Coffee, Tea, the Gypsy & Me

Coffee, Tea #1

by Caroline James

When Jo Edmond’s husband runs off with their nanny, Jo resolves to make a new life with her baby son. She purchases Kirkton House a run down guest house and, with the help of a colourful cast of locals, establishes a thriving country house hotel. She opens during Fair Week, a 300 year old gypsy tradition hated by the locals and loved by every tinker and traveller in the country.

Romance is the last thing on her mind, until the enigmatic John Doherty walks into her life...

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Amazon, Womens Fiction, Humor, Contemporary

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Caroline James is the celebrated author of later-life fiction, including THE CRUISE, the #1 best-seller that has captivated cruise ship passengers worldwide, and her eagerly anticipated follow-up novel, THE CRUISE CLUB, is out now.

Her new novel ATTICUS ARNOTT’S GREAT ADVENTURE is described as “A heartwarming and uplifting read where the characters shine from the page.”

Caroline’s vibrant storytelling stems from her colourful career. Before becoming a full-time writer, she carved out a fascinating path in the hospitality industry, owning a charming country house hotel and a lively pub. As a media agent, she worked closely with celebrity chefs, giving her an insider’s perspective on the glitz, glamour, and grit of the culinary world. When she finally turned her focus to writing, she discovered her true calling, penning best-selling novels that have garnered her legions of fans.

When she’s not writing in her cosy writing retreat, Caroline enjoys tranquil walks with Fred, her Westie, and refreshing swims in a local lake. As a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the SoA, ARRA, and the Society of Women’s Writers & Journalists, Caroline is a champion of lifelong creativity.


Books by Caroline James:

Atticus Arnott's Great Adventure
The Cruise Club
The Cruise
The French Cookery School
The Spa Break
Boomerville at Ballymegille
The Best Boomerville Hotel
Hattie Goes to Hollywood
Jungle Rock
Coffee Tea the Caribbean & Me
Coffee Tea the Chef & Me
Coffee Rea the Gypsy & Me

Contact Caroline:

website: www.carolinejamesauthor.co.uk
Twitter: @carolinejames12
Facebook: Caroline James Author
Insta: Caroline JamesAuthor

Reviews for Caroline’s books:

"Caroline is a natural story-teller with a gift for humour in her writing." The Write Stuff, London Book Fair.

"A fabulous Story, it made me shriek with laughter and I loved every twist and turn." Valentina Harris, Author, Chef and International Cookery School Host.

"Caroline James has spun a tale that is enjoyable, funny, charming, believable and page-turning." Nigel May, TV Personality & Author

"A strong plot with likeable characters makes it a great read." Ebook of the week - The Sun:

"Caroline writes quite beautifully - great descriptions, vividly drawn characters, sparkling humour, a touch of real sadness - this book was the perfect escape."

"A thoroughly enjoyable read that takes you from the loneliness of single life in the wet UK through to the magic of the Caribbean. An indulgent feast of the best things in life - sun, rum, fun, love and laughter."

"Caroline James has served up a comedic masterpiece that proves retirement doesn't mean retreating—it means going full throttle with absolutely zero effs left to give."

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! I sat down yesterday morning to read it and I’d finished it by late afternoon, I just could not put it down! Wow.

Caroline James has created a beautiful story, and one of my favourite parts was the setting. Caroline’s descriptions of the countryside and life in the 1980′s were so well written and described that I felt as though I was transported back in time and dropped right in the middle of the scenes. In my mind I could see the setting, hear everything around me and I literally lost myself in the book for many wonderful hours.The Fair was fascinating to read about, I personally am very interested in Gypsy culture and traditions, so I especially enjoyed that this featured in the book.

Jo was a very-well written character, I warmed to her straight away, and I loved her personality, I feel that as a character she was perfectly written. All throughout I really got behind her and I wanted her to succeed with the guest house and with everything in her life. Hattie is just fantastic - I enjoyed the relationship between Jo and Hattie, I loved reading about their friendship and seeing it progress in the story.

There is always something happening in every chapter which makes the story a compelling, interesting read which you won’t want to put down! There is romance, laughter, friendships, family and country life in store with this book, and I am so thrilled that I was able to read this! Coffee, Tea, The Gypsy & Me is a truly enchanting read.

[Mandy Baggot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo is a struggling single mother in the 1980s having been dumped for the 16 year old nanny by awful husband Greg. She has baby Thomas to look after and a burning ambition to make something of her life. Along comes the chance to invest in a country hotel. Having received money from the sale of their pub business Jo takes a chance!

Enter buxom Hattie, a down-to-earth character who becomes Jo's best friend and hard-working employee. She provides most of the humour and some scenes that melted my heart.

Now a slim-line successful owner of a country hotel, Jo starts to attract all sorts of male attention but it's the mysterious John Docherty who steals her heart.

