Christmas, cake and romance....what could make for a better read! Cathy decides to make some positive changes to honour her late mother's memory by offering cooking classes. With a disruptive teenager in the class and the appearance of her ex, will Cathy find happiness?

Cathy’s Christmas Kitchen is the latest festive novel from Tilly Tennant. It follows the story of Cathy who following the recent death of her mother, now lives alone in Linnetford. She works part time on her friends flower stall but has a love of baking. After a trip to a church hall fundraiser she finds herself back there each week holding a baking class. Not only does she make some great friends, there’s also a potential love interest on the horizon. It’s a well written, heartwarming story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

I started this book yesterday and read it overnight ( I have sleep issues)
The cover and of course the author, drew me in.
I loved the storyline straight away and the delicious cakes made me so hungry whilst reading!!
The characters were a fun bunch too.
This was an easy enjoyable read to really snuggly down with.

A cute story, didn't see the point in wasting time with the Jonas character, particularly as it didn't go anywhere. Would make a good series centred around the village hall with a focus on different characters

Cathy’s Christmas kitchen deals with some big subjects with a light touch. It is a warm and fuzzy book that invokes a sweet English village atmosphere, with the main characters congregating in the market and the church hall. It is the story of Cathy and how she copes after the death of her mother for whom she was the primary caregiver. The book is a quick pleasant read. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for a review.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

A nice holiday romance is just the ticket; get all cozy by a fire, have a mug of cocoa, and oh, it's September as I'm writing this, but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy the mood that vision sets all the same! This particular book, while not especially Christmasy (there are some notes of it) still fits the nice cozy romance genre it searches for.

Cathy has been at loose ends since her mother died. Her caregiver, she now has a part time job and a wealth of time to spend in which she's not sure quite what to do with it. So when she's asked to head a cookery class (she's well known as a baker), she figures she has nothing to lose. And a budding romance enters her life at nearly the same time, giving her a lot more to think about.

I like Cathy, but she is tedious at times. I'm sure a lot of us are guilty at putting ourselves down and not having enough pride in our work, but with her it happens a lot and it gets tiring to read about. Especially because even in her modesty she does know she's good at things. And Tansy, I'm not sure where to even start with her; I really didn't read her character as in line with her supposed age, despite her troubled homelife. She seemed much younger by her actions and issues.

For romances, it was decent. I enjoyed the pairing and thought that the odd complication to it was a bit distracting, but overall a sweet courting of the two. This book though, it's really about the bakes (and no recipes sadly) and I could find myself eagerly looking forward to the next cake description. The baking descriptions really were the shining stars of the book.

This was a nice book, I just had trouble connecting with the characters. I think anyone who likes a quick, light Christmas read will enjoy this.

Review by M. Reynard 2020

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The story of Cathy who is trying to find her place back in the world since the passing of her mum. She visits a coffee morning in her local church laden down with her home baking which sees her start to run her own cookery classes. I really enjoyed this book but felt a bit let down when I felt it suddenly ended - according to my kindle I still had 29 minutes left to read and suddenly I was at the epilogue. I wanted more - maybe I just wanted more baking.

PS - the extra 29 minutes was full of excerpts from Tilly Tennant books which I'm sure are great but I'm afraid I just skip over these!

I enjoyed this book.it is Nice to read about how far people Will go for their loved ones. I love to read about how people can change and i guess become a better person. And i am a sucker for sweet romance.. i would love to have a more meatier story if that makes sense. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this story. Cathy had been a caretaker for her mother who had passed away recently. She had loved to bake as well as did Cathy. Cathy worked at a flower stall for Fleure and Cathy brought her baked goods.
Read to see how her baking put her in the right direction as she was meeting people and was looking for her soul mate. See how all of this began . A GOOD READ.

I have read and enjoyed Tilly Tennant books before. This time we follow Cathy, who is rebuilding her life after her mother’s death. Her love of baking takes her to a church coffee morning, where she makes new friends and where she is persuaded to hold a cookery class.

Cathy is a warm, caring character who is always happy to help others. There are some interesting supporting characters such as Tansy and the ladies who look after the church hall

A quick read, full of friendship, forgiveness and baking.

This book was enjoyable, though it was a little hard to get into at first. It definitely makes you want to cozy up next to a fire with some ginger bread cookies and decorate a tree. Don't read this while hungry because it will make you even hungrier. If you are someone from a small town or appreciate family values, this is a good one to read. It is a good movie to get you in the Christmas mood, and it was nice to read.

