This was an easy read. Simple, predictable and repetitive. I did not feel much of a connection with any of the characters. I wish there had been more back story.

I really enjoyed the first part of this trilogy. I haven't really read Daisy James before but I'll definitely look out for her again, and the second in this series. I loved reading about St Lucia, some place I'd love to go one day. I loved Lottie's character and reading about all the cooking and mouth watering food. Can't wait for the next one. Thank you for approving my request.

I really enjoyed this one, it was such a good and relaxing read that took me away to the sunshine!

I loved the characters in the book and I have to say that I thought that the plot was excellent and it is a very easy book to read and now I really want to visit St Lucia! It is heart warming, entertaining and I loved it.

Four stars from me, really enjoyable read and highly recommended!

An excellent quick read full of delicious food! I loved reading Millie as she concurred her broken heart an found her way in St Lucia. A perfect read for a quick getaway, an easy to devour in one sitting.

A very delightful read. Set on the island of St. Lucia. The descriptions make you want to visit. I even had to google to see a map and read about the island. Millie, a Cordon Bleu trained chef is talked into filling in for her sister to put the final touches on the kitchen for the Paradise Cookery School a new workshop for the famous author Claudia Croft who is opening on her cocoa plantation. A paradise location with mishaps to finish in two weeks. The only recommendation would be is a few easy recipes. Every woman loves chocolate.

I really enjoyed this book. I like the story line and I could picture the characters and scenery it is a quick read didn't want it to end.

The Paradise Cookery School is a fun Summer holiday type book to read. Perfectly fun beach type read. A fun pup turning adorable feed me eyes on you,a yummy scrummy bakery and a buff handsome guy with a little bit of mystery thrown in . This is a great vividly colorful book that makes you want to hop a plane to St Lucia and soak in the atmosphere while partaking of delectable baked goods and chocolates.
Pub Date 19 Mar 2018
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Canelo through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Light, warmhearted read, I enjoyed this book. The location was lovely - St Lucia was so well described and colourful I would love to go there one day and the fabulous food descriptions made me feel hungry. I liked the characters particularly the interaction between Millie and Zach - the names he called her made me laugh.
An excellent tale of escapism and romance - a perfect antidote to a cold wet spring day or a lovely easy holiday read. I found the ending a little abrupt but hope to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was engaging and easy to read. Definitely would recommend to anyone wanting a holiday relaxing read.

The real star of the show in Sunshine and Secrets has to be the beautiful island of St Lucia. It oozes with personality and seems so vivid and colourful in the story. You can totally understand why Millie falls in love with the island. There's more to the story than the setting however, no matter how glorious it is. Millie is a lovely creation. Accident prone yet obviously a talented cook, you can believe how easily she settles into island life and makes friends. Several of the characters are nursing secrets of their own which you gradually begin to glimpse.

I particularly enjoyed Millie's friendship with Ella, who always told it like it is. The incorrigible builders and kitchen fitters add lots of humour to the story and test Millie's patience to the limit. Brimming with good humour, this is a rom com which can be savoured - a book to save for a dull March day when you need a little escapism and romance. You can't help but think that actually, you'd like to enrol at the Paradise Cookery School yourself and sample some of those gorgeous creations.

In short: Full of good humour and friendship as Millie takes a chance.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.

At long last, I've read my first (but definitely not last) Daisy James book. If ever a book should be read on holiday, it is Sunshine and Secrets but for those of us who don't have sun-friendly skin it's a perfect getaway to distant lands we can only dream of from the comfort of our favourite armchair.

Amelia (known as Millie) Harper has just the right thing to take her mind off her broken heart: an opportunity to set up The Paradise Cookery School on the Caribbean island of St Lucia. As if Millie's wet welcome to St Lucia wasn't funny enough, her drenching leaves her with big hair akin to Monica Geller when the Friends go to Barbados. Picturing Millie like that was enough to get me sniggering like a schoolgirl.

As well as trying out gorgeous recipes, Millie has to try to get the local laid-back workmen to stick to their schedule, which is easier said than done with the sun blazing down and the ripples of the swimming pool causing a temptation that's impossible to resist. Local cook, Ella, and Estate Manager, Zach, are on hand to help Millie and, after a stand-offish start with Zach, Millie finds her pulse racing - Zach could be the perfect cure for her broken heart.

