**Synopsis may contain spoilers**
Read more about the first two books in the series:
The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay
Meet Me in Cockleberry Bay
All of our favourite characters from Cockleberry Bay are back in this final, heart warming story in the series. Including Hot, Rosa Smith's adorable dachshund and his new-born puppies.
Now successfully running the Cockleberry Café and wishing to start a family herself, Rosa feels the time is right to let her inherited Corner Shop go. However, her benefactor left one important legal proviso: that the shop cannot be sold, only passed on to somebody who really deserves it.
Rosa is torn. How can she make such a huge decision? And will it be the right one? Once the news gets out and goes public, untrustworthy newcomers appear in the Bay . . . their motives uncertain. With the revelation of more secrets from Rosa's family heritage, a new journey of unpredictable and life-changing events begins to unfold.
The Gift of Cockleberry Bay concludes this phenomenally successful series in typically brisk and bolshy style and will delight the many thousands of Rosa's fans.
Excerpt from The Gift of Cockleberry Bay where Mary explains to Rosa the history of Halloween…
‘What is Halloween all about, anyway? I’ve always just thought of it as a lot of commercial rubbish if I’m honest.’
Mary looked horrified. ‘Let me tell you all about it.’ As Rosa settled back into her chair and took a sip of tea, her mother went on: ‘Today, yes, Halloween, is celebrated all around the world with sweets, costumes and trick-or-treaters, but all this began as a celebration for the dead to return to the living world and reconnect with their families.’
‘Oh, so that is the spooky connotation then?’
‘Well, if you want to look at talking to your loved ones as that, then I guess so, but having that gift, I see it as a beautiful thing.’ Putting some sugar into her tea, Mary sat comfortably at the kitchen table and went on, ‘Halloween is the night preceding All Hallows Day, which is November the first. This date has long been considered one of the most magical nights of the year – a night on which the “wall” that separates the living from the dead is at its thinnest.’
‘Wow, why didn’t I know this already? It all makes sense now with the ghosts and the ghouls.’ Rosa listened, entranced. ‘Go on.’
‘So, this night was usually a celebration of being in touch with the spiritual world and many would experience heightened sensitivity around this time.’
‘So, what does a carved pumpkin stand for then?’
‘Well, a folklore tale states that the jack-o-lantern was originally supposed to help lost souls find their way home. It got its name from an Irish folk tale about a prankster named Jack. Jack was a known troublemaker who was stuck between the world of the living and that of the dead. Legend states that Jack tricked the devil into the trunk of a tree by carving the image of a cross in the tree’s trunk. His mischievous ways denied him access to heaven – and the devil was so enraged by being tricked that Jack was also denied access to hell. So he remained a lost soul trapped between two worlds. In Ireland, people would carve turnips and pumpkins and place candles inside on All Hallows Eve to help guide Jack’s spirit back home.’
‘That’s an amazing tale!’
Purchase Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Her bestselling The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay, the 1st book in the Cockleberry Bay series, went to #1 on Amazon and stayed there for an unprecedented six weeks.
She classes her novels as ‘chicklit with a kick,’ writing about love, life and friendships in a real, not fluffy kind of way. She likes burgers, mince pies, clocks, birds, bubble baths and facials - but is not so keen on aubergines.
Visit Nicola online:
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Giveaway to win a signed copy of The Gift of Cockleberry Bay (Open INT)
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Giveaway ends April 20th.
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1 comment:
Fun cover. Thanks for the chance.
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