5☆ An Absolute Joy to Read

Summer at the Castle Cafe is a really warm feel good story. I devoured overnight.
It has romance, humour, heartbreak, friendship, scrumptious food, loveable characters and a gorgeous pup.

Alice came to Castle Cove after her mum passes away.
Alice promised her mum that she would compete in a triathlon with her before she passed away. So she is now determined to fullfill that wish.
If only she could overcome her fear of the sea!

Alice works at the Castle Cafe, she is a lil bit of a klutz spilling things over a customer and breaking a cupboard off a wall.
But it's a good thing Jay is about to rescue her from her mishaps.

Jay is gorgeous, kind, some might say a hero. As he volunteers as a lifeboat rescuer. But he too harbours a painful secret.

Jay is attracted to Alice. Even though Alice is sarcastic, mean and pushes him away. He can't help running back for more.

Will Alice and Jay ever drop their guard down and have some fun. Or will their past stop them from getting It on!

I adored Alice and Jay and was rooting for them both to be happy.
Alice has a fair amount of issues so it was so wonderful to see her grow as the story progressed.

The story does contain some subjects that some May find hard to read such as grief, death, drowning, divorce.
However they are handled with the right amount of sensitivity to still make an impact.

I adored Summer at the Castle Cafe.
It had a lil sprinkle of everything.
The romance fizzes along just perfectly.
It was an absolute joy to read so much so i devoured it from cover to cover!
It was a warm and engaging story, great characterisation with Genuine and realistic characters that I fell in love with.

Summer at the Castle Cafe is the perfect feel good story.
The Perfect read if your looking for some escapism.

So if your looking for a compelling, funny, warm, Rom com then you definitely need to snuggle up with Summer at the Castle Cafe!!

The thing that caught my eye about this book was the cover, it is just stunning! The minute I seen it I just knew this book would be fantastic.

The characters in this Alice and Jay just fitted the story so perfectly and I loved hearing about them. It was so nice to see them both become stronger happier people thanks to each other.

The Castle Café was just gorgeous place and I would love to visit it! It really makes the book when its set in a really good location. I really enjoyed imagining it!

I absolutely loved this book, it is the most beautiful romantic love story you will read this summer.

Summer at the Castle Café is just a delight and is the perfect read for sitting in the sun this summer! You will not want to put it down!

For me, it was just a contemporary romance. I smiled thew times, but I didn't laugh the way I should while reading a comedy. I am really disappointed that it wasn't a true comedy.

This romance is quite good, the plot is twisted, the heroes are strong and fascinating, so as a contemporary romance it's nice to read, but not as a comedy.
#SummerAtTheCastleCafe #NetGalley

This bool was a very light quick read. Perfect for the sunshine. Was a bit predictable from the start but enjoyable none the less.

A very cute and lovely romance! It make you feels summer and feel good. The plot is light and fun to read, the characters are well designed.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC

This is the first book written by Donna Ashcroft that I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing. Judging by how much I enjoyed this book, this will not be the last book of hers that I read. I absolutely, totally and utterly adored this book but more about that in a bit.
Alice Appleton is a quiet girl who seems to have built a high wall around herself. It’s obvious that something has happened in her past which has affected her greatly. She is extremely sensitive and seems to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. Alice is also overly harsh on herself and very self critical. If she has an accident she thinks that it is automatically her fault and she can’t stop apologising for messing up. Her boss takes everything in her stride and does her best to reassure her. Alice has a fear of the water but she tries her best to overcome this fear by training for a triathlon. It’s during this training that she meets the rather enigmatic and dashing Jay O’Donnell, who volunteers for the lifeboat crew. Jay is haunted by something that happened in his past. He has resolved to save as many people as he can in tribute to the one person who he was unable to save. Jay is shy and comes across as a bit abrupt but I think that his abruptness is a defence mechanism. He avoids letting anybody getting too close to him because he doesn’t want to run the risk of being hurt again. There is no doubt that sparks fly when Alice and Jay meet and I was crossing my fingers that they would get together. What has happened in Alice’s past to make her so fearful of the water? Why is Alice so jumpy? What happened in Jay’s past to make him want to save as many people as possible in his role as lifeboat crew? Will Alice & Jay get together and live happily ever after? Well you are just going to have to read the book for yourself to find out as I am not going to tell you.
From the moment I picked this book up, I was entranced by the story and I found that I couldn’t put the book down. It wasn’t glued to my hand but it might as well have been because my Kindle came everywhere with me. I picked this book up at an ideal time because I was feeling a bit fed up and in need of a distraction. What a distraction this book proved to be. I totally immersed myself in the story and I really did feel that I was part of the story myself. There were several times that I found myself arguing with the book or wanting to shake Jay or Alice by the shoulders to make them see what they were missing. This book had a bit of everything- there was drama, there was romance and there was humour with the occasional odd character thrown in for good measure. The author uses such vivid descriptions that she made the place of Castle Cove sound idyllic and I was all for booking myself in for a stay there but had to remind myself was a fictional place. The characters are so realistically written that I could literally picture them in my head and they seemed to come alive.
In conclusion ‘Summer At The Castle Cafe’ is the perfect light hearted summer holiday type read and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

