Another Cup of… – Page 2 – Jenny Kane & Jennifer Ash

Opening Lines: Christmas in the Cotswolds

On November 29, 2022

In Another Cup of..., Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Jenny Kane, Opening Lines Blog, Romance

This week I’m continuing my Opening Lines series with with a peep at the first pages of Christmas in the Cotswolds – the second festive special in the Another Cup of… series.

Blurb

Izzie Spencer-Harris, owner of the Cotswold Art and Craft Centre, is due to host the prestigious Cotswold Choir’s annual Christmas carol concert in her beautiful converted church. Or at least she was, until a storm smashed a hole right through the chancel roof!

Days from Christmas, Izzie suddenly finds herself up to her neck in DIY, with her last dodgy workman having walked off the job. She does the only thing she can… calls in her best friend Megan to help.

Leaving Peggy and Scott to run Pickwicks Café in her absence, Megan heads to the Cotswolds for Christmas. Within minutes of her arrival, she finds herself hunting down anyone willing to take on extra work so close to Christmas. It seems the only person available to help is Joseph Parker – a carpenter who, while admittedly gorgeous, seems to have ulterior motives for everything he does…

With Izzie’s bossy mother, Lady Spencer-Harris, causing her problems at every turn, an accident at work causing yet more delays, and the date for the concert drawing ever nearer, it’s going to take a lot more than Mrs Vickers’ powerful mulled wine to make sure everything is all right on the night…

Readers love Jenny Kane:
‘This is a delightful short story with that lovely Christmas feel good feeling‘

‘An easy festive read that will make you smile‘

‘Very festive short story with lovely characters. . . Cosy, ideal reading for Christmas time’

‘Perfect for the Christmas season. Heartwarming, emotional and so true for today’s hectic, manic life. One to have, keep, and enjoy!!‘

FIRST 500 WORDS

Prologue

December 12^th

Izzie closed her eyes and counted to ten as the door of the Cotswold Arts Centre slammed shut.

There was no point in panicking. She simply didn’t have time for such luxuries if her converted church was going to be ready to host a Christmas carol concert by the renowned Cotswold Choir in nine days’ time.

Bored of being propositioned by men who weren’t remotely interested in her until they discovered she was a daughter of the gentry, Izzie had ejected the carpenter through her front door before he’d quite had time to work out just how insulting her rejection of his latest lurid suggestion was.

Now, her hasty tongue having deprived her of a desperately needed pair of tradesman’s hands, Izzie sat with a heavy thump onto the nearest pew. She knew she had to find fresh help, and fast. A task that wouldn’t be easy so close to Christmas.

‘Although,’ Izzie addressed the image of Noah, who smiled benevolently at her from his stained-glass window, as if grateful he hadn’t been smashed to pieces by the tree branch that had come through the top of the chancel and caused so much seasonal inconvenience, ‘I’m damn sure I’m not asking my mother to help out ever again!’

Reaching for the offending package of invitations that had arrived by courier first thing that morning, Izzie emptied it onto the table. The invitations were supposed to have been posted by now. As soon as she’d seen them, Izzie understood why her mother had left them to the last minute.

Unfussy, cost-effective, and with a medieval Christmas flavour in keeping with the spirit of the converted fourteenth-century church where the concert was to be held. That’s what she’d asked for. What she’d got was decadent Victorian-style gold-edged invitations which weighed so much, Izzie was sure that posting them alone would break the bank. And if that wasn’t bad enough, her mother had done the one thing that she had expressively forbidden. She’d put Izzie’s full name on the invitations.

Lady Perdita Spencer-Harris had been unable to comprehend why her daughter didn’t want to use the family name to help sales. She simply didn’t understand that Izzie wanted people to come to hear the choir for its own sake, or because they wanted to see what she’d done in her art centre; not because she was a young and single female member of the landed gentry.

