Review: Fans of Maeve Binchy and Cathy Kelly are going to love Josephine Moon!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 30, 2014
The Tea Chest is an outstanding debut novel about starting over, taking chances, the ties that bind and the power of friendship from a writer set to become Australia’s answer to Cathy Kelly – Josephine Moon.Kate Fullerton’s life couldn’t get any better. The talented tea designer has got a husband who is devoted to her, two adorable little boys and a fabulous job at The Tea Chest, a Brisbane boutique store, to keep her on her toes. Getting paid to create and concoct delicious brews for the legion of devoted customers that regularly frequent the store is what Kate has always wanted to do. However, nobody was more stunned than Kate when, after the sudden passing of her boss Simone, she is made co-owner of the company! Creative Kate might be an expert when it comes to tea, but she is completely lost when it comes to business! As if that wasn’t enough to contend with, Kate learns that she has been tasked with opening up a branch of the business in London which compels her to pack her bags, leave her husband and kids behind and try her hardest to keep the company afloat – or else risk losing everything she holds dear to her heart: her business, her life savings and her marriage!Leila Morton has always been the consummate professional, but the hard-working and conscientious senior editor has had enough of holding her tongue and taking the flack for her boss’s incompetence. When in a moment of madness, she tells her boss exactly what she thinks of him, Leila finds herself out of a job and with her future in tatters. Desperate for a fresh start – and unable to bear another second of her mother lecturing her about flushing her career down the pan – Leila decides to bite the bullet and apply for a job which will take her to London where she will help set up a boutique tea store in Chelsea. When she gets the job, Leila is absolutely delighted – even though relocating to London means having to say goodbye to her best friend Lucas, whom she has been in love with for years!Elizabeth Clancy hadn’t planned on ending up on the evening news in her nightwear, but when her husband tells her that he’s got another family in Japan and that he cannot give her the baby she wants with all her heart because he’s had a vasectomy, Elizabeth realizes that she cannot continue to stay married to a man who could betray her like that. With nothing else to keep her in Australia, Elizabeth decides to go back home to her parents in London. But the peace and quiet she had been expecting to find in the warm bosom of her family is not to be found as her parents have got their own marital dramas to deal with…When a chance encounter brings the three women together, they vow to do their utmost to ensure that The Tea Chest is a roaring success. But with so many obstacles to overcome, will they manage to triumph against all the adversity standing in their way? Or will the happiness they’ve been searching for – in both their professional and personal lives- prove to be elusive?Warm-hearted, uplifting and hugely enjoyable, The Tea Chest is a terrific contemporary tale women everywhere will relate to. Josephine Moon writes with sensitivity and candor about the daily struggles of working mothers, the pain of unrequited love, devastating betrayal and finding the strength and courage to make your dreams come true.Josephine Moon has created three believable and realistic heroines that leap off the pages, whom you’d love to share a pot of delicious tea with. From dedicated Kate to ambitious Leila and resilient Elizabeth, Josephine Moon has created three strong women you’ll empathize with and cheer for as they rise to all the challenges being thrown their way before reaching their goals.Funny, poignant and impossible to put down, The Tea Chest is sure to hit the spot and have you eagerly anticipating Josephine Moon’s next book!This review was originally published on Single Titles.