Monday, April 23, 2018

The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay by Nicola May



Here is what it is about...


     Rosa Larkin is down on her luck in London, so when she inherits a near-derelict corner shop in a quaint Devon village, her first thought is to sell it for cash and sort out her life. But nothing is straightforward about this legacy. While the identity of her benefactor remains a mystery, he - or she - has left one important legal proviso: that the shop cannot be sold, only passed on to somebody who really deserves it. 
     Rosa makes up her mind to give it a go: to put everything she has into getting the shop up and running again in the small seaside community of Cockleberry Bay. But can she do it all on her own? And if not, who will help her succeed - and who among the following will work secretly to see her fail?
     There is a handsome rugby player, a sexy plumber, a charlatan reporter and a selection of meddling locals. Add in a hit and run incident and the disappearance of a valuable engraved necklace – and what you get is a journey of self-discovery and unpredictable events. 
     With surprising and heartfelt results, Rosa, accompanied at all times by her little sausage dog Hot, will slowly unravel the shadowy secrets of the inheritance, and also bring her own, long-hidden heritage into the light.



Here is what I thought...

     I went into this one expecting a quaint little cozy mystery about a young woman running a cozy shop in a small English village but that is not quite what I got. This ended up being more of a story about Rosa and her growing up with a couple of little side mysteries to give some suspense to the story.
      I liked Rosa immediately though felt she had some emotional issues she needed to work on and many of the secondary characters were funny and interesting.  I enjoyed the story but did feel at times that there was just a bit too much going on; a hit and run, Rosa's mysterious benefactor, several relationships up in the air, missing jewelry, deaths, and poor doggie injuries!  
     All in all an enjoyable read that I liked but wasn't in love with.  3/5 stars

Author's site: http://www.nicolamay.com/

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