A Gift From The Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson

4.5 Stars

Ah, good old Budbury, a place that belongs in a different age.  An age where life is slower and everyone has their place in the world, knows what that is and sticks to it.  This is a good, old-fashioned romance set in the modern era in a town that is, to the say the least, magical.  The themes of the book don't stand up to tight scrutiny but for sheer enjoyability this one rates very highly.

Katie we have met before, she is a peripheral character mentioned in a couple of the earlier Budbury books but now we get the chance to find out much more about her and her little boy.  Like many of the influx of newcomers poor Katie has had a rough time of it, this time it is not at the hands of a man but rather the effects her parents all out fighting had on her.  She more than shies from confrontation she runs a million miles from it and any other social situation.  Will Budbury coax her out of her self-imposed exile?  Will Auburn and Willow's brother Van manage to break through that hard defensive wall?  You know you shouldn't really care and deep inside you know exactly how it will end but still you find yourself compelled to read on.

I'm not quite sure just how Debbie Johnson manages it but her characters are lively and honest, even the bad bits about their personalities are laid bare but you find yourself falling in love with them.  She writes with warmth, charm and wit and this sucks you in to the story despite all your better judgement and leaves you with a wistful smile on your face and the fervent wish that you could find your own Budbury.  The whole Comfort Food Cafe series exist in a place untouched by real life and yet an integral part of it but they work through the power of the people that live there.

This was a joyous festive read.  To be fair Christmas is a peripheral adjunct to the main story but there is enough there to make this a nigh on perfect seasonal read.  If you want some escapism with a happy ending that doesn't leave you fearing you will get Type 2 Diabetes then this one fits the bill nicely.