This book was not what I expected at all. To begin with I thought it would be just an easy read about a lady who opened a cafe. I was wrong there was so many other bits going on it really added to the story and was a great engaging read. Recommend if you want a light read but with twist and turns along the way.

I received a digital arc of #SecretsAndTeaAtRosieLee's from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I got this I was expecting a light hearted book that is typical of the cafe setting. However the story line of this book was a lot deeper than that. It was a lovely read with some mystery thrown in too. There are definitely plenty of secrets at Rosie Lee's!

Great storyline with good strong characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book to anyone.

This book started as a cosy romance but had a more sinister turn from about half way through that gave it an interesting twist.

Abigail has grown up in a home without a father, as he disappeared twenty years earlier, and is currently a single mother and solo owner of a small tea shop. No romantic opportunities on the horizon, until she helps her best friend Liz with the catering of a social function . Don't want to spoil it for anyone but it is so worth reading this book. A perfect read at the beach, on the bus or train or just sitting at home.

I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful, romantic read. It was well written and I would certainly love to read the author's next book. A sequel would be fabulous!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy. This is my honest opinion.

A lovely feel good book that you know how it's going to end but it doesn't detract from the story. I loved the characters who were strong and well described.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this book and totally related to Abbey on her journey. A feel good read

Abby is struggling through keeping her failing café going whilst wondering what she is going to do when her daughter leaves for uni. She has a poor relationship with her mother which just makes her feel guilty and shes knocked for six when her first love, Jack shows up. Things are getting complicated.
I thought the back-story was interesting but I found Abby’s on-off drama irritating. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fabulous. A winner. A must read. I couldn’t put the book down. I read until I fell asleep on the couch. With twists in the plot, I didn’t figure it out. A bit of family drama, family love, disappointment, old love/new love and loyal friends.

A lovely story about love, missed love and family secrets, Abby overworked in her failing cafe and under achieved. She has spent her life believing a different story about her family. Good happy book.

Fun, fabulous and feisty, Jane Lacey-Crane’s fantastic debut novel Secrets and Tea at Rosie Lee’s is an absolutely delightful read from a wonderful new writer!

Rosie Lee’s is a traditional cafe in the East End that is very proud of its roots. Fry-ups, builders tea and sausage sarnies are still front and centre on the cafe’s menu and there is absolutely no indication that they will be replaced by quinoa, soy lattes and almond milk. Rosie Lee’s is a place of tradition and history, however, tradition and history is not bringing in the punters. Regardless of perfectly sizzled bacon, customers have moved on and are giving their custom to eateries serving avocados on sourdough bread and kale smoothies and Abby, the owner of the cafe, is desperately trying to find a way of keeping the cafe open and bringing in new customers. But how on earth is she going to achieve that when all the odds seem to be stacked against her! Her stress levels are sky high and her worries growing by the day and not even copious cups of tea will solve this problem. But could a face from her past manage to reverse Rosie Lee’s fortunes?

Poor Abby has got enough to cope with. Not only is she struggling is to keep things ticking over at the cafe, but she also has an empty nest to contend with. With her fortieth birthday just around the corner, the last thing she wants or needs is further worry and complications, so she is absolutely flabbergasted when Jack Chance saunters through her door and brings to the fore long-buried feelings and emotions which she has tried so hard to suppress. Jack had been the man from her past who had got away and the man Abby had never quite got over. Although she would love nothing more than to consign Jack to the past, that soon proves to be easier said than done, as he could be just the man to save her cafe from ruin!

Will it be second time lucky for Abby and Jack? Will they manage to rescue the cafe from being consigned to the scrap heap? Or are some things beyond rescuing?

I simply could not stop reading Secrets and Tea at Rosie Lee’s! A fun and feel-good read guaranteed to make you giggle, this is a fast-paced page-turner with a lovely heroine you would love to have as a friend, a charming hero who is absolutely gorgeous and plenty of humour, pathos and laughter. A fantastic read that will bring a great big smile on your face and will brighten up even the most dismal of days, Secrets and Tea at Rosie Lee’s is a terrific read from a writer I’ve added to my must-read list: Jane Lacey-Crane!

