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Release date: April 13, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture 

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Blurb: 

Roses for romance, daisies for hope, daffodils for unrequited love… Drop by The Beachside Flower Stall for friendship, family and a beautiful bouquet. 

Carrie Dashwood fled Dorset when her best friend Megan stole her first love, Tom Hudson. Now ten years later, Carrie is back to help run her aunt Ruby’s flower stall in the beautiful seaside town of Shipley. 

Ruby’s Blooms is a gorgeous little haven bursting with character, but Carrie is in for a real shock. The stall is also arranging the flowers for Megan and Tom’s wedding. 

Determined to keep her emotions in check, Carrie finds herself going to great lengths to avoid the happy couple. Soon she’s crawling under the stall to hide and ‘accidentally’ inventing an imaginary boyfriend…But how long can she keep it up before she comes face to face with the boy who broke her heart? 

Can Carrie keep her cool, save the stall, and find her very own happy ever after? 

A heartening uplifting read about lost love and true friendship. Perfect for fans of Cressida McLaughlin, Cathy Bramley, and Debbie Johnson. 

Happy Easter, I can’t think of a more fitting book to share today, it just screams springtime! I’m so delighted to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for The Beachside Flower Stall. 

Review: 

This is the second in a series, I read The Beachside Sweet Shop last month and absolutely loved it and I enjoyed this one just as much. Though this is a series as it’s set in the same charming, quaint, beach town, it reads fine on it’s own as the characters are new in this installment. There are appearances from the characters in the first book which is always fun. 

Carrie is another wholly relatable character  with plenty of awkward moments and situations that make her so endearing. She moves to Shipley to help her aunt Ruby run her flower stall when Ruby is having a difficult time. Carrie just lost her job and at her parents urging she decides to give it a shot even though the only thing she knows about flower arrangements is from watching a single YouTube video. When she finds out Tom, the guy she loved from afar is getting married to her frenemy Megan, she worries she may have made a mistake in moving. 

Clarke has such an effortless writing style, it’s very easy to get swept away by one of her books. I felt like I was on another mini vacation while reading, it’s just so fun and joyful. It’s full of the same whimsy and humor that the first book had and the sexual innuendos from Bob, Ruby’s neighbor and Jane her shop assistant made me giggle like a schoolgirl. I had a grin on my face the entire time and I can’t wait to see what Clarke has in store next. I hear it’s Christmassy which makes my inner Buddy the Elf extremely happy! 

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to Bookouture for my review copy. 

About the Author: 

After giving up her job as a library assistant, Karen now writes full-time. She’s had over 300 stories published in women’s magazines in the UK and abroad, and has written three paranormal romantic comedies, published by Little, Brown/Corsair. When she’s not writing she reads avidly, walks dogs at her local rescue centre, and is eagerly awaiting the next season of The Walking Dead. She lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children.

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