No Room at the Little Cornish Inn- Book Review

 No Room at the Little Cornish Inn by Nancy Barone

Publication Date: 5th Nov 2020
Genre: Romance, Christmas Romance, Women’s Fiction

3.7 stars

The book is a sweet Christmas romance between Rosie Anderson and Mitchell Fitzpatrick, the Irish manager at The Old Bell Inn in Cornwall. Rosie is sent undercover to the place to investigate the manager and the sudden reason for the bad reviews about the inn.

Rosie and her almost 8yo son Danny, go to the inn where the story takes place. From meeting the staff to noticing that something is not right, falling for the Irishman, and dealing with the father of her son, Rosie has to find a way to set things right, even as Susan the Sacker, her boss, is hell-bent on firing Mitchell.

The premise was cute, and the setting was a definite bonus. I’ve always been a fan of Christmas stories, especially the ones set in the countryside.

Rosie is our narrator, who takes us through the book in the present tense. She’s what I call a rambler who can go on and on about her feelings, doubts, insecurities, and whatnot. This gets annoying when she is, in reality, doing a great job of bringing up her kid in the circumstances.

While she has every reason to be wary, how many times does the reader want to know the same things about her stupid ex? Her thoughts aside, she is someone who knows how to do her job and is very good at it. Even if she doesn’t stand up to Susan, she stays true to her cause of helping the staff and Mitchell while trying to find out the root cause of the issue.

The romance part is predictable but sweet. The kid is damn cute. The secondary characters are engaging and warm (except Susan, of course). The ends tie-up quite well, as the story picks up pace after 75% of the book. We also get to see Mark, the father of her son, and well, he isn’t interesting or engaging (I don’t think he was supposed to be, so that's fine).

I’ve skimmed through at times and didn’t miss any important details. Rosie just needed to be a little less rambling, and I’d have liked the book even more. I also wished the Christmas celebrations were more detailed, but that’s fine. Not everyone likes to read descriptions.

Overall, it is a sweet and light romance to pick up on a cozy afternoon. Don’t have too many expectations, and you’ll enjoy this one.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and Aria & Aries.

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