What an absolute cracker of a debut novel this is! Right from the first page I knew this book was something special. Summer at the Castle Cafe should be on everyone's summer holiday reading list, it's just perfect to read by the beach. 

Alice arrived in Castle Cove not long ago and she started work in the Castle Cafe. Jay is a carpenter, lifeboat volunteer and all-round superhero. This book is what happens when these two lovely and charming characters meet and they discover there is more to each other than meets the eye. 

Alice is probably one of my favourite characters to read in a book this year - I could understand so much that she was going through - the OCD and keeping everything neat and in order. Alice has so much determination and at times my heart was breaking with the inner turmoil she was going through. 

Jay is a fabulous character - a man who works with his hands and also volunteers for the lifeboats, he's got to be a keeper surely?! Both Jay and Alice are battling through some things in their lives and I think that is what has set this book apart from the rest of the romantic comedy books out at the moment. Neither character is perfect and for me that was a real winner in my eyes. 

Donna's writing is so friendly and warming, I really felt I was sitting down with a friend with this book. For this to be her debut book, wow, I'm so excited to read what Donna will write next. I already can't wait until we visit Castle Cove again (I'm presuming we are Donna, yes?!) 

The setting was just perfect, oh how I wished I was there in Castle Cove, going to the pub and sitting by the beach. I read this book when it was warm and sunny, it's a brilliant book to take on your holiday. 

Summer at the Castle Cafe is heart-warming, romantic, funny, endearing with a gorgeous setting, brilliant characters (and a dog!) all wrapped up in flawless writing. Just perfect.

Far less about the café and it’s workings, this is a story about finding yourself and accepting challenges that take you on a path to happiness. Alice has moved from London to Castle Cove after her mother’s death – a stopgap to clear out her house and find a tenant before heading to Thailand to spend time with her father. After her parent’s divorce six years back, Alice has buried herself in busywork, using her ocd tendencies to organize, arrange and make her way in the world. Riddled with guilt that she hadn’t spent more time with her very adventurous mother, she’s decided that competing in the local triathlon, a regular event for her mother, is a way to make up for the lost years and lack of adventure in her life. But, she needs to stay busy, and training won’t do that – so she works with Cath at the Castle Café – occupying the ground floor of a turret in Cove Castle.

Jay O’Donnell is a member of the lifeboats crew, a carpenter, and been in Castle Cove since childhood. He’s always been one who was ‘responsible’ and protected others from harm: even if they don’t want it. When he comes across Alice biking to work in stormy weather, without headlamps, he takes it upon himself to follow her and keep her from harm. Thus begins their back and forth, as both have walls up and secrets that keep them from actually trusting or engaging fully. Through challenges and rescues, Alice is convinced there’s more to Jay’s story than she knows, yet the seeming complicity to keep her in the dark is frustrating. Through struggles and growth, the attraction between the two cannot be denied, but Jay’s walls and pushing Alice further and further away become too much, and she heads off to Thailand, triathlon unfinished and weeks earlier than planned.

Throughout the story Alice’s ocd tendencies become less of a shortcoming for her and others, as people rely on her ‘quirks’ and organization – since most of it makes sense and their live easier. Fitting in comfortably with Cath, and welcomed (mostly) by the locals, there’s plenty of opportunity for Alice to grow and discover that adventure isn’t everything, and perhaps finding a place with friends, love and potential is all she needs. Clever plotting with issues that are large, but not insurmountable, Alice’s need to organize becomes less a disorder and more her personality – as she comes to lean that being busy isn’t actually solving anything, and perhaps thinking and talking things through are more important to her future and potential. A lovely debut that has me wanting more from Castle Cove just to see how everyone has fared.

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.