A compulsively readable romantic comedy I wholeheartedly recommend, if you love Trisha Ashley and Milly Johnson, you are going to love Jane Lacey-Crane and her outstanding debut novel, Secrets and Tea at Rosie Lee’s!

Funny, I loved this book. However, I just don't get it that every so often (which is very often and far too often to my liking) the male main character appears to be loaded as opposed to the girl he woos....

Abby Cowan is a thirty seven year old woman who owns a small cafe called Rosie Lee's in East London that hasn't been doing so well lately and may very well go out of business if Abby isn't able to drum up more business. Her daughter Lucy is off to college soon, her love life hasn't seen the light of day in years, her Dad went away mysteriously when she was fifteen and she doesn't seem to get on too well with her Mother most days.
It's a lot for a person to try to take on and life's about to get even more tricky when she runs into her first love Jack Chance while helping her best friend Liv cater a party, it tilts her world on its access. His family moved without warning shortly after her Dad left and though there seemed to be a budding romance, she hadn't heard a word from him since. Caught between wanting to give in to her libido or completely pretend she couldn't care what he does either way, Jack isn't about to let her go so easily this time.
Then one day Abby receives a call about her Mom that will change everything she thought about her Mom, reveal secrets that have been kept since she was fifteen including what really happened to her Dad.
It will take the strength of family and friends to help show Abby that life is just getting started for her and sometimes there's a chance to make a go at the one that got away.

It was such a pleasure to read this book and there's so much to take in. I loved Abby's relationship with Lucy, Flo and Liz who all were there for her and always trying to look out for her. Abby and Lucy are Mother and Daughter but they are also very close and have formed such a wonderful bond.

I also loved how Abby and Jack just couldn't stay away from each other for long once he was back in the East End of London. They may have led different lives but it's obvious how crazy Jack is for Abby though I do think he could have tried harder to stay in contact in the beginning. It makes sense why Abby is reluctant to be around Jack because the feelings keep knocking her over and yet she's scared at the thought of being hurt again.

This book was an interesting mix of funny, heartbreaking, the power of friendship, large amounts of tea and the importance of believing in yourself. I hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I have!

This book is being perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Debbie Johnson. I am a huge fan of both ladies and so I knew that this was a book I had to read. I am so glad that I did read it as I adored it but more about that in a bit.
I really took to the character of Abby. I felt for her too. She is the manager of a cafe which isn’t doing too well. It has had a snooty review from the local paper, which is hardly going to bring the customers in. Abby was hoping that a positive review would see customers flocking to the cafe. To be fair Abby does know that the menu needs revamping and the décor could do with being refreshed but she hasn’t been able to do that just yet. Abby is fast approaching middle age and her life has become her own again as she has an empty house after the chicks have flown the nest. Abby doesn’t know what to do with her free time. The start of the book sees Abby agree to help her friend, who has been asked to host a business bash and Abby agreed to make the desserts for her. Both Abby and her friend attended the same catering college and despite a couple of hiccups along the way, the pair have remained firm friends since then. Abby unexpectedly meets her childhood sweetheart and suddenly the future starts to look brighter. Will Abby find happiness? Will her cafe be a success? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my days, I picked up this book at the right time. I was feeling fed up, too hot (us ginners do not cope well with hot weather), my back was hurting and I just needed a giggle. This book certainly ticked all those boxes and then some. From the moment I started to read, I found myself chuckling away at some of the antics that were taking place. There were also some moments where I found myself wanting to jump into the pages of the book to stand up for Abby and her friend over something I had read. The author’s writing style is such that you can’t fail to be drawn into the story and the story is so well written that I almost begin to believe that the story was ‘real’ and I found myself becoming involved with the characters. The characters certainly seemed to come alive. I began to think of Abby as a friend and of course I wanted to jump to her defence. I was hooked on this book from the moment I picked it up until the moment I closed the back page so to speak. Reading it became an addiction and before I knew what was happening I had cleared a fair chunk of the book but I hadn’t realised because I was enjoying the story and the characters so much.
I have to admit that ‘Secrets & Teas At Rosie Lees’ is a light hearted and funny read, particularly recommended from those who need a pick me up tonic or a distraction from their daily lives. This book certainly did both for me. I can’t wait to see what Jane Lacey-Crane comes up with next and here’s hoping that we don’t have too long a wait in store. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Can you like and dislike a book at the same time? This debut was not what I expected and it was deeper than I had anticipated. Some of the characters are not very likable but maybe that is just me. I'll let you decide that. Overall I enjoyed the book. Netgalley supplied the free E book. The opinion is solely my own.

