Having met lovely Julie Stock in real life at the first ever Deepings Literary Festival a couple of years ago when we had tea with Erica James, it was lovely to catch up with her at this year’s festival when, along with Lizzie Lamb, Julie was one of our speakers. Julie spoke so eloquently about her forthcoming novel The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge that I simply couldn’t resist being part of her blog tour, particularly as she encouraged me to get on with my own writing too. I’d like to thank Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate.

Not only do I have my review of The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge to share with you today, but there is a smashing giveaway for UK readers to enter at the bottom of this blog post too.

The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge is available for purchase on Amazon UK and  Amazon US.

The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge

When Olivia goes to manage Finn’s failing bistro, will they end up sharing a table for two, or will it be a recipe for disaster?

Olivia Fuller longs to manage one of the restaurants in her father’s chain and to break free to live the independent life she’s wanted for so long. When her father finally puts his trust in her and sends her to a failing restaurant in Devon, she’s confident she can prove herself capable of doing the job.

Finn Anderson is about to lose his beloved seaside bistro, unless the bank can find a buyer to dig him out. When George Fuller offers Finn a deal, he has no choice but to accept if he wants any chance of getting his bistro back one day. And then the new manager arrives…

Even after meeting the prickly chef and discovering his complete lack of business skills,

Olivia is confident she can turn the struggling business round. But as Olivia and Finn start working together, a mutual attraction develops between them, and soon, nothing is going according to Olivia’s plan.

When there’s a real chance that the bistro might be sold off, Olivia and Finn determine to fight for it, united by their hard work and their growing feelings for each other.

But can they save the bistro and be together, or does destiny have a different path in mind?

A feel-good contemporary romance set in a bistro beside the sea in Devon.

My Review of The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge

Olivia’s first opportunity to prove herself within her father’s business may bring more challenges than she anticipated.

What a lovely, uplifting and escapist story Julie Stock has written here.

There’s a real warmth in The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge so that, although there are doubts and difficulties experienced by the characters, the reader feels assured that the outcomes will be positive. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the story develops, and actually found it surprisingly feminist even though it is a romantic tale. Olivia has had to prove herself in what is a very male dominated corporate world and hold her own in a new environment. She may fall in love along the way but she’s certainly no push over and I appreciated her feisty character that made me support her all the way. She’s by no means perfect, being as stubborn as her father and occasionally hasty so that she felt all the more real. I found Finn very appealing and the cast of minor characters gave me people I liked and vehemently disliked so that in this microcosm of Julie Stock’s story it felt as if a much wider world was represented making for a hugely entertaining read.

I so enjoyed the themes woven into the The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge too. The perils of running a small business, guilt, loss, the sense of local community, corporate greed, sexism and family relationships all feature as well as romance at the heart of the story. This provided such rich texture to an already highly entertaining story in an absorbing plot.

The Devon setting is delightful. Descriptions made me want to get in the car and drive there immediately. I’m hoping there will be more to come about the characters in The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge as I feel as if I’ve been introduced to people and a place I want to know more about.

The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge is a lovely read. It took me away from the cares of life and made me feel happy. Smashing stuff.

About Julie Stock

Julie Stock writes contemporary feel-good romance from around the world: novels, novellas and short stories. She published her debut novel, From Here to Nashville, in February 2015 and her second novel, The Vineyard in Alsace in March 2017. Over You (Sam’s Story) and Finding You (Jenna’s Story), her follow-up novellas to From Here to Nashville were published in 2018, making the From Here to You series complete. She has also published a boxed set of the From Here to You trilogy of books. Julie’s latest novel, The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge, is out now.

You can find out more about Julie via her website , by finding her on Facebook or following her on Twitter @wood_beez48. Julie is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors.

If you’d like to sign up to Julie’s newsletter list, you can do so here.  As a thank you, you’ll be able to download Before You, the prequel story to the From Here to You series, for free.

When she is not writing, she works in communications. She is married and lives with her family in Bedfordshire in the UK.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

Giveaway

Win a signed copy of The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge and goodies (UK Only)

The prize will contain:

A signed paperback copy of The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge

Notebook with a The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge front cover.

The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge postcard magnet.

The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge bookmark

A bag of Devon fudge

For your chance to in these lovely goodies please click here.

Please note that this giveaway is run independently of Linda’s Book Bag and that I will not retain your details, nor am I responsible for the dispatch of the prize.