Miss Isadora Spencer-Harris

cordially invites you to a magical festive evening at

The Cotswold Arts Centre, Chipping Swinton

to hear the renowned Cotswold Choir’s Christmas Carol Concert

Saturday 21^st December

7 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. start

£25 per ticket

Refreshments provided

RSVP by 18^th December to Harris Park

Wrapping her stripy woollen scarf more tightly around her neck, Izzie breathed warm air over her cold fingers. Deciding it wasn’t cost effective to heat the church this late at night just for her, she gathered up the invitations, and with one last check that the…

If you’d like to find out what happens next, then Christmas in the Cotswolds is available from all good e-retailers as well as in the Jenny Kane Christmas Collection on Amazon.

mybook.to/ChristmasinCotswolds

mybook.to/JKChrisCollection

Many thanks for popping by today,

See you next time for 500 words from Christmas at the Castle.

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Opening Lines: Another Cup of Christmas

By Jenny Kane

On November 22, 2022

In Another Cup of..., Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Jenny Kane, Opening Lines Blog, Romance

For the next three weeks, I’ll be featuring my ‘Another Cup of….’ festive novellas on the ‘Opening Lines’ blog spot.

Today, I’m starting with the first 500 words from Another Cup of Christmas.

Blurb

Five years ago the staff of Pickwicks Cafe in Richmond were thrown into turmoil when their cook and part-owner, Scott, had a terrible accident. With help from his friends, his wife Peggy, and the staff at the local hospital, he made an amazing recovery. Now Pickwicks is preparing to host a special Christmas fundraiser for the hospital department that looked after Scott.

Pickwicks’ waitress Megan has been liaising with the ward’s administrator, Nick, as all the staff who helped Scott’s recovery are invited. As the problems of organising the fundraiser take up more and more of their busy lives, Megan and Nick contact each other more frequently, and their emails and phone calls start to develop from the practical into the flirty.

But can you actually fall for someone you’ve never met?

As the fundraiser draws closer, Megan is beginning to think that she had imagined all the virtual flirting between herself and Nick – he promised to arrange to meet her for real, but he hasn’t done so. Now he’s bringing someone with him to the fundraiser, and they’re just bound to be everything Megan feels she isn’t …

Join the characters of Jenny Kane’s wonderful debut Another Cup of Coffee once again for a heart-warming festive read!

Readers love Jenny Kane:
‘A lovely heart-warming tale set at Christmas and a perfect short read for in front of a blazing fire and a cup of coffee (or hot chocolate!)’

‘A great read in the run up to Christmas, highly recommended‘

FIRST 500 WORDS

Chapter One

December 4^th 2012

Having politely escaped her third ‘So what are you doing for Christmas?’ conversation of the day, Megan Johnson was retreating back to the counter when she spotted Pickwicks’ most regular customer sit up from her work and brush a stray red hair from her eyes.

Knowing it had been at least half an hour since Kit’s caffeine addiction had been attended to, the waitress swiped up the percolator jug and headed in her direction.

Without bothering to ask if it was required, Megan poured the steaming liquid with practised care, before taking advantage of the lull in Christmas shopping trade, and sitting down opposite her friend. ‘Going OK?’

Swivelling the laptop round to face Megan, Kit rubbed the back of her neck, ‘I’m sure I’ve missed something. What do you think?’

Pickwicks Festive Fundraiser!

Spoil Yourself With An Afternoon of Pickwicks’ Finest Festive Fare.

In Aid of the Royal Free Hospital’s Spinal Ward.

Saturday 22^nd December from 2pm.

Deluxe Buffet And Fundraising Fun!

Tickets are ONLY £25 per person

Don’t miss out!

Book your place at Pickwicks Coffee Shop, Richmond – NOW!!

Megan scanned the poster. ‘Oh, that’s fabulous! I thought you were writing your latest novel.’

‘To tell you the truth, that’s exactly what I should be doing, but Peggy asked me to do some publicity for the fundraiser and I thought I’d better get on with it. Time seems to be dissolving. It’ll be the 22nd before we know it.’

‘I know what you mean.’ Megan started to collect the dishes left by a couple who’d just vacated a nearby table. ‘The next three weeks are going to fly by.’

‘Two and a half weeks!’

‘Oh, hell! Really?’

‘That’s why I want to get these done; otherwise everyone will be too booked up with their own celebrations to have time to come.’ Gesturing towards the kitchen, Kit asked, ‘How’s Scott doing out there, or shouldn’t I ask?’

