I’ve become quite a fan of Kirsty Ferry over the last year or so, and my favourite has to be the Tempest Sisters series; I loved both Summer at Carrick Park and Spring at Taigh Fallon, which focuses on Jessie’s sisters, Rosa and Angel respectively.
The author has the ability to write with great heart and her stories offer a great dollop of escapism, which, of late I have been in dire need of. To be pick this up was a breath of fresh air. Light and lovely.
This time it’s the story of middle sister, Jessie. The owner of a bookshop, Jessie is very happy with her simple bookish existence, until into her life walks eight-year-old Elijah and his Dad, Miles. Unused to children, and quite frankly – not even sure if she even likes them, she is drawn to Elijah and he to her. After a fraught first encounter something sparks between Jessie and Miles, but will his difficult history be too much for them to overcome?
I think I’ve read around seven of Kirsty’s books now, from this series and others, and I love picking up on little mentions of characters or places which feature in other novels. It feels as if an alternate Ferry-world is being created!
Jessie’s Little Bookshop is short and sweet, I breezed through it very quickly and, as I usually do with this author, I fell in love with the main characters who are so warm and incredibly endearing. I have quite an eclectic taste when it comes to most things, and most especially books. Whilst I love grit and gore in my fiction, I also enjoy sitting down with a charming and charismatic book, which features nice characters and a happy ending. This novella has been my antidote for the current depressing state of the country and the world we currently live in and I shall be sending out a flare of hope to Kirsty Ferry that this is not the last we see of Rosa, Angel and Jessie!!?
Jessie’s Little Bookshop by the Sea is out now in ebook format.
Blurb
Take a trip to the little bookshop by the sea …
Jessie Tempest has two main interests: reading books and selling books. Her little bookshop in the seaside town of Staithes is a cosy hideaway from the chilly Yorkshire wind, but it’s also Jessie’s sanctuary from the outside world.
When writer Miles Fareham and his son Elijah arrive to stay in the holiday apartment above the shop, it’s a test for Jessie who has always felt clueless when it comes to kids. But as she learns the story of the single father and the inquisitive eight-year-old, Jessie realises that first impressions aren’t always the right ones – and, of course, you can never judge a book by its cover!
*I received a ebook from the publishers Choc Lit. The decision to read was my own and this review forms my honest opinion.
Emma R. 