Capers at the hotel, supportive underwear and a cast of loveable characters will have you lapping up this story. A wonderful read recommended for lovers of Cathy Woodman.

[Rosemary · Rating 2 out of 5]

A romance set in the late 1980s. Jo Edmonds' husband has run off with the nanny, leaving Jo holding the baby but fortunately still able to buy a hotel, do it up, employ plenty of staff, and spend lots of money on clothes and hairdressers. It's one of those books where all overweight women are lovely and all thin women are bitches, every man falls for the heroine on sight, and the husband comes crawling back to be ground into the dust by the heroine's stilettos ... wishful thinking on the part of the author?

There is quite a lot of anti-Romany racism - not just the prejudice that one would expect at that time, but characters living up to the negative stereotypes. Also on the negative side, I couldn't see the attraction of the hero. We (and Jo) spend too much time with the hotel and not enough with the man.

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first discovered this Wonderful author when I read. So You Think You're a Celebrity Chef?

On amazon these are subtitled as A feel-good novel of friendship and love. And they are.

This story, set in 1987 tells how Jo recovers from being dumped by he husband, for her newborn's Spanish Nanny; turns her life around, makes new friends and opens the best country house hotel in a year. And she also falls in love with a remarkable man; or at least lust.

This book paints an accurate picture of 1987 in the UK; fashion, celebs, politically economically. The book shows hard work and struggles and happiness and tragedy.

I loved it

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to abandon this book, although I managed to get almost half way. Magic underwear transforms the heroine from overweight to irresistible and I didn’t want to read the word cleavage yet again. Ridiculously unbelievable and annoying story, and even in the eighties we had some idea of political correctness. None of this would have mattered if there had been an element of comedy, but this book just wasn’t for me!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect

Light fluffy fiction perfect for miserable early February. Beautiful ladies, flirty gentlemen, gypsy fair, romantic encounters and more champagne and Cointreau than can possibly be good for anyone!
Loved this book - just what the doctor ordered.

[Jill DeBellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot from the beginning

I love the way this book progressed. Had me not wanting to put it down. I had to find out how the business did and how the different love stories worked out.

[Tracey Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book

A Great book couldn't put it down. Once you start reading it you can't stop!!!! A good feel good story

[Sharon M. Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fall in love!

Alone, with a tiny baby, a dog, a new plan and future, clawed out by hard work and guts. Jo has been abandoned by her husband, leaving her with a new baby and a small amount of money and lots of ambition, has brought a grand old building that she has built into a beautiful high class hotel with the help of a few friends. Could true love be far behind? This is a really feel-good story.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot
When Jo Edmond's husband runs off with their nanny. Jo resolves to make a new life with her baby son Thomas. She purchases Kirkton House a run down guest house and with the help of a colourful cast of locals, establishes a thriving country house hotel. She opens during fair week, a 300 year old gypsy tradition hated by the locals and loved by every tinker and traveller in the country.

Romance is the last thing on her mind, until the enigmatic John Doherty walks into her life...

My Opinion
I really enjoyed reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Made me giggle from start to finish and i loved that it was a behind the scenes of a guesthouse and what really can go on behind the walls.

I loved the main characters Jo and Hattie, they soon become very close when Jo employes Hattie to help run Kirkton House and i enjoyed reading their friendship blossom, it was lovely. I did a tear in my eye when poor Hattie loses her new love quite suddenly :(... however it was great to see she found happiness again at the end.
I was very excited to read about Jo and how she sets up Kirkton House and finds staff to help who actually enjoyed working there. It was also lovely to see that Jo does find a new love at the end especially with her horrid ex husband who ran away with their nanny who then tries to suck back in to Jo's life however doesn't go to plan the way he wanted it to.

I disliked Jinny Atkinson very much, she was an awful snotty cow who wanted everything her own way and took a horrible liking to Jo all because of John Doherty.

The best parts about the book were reading about the traditional 300 year old fair that the gypsy's have every year with their own horse races, fights & general gossip which goes on for a week. and the other best part was the young chef who grows the herbs for the kitchen however... You must buy the book to see what happens!

This book was a fab read and i would recommend everybody to read it, You won't be disappointed.

[Carol W · Rating 5 out of 5]

1987

Jo is a single mother of a little boy, not of her choosing, after all her weasel husband ran off to Spain with the nanny!

Jo is a strong character who decides to pick herself up and make a life for herself and her son.
When her friend Robert shows her a run down hotel, Jo jumps at the chance to turn it around and make it a success.

Enter Hattie, who seems to appear just like a fairy godmother and help Jo, not only with the hotel business but also with a change of image for Jo.


