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Loch Lannick #4

The Cafe at the Loch

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A holiday fling threw her life into chaos …

Elspeth Mackenzie hasn’t had any contact with the father of her child since they had a fling three years ago. Getting pregnant at sixteen turned her life upside down. But now she has everything back under control. She’s managing a cafe and a toddler and making it look easy.

If only dating was as easy. Most guys run a mile when they find out she has a child.

When her friend sets her up on a blind date, Elspeth is in for a huge surprise. Not only because she finds herself face to face with the father of her child, but because her feelings for Rory haven’t changed a bit. The attraction is as intense as ever.

Now Elspeth must tell Rory she has a child. And that sweet little Arran is also his child.

Yet again, her life is thrown off balance. Working out how to co-parent Arran is about as complicated as her feelings for Rory.

For Elspeth to figure out what the future holds, she first needs to come to terms with the choices she made in the past…

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2020

527 people are currently reading
311 people want to read

About the author

Hannah Ellis

57 books433 followers
Hannah Ellis spent many years working in childcare before deciding she'd like to write books. When she's not busy writing she likes to read, drink tea and eat chocolate. She also enjoys yoga and jogging.

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5 stars
920 (58%)
4 stars
445 (28%)
3 stars
157 (10%)
2 stars
33 (2%)
1 star
13 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Amanda Ramsey.
74 reviews14 followers
April 15, 2025
You can never go wrong with a Hannah Ellis book and this one was no exception! Her books always bring me comfort and they’re so good I always read them in a day or 2 ☺️
Profile Image for Sarah.
2,962 reviews230 followers
August 1, 2025
It was great to be back at the loch of which the story focuses on the youngest sister, Elspeth. I have been eagerly anticipating this one and it was well worth the wait.

Whilst Elspeth does get a lot of help from her family and friends with her young son, she is a good parent and a hard worker. She is lucky that she still can pretty much go out and socialise when she wants to but having a child when you are only nineteen seems to be off putting for a lot of men so when Rory turns up, I was already holding my breath to see if these two would be able to put the past behind them and make a fresh start.

Something I have come to love in this author’s books is the humour. I found myself laughing out loud at a particular conversation involving two year old Arran. Just thinking of it now has put a huge big smile on my face as it was so funny. I obviously don’t want to go into what the conversation was about as it would spoil it for other readers, but when you come across it, you will know and believe me, you will be unable to hold back the laughter!

The Cafe at the Loch not only highlights being a young, single mother but is a reminder of how lucky some of us can be with the wonderful network of people around us. The family bond is as strong as ever and being able to catch up with the other characters I have come to know and love, as well as meeting new ones, was a pure joy. This is one of those series’ that is heartwarming as well as comforting and shows the ups and downs of family life as well as with relationships and friendships. A great read!
Profile Image for Lisa Stanbridge.
Author 11 books32 followers
March 18, 2024
I love Scotland and I enjoyed the first book in this series. I stumbled across this when it was free so I read it out of order but I knew who the charcters were. I liked some bits but I didn't like others.

Elspeth was extremely immature. I get she's a young mother, but her immaturity levels are like she's still sixteen. She freaks out on the short trip to Edinburgh and doesn't want her son to meet his family, a very selfish move. She's extremely spoilt and had a really cushy life. She's got all the help she could need and when things get hard when her baby daddy appears randomly in her life, she can't cope. I just found her so frustrating and unlikeable.

Rory was much more likeable, definitely the most levelheaded of the two. He was surprisingly calm after finding out he had a kid. He did the right thing, stepped up to be a father, yet Elspeth just kept getting frustrated that he was there. At one point she even wished he hadn't come back into it. She purposely kept the kid hidden from him and lied to her family about it.

The whole plot was irritating and immature. I'm glad I didn't read this book first, I may read the others, but I'm not sure.
1,234 reviews3 followers
January 18, 2024
This Scottish contemporary involves an underage girl who lied about her age and becomes pregnant during a tourist's vacation. With a supportive family and their cafe, she raised the now two-year-old toddler and everything was status quo until the father returns three years later for another vacation where they are re-introduced on a blind date. Truth surfaces including a very surprised father who wasn't aware of the circumstances. A very in-depth psychological upheaval surrounding many new changes when the relationship evolves. Humorous situations lighten the plot to make for a very entertaining read....
13 reviews
June 1, 2020
Another great read from Hannah Ellis- downloaded yesterday and finished this morning! Again, I couldn't put it down as I was desperate to see where Elspeth's story would go. I even cried near the end! The way Hannah weaves her stories always makes me want for more. I loved the Hope Cove series and have loved the Loch Lannick books every bit as much - maybe even more! Book 5, about Lexie, cannot come quick enough. I'm going to start the 'Friends' series in the meantime. So glad I found these books.
Profile Image for Diane Born in UK, now living on Spain.
694 reviews12 followers
June 11, 2020
Disappointed

I was looking forward to reading this book. Have read all the others and thoroughly enjoyed them.

