A comforting story of love, community, humor, and the magic of finding home!
What happens when a perfectionist chef who demands uniformity meets a stubborn organic farmer who believes imperfection has character?
Can be read as a standalone or part of a the series!
Olivia Mercer's meticulously planned culinary career lies in ruins after her prestigious Boston restaurant collapses in scandal. With her reputation tarnished and job prospects nonexistent, she reluctantly returns to her hometown of Leafwood Falls to temporarily manage the town's café, while family friend Maggie undergoes cancer treatment.
The Copper Kettle Cafe seems stuck in the past, from its ancient, temperamental espresso machine that seems to have opinions about who operates it, the mysteriously changing chalkboard quotes that appear each morning, to her grandmother's recipe box that somehow always produces exactly the recipe she needs at exactly the right moment. And then there's Hemingway, the cantankerous orange cat from the nearby bookshop, who has a mysterious talent for showing up precisely when Olivia needs guidance. Whether she wants it or not.
Olivia's plan is maintain the café for six months, then return to the culinary world where she belongs. But Leafwood Falls has other ideas.
When she clashes with local farmer James Foster over his "inconsistent" organic produce, sparks fly in more ways than one. James believes food should have soul. Olivia demands technical perfection. He grows vegetables with personality. She creates dishes with precision. They're completely wrong for each other. Except for their undeniable chemistry and shared passion for creating something authentic.
As Olivia rediscovers her grandmother's recipes and begins to reimagine the café's future, she finds herself questioning everything she thought mattered in her career. But when a prestigious job offer arrives that could salvage her culinary reputation, Olivia must decide what truly satisfies her—the high-stakes restaurant world she's always pursued, or the small-town connections and imperfect farmer who are showing her that the most delicious recipes are the ones that don't follow the rules.
Perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, and Jenny Colgan, this delicious small-town romance serves up a perfect blend of witty banter, laugh-out-loud moments, heartfelt connections, and the special magic that happens when someone finally finds where they belong.
Return to the beloved town of Leafwood Falls, where a sprinkle of magic, a dash of community, and one opinionated bookshop cat make every story sweeter.
4.5 🤩 I’ve enjoyed this series, a sweet Hallmark/Gilmore Girls vibe romance. Loved the banter between the FMC and MMC. Very tasteful, no spice, but refreshing easy read.
I absolutely loved The Copper Kettle Café! This cozy little story felt like watching a warm, comforting movie—I could easily imagine it on screen starring Katherine Heigl. The book is calm, sweet, and full of heart, and the whole storyline has that perfect small-town, cozy café vibe. I listened to the audiobook and found myself genuinely looking forward to car rides just to keep the story going. My only critique is that the final chapter felt a bit too long and dialogue-heavy, and trimming it would have made the ending stronger. Also, the cover and title really don’t do this story justice; with a better design and a more inviting title, I think it could reach a much wider audience. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
A charming, cozy read with a sweet concept at its hear
That said, the book does suffer from a few distracting elements. There are noticeable editing errors throughout, and several phrases are repeated enough to feel redundant. At times it seems like the story is over-explaining, especially when pointing out that everything belongs to Martha—something I didn’t need reminded of quite so often. These repetitions made some conversations feel like déjà vu, rather than new character development.
Still, the premise is lovely, the characters are likable, and the cozy vibes hit the spot. With a bit of tighter editing, this could have easily been a standout favorite. Overall, a sweet read worth picking up for Mia and Hemingway alone!
I didn’t think I could enjoy a book more than one about a cozy bookshop with a judgemental ginger cat then a book came along featuring a cafe with a temperamental coffee machine and I fell hard.
The banter, the will they, won’t they, the everyone else can see what they can’t between Olivia and James. Delicious.
It was wonderful reconnecting with characters I have got to know from The Next Chapter book shop and of course meeting so many new ones.
I once again loved my visit to Leafwood Falls and hope I can return time and time again.
2,5. I don’t know if it was the book or the Virtual Voice narration, but this wasn’t a fun read. I didn’t like Olivia at all. She had tunnel vision about everything, and absolutely no loyalty to the people who went above and beyond for her. Mia is slightly less annoying than she was in the first book. At least this time she was pushing her advances on someone who clearly wasn’t on to it. At least Hemingway the cat was entertaining.
I loved this book! After reading the first book in this series, my expectations were so high that I was bound to be disappointed. This book was not as good or atmospheric as the first one, but it had its own quirky charm. It was set in the same town, Leafwood Falls, a quaint cozy Vermont town where the residents are like family to each other. This book didn’t have the wonderful autumn vibes the first book had, but it did have an ancient temperamental espresso machine that made its opinions known, and Hemingway, the same huge orange cat that knew what you needed before you did and made sure that you knew it too. I didn’t care much for Olivia, the snobby chef who was insulting and rude and looked down her nose at people she considered inferior for much of the book, but I loved James, the gorgeous farm owner who gave Olivia as much snark as she gave him. Mia, who appeared in book 1 as well, was one of my favorite parts of this story. The romance in this book was slow and very G-rated, but the story was well-written and entertaining.