Cathy lost her beloved mother a few months ago. Together they baked and made the world seem right. Cathy gave up lots of things to look after her mother when she most needed her including her fiance and friends. she now realises that she has to make a life for herself and so ventures to a local church group where they are asking for home baked goods- right up her street! Her one friend is Fleur who is her boss for the three days she works at the floristry stall on the market who encourages her to get out and about and tries to give her some much needed confidence. I really enjoyed this. Not everyone has had a loving mother but the inspiration behind Cathy shines through and this is such a well written book. There is so much more than the “story” if that makes sense. A thread of getting out there and developing confidence (albeit it quietly) and appreciating the small things in life- as well as cake! (not so obvious as it may seem for some). Although there is a little of a Christmas theme this could be read at any time of year. It had me hankering after baking rather than thinking of Christmas! My only disappointment is that there isn't a copy of the recipes. Maybe that's the next book! A wonderful uplifting read for any time of year.
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

I enjoyed this novel but it was nothing special. The story was interesting and kept my attention but it felt very flat, not much happened in the book and I feel as though there was no real climax. Another criticism I have is that the description of the book was very different and not accurate to the novel. I mainly enjoyed the book because of the heartwarming and feel good vibes.

Is it Christmas yet? And now? And now? As you can see “Cathy’s Christmas kitchen” completely got me into the Christmas mood. It’s never too early to read a Christmas story! I got that and oh surprise, a terrible craving for cake!

As per usual, Tilly Tennant delivers a charming story where the sense of community and friendship permeates every page.

Cathy, our heroine, is for the most part a lovable character, although sometimes I felt liked giving her a smack on the head. Girl, have some confidence and stop underestimating yourself!

The cast of characters are quite likable, minus a couple of exceptions (Jonas, wanker!). At first I would have given Tansy a slap on the face too but once we got the whole picture I quite understood her.

I love how Ms. Tennant’s characters are basically good people who good things happen to, cause sometimes that’s just all you need to read about.

The cooking lessons seemed like a thing I would totally sign up for myself and I would have love to get some of the recipes they tried in them.

Delightful read that will take you straight into the Christmas spirit.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a treat! Perfect cozy little read-right up my alley! I was a huge fan and will definitely be reading more from this author!

A nice feel good love story. I loved the baking parts and how Cathy helped every one with her baking classes. It will get you in the christmas mood. I enjoyed it. Perfect for a curl up read on a cold weekend

I love Christmas books! This book was a quick read focused on Cathy who is having her first Christmad without her mom. It was sad in some parts, but overall was a fun quick read! The baking element added a bit more holiday cheer.

Thanks to Bookotoure & NetGalley for a copy to provide my honest review!

Cathy is lonely and is missing her mum. She gets a flyer for a coffee morning and the local church and this leads to her running cookery lessons at the church hall. She meets new friend Erica, but old flame Jonas is also back in town. She meets Matt - will they have a chance together?

I’ve yet to find a book by this author which doesn’t warm my heart and leave me with a big soppy smile!! Cathy’s Christmas Kitchen was delightful, and dare I say it, my first Christmas read of the year! Cathy is a lovely character who just needs some joy in her life. All alone following the death of her mother, Cathy is persuaded to start up a baking course in the local church hall. Of course, Cathy is an accomplished baker who seemed to always carry around a Tupperware box filled with goodies, all of which made my stomach rumble and my mouth water just at the thought of them.

If you have read any of this author’s books before you will know there is always a love interest for the main character. There is a choice of eligible men in this book to choose from, but as you read it does become obvious which one Cathy chooses! Of course, I won’t spoil it for you, but the choices include Jonas, who is Cathy’s ex-fiancé who has unexpectedly turned back up in the village, Simon, the local vicar who certainly gets his parishioners hearts racing and Matthias who is a dog walking physiotherapist! I decided on my favourite very early on, and I have to admit their developing relationship was wonderful!! The course of true love never runs smoothly though, and Cathy has to overcome some obstacles along the way. The way the author has written Cathy’s story had me completely hooked and, once started, I couldn’t put the book down!

The storyline itself was great, with plenty of laughs, new friendships and lots of love along the way! I loved all the characters, with Fleur being one of my favourites, and would really like a book to feature her and maybe get some love in her life! I did picture her though being the size of a house from all the cakes she ate when Cathy turns up for work! The storyline was perfect, holding my attention and mesmerising me with Cathy’s story. A fabulous festive read, which I would definitely recommend!

I start out by saying that I am a big fan of Tilly Tennant. She creates such wonderful books filled with likeable, believable characters. She sets her storylines in lovely little English villages and the underlying theme is always on the feelings of friendship and community. What a wonderfully charming holiday themed book. The author really made this story delightful. It fills you with Christmas cheer and warms your heart. The story really tugs on your heartstrings and has you feeling as warm and gooey as one of Cathy's baked treats. I enjoyed how the book was filled with love, compassion, friendship and, especially, the spirit of Christmas. A beautiful holiday read.

I would like to thank Tilly Tennant, Bookouture and Netgallery for the opportunity to read this advance readers copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.