Review first appeared at <a href= “https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9Mn /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Summer at the Castle Café is the debut novel from Donna Ashcroft and I hope this wonderful, warm story is just the start of a series of books that will be set in and around the seaside town of Castle Cove. Right from the very first page I felt very drawn to Alice Appleton and her story. Immediately, I wanted to know just what made her tick and why was she so motivated with one clear common goal in mine which had to be achieved in a certain time period as set down by herself?

This book has such a gorgeous, feel good cover that would instantly catch your eye if you were glancing through the bookshelves of your local bookshop over the coming weeks or even if you are rushing to grab a book in the airport as you jet away this summer. Summer at the Castle Café is just the perfect holiday read. The main plot line is not taxing or challenging, yet there is just enough here to avoid it straying too far down the road of being overly sentimental or lacking in any depth or substance. The setting is just so idyllic and the author has created a cosy, inviting, feel good community vibe where people genuinely care for each other and will look out for and support each other in times of trouble, strife or as Alice faces – a monumental challenge.

Alice has worked in the Castle Café since she moved to the small Dorset town from London just over four months ago. She is incredibly efficient, so well organised and on top of her game when it comes to anything to do with work. She always likes to keep busy, presumably there is something that she is worried about but the reader does not discover what until later on in the book. Alice has a place for everything and everything must be in its place, she can’t stand disorder or things going off track. So to Cath Lacy (her own little story was lovely but I would have liked to get to know Cath even better), Alice’s boss, who runs the restaurant for castle owner Simon, Alice is a godsend considering just how busy the café is becoming now tourist season is in full flow.

Given the title one would have thought that the dominant feature of the story would have been the café and perhaps it might have been going through tough times and therefore the women would have to come up with some ingenious ideas to save something so valued in the community. Not the case here and I mean this in a good way. There have been so many café books published in the first five months of this year, all with more or less the same plot. Thankfully Donna has written something different and refreshing from the café sub genre as I like to think of it. Instead we focus more on Alice, and get to delve beneath the façade of being so methodical and perfect to see just what is really creating so much anxiety for her behind the scenes.

Six months ago Alice was running a restaurant in London, now she is in Castle Cove and it couldn’t be more different from her previous life. She feels at her lowest ebb but she has been absorbed and welcomed into the Castle Cove community but is she willing to let go of all her fears and share the load that is weighing her down. Alice has set for herself the task of competing in the famous triathlon which is run in the area. I thought she was admirable to put in place this goal for herself but I did wonder what was her focus and inspiration behind this? As we read further through the book, Alice does her utmost best with training and it seems as if she is driven by an internal force that she must do this no matter what. When the reasons for this became apparent, I applauded her for doing it and the main inspiration was a fitting one. The only problem is Alice is struggling with the swimming aspect of her preparations. She has an all encompassing fear that leaves her frozen, unable to enter the water. If she cannot overcome this she won’t be able to participate in the triathlon. In the first half of the book I did think oh just give up, why continue on if this fear is so strong? It’s only as Alice starts to open up that I fully understood her motivation and in turn my respect for her as a person grew.

Of course, the entire story just couldn’t focus solely on Alice and thankfully we had a handsome, intriguing male to also focus on. Jay O’Donnell is the local carpenter and also volunteers for the lifeboat service. He was such a brilliant sparring partner against Alice. They each gave each other as good as they got and the banter that flew between them was funny but also highlighted the chemistry steaming between the pair even if Alice didn’t want to give into it in any way shape or form. At the end of six months she was going to Thailand to stay with her Dad and that was that. She was not going to deviate from her plan, no matter what life had in store for her.

Jay, himself, had something in his past that caused certain reactions in the present and until this became clearer I did think at times that he was being very harsh and abrupt in some of the things he said and how he responded/reacted to certain situations some of those which involved Alice. No doubt about it thought he did have a kind, caring and supportive side and I loved how he could see that Alice was struggling and he wanted to do something to change all that. Jay wants to save Alice and aid her in a way that he found impossible to do for someone else. He was a brilliantly written character whom many readers, myself included, will develop a soft spot for.

