The Cotswolds Cookery Club The Cotswolds Cookery Club

The Cotswolds Cookery Club

A Taste of Italy - Book 1

    • 4.6 • 5 Ratings
    • $2.99
    • $2.99

Publisher Description

‘One of the best stories I’ve read in a long time…I can’t wait to read the other two!’ Stacey Rebecca (NetGalley reviewer)

The perfect recipe for happiness?

Connie has had enough. Enough of the city, enough of her job – and most importantly, enough of her cheating boyfriend! So, when her best friend jets off to sunny Australia for six months and calls on Connie to house and dog-sit, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

Finally free to chase her dreams, Connie sets up her very own Cotswolds Cookery Club – a place to share scrumptious recipes and, more importantly, a lot of wine! Cue Melody, Kate and Eleanor, three very different women who Connie realises are all in need of a recipe for happiness…

But with two gorgeous men turning up the heat, Connie may have just ended up with a recipe for disaster!

Fans of Milly Johnson, Caroline Roberts and Jill Mansell will love this heartwarming read!

The Cotswolds Cookery Club is a story told in three parts. A Taste of Italy is part one.

About the author

ALICE ROSS escaped her dreary job in the financial services industry a few years ago and has never looked back. Dragging her personal chef (aka her husband) along with her, she headed to Spain, where she began writing witty, sexy romps destined to amuse readers slightly more than the pension brochures of her previous life. Now back in her home town of Durham, when not writing, she can be found scratching out a tune on her violin, walking her dog in wellies two sizes too big (don’t ask!) or standing on her head in a yoga pose. Alice loves to hear from readers, and you can follow her on Twitter at @AliceRoss22 or on facebook.com/alice.ross.108.

GENRE
Romance
RELEASED
2017
July 21
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
180
Pages
PUBLISHER
HQ Digital
SELLER
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS
SIZE
1.4
MB

Customer Reviews

glhince ,

Oh I loved this title

Oh I loved this title – and believe me, if you can’t fall in love with an elderly greyhound who hides and jumps at EVERYTHING, needs a blanket fort to survive a storm, and has an instant attraction to a little flirty Jack Russel – you have no heart. And yes, there were people here too – from Connie, just turned 34 and is feeling her groundlessness from all corners: her mother’s constant reminders, her cheating ex, and the never-ending proofread that drags on, endlessly looming over her. When Connie’s best friend Anna calls with an offer to dog and house-sit while she and her husband spend half a year in Australia, she jumps at the chance to get away from her mother, her childhood bedroom and realign her life.

When Connie arrives in the hamlet of Little Bidington, the magic of the Cotswolds starts to improve her mood instantly. But this time is not all about relaxing: she’s got to finish a deadly-dull proofreading job (she’s a freelancer) and decide on a ‘real career” as her mother would call it. Still stinging from the breakup of her relationship and uninspired (and a bit lonely) with her work, she’s wanting to find her passion and make it pay. She’s always been a foodie: from a small childhood garden that she tended with care to collecting recipes, cookbooks and tasting experiences, an idea forms. So she collects the very reluctant Eric and heads out to the local newsagent with a card to advertise.

Here she meets Eleanor, the 60-something proprietress with her finger on the pulse (albeit quiet and reserved pulse) of the town, and an instant friendship is formed. Starting the cookery club is a simple idea – similar to a book club, only with food, friends and hopefully some instruction. Connie soon is introduced to the other two members: Kate and Melody, and a date and theme (Italian food) is set. The first meeting “At six fifty-two that evening, the doorbell chimed, causing Eric to vault two feet out of his basket – as usual – “ the ladies arrive with wine, good humor and plenty of bonhomie.

We get to see the four as they chop, stir, drink and share stories: from Eleanor’s history and changes since widowhood, Kate’s struggles with three unruly children and a mostly absent husband and Melody, beautiful, blonde struggling with people’s reactions to her marriage to an older, rich man. Through the story, we are treated to the women’s stories and struggles where the friendships grow and strengthen, and each gains a new confidence in their lives. From mouth-watering foods, great conversations and a few moments of romance as both Connie and Eric find love interests, although if I’m being fair, Connie’s is more of a rebound that oils the wheels and provides her with a shot of confidence. Through it all, Connie finds her passion reignited for food, and creates a blog that is quickly growing a following with her tales, recipes and tricks shared about food, the club and forming your own version. There was nothing truly groundbreaking here, not really: but Ross puts everything together with such flair and shows the growth and confidence of the characters, laughs from their conversations and Eric, and plenty of food to drool over – the story leaves us with options for many more books, a solid growth for Connie’s new ventures and plenty in store for the inaugural members of the club.

A quick read, this is engaging and wholly encompassing story presenting the honeyed stone Cotswolds and a few of its residents with style and heart, and makes me want more.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

The Cotswolds Cookery Club The Cotswolds Cookery Club
2017
A Spring Wedding A Spring Wedding
2014
An Autumn Affair An Autumn Affair
2015
A Winter's Wish A Winter's Wish
2016
A Summer Of Secrets A Summer Of Secrets
2016
The Cotswolds Cookery Club The Cotswolds Cookery Club
2017
A Year at Meadowbrook Manor A Year at Meadowbrook Manor
2018
The Little Book Café The Little Book Café
2018
Wish You Were Here – Part 4 Wish You Were Here – Part 4
2017
The Ticket to Happiness The Ticket to Happiness
2019
Christmas Weddings Christmas Weddings
2017
Summer Loves Summer Loves
2017