What really surprised me about Sunshine and Secrets was the added mystery of the disappearing cocoa pods. Rather than succumb to the easy-going pace of the Caribbean vibe, it made me look at the characters a little more closely as I tried to gather clues.

Sunshine and Secrets is so full of sunshine that I needed my Factor 50 on just to read it. I felt as if I was on St Lucia with Millie, sitting drinking an Andy's Blast cocktail in the beachside Purple Parrot cocktail bar. Naturally, I didn't want to leave, although in real life I would have been burnt to a crisp!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

This was a lovely book. Millies sister was supposed to go to set up a cooking school in St Lucia for a famous author but cannot make it and sends her sister instead. Millie is a michelin star chef who is nursing a broken heart after the end of her relationship.

She goes to St Lucia and has to help get the kitchen set up, create the recipes with local and fresh ingredients, and deal with the plantation manager, getting to know the locals and having a generally good time.

The only thing for me is that i think it ended rather abruptly and i would of liked a few more chapters to see how it all pans out. Maybe there will be another book? I hope so, it was good fun!

I loved every page of this book.
Millie takes a last minute job to oversee the finishing touches to a new venture. The Paradise Cookery school in St Lucia. The owner has had an accident and is unable to get the school up and running before the first guests are due to have an out of this world culinary experience.
She is in charge of a group of builders who don't have the 'urgency' gene in their repertoire. She also has to test the new recipes with a wonderful sounding character Ella. I wished I could have sat in on their practice sessions, enjoying the delicious sounding food and enjoying a lovely new friendship. There is also the hint of romance in the air and the setting just makes you lose yourself totally in a wonderful new world of the Caribbean whilst suffering the frosty weather we've been experiencing here. I was sad to leave them!

5☆ A Scrumptious  Feel good read

 Sunshine and Secrets is the Perfect feel good read that will leave you feeling very hungry and wanting to run off to St Lucia and join the Paradise Cookery School.

I adore Daisy James books and when I see Sunshine and Secrets I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. It has 3 of my favourite things, A gorgeous cheeky Pup, Scrumptious mouthwatering food and Chocolate. What more could a girl want!

When Celebrity Cookery book writer Claudia Croft needs help overseeing her brand new project the Paradise Cookery School.
There was only one person ideal for the job  Millie - a Cordon Bleu trained Chef. Set up by her Sister Jen.

So off Millie goes to mend her broken heart and set off on an adventure.
But things don't quiet go according to plan with plenty of mishaps and mayhem.
Arriving in a liquid weather rain storm as the locals call it things don't get off to a great start.

I adored all of the characters I loved Millie and Ella's relationship. Ella has been sent by Claudia to help Millie with the recipes and the locals. Ella is a force to be reckoned with. But has a heart of gold.

Sunshine and Secrets has plenty of fun, Frolics and Mayhem. A sprinkling of romance, lasting friendships, Scrumptious mouthwatering food, memorable Characters, Mystery, a cheeky loveable pup.

It really is the Perfect feel good read.
So snuggle up and be prepared to be whisked away to the breathtaking St Lucia and to be part of the Paradise Cookery School.
But be warned... DO NOT READ ON AN EMPTY TUMMY!! You will get the rumbles!

Millie needs to get away after a recent breakup and so jumps at the chance of setting up the new Paradise Cookery School...... and it is certainly paradise being set on a cocoa plantation in St Lucia, Things don't always run smoothly though......... not helped by Zach the estate manager rubbing her up the wrong way!

I loved this book, helped by the fact that I have been to St Lucia and can picture the setting perfectly, it is quite short so a very quick read but setting the scene nicely for the following books in the series which I am really looking forward to

First impressions of this book was that it was going to be a light hearted, easy, read. Honestly, I really struggled to get into it. I felt like I was reading the 2nd book in a series. I felt like I was missing vital information and it left me feeling a little confused.

Millie was a likeable girl, she was definitely my sort of person. Messy, chaotic, clumsy. Zach is confident, witty and likeable as well. I didn’t really get to form an opinion on the other characters. I felt that that weren’t in the story enough to get a fully formed thought on them.

