Guest Review: The Canal Boat Cafe Christmas (Parts 1&2) by Cressida McLaughlin

Summer and Mason take their upbeat and feelgood Canal Boat Café to London for Christmas, with unexpected results.

Port Out – Summer is so in love with her boyfriend Mason and dreams of taking the next step with him, but is Mason ready too? When her friend Claire offers Summer a chance to come to London with her canal boat, Summer thinks this will give them a chance to find out, and they embark on a magical journey on the canal all the way to the scenic beauty of Little Venice. But will it be plain sailing all the way?

Starboard Home – Summer and Mason find themselves unexpectedly spending the entire Christmas holiday in Little Venice when the canal freezes over. But their idyllic winter excursion is thrown into turmoil when an unexpected visitor appears on the scene. Are Summer and Mason facing the Big Freeze in more ways than one? Or will this be one Winter Warmer that they’ll never forget?

Review: This is a lovely Christmassy story in 2 parts (Port Out and Starboard Home) reuniting us with the Canal Boat Cafe, its owner and all the people we have met in other parts of the Canal Boat Cafe series from Cressida McLaughlin. Having said that, I don't think you need necessarily have read the other parts to follow what is going on in this 'Christmas special'; all is explained as we go along. 

With Christmas fast approaching, cafe owner Summer has decided to embark on an adventure, joining a band of waterborne traders in London's Little Venice for a week. Her nature journalist boyfriend, Mason, initially unsure about the trip, joins her as she reacquaints herself with the members of the group. Everything looks magical until a figure from Mason's past turns up out of the blue. How will this affect Summer's plans for her future with Mason? Another problem that affects the whole group this time turns up in the guise of extreme weather that alters everybody's plans for Christmas. However, all they can do is make the most of things. 

This is a really enjoyable Christmas story. It was great to catch up with the characters from the Canal Boat Cafe book and find out what has been happening to them all. Added to that, there was the excitement of the journey from the boat's home berth to London's Little Venice. The sights and sounds of London at Christmas are skilfully brought to life by Cressida's descriptions. Christmas onboard a narrow boat sounds fantastic. At the risk of overusing the word, I thought this was a really heartwarming, romantic tale. 

To order your copy now, just click the links: Part 1 UK or Part 2 UK  (sorry the US links weren't available!)