The Travelling Tea Shop

by Belinda Jones

[Leah]

Belinda Jones is one of my favourite Chick Lit authors, and she’s earned her place by bringing out books I love, time and time again! There aren’t many authors willing to set their books in different destinations every time they bring one out, but Belinda does that and I have visited many wonderful places thanks to her writing – Las Vegas, California (twice), Costa Rica, Crete, Buenos Aires, Seville, Havana and Quebec. It would actually be quite amazing to visit all of the places Belinda has written about – do a tour of the places mentioned in her books! So I was super excited to read about her new book The Travelling Tea Shop and I was super disappointed when it was delayed – it was originally due out in 2013 but was delayed as Belinda was working on the Sunlounger anthology, but soon the time came for The Travelling Tea Shop’s release and I was VERY, very excited to be accepted to read a copy from Netgalley, and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

The Travelling Tea Shop is a wonderful romp through New England, I love books set in American states that aren’t widely featured in books I read and here we tackle some wonderful New England states; Connecticut, Maine, Massachussetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island & Veromont. And the reason for this delightful trip across America? Cakes, of course! You see, Krista’s (from Winter Wonderland) best friend Laurie loves cake and the only thing she loves more than cake is Pamela Lambert-Leigh so when she’s offered the chance to go on a tour around New England, for Pamela’s newest cookbook, she’s desperate for the gig, DESPERATE I tell you. When she gets the gig (you didn’t think she wouldn’t did you?) it’s the trip of a lifetime for Laurie! Until she learns they’ll be travelling around New England in a double-decker London bus and Pamela’s mother Gracie will be driving! Laurie doesn’t let that damped her spirit, until she realises Pamela’s surly daughter Ravenna will also be tagging along, and she’s nothing like the Babycakes Laurie remembers. Will it be a trip to remember or a trip to forget?

I really enjoyed The Travelling Tea Shop! It was the perfect quaint little read and I loved exploring America, a country where I’ve only visited one state (Florida – and what a state it is, I could happily live there). I dream of living in Boston one day, so I loved that even a little bit of the novel was set there, although like Laurie and Gracie and everyone else, I sort of lost my heart to Newport. I admit, I struggled to keep all the different places in line, with so many being whipped through at quite a pace, but Newport stayed with me from the very beginning! There are so many wonderful pastries and cakes mentioned, so many references to brilliant bakeries and establishments – like the first Dunkin Donuts, the Von Trapp residence, Harvard University and with so many things flying at you, and so many different destinations I did find my head spinning; I couldn’t seem to separate one from the other as they travelled in the double-decker bus (is there a better way to travel? I think not, especially as it was equipped with its own kitchen!). I perhaps wish the publisher has included a page between each state/place we visited just to keep me right. You will need to pay attention and I will definitely have to purchase a paperback copy and re-read!

The Travelling Tea Shop featured some wonderful characters! Laurie was a fantastic heroine, she lead the story so well and I enjoyed her narrative. Her banter with the Lambert-Leigh’s was great, and I loved that they hit it off so quickly (otherwise it would have been so awkward). The Lambert-Leighs were very intriguing! I loved Gracie, the matriarch of the family of that there is no doubt. Her love for life was infectious and I adored hearing the story of how she met her husband, Georgie! It was such a shame she was somewhat curtailed by an incident with a seagull, which meant we didn’t get to see her for the vast majority of the novel. Pamela was a very sympathetic character, though at times, I wanted her to just be a bit more honest, a bit more open and a bit less hesitant, but considering what she was hiding, I could see why she was reluctant to spill the beans. I loved hearing about all the cakes she concocted and I just wished I had a massive pile of cakes to consume whilst reading! Ravenna was definitely the most tricky character. Sullen, difficult, totally unwilling to take part in anything except texting, I didn’t think I was going to like her, but she surprised me – right until the very end. She actually turned out to be lovely, believe it or not. The males were also very lovely – the delectable Harvey, who I imagined was Harvey off Suits (NOTHING wrong with that image!) and the charming Charles! There were such a wonderful cast, rounded off by Krista from Winter Wonderland who made some lovely appearances, it was rather nice to see her again!

The Travelling Tea Shop also touches on some difficult topics, it wasn’t all sweetness and light, and I sort of wish Jones had delved more into Laurie’s history with her sister, Jess. There were clearly feelings there, and I would have liked a bit more than what we got. I felt cheated that a meeting was touted, but we didn’t get to see it, as I would have liked to. But I very much enjoyed meeting Laurie and the gang, and travelling around the lesser-known New England (lesser-known to me, if not everybody else). Belinda Jones very rarely disappoints, and she’s once again given me an absorbing, warm read, as well as a read that makes me starving for cake. See, I’m a sucker for chocolate and crisps, but I don’t really eat cake (I don’t know why!) and books like this one make me question myself again and again, and I vow to eat more cake. I really enjoyed The Travelling Tea Shop, so much, and I can’t wait to have this delicious novel sitting on my keeper shelf. I did worry a tad there wasn’t going to be any romance, but there was a nice one that started to bubble away eventually, and it made me swoon especially as I kept imagining the hero as Harvey Specter. Belinda Jones fans will lap this up, it’s delightful.