Megan’s permanent smile widened further across her lightly freckled face. ‘He’s amazing. I have no idea how he does it. The temperature in that kitchen is tropical, and yet Scott’s still beaming that massive toothy grin of his. I’m seriously beginning to think he is physically unable to stop cooking! Surely he must have pre-prepared as much as he can for the fundraiser by now?’

Kit nodded. ‘He probably has, but Peggy is getting paranoid there won’t be enough food.’ Glancing around, checking that Megan wasn’t needed by a customer for a moment, Kit pointed to a fresh pile of abandoned cups. ‘If I clear those, will you have a proper read of the poster? I’m sure I’ve missed something obvious but I can’t put my finger on it?’

Kit was already standing up and taking a tray from Megan’s hands before the waitress said, ‘On one condition.’

‘Which is?’

‘I can check my emails? I’m supposed to be liaising with the hospital about this for Peggy, but we’ve been so busy over the last few days I…’

If you’d like to read on, Another Cup of Christmas, is available from all good e-book retailers, and as part of the Jenny Kane’s Christmas Collection.

mybook.to/AnotherCupofChristmas

mybook.to/JKChrisCollection

(You don’t need to have read Another Cup of Coffee to enjoy my festive stories.)

You can her me read a little from Another Cup of Christmas here- https://www.facebook.com/coffeetimesessions/videos/381433993174274

Come back next week, for the first 500 words from Christmas in the Cotswolds.

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Let’s focus on: Another Cup of Coffee

By Jenny Kane

On August 4, 2022

In Another Cup of..., Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Jenny Kane

Paperback cover

Thirteen years ago Amy Crane ran away from everyone and everything she knew, ending up in an unfamiliar city with no obvious past and no idea of her future. Now, though, that past has just arrived on her doorstep, in the shape of an old music cassette that Amy hasn’t seen since she was at university. Digging out her long-neglected Walkman, Amy listens to the lyrics that soundtracked her student days. As long-buried memories are wrenched from the places in her mind where she’s kept them safely locked away for over a decade, Amy is suddenly tired of hiding. It’s time to confront everything about her life. Time to find all the friends she left behind in England, when her heart got broken and the life she was building for herself was shattered. Time to make sense of all the feelings she’s been bottling up for all this time. And most of all, it’s time to discover why Jack has sent her tape back to her now, after all these years… With her mantra, New life, New job, New home, playing on a continuous loop in her head, Amy gears herself up with yet another bucket-sized cup of coffee, as she goes forth to lay the ghost of first love to rest…

Available from:

In eBook and paperback format from Amazon UK, Kobo, Nook, and all good book stores.

Reviews:

‘This book is definitely my cup of coffee

Gosh, where to start with this review?!

The characters: you laughed with them, cringed, hated, wanted to shout at the book because you cared so deeply. Every character had their own story, and I loved that this was intertwined with Amy’s story, waiting to see how it panned out. Big round of applause for Kane for the characters on its own.

Another Cup of Coffee itself: very realistic and a delight from start to finish. I felt like I was sitting on the outside looking in all the time, and I’d known this group of people for my entire life.

A wonderful piece of literature which will fill your heart with warmth as you get sucked in to every aspect. My heart has grown 100 sizes, much like The Grinch (too early for Christmas references?!). This could also be due to the amount of coffee I consumed due to having FOMO every time one of the characters were having coffee. Which was basically every other page (help)…

The romance aspect wasn’t too in your face, if you know what I mean? Kane tackles issues such as still being attached to someone so long after they have left, the “how am I gay if I’ve loved a woman?” question and running away from your problems.

I didn’t feel like I was reading a piece of fiction – I felt like this was a real-life story told at a dinner party around coffee, with an ending that can only be adored.

A timeless piece and one worth picking up big time.

This book is definitely my cup of coffee (sorry, I had to). Bookmark That approved. Loved!’ BookMarkThat UK

Ebook cover

‘Delicious, delightful and simply irresistible, I devoured Jenny Kane’s wonderfully romantic tale, Another Cup of Coffee, in a single sitting!

