The Beachside Sweet Shop by Karen Clarke

Blurb

Chocolate fudge, butterscotch and raspberry bonbons… treat yourself to some sugary treats, a big slice of friendship and a sprinkling of romance at The Beachside Sweet Shop.

When Marnie Appleton inherited a sweet shop from her grandfather she was determined to do his legacy proud. The shop has been a much-loved feature of the little seaside town of Shipley for years, but now Marnie needs to bring it up to date, and she’s recruited gorgeous new assistant Josh to help. Marnie gets busy redecorating the shop and choosing delicious new sweets to stock, but things are never that simple: new neighbour Isobel, a fame-hungry blogger, is on a crusade against sugar, and she’ll go to any lengths to secure bad publicity for Marnie’s shop.

Marnie fights back with homemade sugar-free treats, but with her best friend Beth heavily pregnant, her grandmother Celia recovering from an operation, and her very recently ex-boyfriend Alex returning to Shipley with a new love, Marnie has a lot on her plate.

And then there’s Josh, with whom Marnie is struggling to keep her relationship strictly professional…

Will both the sweet shop and love flourish?

Review

Such a sweet book (sorry, couldn't resist)

I've bought sweets from a shop just like this when I visited Tenby in Wales a year or so ago, so that's the one I had an image of!

I can really understand where Marnie is at - feeling that she has to look after an elderly relative, even though that relative insists they can manage without her. Marnie is a little resentful and feeling rather trapped, thinking she is being forced, by circumstances, to let go of her dreams in order to fulfil her responsibilities.

For Marnie, things aren't what they seem, and the story ends on an upbeat and uplifting manner. However, there is a thread of seriousness running through this chick lit novel, and I feel this gives it more depth.

A really cute, sweet (sorry, I did it again) read. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

About the Author

Karen Clarke has written three romantic comedy novels with a twist, and is currently working on a new rom-com series. THE BEACHSIDE SWEET SHOP is available to pre-order and will be launched in March 2017 and THE BEACHSIDE FLOWER STALL will follow in June. Karen's also had over three hundred short stories published in women's magazines in the UK, Sweden and Australia, and her short story collection 'BEHIND CLOSED DOORS...and other Tales with a Twist' is available to download. Karen lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children, and writes a blog atwritewritingwritten.blogspot.com. You can also follow her on Facebook atfacebook.com/karen.clarke.5682