Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues

Trisha Ashley has developed a really quirky series of books based around the residents and romances of the village of Sticklepond. Designed in a similar fashion to Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series, each book focuses on a different villager and their burgeoning romances whilst previous characters flit in and out keeping us updated with their lives.

This is the second book I've read in the collection, having enjoyed the christmas themed ‘Wish Upon A Star' earlier this year. I fully expected to quickly become immersed in the story and to find it difficult to put down. I'm sad to say this didn't happen, instead I found it all to easy to lay this book aside. I had to keep reminding myself to read it.

It's the story of Tansy, who leaves behind her fiancé and London life to take over the shoe shop her Great Aunt Nan owns in the village of Sticklepond. Turning the shop into a bridal shoe specialist she deals with the challenges of setting up a new business with the challenges of managing the complaints of her moody new next door neighbour, Shakespearian actor Ivo.

It should have flowed so well, instead I kept finding it stalled. It seemed to get stuck in the pace of Sticklepond village life. It ambled along nicely but it's pace meant the story often became a bit of a day by day account of Tansy's life with little action.

It took until 70-75% of the way through before managed to get hooked enough to plough through the rest at any kind of pace. Until then I'd read a page or two and get a little bored.

I love the concept of Ashley's books, it's lovely to know that in reading more Sticklepond based books I'd be able to catch up with Tansy and see how her story continues. I just sincerely hope the next one is a little more engaging as with ‘Wish Upon A Star'