Thirteen years ago, Amy Crane had looked at her life, her family and her friends and decided that she wanted and needed a change. A fresh start where nobody knew anything about her and where she had no ties or commitments was of paramount importance, so she ran away from everyone and everything and made a new life in a new city where nobody knew the first thing about her. Amy had thought that her old life had been consigned to the past and that she needn’t be troubled or worried by the stirrings of memories of a time she would much rather forget. However, the past does have a habit of rearing its head again when one least expects it, as she discovers when an old music cassette which she has not seen since her university days turns up, bringing to the fore feelings, emotions, fears and resentments which she had thought long buried.

Digging out her walkman and listening to the soundtrack of her university days is an experience that leaves a profound effect on Amy. Realizing that she cannot continue to hide from her past, she decides to tackle her fears head on and to confront all those uncomfortable feelings which she has kept locked away for thirteen years. Amy is well aware that her decision to face her old demons is not going to be a walk in the park, but how can she achieve closure, if she continues to hide herself away?

The time has come for Amy to track down the friends she had turned her back on thirteen years ago, piece together the pieces of a life that had come to a sudden and shattering halt and uncover the reason why Jack has, after all this time, decided to send her a tape and forced her to reexamine and reevaluate her life and her relationships. Had Amy done the right thing in walking away from her relationship? Should she have fought for the one she loved? Or should she let bygones be bygones?

Armed with a bucket sized cup of coffee, will Amy manage to lay old ghosts to rest? Or will she find the answers to all the questions she has been asking herself for well over a decade?

An absorbing read which I thoroughly enjoyed, Another Cup of Coffee is an uplifting and feel-good romance about facing the past, second chances and first love that I simply couldn’t put down. Jenny Kane’s story is fast-paced, emotional, feel-good and compelling and once you start reading Another Cup of Coffee, you will find yourself completely and utterly hooked.

A fabulous read that I absolutely loved, Another Cup of Coffee is a wonderful book from a talented writer I have added to my list of must-buys: Jenny Kane!’ Bookish Jottings

‘Reading Another Cup of Coffee is almost like being a fly-on-the-wall of the lives of the book’s main characters. Kane makes use of her clear writing skills by having the reader shadow Amy’s, Jack’s and Kit’s lives as they try to make sense of the changes that begin to form an iron grip around their relationships. A simple tape is all it takes to shake Amy out of her self-imposed solitude and casts the first stone in a sea of change for all involved. I found her an incredibly complex character and it’s very telling how an event can have some people bouncing back after a broken heart, whilst for others, it can alter the direction of their entire life. Jack, himself, is not so complicated. His eternal confusion over his feelings leads to a self-absorbed character that hurts the people he loves the most, albeit unintentionally. I did like him though and found myself willing him to make the right choices. Kit was my favourite throughout. She really reminded me of a well-known writer but my lips remain sealed on whom! Although her emotions were as much of a jumbled mess as the other two, she seemed more rounded and open to the changes happening around her. The dynamics of the friendship-triangle, along with the old and new friends surrounding the trio, had a nice comfortable feeling to it. Throughout the book you are aware that feelings run extremely deep but the friends will always have each other’s backs, no matter what. As the story moves on, you, as the reader, are privy to the realisations and resolutions that begin to form and take place, which lead to a very satisfying conclusion. I did develop a borderline caffeine addiction whilst reading this but, thanks to the great storyline, it’s totally worth it!’ BestChickLit

****

‘…The characters seem so real. It was as if I have known these characters and actually lived their story right along with them. She sure does know how to draw in a reader. I can’t wait for Jenny’s next story to come out. I am sure she is going to be a star!’ Goodreads

****

‘…A good story of real people. It has light humorous moments and piquant passages. “Another Cup of Coffee” is definitely refreshing…’ Amazon UK

****

‘The sign of a great book….I sat up until 2.00am reading Jenny Kane’s Another Cup of Coffee….’ Twitter

****

‘I couldn’t put this book down. couldn’t wait to turn the page for the next adventure into the lives of these friends. Thank you, please write more books like this, easy too read with a brilliant storyline.’ Amazon

Focus On: Another Glass of Champagne

By Jenny Kane

On March 1, 2022

In Another Cup of..., Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Romance

A warm-hearted, contemporary tale about a group of friends living in a small corner of busy London, by bestselling author Jenny Kane.

Fortysomething Amy is shocked and delighted to discover she’s expecting a baby – not to mention terrified! Amy wants best friend Jack to be godfather, but he hasn’t been heard from in months.

