A Summer At Sea by Katie Fforde

There is something comforting about picking up a Katie Fforde book; you know exactly what you are going to get and A Summer At Sea doesn't disappoint. 

Strong, independent female lead - CHECK.  Emily is a midwife who advocates for home birth and making the whole process feel as natural and calm as possible.  When she butts heads with the local GP and a prominent local over a birth she decides she needs to take some time off and reassess her priorities.

Support network of female friends - Emily has few friends but the ones she does have are strong, trustworthy do anything for you types.  She has Sally at home, a colleague and staunch friend.  Then there is the childhood friend Rebecca who comes to her rescue by offering her a job as cook aboard their Puffer for the season.

Interesting side characters - Bille the galley slave who is a bit of an adversary for Emily.  Maisie the elderly lady who shares Emily's passion for knitting.  Lizzie the local health visitor cum midwife.

Adorable but strangely normal children.  Rebecca's two boys are everything that a boy should be and rarely are in novels (maybe they are a bit Swallows and Amazons-ish but I like that in a fictional child).  Katie, Alasdair's daughter is mature beyond her years but still retains the innocence of youth and the delight in the little things.

Gorgeous surroundings - The North of Scotland never seemed so beautiful.  From the views off the deck of the Puffer to the little island retreat, it just gets better and better - even if the weather doesn't always co-operate.

Romance - Off course there is romance but this is a more grown up version.  No head over heels but a gentle meeting of the heart that flounders (as it must in all good love stories).

In short there are no surprises here for anyone who is a fan of the genre or of the author in particular.  What there is, is a gentle plot that trickles along like a burn allowing people to find their space within the pages and for us, the reader, to absorb the simple wonder of life through them.  With charming locations and realistic characters you feel just as cosy as the lounge on the Puffer sounds.  There are no surprises along the way and everything unfurls exactly as you would predict but it is still an awful lot of fun getting there.  This makes it a gentle, life-affirming, read perfect for curling up with a mug of hot chocolate and your snack of choice.