Life and dreams aren’t just a game to play…

Synopsis

An irresistible story of love, friendship and the power of Games Night, perfect for fans of Holly Martin and Christie Barlow.

When Emily loses her job, house and boyfriend all within a matter of days, she’s determined to turn a negative into a positive and follow her dream of running a small cafe in the gorgeous Yorkshire village of Essendale.

But she quickly finds she’s bitten off more than she can chew when the ‘popular’ cafe she takes over turns out to secretly be a failing business. Emily desperately needs a way to turn things around, and help comes from the unlikeliest of places when she meets local board game-obsessed GP Ludek. But when a major chain coffee shop opens on the high street, Emily is forced to question if she’ll ever be able to compete.

Has she risked everything on something destined to fail? Or can a playful twist, a homely welcome, and a sprinkle of love make Emily’s cafe the destination she’s always dreamed of?

‘A heart-warming romance perfect for curling up with. I absolutely loved it’ – Kitty Wilson

My review

Emily never thought to lose everything so quickly, as she loses her job, her house and her boyfriend in just a few days.
So while staying with her best friend, she decides to finally turn her dream of opening a café into reality.
But the place she took over is not at all the great business she thought it was, on the contrary…
Now Emily has to think of a way to make her café a successful story. And when she meets the local GP Ludek, who is also a game-fanatic, she starts to see the benefits of having a Board Game Café.
However, when a famous chain coffee shop opens on the high street of Essendale, Emily starts to wonder if her dream was better left to what is was, a dream.
Even if her little café brought her slowly but so much happiness, laughter, joy and even a little bit of love… 

Well, if this was the debut romance of this author, she has very high future expectations to fulfil!
I fell so much in love with this story, with Emily, the ‘clients’ and even some of the games (even if I am not such a gamer, and knew half of the games!) 

Emily is such a vibrant, cheerful woman. And even if she loses everything in the matter of days, she won’t just sit down and wallow around. Of course, in first instance she does right that, but then she starts to see so many possibilities, chances that now she can just grab.
And I loved how her dream of having a café was actually a shared dream she had with her mother. That made my heart string even a little bit more!  

There was just one thing that bothered me little bit in this book, but at the same moment it is also the thing that made this lovely tale possible.
And that thing, or rather person, is Kate…
I understand that she is Emily’s best friend, and it is admirable that she lets Emily stay at her place. Yet at moments I found her behaviour so frustrating… She is so determined to find love that she tries everything, but at the same time she was looking for her perfect man, she was also being very prejudiced. She is at first instance only looking at how someone looks like, and if he isn’t good looking, she quickly dismisses him.
And also how she ruins the grand opening, well, I don’t know if I would want such a person to be my best friend… 

But on the other hand Kate being Kate is also the reason that Emily meets Ludek and that Emily mans up and goes after her dream. So I am ready to forgive Kate’s behaviour as it made so much possible in this book. 

This book warmed my heart on so many different levels… how Emily is following her dream, how she quickly has her steady clients, but also how she starts to enjoy playing board games. Her opening the café brings her so many new opportunities, she meets new people, etc.
But also the way she is looking after people she cares about. She is truly worried about her father, and does her best to get him out of the house more.
And also when Ludek finds himself in the hospital, despite a misunderstanding, Emily rushes to the place even if it holds so many sad memories for her. 

The story is filled with positivism, even when not so great things are happening. Foe example how things are still on a pleasant level with her ex, while it would be so easy to begrudge him. And how Emily finds a whole community helping her with her café and supporting her. Those bits were the best part to read! 

And yes, there is absolutely romance in this book, and while I absolutely adored Ludek, the romance didn’t have the complete spotlight.
Because the spotlight was totally on Emily, finding not only her happiness or see her dream become reality, but her finding something that is completely *her*, no matter what others may think.
Seeing Emily in her element was so wonderful to read about! 

I think that this author is for sure someone to keep our eyes on, as I truly believe that she will treat us with more marvellous stories in the future about amazing, wonderful people who are impossible not to love!