Janet Jackson's Yorkshire B & B by Becky Papworth - #BookReveiw #BlogTour

 

How would I describe Lavender Cottage? You'd never know from the outside quite how big the garage cottage is. It has a pitched, red slate roof you can actually touch if you stretch high enough - useful when clearing the gutters - and a small, pale green, uPVC door, which looks like wood, with two square casement windows either side. The duck-egg linen curtains in the windows are ones I knocked up myself. (Well done, Janet.) They look decent, as long as you don't interrogate them  too closely. They're not straight, plus I ran out of green and white cotton, so I went with a navy blue zigzag stitch. Hopefully it looks deliberate, like something Kirstie Allsopp might run up in a quiet morning.

***

Dental receptionist and Yorkshire lass Janet Jackson (no, not that one) has just turned her garage into a Bed & Breakfast - and without any experience at all, is now awaiting her very first guests.

What can possibly go wrong?

Helped by sulky teenage daughter Chloe and hindered by sex-mad sister Maureen, Janet lurches from one crisis to another, relying on her Yorkshire wit and wisdom to get her through with her bank balance, her love-life and her sanity intact.

A word of warning: if ever you've dreamed of running a B & B, read this book and, like Janet, you'll probably do it anyway.

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I am so very glad that I was offered the opportunity of being part of the blog tour for this book. It is a little different to my usual reading fare but I enjoyed every word.

I think that its appeal to readers will largely lie with the main character, the titular Janet Jackson. She was a delightful character, and I think most readers will find something in her with which they will identify. The author has not only portrayed her as likeable and engaging, but has developed all of the other characters thoughtfully and thoroughly too. They each contribute to the story, and it will be quite some time before I forget about Maureen, who is Janet's sister and completely attention worthy in so many ways.

As we observe Janet being coerced by those around her, it was a joy to observe how she reins back control of her own life. I felt as though I was accompanying a friend on her journey rather than reading her story and I felt a little bereft to finish the book. I was left wanting more of Janet, her family and friends, and not forgetting the array of guests who frequent her B and B.

Written with humour throughout, this is a wonderfully pleasurable book to read and I recommend it to anyone who wants a lighthearted read but with enough depth to keep you enthralled.

ISBN: 978 1739794811 

Publisher: Can Can Press

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 254 (paperback)

About the Author:

Becky Paapworth has spent 20 years making people laugh as a TV Producer on shows like Have I Got News For You, Rab. C. Nesbitt and Citizen Khan. She's hoping to entertain readers with this account of running a B&B, some of it is based on her own experience (she's not saying which bits).

(Thank you Rachel's Random Resources for gifting me a copy of this book)