The Copper Kettle Cafe is a light romance about a professional chef and a hunky farmer who was just as professional. The start was a little hard for me because there was so much sarcasm and bickering going on between the two of them. But it ended up being a very informational book about the cooking of a perfectionist who just happened to lose her job when the owner of the fancy restaurant that she worked for in Boston was caught skimming money. She moves back home to her Grandma's home who had passed and who raised her, and starts working for the Copper Kettle Cafe while the owner was undergoing chemotherapy. The farmer furnished the veggies for the cafe. There is a fun cafe worker who is the comic relief in the book and several likeable characters behind the scenes. It was a fun book in the end so I gave it a 4 instead of a three. It is a clean read which I liked, but there were some typos in the book which I thought was odd, and it also contained too much rhetorical dialogue. I enjoyed it though.
This is book 2 in the Leafwood Falls series of books about a small town where people come to grow and find what they have been looking for.
This book is about Olivia who is a chef abd was brought up in the town by her grandmother. After going to culinary school she becomes a chef in Boston but after the fall from grace of the person who owned the restaurant, she finds herself back in Leafwood Falls, managing the small cafe for one of her Grandmother's friends, Martha. Martha needs treatment for cancer and needs someone she can rely on.
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more about this small town which has hidden powers.
The books don't need to be read in order of publication but characters from previous releases do crop up in subsequent books.
I loved this wonderful story of love, friendship, loss and redemption. When a classically trained chef, falls from grace due to no fault of her own, she takes on the job of managing a café in the town her grandmother raised her. She attempts to replicate her grandmother’s recipes with her own twist and the fresh ingredients grown by a local farmer. It is a beautiful story and fine addition to the Leafwood Falls series.
The Copper Kettle is not what I expected. I expected a mystery and after reading more then 60% I realized this was a romance. A romance for romance sake, which is not my cup of tea. Although not my type of reading material, it is, nonetheless, very well written. If you’re a fan of Hallmark movies then this is for you. (Not a compliment btw…)
An unexpected love story in the perfect magical town of Leafwood Falls. Mercer & Foster’s fun banter, a chef’s career gone astray, and learning what truly calls to her heart and soul. I just loved the feel good tones underneath this story! Ready for the next one!
I’m noticing as I read books lately more and more writers are using AI. Not to say it’s not a great tool, but I’m noticing that the essence of the author seems to get lost and in this series it’s not! I love the way Brooke Skie developed her characters with relatability and at the same time adding in a touch of magic. I have become a fan!
The main characters were honestly so obnoxious. Constant banter about perfect sized produce get old really quick. I got about 3/4 through and I just couldn't do it anymore. It's like the author got bored and had the characters have the same conversations over and over again.
I read the first book of the series and it was so much better than this.
A fall from grace leads to a much needed reassessment of what’s important for a life well lived. We don’t need elevated food as much as we need evocative flavors.
Do you have confort food? what about confort Book? This one is this type of book: light, fun, beautiful, full of friendship and inspiration. I read "The next chapter", love it and try this one. Very good...
Great characters. Good storyline. Enjoyed the various relationships. Wondered when Olivia would finally wake up and see the truth. Rather amazed Mia didn’t get fired with her antics. Overall, a really good story.
Very cute book, had a bit of a hard time relating to the characters, especially the MFC. Her complete and unyielding stubbornness was hard to push through. Hard to feel any empathy for the character honestly. I'm glad the 3rd book goes back to the bookstore owner as she is very likable.
This was a delightful book. Maybe it was predictable, but it was charming. I was looking for a series that would help ground me and be a calming influence. I found it. Thank you, Brooke Skie.
I wanted to give The Copper Kettle Cafe four stars, but I found it almost impossible to like Olivia until nearly the end of the book. Unlike Olivia, all the other characters, both animate and inanimate, were very likable.
Loved this 2nd book in the series! Happy to still see the magic of Leafwood Falls woven into this story at well! I love all of the culinary/cooking aspects of this books, especially the family recipes! And happy to see Mia return in this book- I love her character!
A sweet and charming story. The characters are friendly, and likeable, the community is supportive, and the copper kettle has a mine of its own. What a fun and charming read. A must read. Enjoy
Although I liked the premise of the story and I love a good Hallmark-y book, the main character Olivia was SUPER annoying…not a fan. I loved the other characters and that’s what made it a 4 for me.