Book Review: Little Teashop of Horrors by Jane Lovering

Little Teashop of Horrors

by Jane Lovering

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Secrets, lies, carrot cake and an owl called Skrillex!

Amy Knowles has always been the plain sidekick to her pretty best friend Jules. And whilst the tearoom they both work in on the Monkpark Hall estate in Yorkshire is not exactly awash with eligible bachelors, it's obvious where the male attention is concentrated - and it's not just on the cakes!

There is one man who notices Amy. Joshua Wilson also works at Monkpark, where he flies his birds of prey for visitor entertainment. He lives a lonely existence but he has reasons for choosing isolation - and, in Amy, he may have found somebody who understands.

Then a management change brings slick and well-spoken Edmund Evershott to Monkpark. He's interested in Amy too, but for what reason? Josh suspects the new manager is up to no good - but will Amy? Because Edmund could leave her with much worse than a broken heart...

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Jules had a tendency to go off in full pursuit of any man that took her fancy like a whippet after a sausage.

Julia pulled the ‘sensible one’ trick, a move so rare that it was probably endangered… Her heels clattered over the waxed and shiny boards, attracting his attention to our approach, while my sensible flats squealed and squeaked like distressed hamsters.

That young lady is all fur coat and no knickers. She’ll find herself in trouble one of these days, mark my words.

His face was pale and narrow, giving him a sort of ‘shuffled together’ look, as though his features were furniture in an overcrowded room.

Julia was so upwardly mobile that she was practically rocket-fuelled.

‘Cleaning’ was probably not the right word for what this caravan needed, but flamethrowers are hard to come by.

You’re a bridesmaid, Ames, and if you’re not really nice to me I’m putting you in primrose yellow trimmed with puce. And those heels. Well, one heel, one flat, so you sort of lurch.

My Review:

This book was found treasure.  It was a delightfully amusing and well-crafted tale which was sneakily and slowly constructed while we became acquainted with the oddly compelling yet endearing and strangely enticing characters and their heartbreaking histories.  I smirked every single time a character was introduced, as each one was uniquely peculiar and described in such a colorful manner they were instantly knowable.  The writing was stealthily insightful, acutely observant, and riddled with clever wit and levity.  I adored it, even when I wanted to give the mousy main character a kick in her scratchy Edwardian outfit.  I greatly admired and greedily covet the author’s vast and artfully nimble word skills and want to read every line she has ever penned.  And I proudly have a few new words and phrases for my Brit Vocabulary List – which has become quite voluminous… First up is “go like the clappers” which is to go fast, supposedly like the clappers found in hells bells, then there is “pranny” which Urban Dictionary told me was a cross between prat and fanny but could also be considered an idiot as well as female genitals, so… hmm, seems to be a multitasker.   

Empress DJ

Author Bio – 

Jane was born in Devon and now lives in Yorkshire. She has five children, three cats and two dogs! Jane is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and has a first-class honors degree in creative writing. Jane writes comedies which are often described as ‘quirky’. Her debut Please Don’t Stop the Music won the 2012 Romantic Novel of the Year and the Best Romantic Comedy Novel award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Her Christmas novella, Christmas at the Little Village School, was the winner of the RONA Rose Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association in 2018.

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