Welcome to the café on Marigold Marina, where the smell of freshly baked cakes fills the air and the boats bob merrily in the mellow evening sun. But will an unexpected meeting mean the chance to love again or a broken heart?

When Rosie inherits the café on Marigold Marina after her husband’s tragic death, she is determined to pour her heart into his dream. Nine months later, as she serves coffee and cakes to customers, she is all smiles and laughter. But when the sunshine-yellow doors of the café are closed, she allows her heart to break all over again.

Rosie doesn’t have much room in her life for anything but the café. But when Kit, the mysterious owner of a bookshop barge, starts to come by regularly for lunch, she finds it difficult to ignore his dark eyes, dishevelled curls and the fact that he has his own sorrows. Rosie finds it easy to talk to Kit and as they swim together in the sparkling marina waters she hopes she can help Kit the way he has helped her.

But just as she is letting herself open her heart, she learns the shocking secret that the husband she loved for so many years kept hidden from her. And when she discovers that Kit is hiding things too, she fears she has been foolish to trust again. Should she close her café and move away from the marina? Or take a risk and give love another chance?

An absolutely gorgeous and heartwarming read about what can happen when you leave your comfort zone and listen to your heart. Fans of Shari Low, Heidi Swain and Nicola May will fall in love with The Café at Marigold Marina.

Most of Tilly Tennant’s books have a backdrop of romance setting with a cute cover and title. The Cafe at Marigold Marina is one such book.

Rosie inherits the cafe in Marigold Marina after her husband Fergus dies. Across the cafe is Kit who owned a bookshop and another shop owned by her friend Nicole. Rosie makes friends in the neighborhood and the whole neighborhood would go bar hopping to learning swimming. But then Rosie discovers some secret about her husband.

This is a cheesy romance novel and compared to her last book which I reviewed, this was a good romance book. Quite engaging and I do like this whole camaraderie setting mentioned in the book and the slow-developing romance between Kit and Rosie. Nevertheless the ending was predictable but other than that, the writing was engaging that the author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story.

Overall this is an all too good romance that will make you laugh and cry. Worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.