A Summer at Sea: The feel-good escapist rom com from the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Cottage in the Country

After a rip-roaring row with a GP Emily decides to take a sabbatical from her job as a midwife in the Cotswolds and, fortuitously, her BFF Rebecca needs a cook for her 'puffer boat which takes small groups of tourists on week-long tours of the Scottish coastline. Emily soon makes friends with the customers, especially an elderly lady called Maisie, and with Rebecca's niece Kate and her father Alasdair, who just happens to be a local GP. So much so that she doesn't really want to return to the Cotswolds, until she is offered a dream job and the full support of the local GPs. For some reason I had seen this book on offer several times and the idea of it being set on a boat was vaguely off-putting. I needn't have hesitate, not only is it not all set on board the puffer, but it is also charming, lots of glorious Scottish scenery, cute moppets, knitting and the trademark Katie Fforde romance.

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 Emiy'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 seemedso 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.

i lovee the story!! i borrowed a book from a library which is also the same as this one. js waned to review that the story is good and exciting!