The inspiration for the café and the family links to Italy brings the sunshine and warmth to the book combined with the lovable characters especially that of the main character Rosie Featherstone and Nonna. There is also this lovely, brilliantly captured community spirit when the people support each other, and the cafe was in the heart of all things happening. This one is beautiful, the colours, the cakes, everything about it is just so beautiful and draws you in.

Might have been an ok romance only it got way too long to get the the point, had a weird preachy message and also contained the aforementioned mess. it took until part 2 to actually explain something that was prior just alluded to, however I was so very bored by them that I actually did not care what what was happening/ had happened to the characters. Additionally some of the plot-line seems remarkably similar to Alexandra Brown's book 'The Great Village Show'.She resigns from her job and joins her Nonna to work in her bakery for a while until she finds a new job but easily gets wrapped up in the business and life happens. From about the 50% mark onwards the book was impossible to put down, as I was already engrossed with the characters, and the story just seemed to ramp up as it progressed.

I warmed to the book and the characters right at the beginning - even to the all - knowing nonna (you know I have huge problems with wiser than wise older aunts, grandmas, cousins in the stories. Rosie is a hardworking and business driven strong woman who has focused on her career and forgot about relationships for many years. Strong characters, twists and turns that you weren't expecting full of humour and tears a delightful read. Finally, the speed with which they were delivered was also excellent – especially as this was during the Christmas rush.Then something happens to threaten everything that Rosie holds dear, and she has to spring into action to save both the café and her fledgling relationship. The new feature is WI-FI so you can keep in touch with the wider world if you want to or the kids can have fun. Nicknamed Mr Manchester, he transformed the Northern music scene as founder of Factory Records and the Hacienda nightclub after earning a cult following as a television presenter. There are many twists and turns throughout the book, with an underlying love story as well as a strong sense of family.

That was annoying, because she could've avoided so much trouble and arguments with her love interest if she just hadn't been stupid all the time. But she is haunted by a terrible secret, one that even the appearance of a handsome new face can't quite help her move on from. With surprises, betrayal and more than one secret brewing, can she find a way to save the Lemon Tree Cafe and help both herself and Nonna achieve the happy endings they deserve? The story only got better and better, guys, there are no flat moments in it, the pacing is just right and I loved how well balanced were the humorous and poignant moments.

It also got better once 'the guy' was introduced as it brought a little distraction from annoying granny. The Lemon Tree Cafe itself was an inviting hub in the village of Barnaby and Cathy Bramley's writing left me feeling I knew the village and the cafe as well as the large cast of characters. When Rosie Featherstone finds herself unexpectedly jobless, the offer to help her beloved Italian grandmother out at the Lemon Tree Cafe – a little slice of Italy nestled in the rolling hills of Derbyshire – feels like the perfect way to keep busy.

So Rosie, our main character, reveals a genuinely sad and well written back story of her rape by a boyfriend. The revelation was something I didn't expect and different from 'standard' mysterious pasts, which made it a little better.

This is my last attempt to listen to a Cathy Bramley title if Colleen Prendergast continues to narrate the books as she has done fo the past 7 audio titles. This is an addictive book, that is quick to read and will leave you craving your next Cathy Bramley fix.