I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.I settled right into this delightful story of an event planner , Cassie , who finds herself at a crossroads in life and has to return home to her parents house because she has lost her job. When Cassie returns home she finds a few changes and is horrified to discover that her parents cannot keep their hands off each other! I had to laugh out loud when Cassie walked in the door to find out her parents were just getting out of bed!! Cassie thinks that she is going to rescue her parents sleepy little seaside cafe but finds out that it is a bustling tourist attraction. Nevertheless Cassie sets up some events in the Cafe like Scrabble night which turns out to be a huge success. Cassie reconnects with old friends and a High School crush Danny. Of course all is not smooth sailing with Danny and he has some competition with an ex-boyfriend from London that turns up and tries to win Cassie back.

Then there is Nan, Cassie's hilarious grandmother who is trying the minimalist approach and ridding herself of all possessions that are not necessary. Nan is hilarious and has to be my favorite character in this book. Rob, Cassie's brother has returned home as well after quitting his band and being thrown out of his house by Emma his bossy (according to Cassie) girlfriend. I am hoping the author will write a sequel about Rob and Emma.

I love a picturesque setting in a quiet seaside town with fun quirky characters. Settle in with a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy this one! ( )

I loved Karen Clarke's Beachside series so when I knew she had a new series of books starting, the Seashell Cove series, it was a bit of a no brainer as to whether I would want to read them or not.

The first book is The Café at Seashell Cove in which we meet Cassie Maitland. She's a high-flying events planner, always eating out in posh restaurants and basically living the highlife - or so think her parents. In fact, the life of an events planner in London is not all it's cracked up to be and Cassie has just been fired from her job. She ends up back with her parents, feeling under pressure to be something she's not, and feeling generally rather stressed.

The book gets off to a funny start as she arrives back home to a bit of a surprise which made me smile straightaway. But I think this is a more serious book than the Beachside ones. It didn't make me hoot with laughter and maybe it's because Cassie is a little bit unhappy with her life and that came through when reading her story.

She meets up with old friends, Tilly and Meg, and also Danny Fleetwood, who she was at school with - kind of the one who got away. But do they fit in with her fancy new life? I could only hope that Cassie would see sense and realise that you don't always have to do what is expected of you.

There are some parts that made me smile, some that were heart-warming, some that were fun. I enjoyed Cassie's attempts at putting her parents' café 'on the map' with board game evenings, a cat café and fancy tea and coffee tasting. But I particularly enjoyed her return to art, something that she had forgotten she loved. The simplest pleasures are really the best for Cassie, if only she could let herself calm down and do the things she enjoys the most.

The Café at Seashell Cove is a lovely read. It didn't take the turns I expected but I like that it surprised me. I found I looked forward to picking it up and reading a bit more and the ending was absolutely lovely. I'm now looking forward to meeting up with Meg again in the Bakery at Seashell Cove. Karen Clarke writes the most wonderful stories in the most wonderful settings, and Seashell Cove is just delightful. ( )