Molly Jones's ex-husband Harvey has reappeared in her life after many years, wanting to put right the wrongs of the past before it is too late. Every time Milly Johnson releases a new book, I'm like a small child at Christmas - I can't contain myself or think of anything else until I've opened it up and devoured it. It's getting quite difficult now to say anything new about her books - I reviewed It's Raining Men on my blog last year, and several others on Goodreads before that, and never make any secret of the fact that I'm an unashamed fan and that, for me, she can do no wrong. Spring Hill Square is a pretty sanctuary away from the bustle of everyday life. And at its centre is Leni Merryman's Teashop on the Corner, specialising in cake, bookish stationery and compassion. And for three people, all in need of a little TLC, it is somewhere to find a friend to lean on.

Shaun, brought up in foster homes and boys homes, had never known a mother’s love and his heart had frozen over. He now filled his days with work and books.

Table of Contents

Almost from the beginning I had a feeling that I know what happened with Anne, which doesn't make me feel better or cleverer, no way, I just wanted to know if my suspicions are correct and what was the reason. I really felt heartbroken reading what actually happened and the way Leni was trying to cope. There is so much sadness in her story but in some way it also feels uplifting and heart - warming. The story might seem complex at first, with many characters and their stories overlapping, but once you get into it you won't be able to put this book down. The Teashop on the Corner is a lovely spot owned by Leni, a pretty much upbeat person who loves serving delicious cakes and everything literary. Her little shop soon becomes a place where Molly and Carla come to escape from the their problems and cruel reality, but also a place where over Bronte and other classics they bond and form new interesting friendships. Since I have read "Here Come the Girls" I fell in love with Milly's writing and although this book still stays on the pole position in my favourites, "The Teashop on the Corner" is very, very high in my rating, just behind. Probably I should create a new rating scale because I would give this book many, many more as only 5 stars. Leni has just opened her teashop in a development of new shops, she has created her shop with great care and it encompasses everything that she loves most in life; cake, books and meeting people. The story revolves around the teashop and it's customers; a bunch of people who would be unlikely to meet if it were not for this little oasis of calm that begins to be very important to them all. Carla Pride has just discovered that her late husband Martin was not who she thought he was. But now she must learn to put her marriage behind her and move forward.

Will; bankrupt, homeless and now single after his materialistic wife has made it quite clear that she is not prepared to live without the big house, the fancy car, the hair extensions and the designer bags. Pavitar; retired surgeon, a true gentleman and so very lonely after the death of his beloved wife. All of these characters are going through a tough period, their life is pretty much at a crossroad, so Leni's cakes and the goodies she sells in her shop offer them more than just comfort. It offers them peace and a sense of belonging. I honestly didn't expect this book to get all these feelings out of me! I remember, when I reached the end, I had tears in my eyes, but at the same time I was so happy for each of these characters. Spring Hill Square is a pretty sanctuary away from the bustle of every day life. And at its centre is Leni Merryman’s Teashop on the Corner, a place where three people will find a friend to lean on:This was such a charming little book. I'd never read anything by and never heard of Milly Johnson before, so I didn't know what to expect. I assumed it would be a light and fluffy romance. It was much more than that: yes it is a romance, but it also has some dramatic elements to it. Even though there are some happy endings, they're not cheesy at all; they're quite realistic. And not everyone is fortunate to get a 'happily ever after' ending. The book totally reminds me of the movie Love Actually. Several characters are introduced at the beginning, and the chapters alternate between the different plots. But then, some way or another all the characters find their ways to the Teashop on the Corner, so their stories intertwine. New friendships and love relationships develop. And at this point, the book started to make me think about what I call the Facebook phenomenon. I have always thought that Facebook is actually a "Fakebook", meaning that everyone on it pretends to have a perfect life, even though everybody has lots of skeletons in their closets. But online you can pretend not to have any. By contrast, in real life you can only hide your skeletons temporarily. But real friendship/love is about loving each other with/despite our skeletons. All the characters have their skeletons, and of course they try to hide them, but life forces them to reveal their secrets. But thankfully they have people around them who don't mind their skeletons at all. And those are the moments when highly sensitive people (like me) start crying, and then cry and cry... (And then the book becomes a favourite...) Having just this minute finished reading The Teashop on the Corner by Milly Johnson, I am so sad to have to leave the wonderful group of characters behind but also I am still buzzing at what an incredible read this was. The Perfectly Imperfect Woman features a certain male boss who appears first in The Yorkshire Pudding Club but there is no story continuation. This book is very much a standalone. What I also liked about the book that there are lots of literary references (especially to Jane Austen), which I totally enjoyed. And the teashop is the teashop of my dreams. A teashop where there are some fantastic desserts and you can buy stationery (bags, bookmarks, notebooks etc.) related to classics. (If I won the lottery, I'd totally open a teashop like this.) I fell in love with every character and I was captivated by their stories of love, loss and second chances. I just wanted to give Molly a big hug.