The annual Gypsy horse fair is coming to the village. There are mixed reactions to the event, locals are not too keen. Meanwhile, Jo does very well from the horse fair when it brings some business at the hotel and a new love interest into her life. John is handsome, charming and very attentive towards Jo, but she feels this could not go any further, he is a Gypsy and wanderer.


The story takes us through a year in the life of Jo, Hattie and the traditional country hotel. As to be expected in a busy hotel, there is an array of colourful characters coming and going.

Extra business comes in via a shooting party.

Just as things are looking up, the recession hits the hotel hard and her ex husband turns up looking for a second chance. Should Jo cut her losses and sell up or stick with it? Should she give Greg a second chance? Will John return to her life and settle?

I found this story engaging from page one and enjoyed this delightful weekend read right the last page. I warmed to all the characters. John was especially handsome and oozed charm. I hated the villain of the piece, Greg.


I look forward to more from this author.


5 out of 5 for me! Loved it!

Review copy - This did not influence my review in any way

[BestChickLit.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your own quaint little guesthouse out in the sticks, of being the perfect hostess or just being an independent woman then this could be right up your street. Admittedly, more focus could have been placed on the hardships faced running and business during an economic crisis, whilst also being a single parent, but the book is escapism at its best. The idyllic setting and country folk no nonsense attitude gives the story a familiar cosy feeling, while the large volume of characters suggests style similar to Fiona Walker.

Jo, the main character, is a strong and worthy heroine. Her romance with John, who flits in and out of the story, would have benefitted from more detail, but it is a slow burner that enjoyably simmers in the background until the climax – look out for the funny scene in which Jo’s complicated love life comes to a head, it’s sure to have you chuckling. A few genuine shocks crop up along the way, a refreshing step away from the usual predictable twists, which helps to make the book a genuine feel-good read that emphasizes the fact that you can succeed at anything that you put your mind to.

Reviewed by Charlotte Foreman on behalf of BestChickLit.com

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coffee, Tea, The Gypsy & Me is great fun to read. Caroline James has produced a story packed with realistic colourful characters who jostle to take centre stage in the novel.

Jo has been dumped by her husband and finds herself on her own with a small child and many memories, she can't keep the thought of her ex-husband Greg and his new young nubile lover out of her head. How dare he have a great time in the Spanish sunshine whilst she is left in cold, dreary England to pick up the pieces? Jo has to pull herself together and when the opportunity arises, she buys a run-down house with the dream of turning it into a luxury country hotel.

Surrounding herself with a cast of wonderful characters, from the buxom, straight-talking Hettie, to the mysterious dark-eyed stranger who sets her heart fluttering, Jo sets to work and creates the perfect hotel.

This is a really amusing read. I'm impressed that this is a first novel, although there are a few nags here and there - a tad too many heaving cleavages and leering older men at times, but on thw whole it's a fun way to spend a couple of days reading time.

[Helen Baggott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a fun read – and I’m so pleased the author has revised and re-published it.

Caroline James has thrown a veil of fantasy over the harsh realities of how a single parent deals with raising capital to buy a new life for her and her son. And isn’t that what fiction is for? I don’t want to read about deprivation, self-pity and soaring interest rates. Seduction, sex and success are mixed with more than a few glasses of Cointreau as the heroine looks for support behind the bar.

Some of the plot is fanciful, but if I want to know how hard it really is to run a hotel, be a mum and find love (if not passion) I'd reach for a different book and my own bottle of Cointreau. Gritty realism may not be found here, but escapism and a good yarn will be.

As involved as I was with the plot, it was only towards the conclusion that I realised how much I'd come to enjoy my time with Jo, her friends, those gypsies and their roving eyes…

[Rita Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story of two divorced women who come together and become great friends through happiness and heartaches.

Jo and Hattie are both strong characters who have learned to survive on their on. They work together in tune with each other's thoughts and feelings which is a delight to see. The two must fight their battles and live to meet another day which is a struggle at times.

I read the sequel, Coffee Tea The Caribbean & Me, before this one and I'm sorry that I did. While I loved the sequel and it was good on its own, it would have been better to have the background to Jo's and Hattie's relationships.

I heartily recommend both books to anyone wanting a feel good book with real feelings and women who have backbones.

[Miriam Wakerly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the title of this fun book, since I have written two novels with a Gypsy theme. This novel is pure escapism and I found it a very relaxing, entertaining read. Some of the plot was a bit far-fetched but that's allowed in a rom-com kind of book and did not spoil the reading. References to Gypsies - especially the Appleby (renamed)Horse Fair were interesting and I would love to know Gypsies' opinions on this representation! I have never been to the Fair so am not qualified to comment - I am sure Caroline must have done her research.