When Jack finally reappears, he’s full of good intentions – but his new business plan could spell disaster for the beloved Pickwicks Coffee Shop, and ruin a number of old friendships… Meanwhile his love life is as complicated as ever – and yet when he swears off men for good, Jack meets someone who makes him rethink his priorities…but is it too late for a fresh start?

Author Kit has problems of her own: just when her career has started to take off, she finds herself unable to write – and there’s a deadline looming, plus two headstrong kids to see through their difficult teenage years…will she be able to cope?

A follow-up to the runaway success Another Cup of Coffee.

Available as:

A paperback or ebook from Amazon UK, Amazon.com, Nook, Kobo, and all good retailers.

***

Reviews:

“It’s nice to have the whole gang back together for the series finale, along with a couple of new faces to join in with – and add to – the drama along the way! Jenny Kane has tied up some loose ends perfectly, whilst at the same time creating enough new openings to wish that this wasn’t the last we will see of Jack, Amy, Kit et al.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was sad to get to the end (even though I raced through to find out what would happen next!) I hope someone can convince the author to give us one last visit to Pickwicks… or maybe two ;)” Amazon UK

“…Going to miss this bunch, a lot…” Amazon UK

Paperback cover

“I adore delving into the lives of these characters. Their stories make me feel like I’m sitting in the coffee shop, sharing them with them as old friends. I really hope this fabulous book won’t be the final chapter in this beautiful world where I feel completely at home. Please Jenny, treat us to a little cup or glass of something else.” Amazon UK

“I just can’t get enough of Jenny Kane & her lovely characters. Reading her novels renew your faith in mankind & leave you with a warm feeling inside. So we’ll written are the characters that you expect to see them in every café you visit. Brilliant escapism & best drank sipping hot black coffee.” Amazon UK

Focus on: Another Cup of Coffee

By Jenny Kane

On February 3, 2022

In Another Cup of..., Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Jenny Kane

Paperback cover

Thirteen years ago Amy Crane ran away from everyone and everything she knew, ending up in an unfamiliar city with no obvious past and no idea of her future. Now, though, that past has just arrived on her doorstep, in the shape of an old music cassette that Amy hasn’t seen since she was at university. Digging out her long-neglected Walkman, Amy listens to the lyrics that soundtracked her student days. As long-buried memories are wrenched from the places in her mind where she’s kept them safely locked away for over a decade, Amy is suddenly tired of hiding. It’s time to confront everything about her life. Time to find all the friends she left behind in England, when her heart got broken and the life she was building for herself was shattered. Time to make sense of all the feelings she’s been bottling up for all this time. And most of all, it’s time to discover why Jack has sent her tape back to her now, after all these years… With her mantra, New life, New job, New home, playing on a continuous loop in her head, Amy gears herself up with yet another bucket-sized cup of coffee, as she goes forth to lay the ghost of first love to rest…

Available from:

In eBook and paperback format from Amazon UK, Kobo, Nook, and all good book stores.

Reviews:

‘This book is definitely my cup of coffee

Gosh, where to start with this review?!

The characters: you laughed with them, cringed, hated, wanted to shout at the book because you cared so deeply. Every character had their own story, and I loved that this was intertwined with Amy’s story, waiting to see how it panned out. Big round of applause for Kane for the characters on its own.

Another Cup of Coffee itself: very realistic and a delight from start to finish. I felt like I was sitting on the outside looking in all the time, and I’d known this group of people for my entire life.

A wonderful piece of literature which will fill your heart with warmth as you get sucked in to every aspect. My heart has grown 100 sizes, much like The Grinch (too early for Christmas references?!). This could also be due to the amount of coffee I consumed due to having FOMO every time one of the characters were having coffee. Which was basically every other page (help)…

The romance aspect wasn’t too in your face, if you know what I mean? Kane tackles issues such as still being attached to someone so long after they have left, the “how am I gay if I’ve loved a woman?” question and running away from your problems.

I didn’t feel like I was reading a piece of fiction – I felt like this was a real-life story told at a dinner party around coffee, with an ending that can only be adored.

A timeless piece and one worth picking up big time.

This book is definitely my cup of coffee (sorry, I had to). Bookmark That approved. Loved!’ BookMarkThat UK