The cast of the runaway bestseller, The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay, are back – including Rosa, Josh, Mary, Jacob, Sheila, new mum Titch and, last but by no means least, Hot, the adorable dachshund.

Newly wed, and with her inherited corner shop successfully up and running, Rosa Smith seems to have all that anyone could wish for. But the course of true love never did run smooth and Rosa’s suspicions that her husband is having an affair have dire consequences.

Reaching rock bottom before she can climb back up to the top, fragile Rosa is forced to face her fears, addiction and jealousy head-on.

With a selection of meddling locals still at large, a mystery fire and Titch’s frantic search for the real father of her sick baby, the second book in this enchanting series will take you on a further unpredictable journey of self-discovery.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

‘… how does a blind date grab you?’ ‘You’re talking to someone who hasn’t been grabbed for years.’

Just as love isn’t an emotion, it isn’t ruled by a stopwatch either.

My Review:

Nicola May has a keen sense of humor and I revel in her wicked clever wit and wry levity. The storylines were engaging and relatable and cast with a small village full of odd and quirky characters. The scene-stealer and real star of the show was, of course, the precious and precocious Hot, Rosa’s rescued dachshund who was cleverly dubbed Hot Dog as he was technically stolen from an abusive owner.

Rosa keeps messing up with her new marriage to the patient and perfect Josh. She keeps messing up because she is messed up, and then her extreme and self-destructive behaviors mess everything up, big time. Apparently, Rosa doesn’t do anything by halves. Yet she has a good heart and a commitment to self-improvement; it would be extremely difficult not to appreciate her as a whole despite her self-sabotage, runaway mouth, and serious issues with wine. Hmm, come to think of it, Rosa and I could be related…