I felt it was like pulling teeth. I was that fed up with it all, by the time it got to the last 10% of the book, i could just about carry on.

It was nice to catch up with the rest of the family.

We all like different things, so suggest you read and make your mind up.
Profile Image for Safari.
311 reviews1 follower
October 26, 2022
That was another great instalment of the Loch Lannick series

Hannah Ellis is truly the Queen of Continuity. She is the author who keeps on giving. This series would be brilliant if adapted into a TV drama. She takes her readers on a journey into life's ups and downs, with a big dose of humour on top. I am going to dive into the next book right now.
Profile Image for Michelle Kssili.
410 reviews4 followers
July 11, 2024
Reuniting lost love

Excellent story. Sometimes we have to make decisions in life that fit the situation at the time. The lessons we learn should never be thought of as regret. Rory and Elspeth managed to figure it out. Life isn't always easy. Never take your parents for granted.





103 reviews1 follower
June 7, 2020
Finally Elspeth's story

Sweet and funny with all of the wonderful and infuriating family members we have come to love. Another well written story that pulls you right in and keeps you up late reading
Profile Image for Sarah F.
40 reviews1 follower
June 17, 2020
Grab a slice of cake, curl up and enjoy The Cafe at the Loch! Finally we get to hear Elspeth's intriguing story. A real page turner. I thoroughly recommend this book but you need to start with book 1- Coming Home to the Loch.
Profile Image for Cherie Melbourne.
1,376 reviews15 followers
September 9, 2020
The Cat's at the Loch

10 stars just for "Willy", The Peanut Sauce" & "Anita". I absolutely laughed my head off! Another well told story by Hannah Ellis, she makes my day every time I read one of her stories.
16 reviews
January 25, 2024
Easy read

The book was okay, very easy read but I found it a bit irritating at times, especially Elspeth and her thought processes. I'll probably read another by this writer, but not too soon after this one.
Profile Image for ur book bestiee.
65 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2024
Meh. Rory was incredibly immature. The whole hiding that he broke up with Katy just to get back at Elspeth was a terrible plot point for the author to write if she wanted anyone to like Rory. He was so wishy washy that even at 90% Elspeth is like “we can just be friends”

Eye roll

Skip this one.
1 review
May 31, 2020
Wonderful new novel full of our old friends on Skye. A very enjoyable read.
66 reviews
June 5, 2020
Another great read

The series of Loch Lannick books are super easy to read and great bit of escapism. Thoroughly enjoyed finding out more about Elspeth and her story.
12 reviews1 follower
June 16, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed catching up with all the characters. Loved the book
Profile Image for Erin.
10 reviews
June 17, 2020
Couldn’t put it down. Such a brilliant read, so great to hear Elspeth’s story and wonderful catching up with the family.
1 review
September 17, 2020
A must read

Lovely read I felt as though I’d visited Skye . The family are so typical of sisters with different personalities.
Profile Image for Rachael.
613 reviews6 followers
December 14, 2020
Really enjoyed this one, looking forward to the hijinks of Arron throughout the series
Profile Image for Colleen.
59 reviews1 follower
March 17, 2021
Fancying fictional characters

All of the characters are so loveable. I’m half in love with them all 🤣 another amazing addition to the loch sequels can’t wait to read the rest
Profile Image for Dora.
432 reviews7 followers
January 19, 2024
Was free on Amazon. I thought it was a cozy mystery, but it turned out to be just cozy. Well-written easy read. More like a 3.5.
Profile Image for Alayne.
2,468 reviews7 followers
February 1, 2024
I read the first chapter and the last chapter. It didn't appeal to me at all.
Profile Image for Julie Evans.
49 reviews
March 19, 2024
Good read

Really. Enjoyed this book, another good one of the series of books. I am looking forward to reading the next ine too.
848 reviews7 followers
May 1, 2024
Awesome

This was a cute love story which includes Aaron the two year old. It has its funny parts that made me chuckle. Can't wait to read what happens in the,next book.
Profile Image for Marissa.
52 reviews
August 30, 2022
I didn’t really expect to like Elspeth’s book as much as I did because I thought she was a bit immature and whiny in the other books (I think she constantly takes advantage of her family’s help and undervalues all of the help and advantages she’s been given by them but then again she is a teenager so it’s understandable). However, I really loved getting to learn more about her! She’s still not my favorite person and my previous opinions of her still stand but I liked getting to learn about her experiences and the unique challenges she faced.
Profile Image for Mykal towery.
30 reviews
June 9, 2020
Another wonderful part of the series

I already can not wait for the next book! I can’t get enough of this series. Hannah is a genius!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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