[Sue Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read this cover to cover in one sitting. Delicious book! Great charecters in a story packed with warmth and humour. I was quickly drawn into the lives of Jo and Hattie and the colourfull cast of people that pass through Kirkton House Hotel. I Laughed and I cried (some good plot twists) and couldn't stop reading untill I got to the end to see what happened to everyone. I notice some other reviewers mention gramatical errors? Well I never spotted any. It may be because I read the 2nd edition. A must have hoiday read.

[Karen Swain · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a really fun, happy read. The fact that it was set in the 80s grabbed me from the start and the lovely friendship which develops between Jo and Hattie was the icing on the cake.

Every chapter had something to remember and I was totally engrossed. I was happy for Jo when things were going well, sad for her when they weren't, and excited at the prospect of good things happening for her.

I read it in a day or two and it left me feeling happy :)

[Elayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have generously given this novel a 4, because I rather liked the character of Jo and thought her feisty and her sidekick is great.

The gypsy traditions and horse fair were rather overdone I thought and I am not sure that we have many trotting races still in the UK although Ireland may be a different matter.

But a feel-good story that shows there is life after your husband leaves you - and women can be very good indeed at business.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it had all the right components for a the kind of chicklit that I enjoy reading! I did feel the relationship between Jo & Hattie devolped maybe a little too quickly, but it was a friendship that was just perfectly formed and neither of them seemed to work without the other.

A great read, and it drew me into their world, which is exactly what you want!

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good lighthearted read.

[Hilary Mcfadyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellant holiday read, witty, entertaining and keps you going to the end.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book, it was a nice, easy, hard to put down read. I was hoping for the ending that occurred but right up until the last chapter wasn't sure it would!

[Mr Earl Plass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Couldn't put the book down. Nice book that takes you away from stresses of the day. Made me laugh as well as cry.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it ~ going to look for more of hers

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

unputdownable book fantastic will definitely reread

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo’s husband has run off with another woman to sunny Spain and left Jo on her own to bring up their son. What I loved about Jo is that she has a good head on her shoulders. Her ex was holding her back but when Jo takes over a country hotel, she really shines and comes into her own. She shows us that a woman doesn’t need a man to make something of themselves, all you need is to have faith in yourself and a friend like Hattie by your side!

There maybe some romance in this story, in fact Jo has suitors falling over themselves to win her over, but what made this one stand out more than others was the fabulous friendship between Jo and Hattie. Hattie is very much the salt of the earth as the saying goes, who says it as it is and the two women get along like a house on fire. There is just something very comforting when it comes to the bond between them even though they have only known each other for a relatively short period of time.

Coffee, Tea, The Gypsy & Me is an uplifting and fun read with some absolutely great characters in it. I even fell in love with Pippa the dog, which probably is no real surprise being a fellow dog lover but there are a vast amount of characters and most are hugely loveable although there are the odd rogue ones thrown in. I enjoyed the countryside setting and seeing Jo growing her new business and I was totally routing for her throughout not just for that side of things to do well but in her personal life also. An engrossing novel that will leave you feeling all warm and happy inside!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this sitting on my Kindle for far too long. My first read from Caroline James was "The Best Boomerville Hotel". A fabulous page turner, it made me laugh out loud and cry in equal measure, but with "Coffee Tea the Gypsy & Me" we meet the main characters Jo and Hattie as they both start new chapters in their lives after both husbands ran off with younger models. We see the trials, tribulations and not to mention the romance. It is a true page turner which is why it was read in 3 days. The characters are fun, firey and very likeable. Although set in the 1980's the story line is so true of today's economic situation that you'd be had pushed to believe it wasn't happening right now. It gave me plenty of laughs, even shed a tear but kept me reading until I was done, already starting thinking about the next one.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends and Challenges

I'm going to be up front, I'm not a romance reader as a norm, but by chance i some how aquiered this fabulous novel where two women meet at just the right moment in life and become close friends both in need of a new start in life . I may have started reading this extraordinary book by chance bu Caroline James kept me enraptured and entertained enticing me to read more and I fallowed these woman through thier journey of rediscovery, happiness, pain and fulfilment. The caracters are vibrant and charming and sometimes precocious.but most of all endearing. I read "Coffee, Tea,The Gypsy and Me "in one sustainably enjoyable evening. So now all I can do is recommend that you to aquier this amazing piece of work so you yourself can enjoy reading it as much as I have. 🙄😏😀😔😶😊😉😀Kat

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jo Edmond starts a new life with her infant son after her husband runs off with the nanny. Jo purchases Kirkton House and refurbishes it to open as a hotel. Jo’s hotel business struggles in the beginning then it takes off and becomes successful with the help of her friend Hattie. John Doherty walks into Jo's life and they fall in love. When Jo’s ex-husband finds out about her successful hotel he tries to win her back and she snubs him. I really enjoyed this wonderful contemporary romance fiction novel.