If you're expecting a story that revolves around a cafe, you'll be disappointed; the cafe does feature in this tale of second chances, family secrets and organised crime but its more about the heroine's emotional journey than hearty breakfasts and afternoon tea.

Abby is a likeable protagonist, despite having a difficult childhood and teenage, she has enough people around her that care to make a success of life but she finds it difficult to trust and when her first love returns, even though she feels the emotional and sensual pull she runs the other way.

Jack is a dreamy hero, but he finds despite his entrepreneurial success, true love alludes him. He too has an emotional journey to travel, and he struggles to understand Abby and her conflicting signs and what he has to do, to get her in his life again.

Family and indeed community secrets are the backbone of this story, and they come across as believable, organised crime threatens everything Abby holds dear and as the secrets unravel the danger increases.

A mix of romance and crime make this an absorbing read, even if it's not the feel-good cafe story I expected.

I received a copy of this book from Aria Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Blurb :
Welcome to Rosie Lee's cafe in the heart of the East End - where there's not an avocado, slice of sourdough or double-shot no-foam soy milk caramel latte on the menu!
Rosie-Lee's owner Abby is a woman without a plan... and her beloved little cafe is a business with a serious lack of customers. The Rosie Lee's fry-up is legendary, but cooked breakfasts alone - however perfectly sizzled the bacon - aren't going to pay the bills.
Fast approaching forty and fighting a serious case of empty nest syndrome, Abby realises it's not just her menu that needs a makeover. And when Jack Chance, her The One That Got Away, saunters through the cafe doors and back into her life things definitely look set to change...
Abby has always believed a cup of strong builders tea makes everything better, but Jack's reappearance is a complication even the trusty sausage sarnie can't resolve...

My Thoughts :
I love that the cover on this book really stands out, its one of those that will call to you whille its sitting on a book shelf.
Abby has been left the Rosie Lee’s Cafe by Ted and Rose when they decided to retire. Abby lives in the flat above. She is 38 years old, and having had her daughter Lucy at 19 she is just about to go to University. Abby has had it tough bringing up her daughter alone. Her dad left whille she was in her teens and she hasnt had much of a relationship with her mum. Her first love and best friend, Jack also moved away when she needed him. Her brother has been her only support.
That is until Jack walks back into her life. With the cafe struggling for business, Abby needs to make some decisions.
The story passes through past and present and we get to see and feel how life was for Abby.
This has a few twists and turns that will keep you wanting more.
Looking forward to more from Jane Lacey - Crane.

The café and shop books are going strong in the market, and rightly so. This novel writes about love, life, family, loss and getting on with things and putting a brave face on in the world. It's funny, but more than a rom com as it has more complex layers. I enjoyed this foray into Crane's world, and would recommend. The character of Jack Chance did baffle me at times, but kept me reading. Some very witty one liners too!

There is so much more to this book than initially meets the eye. The cafe is the setting for the book, but the main storyline doesn’t really relate to the actual cafe, which makes for a varied and absorbing plot, about families, secrets and more.

The characters and dialogue are so real, there’s real depth and richness to them. Abby is a character who hasn’t had an easy time in her life, but she’s strong and resourceful.

The plot travels between present day and the past, and there are mysteries and plot twists to totally engross the reader, as well as the wonderful host of characters.

It’s an everyday, gritty setting, with ordinary people, but with facinating secrets and stories.
There’s humour and romance, secrets and suspense, it’s a book that will appeal to a wide audience.

I thought I had guessed one of the plot twists near the end, but I actually hadn’t!

A book to make you smile and to grip you and keep you absorbed right until the end. Highly recommended, it really does have it all.

Secrets and Tea at Rosie Lee's by Jane Lacey-Crane is not what I expected. This story was a lot more serious than I expected, but enjoyable. Twenty years ago Rosies family fell apart when her father left without a word and her boyfriend left suddenly also, and she never heard from him again... until now. What a complicated story that kept me reading till the end. Very unique story that I recommend.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.