Christmas at the Marshmallow Cafe

Christmas at the Marshmallow Cafe

by C P Ward
Setting: England
Genres: Fiction, Great Britain
Published on September 30, 2020
Format: eBook Source: Owned

When downtrodden checkout assistant Bonnie Green receives a letter from a mysterious uncle, she can hardly believe her eyes.
Gifted a hundred-year lease on a famous cafe situated in the middle of a mythical theme park, Bonnie sets off with her best friend Debbie on an adventure to a hidden valley in the Lake District where they will find new friendship, love, and happiness, all set against the magic of Christmas ... and more marshmallows than they can possibly eat....


I’m not a person who loves Christmas stories. However, I am a sucker for stories about people taking over some kind of cafe. When I saw this book offered I hoped the joy in the trope overrode my annoyance with the Christmas theme.

Things I Loved About This Book

1. A Middle-Aged Protagonist! I love romances and chick-lit type books with someone who isn’t twenty anymore. Bonnie is 52. She was in a bad marriage that has recently ended and her grown children are estranged from her because of it. She’s working as a cashier in a grocery store. Her life needs some excitement. She’s a great protagonist!

2. It is oh so snarky. I love realistic dialogue and in my world that means sarcasm. It always strikes me as strange if people are too syrupy sweet in fiction. Bonnie has a friend named Debbie who is half her age, likes to party way too much, and wishes she was in a rock band. The two of them together are hilarious.

‘There,’ she said. ‘Mickey D’s. I need breakie.’

‘I thought you didn’t do corporations?’

Debbie shrugged. ‘I make exceptions for food. The taste alone is punishment enough.’

What I Wanted More Of

1. Logic. This is a cute story. Just go with it. Don’t think too hard about how they have been making ends meet or why they haven’t been shut down by inspectors. Just go with it and have fun.

2. Recipes. Bonnie inherits a shop that served homemade marshmallows. Specifically it served marshmallows made without gelatin. As a vegetarian, I perked up. Then it talked about there being hundreds of recipes for different ways to make marshmallows without gelatin. I was ready. I was going to make some fancy marshmallows! But there aren’t any recipes in the book. I’m still going to Google but these types of books often have at least one recipe at the end so I was disappointed.


If you are looking for a quick fun holiday read I’d recommend picking up this book!