There were several other characters introduced/mentioned at various points in the story and the inquisitive part of me wanted to know more about them. I soon realised that maybe by having a small or brief presence in Alice’s story meant that they might appear in future books. Ben Campbell from the Little Treasures Antique Shop, Marta West from the Picture Perfect art gallery and Claire Sims from Castle Cove Vets are all characters I want to learn more about in the future. Aside from not knowing more about certain characters, there wasn’t any fault I could find with Summer at the Castle Café. It was just such a lovely enjoyable book to read and I felt Alice went through a real journey in a bid to transform which deep in her heart she knew she needed to do to let go and put the past to bed. Sound advice appeared when I least expected to read it - Fill your world with people you love, keep them close and make them happy. I hoped Alice could do this as change is the hardest thing of all but maybe she would have the strength to see things through to the bitter end. Whether she did or not you’ll only discover by picking up this charming, captivating, sparkling little gem of a book.

I really enjoyed this book. Gorgeous setting, cake and sunshine - perfect for a holiday read or Sunday afternoon on the sofa. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and wanted to find out more about them. A charming warm heartlifting book story funny in places with romance throughout.

A fantastic debut novel. Highly recommended. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future and hope for a return visit to Castle Bay.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alice moves to Castle Cove to feel close to her mum who recently passed away. She stays in her mum's house and gets a summer job in the Castle Cafe where she spends her time organising cupboards and cleaning shelves, as well as serving cream teas to the tourists.

Jay has always lived in the cove. He works as a carpenter but also volunteers for the local lifeboat rescue. A tragedy affected Jay deeply and he is on a mission to keep people out of harms way. He is newly single and not looking for a relationship but when he meets Alice he begins to have feelings for her.

I loved the contrast between Alice and Jay, she was on a mission to live life to the full and take on challenges to push herself and he was intent on keeping people safe and spotting potential risks. However,  the reason for these character traits proved that they did have things in common which lead to them both suffering from underlying guilt and sadness.

I loved the lighthearted banter, the sense of community and the idyllic location.... but more than anything I wanted Alice and Jay to live happily together and mend each other's broken hearts.

Don't head off on holiday without this one in your suitcase, it's an absolute gem!

Thank you to Bookouture and  NetGalley for supplying me with a review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

Summer at the Castle Cafe is the perfect read for summer 2018… The perfect book for chick-lit and comedy lovers. I love this cover and its making me want summer and to visit the castle cafe myself!

I loved the sound of the setting and all the characters. From the beginning you could tell not everything was perfect in Alice’s world. Then you have Jay who keeps trying to help Alice unexpectedly and more of a hero, hunk firgure in the book! Both have been through horrible events in the past… Will this bring them together? Or will Alice playing hard to get scare him away?

It been a while since a book made me laugh out loud but this story made me chuckle throughout and brought a smile to my face! It was nice to read a different genre for a change instead of thrillers, very refreshing. A brilliant debut. I would highly recommend to you all! A well deserved four stars. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

This book is exactly what the cover shows, a quick and fun read that is set in a beachside setting. The characters were well developed and the plot wasn't too deep that you can't take this to the pool or beach to enjoy this summer. It was easy to pick up where I left off when I took a break from reading.

I received Summer at the Castle Cafe written by Donna Ashcroft from Nettin exchange for a fair review. This is the first time I have read anything from Donna Ashcroft and it was a delightful experience.
Alice Appleton comes to Castle Cove after the unexpected death of her mother. In her grief, she promises herself to live more and take more challenges. Jay O’Donnell has lived in Castle Cove his whole life. With the death of his brother, his desire becomes an obsession to save everyone. When they meet for the first time, Jay attempts to warn Alice to stay out of the water and a war of wills start. As they get to know one another, the sparks continue to fly and change into a more romantic feeling. But will Jay’s attempt to keep everyone self stifle Alice’s search for adventure.
This is a wonderful story about grief and the many facades it takes. Donna Ashcroft was able to give voice to grief without the angst. Simply delightful. #SunmerattheCastleCafe #NetGalley

I must admit that I was a little bit unsure about 'Summer at the Castle Cafe' at first because there have been a lot of books published with summer/cafe/castle in the title and, being perfectly honest, I thought it was just going to be 'another one of them' type of books. However, I couldn't have been more wrong if I tried. Donna Ashcroft's novel isn't samey, nor is it predictable. In fact, I feel quite confident in saying that 'Summer at the Castle Cafe' is in fact, pint-sized perfection.

Alice decided to take on a challenge in memory of her mother. A challenge which meant facing her own fears, and being constantly reminded of the things she, Alice, never did. Whilst trying to rid her conscience of the guilt surrounding her mothers memory, Alice happens to walk in the path of a man who is quite like herself. A man who has had his own fair share of heartaches. A man who puts himself on the line just to save other people. But, even with a lot of things in common, can Alice and Jay find the missing pieces of their own puzzles before it's too late?