The Teashop on the Corner has a perfect mix of tea, cake, books and friendship. Johnson’s descriptions of Leni’s literary wares makes me want to jump straight online to find some of these gems for myself. It fills me with a need to read the classics mentioned throughout the novel. The gorgeous Tea Shop on the Corner in Spring Hill Square has recently been opened by the lovely Leni Merryman, her dream of owning her own tea shop that also specialises in rare quirky literary gifts and stationary has finally come true but she could never have imagined that her little shop would bring a friendly safe haven for a group of people who are all at a challenging and emotional time in their lives. Each character not only has a believable story to tell but they each managed to exude warmth, compassion and strength for themselves and for each other. There were some wonderful laugh out loud moments interspersed with the heartbreak which brought about a real balance within the book and prevented the heavier aspects of the story from becoming to maudlin! The short snappy chapters allowed the story to flow without it feeling rushed which I also liked.I usually find some kind of fault with endings for most if not all the books I read. Sometimes a critique of the author but most times because I have a habit of finishing stories in my head and get miffed when the actual ending doesn’t tally with mine! In this case the endings felt appropriate, the yearning for a different path to be followed that was not to be felt right rather than cruel and I closed the book with a contented, if somewhat sob induced sigh. The Mother of All Christmases is a standalone BUT it is also a part sequel to A Winter Flame as it features the further adventures of Jacques and Eve. The Barn on Half Moon Hill story happens within this book so you will definitely benefit from buying that (it’s 99p and all the money goes to charity – see above). The Mother of All Christmases also features characters and mentions from the following books: Here Come the Girls, A Summer Fling, Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage, White Wedding, The Teashop on the Corner, Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Café, The Queen of Wishful Thinking and The Yorkshire Pudding Club. I really enjoyed reading this book. The three central characters all have interesting and believable stories and the supporting cast of characters ensure all the characters really come to life. This kind of book is really easy to read and perhaps a little predictable but that doesn’t impact on the enjoyment factor!

Young Ryan O’Gowan comes from the roughest family in the area but unlike the rest of his clan, Ryan wants to make something of his life. My One True North is also a standalone BUT it has characters from Here Come The Girls and The Teashop on the Corner in it, although you don’t need to have read them to enjoy it. Absolutely loved it. Milly's writing is like getting a big hug with just the right amount of bite underneath. I was rooting for Bonnie from the start' Jane FallonAnother gem from Milly which follows her usual winning template about 3 women who find their way and get their lives and relationships straightened out. This one held no surprises, but the joy is in the journey. As usual with many of her books, the romance takes the second stage to the ups and downs of 3 damaged and victimized women (and men too!) who find their strength and fulfill their dreams by the end. The romances are pretty sweet though. I liked that this book featured a wonderful kid who is also rescued from an intolerable situation. I would love to see more of Ryan O'Gowan. This was such a compelling read I literally did not put it down as the storyline just swept me away and there was always something going on so there wasn’t a safe place to stop other than the end! Pavitar Singh is a lonely retired doctor with a great love of literature – and a thirst for like-minded company. The Magnificent Mrs Mayhew is a standalone book but it does give a sneaky mention to a certain village called Ren Dullem as featured in It’s Raining Men.