Title: Cathy’s Christmas Kitchen
Author: Tilly Tennant
Genre: Romantic Comedy
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Synopsis
Cathy cooked at her mother’s side her whole life and could bake a fairy cake before she could ride a bike. Now she is facing her first Christmas without her beloved mother, she’s determined to use her memories for something positive. She decides to organise a weekly cooking class, sharing her mother’s precious recipes with other lonely souls.
There’s just one small spanner in the works. Teenager Tansy, who attends Cathy’s classes even though she’s rude to everyone there and seems to hate every minute. Cathy is poised to ask Tansy to leave. But her uncle, physiotherapist Matt, begs her to give the teenager another chance. And Cathy can’t resist Matt’s sparkling hazel eyes and incredibly kind heart…
But just as Cathy is feeling she might find joy again, her ex returns to Linnetford, desperate for a second chance. With Matt becoming distant as his life gets more complicated, it seems so easy to return to the safe embrace of someone she knows so well. Can Cathy avoid the temptation of falling back in love with the man who broke her heart and let Christmas bring her the greatest gift – that of happiness?
My Review
We are introduced to the main character of Cathy straight away in the story. Cathy is trying her best to manage the grief and loneliness she now feels after her beloved Mum passed away. After caring for her throughout her illness, Cathy has given up a lot in her life, including friends and relationships. One of the only things that keeps Cathy going is her love for baking. So when the local Church organise a Coffee Morning to help raise money for cancer research, she decides to go along. After enjoying the Coffee Morning, Cathy decides she will go back again.
Can Cathy turn her life around?
Getting to know more and more people at the coffee mornings, some of the ladies who attend suggest that Cathy starts a weekly baking class at the Church. Reluctantly, Cathy agrees as she wants to share her love of baking with others. The cookery classes go really well and everyone loves them, apart from moody teenager Tansy – who is the niece of Cathy’s new friend, Erica. Life seems to be getting better and better for Cathy. New friends, the cookery classes and the mystery man she keeps bumping into on her way to work. Cathy later discovers the mystery man is Matt, the brother of her friend Erica. They spend more and more time together, getting to know each other and falling for each other.
As their relationship gathers pace, Cathy is feeling happier than she has in years. The last thing she expects is her ex to turn up out of the blue after all these years! Cathy’s Christmas Kitchen is a lovely, heat-warming story about life, loneliness, friendship and love. A perfect read to get you in the festive mood.
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