Jenny Colgan just has a way of making you fall in love with her characters. Rosie Hopkins and Stephen Lakeman are back and it's just after Christmas time in the village of Lipton. Stephen's mother is still horrible and Aunt Lilian is still the voice of reason and love. If you read the previous Rosie novels (Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams and Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop) you'll know that Rosie and Stephen have recently gotten engaged. They are, however, in no hurry to get married, mainly because Stephen's aristocratic mother, Henrietta, will inevitably demand a "society" wedding rather than the simple, joyful ceremony the couple would prefer. After a tragic personal turn of events, the couple decides to take a trip to Africa to visit the village where Stephen had taught and been injured by a land mine that killed two young boys. Now the boys' sister is pregnant and Stephen and Rosie travel for days by plane and jeep to see the family and offer support to the new mother and baby. When they return to England they bring back a joyous surprise (I won't tell you what), but complications ensue.
While Rosie's friend and sweet shop coworker Tina is planning her wedding, Stephen's sister Pamela breezes into town from America and decides to settle in Peak House, a dwelling on the Lipton estate where Stephen and Rosie had been tentatively planning to live because they needed more room. Chaos ensues, of course, with Pamela's Peak House renovations, a fire in Tina's planned wedding venue, and dealings with nasty dentist Roy Blaine. Of course, it all comes out fine in the end, but throughout the novel you will worry about Rosie and Stephen, two of the nicest and most adaptable people you would ever want to meet. Don't confuse "nice" with boring, though. These two have their struggles, but they always love and support each other and pitch in to help and nurture anyone else in need. There's just something about Jenny Colgan. It's not rocket science, but her stories have such a warm, appealing quality. You want her characters to be happy because they make you happy. That's the best thing about her novels. I want to read more!
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