Alice has the type of personality which a lot of people may find 'marmite'. She's set in her ways, yet will go out of her way to help others, whilst also refusing help herself. The more I found out about Alice, the more I felt confident that she would be able to rise to the challenge of facing her fears and living life in the moment.

As for Jay, his personality seemed to take a little while to come out in the storyline and, once it became clear about what that man has had to deal with, I could see why it took a while for him to let his guard down. I thought it was very clever how the author changed the vibes to fit in with the characters.

For me, the whole theme of facing your fears, facing up to hardships and going that extra mile to re-build your confidence, struck multiple chords with me. I loved how, even though there were strong, emotional themes hidden within the storyline, there was also a mixture of laugh out loud moments to balance everything out.

'Summer at the Castle Cafe' reminded me of the perfect ice-cream on a summer's day - sweet, addictive, beautiful to look at, filling, and full of tantalising contentment. This is a book that I could read over and over again, and still not get bored. I cannot wait to read more from this author if this book is anything to go by!

This really was a feel-good kind of book, but it had surprising depth as well.

I feel like this was a book about second chances, a story about feeling the fear, but doing it anyway, and I loved that.

Alice and Jay were solid, real characters who had both been through the mill, in different ways. They both had things to overcome and they helped each other beautifully. I also enjoyed the fact that both of these people were surrounded by others who had their backs, and the importance of community really played a part here. It made me want to move to Castle Cove!

I loved this book, 4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Summer of the Castle Cafe by Donna Ashcroft

Summer of the Castle Cafe by Donna Ashcroft is a fun light modern romance set in England. The story’s main character is Alice Appleton had moved to Castle Cove after the death of her mother. Her mother’s death had left her feeling like she wasn’t accomplishing anything and if she didn’t take some chances her world would never change. So she is planning a long awaited trip to see her father in Thailand and training for the marathon in Castle Cove.

Jay O’Donnell helps on the rescue squad and is a carpenter hired to come fix the broken cupboard where Alice works. He is a person who is always saving or helping others and he sets her right off. Slowly, they began to develop a relationship and Alice begins to consider her options… but….

This would be a great summer beach read. I enjoyed the characters (and hope to revisit some of them again) and the plot line. It was light yet had some poignant truths mixed in - including as much as you think you know about your parents and their relationship - you really don’t. Summer of the Castle Cafe by Donna Ashcroft was a good read.

4.25 Lovely Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟.25

This was a wonderful love story that really showed you the power of guilt over somebody’s life.... first of all what a lovely setting... The seaside village of Castle Cove.... The sun, the sea, the sand, and this wonderful café, how can you help but fall in love?

Alice and Jay both have so much guilt and grief in their lives, it pretty much has dictated how they’ve lived to this point.... Alice feels the need to live an adventurous life... that is what her mother would have wanted for her... A life filled with triathlons and traveling to exotic places... it definitely does not include living a “boring“ life in Castle Cove or falling in love.... Jay is consumed with guilt and the need to keep everyone around him safe.... can he let someone new into his heart? And will he be able to let go of his need to keep control of everything around him? Even Superman couldn’t keep everybody safe and had an occasional day off...

This love story was so charming and real... and admittedly frustrating at times... there were times in this book I wanted to reach through those pages and knock some sense into both Alice and Jay... how could they not see what was right in front of them? Thank goodness that Jay’s mother and Alice‘s father could talk some sense into them (sort of) Beautiful romance in a lovely setting... hope to see some more books set in Castle Cove....

Strongly recommend to those who enjoy a very realistic romance💕

*** thank you so much too Bookouture and Net Galley for a copy of this wonderful book ***

A lovely story set in beautiful surroundings. This is a good romantic read. Perfect way to escape from the world for a few hours. It has been a comforting way to cheer me up a rainy afternoon.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley for my unbiased opinion of the book. Alice comes to Castle Cove to train for her first triathlon and to find out who she is and what she is made of. While trying to get over her recent fear of the ocean and swimming she runs into Jay with his own demons he is trying to hide from and the zinging banter begins and its hate at first sight. Alice is working at the castle cafe and putting her OCD to good use organizing everyone and everything in it. After a few run-ins, Jay and Alice realize there may be something more there then witty banter and barbs being slung between them. I really enjoyed this book very real issues and headstrong Alice that finds her way to finding her truth and falling in love in the process!!!