

Coffee Tea The Caribbean & Me, is a a story about friendship and that there is hope in middle years, romance can happen and life really does begin again.

 Set in Cumbria, London and beautiful Barbados.

 ‘The time to be happy is now...’

Jo remembers her late husband’s words but is struggling to face the lonely future that lies ahead. A heartbroken widow, the love of her life, husband Romany John, has died suddenly and Jo finds herself alone with ghostly memories at Kirkton House - a Cumbrian Manor that until recently, she ran as a thriving hotel. Her two sons have moved away; Jimmy to run a bar in Barbados and Zach, to London to pursue a career as a celebrity chef. Middle-age and widowhood loom frighteningly and Jo determines to sell up and start again, despite protestations from colourful friend, Hattie and erstwhile admirer Pete Parks. Hattie convinces Jo to postpone any life-changing decisions by enjoying a Caribbean holiday in Barbados and their holiday sets off a course of events that brings mayhem and madness to Jo and her family.

Confused and anxious for her future, can life really begin again for Jo? Is there hope in middle years and can romance happen?

The story begins with a very despondent and heartbroken Jo who is a widow facing an uncertain future. She feels unable to move on from her husbands sudden death and can see no further than one day at a time. She is stuck in limbo and knows she must make a decision about her future and that of the hotel they owned. Her children have flown the nest, each involved in their own new venture and Jo feels surplus to requirements. She knows she needs to carve out a new future for herself and that means a possible move away from all that is familiar to her.

Jo's best friend Hattie is feeling equally despondent. Her rat of a husband has treated her badly. Despite Jo warning Hattie about her husbands infidelity, Hattie choose to ignore it until finally realising Jo was right. Now, she too is alone. However, Hattie isn't going to let the small matter of a broken heart stop her and she manages to talk Jo into having a holiday visiting Jo's son in Barbados. And, so the two women set off on their own little adventure.

I really enjoyed this book and I adored Hattie! She was totally nuts and one of a kind. Despite giving the impression of someone who was simply crashing through life, swatting away all her own hurt and pain, Hattie is actually quite a worldly wise woman with a sensible head (whenever she chooses) and a heart as big as the Caribbean itself. Her exploits in the book had me laughing out loud at times. But, through all her bravado, Hattie is as vulnerable as Jo.

Set in the beautiful Caribbean, the story introduces such a wealth of wonderful and colourful characters who really add such a fun dimension to the book. And, thankfully Hattie fits right in with her over enthusiastic embrace of all things fun (and alcoholic!). The story reminds us that life and fun don't have to end just because we are a certain age. Life is still full of second chances and lots of love if we just open our eyes and look hard enough. Sometimes its closer than we think.

What I loved most about the book is the strong bond between Jo and Hattie despite being two completely different women from different backgrounds. They were such great friends who clearly love and support one another in their very different ways. This was a fun read with a serious message and I highly recommend it. Although the second book in the series it can be read as a standalone and I didn't feel at anytime at a disadvantage for not having read the first book in the series.

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ABOUT CAROLINE JAMES  

Caroline James was born in Cheshire and wanted to be a writer from an early age. She trained, however, in the catering trade and worked and travelled both at home and abroad. Caroline's debut novel, Coffee Tea The Gypsy & Me shot to #3 on Amazon and was E-book of the Week in The Sun newspaper. Her second novel, So, You Think You're A Celebrity… Chef? has been described as wickedly funny: 'AbFab meets MasterChef in a Soap…' The manuscript for Coffee Tea The Caribbean & Me was a Top Ten Finalist at The Write Stuff, London Book Fair 2015 and the judge’s comments included: “Caroline is a natural story-teller with a gift for humour in her writing.” Her next novel, Coffee Tea The Boomers & Me will be published autumn 2016.

Caroline has owned and run many catering related businesses and cookery is a passion alongside her writing, combining the two with her love of the hospitality industry and romantic fiction. As a media agent, Caroline represented many well-known celebrity chefs and is currently writing a TV script and accompanying book about the life of a well-known chef. She has published short stories and is a member of the RNA and The Society of Authors. Caroline writes articles on food and celebrity based interviews and is Feature Editor for an online lifestyle magazine. When she's not running her hospitality business and writing, Caroline can generally be found with her nose in a book and her hand in a box of chocolates, she also likes to climb mountains and contemplate life.

www.carolinejamesauthor.co.uk

E: caroline@carolinejamesauthor.co.uk

Twitter: @CarolineJames12