No Room at the Little Cornish Inn
by  Nancy Barone

Rosie Anderson was hoping to whisk her young son Danny away for a lovely Christmas with family, far from the hustle and bustle of her life in London. But then her boss at the head office – aka Susan the Sacker – suddenly assigns her to go in incognito and save a tiny inn in Cornwall from being closed permanently. Rosie doesn’t know why The Old Bell Inn is performing so badly but it’s on her to sort it out!

Hours in the car later, Rosie arrives at the inn to find she’s been double booked – there are no rooms left. And she isn’t there for more than a minute before she’s butting heads with the manager, Irishman Mitchell Fitzpatrick. He seems to dislike her on sight, so it’s confusing that he seems to get on so well with Danny… But if he’s as terrible as his reputation, Rosie will have to be the one to fire him.

This really isn’t the Christmas Rosie was dreaming of. But maybe, just maybe, it could be a whole lot more…

A sweet and uplifting Christmas romance, No Room at the Little Cornish Inn is perfect for fans of Philippa Ashley, Holly Martin, and Jenny Hale.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

… blasting from my mobile phone in the form of the infamous and ominous The Ride of the Valkyries tune. It’s the ringtone I’ve assigned to the HR manager at Johnson Hotels Head Office, Susan Hearst – better known as Susan the Sacker… Rumour has it no men are allowed anywhere near her home, where she lives with her divorced sister who joined the Single and Furious Club. Apparently, they have a ground-to-air missile they use to fight off blokes.

I hug myself and breathe deeply, and feel a sudden, unfamiliar rush of what I soon realise must be joy. I didn’t know happiness could have its own fragrance.

My Review:

This was a fun, light, and sweet holiday read with a bit of somewhat underhanded hidden motives as well as some snooping and sneaking around during an undercover investigation.   The characters were likable and relatable and the storylines were easy to follow with amusing bits of levity, a blossoming romance, and curious tidbits tossed in that poked at my curiosity.   This was my introduction to Nancy Barone and I enjoyed her fluid writing style and gently paced storytelling.

Ms. Barone also provided me with a new entry for my Brit Words and Phrases list with bubble and squeak – which Mr. Google tells me is a traditional British dish that was named for the sound it makes while cooking and is made from cooked potatoes and cabbage which is mixed together and fried, although looking at the pictures it appears that sometimes meat, a fried egg, or other vegetables are also added.