... always time for a nice cup of tea and a good book!: BLOGTOUR: The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse by Cressida McLaughlin #BlueMoonGuesthouse

The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse

Robin Brennan has come home to Campion Bay. Now her parents have retired, she’s set to become the new landlady of The Campion Bay Guesthouse.
Bookings have been as thin as the hand towels, and it doesn’t take long for Robin to realise that the place needs a serious makeover. Perhaps throwing herself into the task will help to heal her sadness at the tragic end to her dreams in London.
As she gives the guesthouse a new lease of life, Robin encounters old friends and new, including old flame Tim, who’d clearly like to reboot their romance. But what about Will, the new arrival at No. 4, who’s rocked up with the cutest dog ever?Caught up in a flurry of full-English breakfasts and cream teas, Robin’s never sure what, or who, the next check-in will bring…

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Oh, what a wonderful, warm and summery book that was! I really enjoyed reading this heartwarming story about family, love, friendships and the love of life!

Robin, our heroine, still tries to come to terms with the tragic death of her friend Neve's one and a half years ago but when her parents want to retire and close down their family's guesthouse, Robin embraces the opportunity to make their guesthouse her own. A very serious makeover is in order and Robin uses her chance to turn the guesthouse into something special, something as special as a blue moon.

Anyway - Robin's enthusiasm and her dedication to her work are definitely infectious. We are also renovating our place at the moment and I found myself thinking of themes and stars and blue moons ...

Not just I fell for Robin's charm and enthusiasm but Will, her new neighbor, falls for her as well - and he is not the only one. Tim, the "ex-love of her life" and a property developer is also interested but he is not just interested in her but he also wants to invest in the house next to hers to turn it into something...well, completely different.

I loved to read about Robin caring about her guests, touching their lives and making things special and I loved to see how she fell in love, how she was finally able to move forward and to heal from her loss. And I loved to read about Will and - well, let's just say that Will is another wonderful character.

So, this well-penned story with its loveable characters, with things like porcelain sheep and fluffy handcuffs (kidding!) and with lavender lace inspiring the most delicious cookies, is a very charming, funny and romantic read and the perfect choice to read on a nice and lazy summer day!

Robin’s Lavender Cookies

Robin is inspired to make lavender cookies after seeing Mrs Harris in her lavender night wear. They’re very simple to make and a hint of lavender gives them a refreshing, flowery taste.

Ingredients

225g butter, at room temperature

110g caster sugar

275g plain flour

2 tablespoons fresh lavender flowers

Method

Preheat your oven to 160°C / gas mark 3, and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, then mix in the lavender flowers and the flour until the mixture has a smooth consistency.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the mixture until it’s about 5mm thick, and use biscuit cutters to make your desired cookie shape – Robin has a moon-shaped cutter as she puts them in jars labelled ‘midnight cookies’ on each floor of the guesthouse.

Put your cookies onto the baking tray, allowing room in between each one as they expand slightly, and cook them for 15 to 20 minutes.
Leave them to cool, sprinkle with decorative sugar or extra lavender flowers and then tuck in!