Book Review - The Little Bed and Breakfast by the Sea by Jennifer Joyce

Amazon UK

Title: The Little Bed and Breakfast by the Sea

Author: Jennifer Joyce

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 28th June 2017

Rating: 4.5 Stars

One summer can change everything…

Mae has no time for men in her life! Local vet Alfie might be totally gorgeous but she’s far too busy looking after her young daughter and running her little bed & breakfast by the sea.

Willow is in the middle of building her dream home with her husband, Ethan, when disaster strikes. And with every month that passes she secretly worries that her happy ever after will never come true…

Melody only intended to stay in the bustling seaside town for a few days. But when she meets Hugo – the charming man in the ice cream van – she decides to stay a little longer.

It seems the little bed & breakfast is full of surprises!

I loved The Little Bed and Breakfast by the Sea, both the book and the building. For it really is a tiny B&B as it only has 2 rooms available for customers, with Mae and her 4 year old daughter Hannah living in the rest of the house. 

The B&B is set in a gorgeous little Northern coastal town Clifton-on-Sea, which we get to see through the eyes of Melody who is taking photos of towns such as these. It takes a while to fully understand why it is she is a photographer who is a bit unsure of herself and doesn't like showing people her pictures. 

Willow lives in the town and comes to stay in the B&B when renovations of her dream home hit a huge snag. I absolutely loved Willow's job as an upcycler and the amount of imagination shown in some of her projects was brilliant. 

There were a few characters that I loved even more than the rest, and believe it or not it wasn't those three ladies although they are the main characters and all really likeable.  I loved Hannah and her insistence that the random cat keeps showing up at their house is not only theirs but that its favourite food is Frosties. Hannah is 4 years old, and utterly adorable with it. 

My other favourite has to be the local ice-cream van man, Hugo and his dog called Scoop! Hugo is a bit of a cheeky chappy, has a bit of an ego and always seems up for a laugh. He befriends Melody and I giggled at most scenes involving him. 

The book is split so that each chapter has a different character to focus on, be it Mae, Willow or Melody. The writing was easy to follow and pleasurable to read, as was the whole story.  I enjoyed finding out about the characters pasts, and seeing how their thoughts changed over the time they were all together in the bed and breakfast. 

This is yet another great story from Jennifer Joyce, and author who never fails to write entertaining books. 

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Guest Post - Top Quality Bed & Breakfasts by Jennifer Joyce - Blog Tour

After deciding to set my latest book in a seaside bed and breakfast, I had to think about what would make the best meeting place for Mae, Willow and Melody. Here a few points I made about the top qualities I’d like in a B&B:

Make It Personal

For me, a bed and breakfast is more personal than a hotel. It should be cosier than a bland, uniform hotel room, the service should be more bespoke and friendly. I’m not saying hotel staff aren’t – and shouldn’t be – friendly, but it’s unlikely the receptionist is going to be cooking your breakfast if you’re staying in a big hotel. There’s less of a barrier between B&B owner and guest, I guess.

No Kim & Aggie Required

It goes without saying that the B&B should be clean (as should a hotel) but I’m not about to go on the hunt for little curly hairs under the mattress protector like the contestants on Four In A Bed often do. It’s an entertaining program, but it can get ridiculous at times! If you have to put your back out looking for a cobweb, you’ve probably gone too far. As long as there is clean bedding, the bathroom has had a good scrub, a hoover has had a run around the carpets and there are no obvious stains or cobwebs, you’re on the right track.

The Little Touches

While researching bed and breakfasts (read: watching back-to-back episodes of Four In A Bed and To B&B The Best), I came across the idea of leaving little welcome baskets for guests. I thought this was such a nice touch and the kind of attention to detail I was looking for. We’re not talking expensive hampers here, just a little basket of mini toiletries and a few treats, such as chocolates or biscuits.

A Friendly Host

This is so important when you’re staying in a bed and breakfast. Staying in such close proximity, you don’t have the same anonymity you would within a hotel, so you need a host who you feel comfortable around. Perhaps you will be sharing a communal space with this person from time to time, and they may be the person who deals with your breakfast requests in the morning. 
But you also need someone who knows when to take a step back, who knows the line between making sure you’re settled and fussing. You want to feel relaxed during your stay and while knowing you can ask for more towels if you need them is fantastic, feeling as though you have an extra participant on your trip isn’t quite so great.

Books

I’d love any B&B where there was a bookshelf where I could pick up a book I don’t have on my towering TBR pile and work my way through while on my trip (I will have taken several books of my own, obviously, but a bookworm can never have access to too many books). This isn’t strictly necessary, but it would put a smile on my face!

So those are the qualities I think are important – I’d love to know about yours too!

Thank you so much Jennifer I love your thoughts on B&Bs and look forward to seeing how The Little Bed and Breakfast by the Sea shapes up!

About the author

Jennifer Joyce is a writer of romantic comedies who lives in Manchester with her husband and their two daughters. Her latest novel, The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea is out now. You can find out more about Jennifer and her books on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jenniferjoycewrites

Twitter: www.twitter.com/writer_jenn

Instagram: www.instagram.com/writer_jenn

Blog: www.jenniferjoycewrites.co.uk 

Escape to the seaside this summer!

Mae loves running her little Bed & Breakfast, it’s the perfect place to raise her adorable four-year-old daughter! And no matter how persistently local vet, Alfie, chases her, she just doesn’t have time for men in her life.

Willow is busy building her dream home with her husband, Ethan, but with every month that passes she secretly worries that her happy ever after will never come true…

Melody only intended to stay in the bustling seaside town for a few days to capture the perfect photo. But when she meets Hugo – the charming man in the ice cream van – she decides to stay a little longer!

One thing is for sure, summer at the little Bed & Breakfast by the sea certainly has a few surprises in store…