Saying that, I think this book could have been a lot longer. At just under 200 pages, it is very short story. Especially for me. I didn’t get what I was expecting from the story the characters, the beautiful setting of St. Lucia. It was just missing so much for me.

Having said all of that, I did actually enjoy the story. It was fun, easy to read, and all the food mentioned made me want to eat. It all sounded extremely delicious and made me want to start baking or cooking. It was a light hearted bit of fun. With a bit of a comical tone to it with how clumsy Millie was, and a dash of mystery.

For me, this book is a 3/5 read. I liked the characters and the story but I also didn’t like a lot of things. There wasn’t enough world building for me, it wasn’t long enough and I didn’t get enough info about all the characters.

Sunshine & Secrets is book one in a new three part book series by Daisy James.  This is my first introduction to the work of Daisy James; I need more time to read as there are so many lovely new authors I’ve yet to discover.  I’m so pleased I’ve now found Daisy James novels, I do love a good romantic comedy especially if it’s set in such lush locations.  I now feel like I’ve escaped the cold of the UK and have escaped to the beauty of St Lucia.  Daisy James made me feel welcome in this sublime sunny location with it’s stunning vista, aromatic fauna, vegetation and spices.  The laid back lifestyle sounded quite idyllic.
Heartbroken Millie Harper felt like this job opportunity to oversee the setting up of The Paradise Cookery School in St Lucia was just the tonic she needed to help her reassess her life.  As a Michelin-starred chef she was well equipped with knowledge of professional kitchens and was keen to learn more about Caribbean cuisine and also of the cocoa plantation which surrounded the villa she was to work at.  Millie had a two week timescale to adhere to but as in all building projects the journey to perfection is met with stumbles along the way.
This was such a delightful read.  I loved Millie’s character she’d started to rebuild her life following heartache and her love of food was certainly giving her the much needed boost she needed. The locals from in and around the villa in St Lucia were a varied bunch in personalities but you could feel the love for the glorious natural beauty of the area, the laid-back lifestyle but also the community spirit in helping each other succeed in life and love.  However, the sunshine and happy music of St Lucia hid some dark secrets.  This was a wonderful start to a great new feel-good series however, you’ll find it hard to read without salivating over the delicious descriptions of the foodie delights Millie and her friends make.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy. Millie recently suffered a heartbreak after ending her relationship with her long term boyfriend. She was headed on vacation in an attempt to forget her troubles, when her sister interceded and sent her to St Lucia to oversee the setup of a master kitchen for a new cooking school. The job is hampered by mystery and mayhem. When the job is completed and all shenanigans have been resolved, Millie finds love and decides to stay on the island. This is definitely a great beach read. I am interested in reading other books in this series.

‘Sunshine and Secrets’ is a fun, energetic novel that whisks you away to a gorgeous sunshine filled island and has you engaged in one of the most interesting characters lives I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year.

This is a book for the senses. Not only are you dazzled by the St. Lucian scenery, you are also treated to some of the most delicious food I’ve read about. There was definitely mouth-watering moments.

It was a pure joy to read, and is as good on the inside as the outside looks.

What a fab start to a brand new series! I couldn't help but lose myself in 'Sunshine & Secrets' straight away - the storyline was so appealing, whetting my appetite as much as a big slice of cake.

Millie really annoyed me at first because she came across as such a wet blanket, making some of the other characters seem more of a main character than she was. Millie did end up changing my opinion a little bit towards the end, but I really do hope she finds more inner strength as the series progresses.

Aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed Zach and Millie's banter! It kept making me laugh out loud, making the vibe of the storyline even more relaxed than before. I thought the story was very well paced, full of the right amount of drama, laughter, and diversity to keep my attention until the very end.

My only big issue with 'Sunshine & Secrets' was the fact that it had to end! I was so getting into what was happening with the cookery school and learning more about Zach, when the book decided to end - how rude!! I cannot wait to read the next instalment of this series, and I really do feel that Daisy James has started her new serial off with a bang or, in Millie's case, several dozen cupcakes!

Such a cosy, relaxing and colourful story to tickle your taste buds, whet your appetite, and get you prepared for even more tantalising recipes as the series progresses. Love it