Coffee, Tea, The Gypsy & Me by Caroline James @CarolineJames12

Book Description:

Jo’s romance with the gypsy began with his first kiss, she never forgot it…

When Jo Edmond’s husband runs off with their nanny and disappears into a Spanish sunset, Jo resolves to make a new life with her baby son. She impulsively purchases Kirkton House a run-down guest house and with the help of a colourful cast of characters, establishes a thriving country house hotel. Jo opens the hotel during Fair Week, a famous 300-year-old gypsy tradition, hated by the locals and loved by every tinker and traveller in the country. Romance is the last thing on her mind until the enigmatic John Doherty walks into her life…

Assisted by Hattie, a local woman who becomes a friend, Jo’s business succeeds and a new Jo emerges, attracting the attention of every man who comes within her radar. In Fair Week, Jo’s errant husband turns up and begins a campaign to win her back but Black Monday is looming, the stock market crashes, and tourism dries up. With difficult days ahead Jo has to reinvent her business to survive.

My Thoughts:

Jo’s husband has run off with another woman to sunny Spain and left Jo on her own to bring up their son. What I loved about Jo is that she has a good head on her shoulders. Her ex was holding her back but when Jo takes over a country hotel, she really shines and comes into her own. She shows us that a woman doesn’t need a man to make something of themselves, all you need is to have faith in yourself and a friend like Hattie by your side!

There maybe some romance in this story, in fact Jo has suitors falling over themselves to win her over, but what made this one stand out more than others was the fabulous friendship between Jo and Hattie. Hattie is very much the salt of the earth as the saying goes, who says it as it is and the two women get along like a house on fire. There is just something very comforting when it comes to the bond between them even though they have only known each other for a relatively short period of time.

Coffee, Tea, The Gypsy & Me is an uplifting and fun read with some absolutely great characters in it. I even fell in love with Pippa the dog, which probably is no real surprise being a fellow dog lover but there are a vast amount of characters and most are hugely loveable although there are the odd rogue ones thrown in. I enjoyed the countryside setting and seeing Jo growing her new business and I was totally routing for her throughout not just for that side of things to do well but in her personal life also. An engrossing novel that will leave you feeling all warm and happy inside!