Are you after a fun, holiday read that’ll make you laugh out loud? Look no further. Incredibly fast paced with effortlessly flowing witty dialogue, it’s hard to believe The Pretty Delicious Cafe is a book and not a television series – this is a book fans of Bridget Jones’ Diary and Offspring will love to sink their teeth into.
Set in a small seaside town in New Zealand, The Pretty Delicious Cafe follows Lia, a short, unruly red haired woman with a wicked sense of humor. She has a gorgeous twin brother named Rob, a cafe co-owned with her best friend Anna (who is marrying her twin brother), a mother who always has a new health kick concoction, a step brother who can’t find love and an ex who can’t seem to let go.
When Lia hears a tapping on her window after a reading a murder mystery late one night, she’s prepared to come face to face with an axe murderer, not a charming stranger named Jed with a broken down car. After the dual embarrassment of him seeing her in Elmo pj’s and her twin brother Rob coming to her aid in tight pink boxers, Lia hopes that’s the last she’ll ever see of the handsome Jed, but the universe has other ideas.
With the busy season approaching, as well as Anna and Rob’s wedding, Lia can’t find any time away from the cafe. What’s worse, although months have passed since her breakup, her ex Isaac keeps calling her and won’t get the hint. Between running the cafe, making new recipes, calming Anna down, dealing with her dysfunctional family and dodging her ex, the last thing Lia has time for is a relationship. That was of course until not-an-axe-murderer Jed walks into her cafe with the local mechanic. Finding out Jed will be staying for a few months and helping Monty out, Lia can’t help but feel a flutter towards Jed, despite knowing it will inevitably end, and he seems to feel it too. However, Jed has a past, a past that won’t leave them alone, and Lia must decide whether the universe rule her life, or she does.
The Pretty Delicious Cafe will make you smile the entire way. From the crazy situations Lia seems to find herself in, the hippie mother, the mopey step brother, the stalker ex and snarky best friend, it is a book that will have you in stitches. It’s full of twists that are as unpredictable as Lia’s sarcastic comments, and what happens with Isaac, her family and Jed is the last thing you would expect and worth the page-flicking to find out.
It’s not only hilarious, but also jam packed with tantalising food. Prepare for your mouth to water as you read Lia plan each day for the cafe, and lucky for us, the end of the book holds a special treat (literally) of Pretty Delicious Cafe recipes, so you can try your hand at bread dough, boysenberry cheesecake, cinnamon buns and more. See below for a sneak peak at one of the recipes!
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he Pretty Delicious Cafe is brimming with romance and eccentricity. A refreshing take on romantic comedy, it reminds us about the importance of family, friends and the opportunity of fresh beginnings. Danielle Hawkins’ fans will not be disappointed with her latest and people new to her will not be able to put it down. It’s a book that’s better than sleep – and almost as good as Lia’s strawberry ice-cream cake.
Danielle Hawkins grew up on a sheep and beef farm near Otorohanga in New Zealand, and later studied veterinary science. After graduating as a vet she met a very nice dairy farmer who became her husband and switched to sheep farming. Danielle spends two days per week working as a large animal vet and the other five as housekeeper, cook and general dogsbody. She has two small children – and when she is very lucky they nap simultaneously and she can write things…
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Chocolate Brownie
This is a brillant recipe – it always works, tastes great, keeps beautifully, freezes well, takes four minutes to assemble and twenty minutes to cook.
Heat the oven to 160 ºC. In a medium saucepan melt together:
150 grams of butter
6 tablespoons of cocoa
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in:
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup of plain flour
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
Line a tin with baking paper. Spread the mixture in the tin and bake for 20 mins until just set.
* Be sure to stir the eggs into the hot mixture right away; if you leave them sitting on top and wander off to do something else, the whites start to cook.
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