“The Café at Kate’s” by Caroline Rebisz

I thoroughly enjoyed returning to Sixpenny Bissett, the quaint little town in Dorset, my favourite county in all of England, and diving back into the life of Jenni Sullivan.

Jenni is fifty, and she has just started a new life after her old one ended with the death of her husband Reggie. She is doing a good job at carving this new life for herself. In book one of the series, she moved from Birmingham, where everything and everyone reminded her of her husband, to settle in Sixpenny Bissett. She discovered that living in the countryside is very different from living in a big city. Some things she loved right away, while others made her shed a few tears.

Now, Jenni is ready for the next chapter to begin in earnest. She is about to open her business. She hopes that locals will appreciate her baking skills and that her café will become a flourishing enterprise. But it is also important to her that her café helps to keep her friend Kate’s shop afloat. She is excited that with the opening of the café new business opportunities appear.

Jenni’s life seems too good to be true. But only from the outside. Amidst the chaos of opening her business, Jenni can’t neglect the fact that she will become a grandmother soon. She realises that with her son and his pregnant girlfriend living with her and depending on her, chances are slim not to be heavily involved in raising her grandchild. Even so, Jenni has no idea the extent of involvement in granny’s duties that will soon fall on her shoulders – already weighed down with too many responsibilities.

And then, there is Jenni’s love life. It is complicated, to say the least. Satisfied for now with her secret affair with a young and gorgeous Spanish gardener, will Jenni remain so considering that she still hasn’t gotten over the refusal of a man who is by far more suitable as a proper love interest material for a woman of her age and status?

I appreciated the development of the secondary characters’ stories in this book. The complicated relationship within the ‘love triangle’ between Paula, her ex-husband and her love interest kept me on the edge of my seat. And the General…oh, the General. But I won’t include any spoilers here.

“The Café at Kate’s”, book two in the Sixpenny Bissett series by Caroline Rebisz is a cosy, heartfelt read – an excellent choice for those who love reading about family dynamics and relationships and enjoy a small-town setting.

I’m looking forward to reading the final book in this charming series.