Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes by Amy Miller (Tuesday Intro & Teaser Tuesday)

Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes is actually the second in a series, which I didn't realize until I was already fully enamored with the story. I would normally stop immediately and not return until I had read the first book, but this stands alone beautifully on its own so I just kept going.

It's set during World War II in the town of Bournemouth in southern England. Audrey and her husband run the Barton Bakery until he goes off to join the war and she's left to run it with their friends and family at her side.  

There's so much to love about this story. Weddings, heartache, scandal, and the precious little Mary who came to live with Audrey and Charlie when she was evacuated from her own home. It has a lot of the same feel as Sandy Taylor's books and, if you've been around here for a while, you must know that I think that's a very good thing indeed!

I may not have read the first book in the series (yet), but I'm definitely going to make sure I read them all now!

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by I'd Rather Be At The Beach. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

The Best Medicine by Charlotte Fallowfield (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Oh how I love Charlotte Fallowfield's Dilbury Village series! This time we get the story of Charlie in The Best Medicine. It starts when she's the new girl in the village who happens to write erotica while also having lousy luck with men AND medical emergencies. My son and I often joke about the fact that I could trip on air, but poor Charlie is a walking disaster in the medical department.

The romantic aspect of the story I pretty much saw coming right off the bat, but sometimes that's okay and that was definitely the case here. It was great fun watching Charlie reach the conclusion I had come to within the first couple of chapters, and even better was the inclusion of the village residents I've come to know and love through the other installments, like Abbie, Georgie and especially Daphne. I'd love to be able to sit down with her for a cup of tea .... or whiskey, more likely than not.

If you're at all a fan of lighthearted romantic comedies, I definitely recommend a trip to Dilbury Village!

Friday 56 (today is 56% from the ebook) is hosted at Freda's Voice

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.