Confetti at the Hummingbird Hotel – Daisy James

My egg chair

Flower: Honeysuckle

To say that I am a little excited to be reading and reviewing Daisy James’ latest Hummingbird Hotel offering, is an understatement of the most massive variety. I simply cannot wait to read about Abbie’s latest escapade, all the while loving how each chapter has a subtle nod to Abbie’s green fingers, being dedicated to a flower. I am sat in my egg chair writing this review, thinking of the gorgeous, fragrant honeysuckle growing outside, for inspiration.

Abbie Coleman and a Dance & Desserts Retreat, combined with her upcoming nuptials; what could possibly go wrong! (Anything and everything, judging by past retreats!) I did however love everything about Abbie – her passion and zest for live. What really made me chuckle out loud, was her slightly alliterative love/hate relationship with and personalisation of, the sleek, silver, shiny colossus that was the coffee machine. She loved the coffee it produced, and would invariably jump at the chance to drink a beverage made by someone else; anybody else; yet she seemed unable to work the thing herself – almost as though the elusive machine just knew when Abbie was touching its controls and played awkward, just for the craic!

We join Abbie as she is consider selling her beloved hotel! Surely not!

I didn’t warm to Simon the dentist, who came to view the hotel, with a view to buying it! He was fairly odious, completely clinical and not at all suited to the hotel, with surely his ’death knell’ in terms of buying the hotel, being when he immediately turned his nose up at any hummingbird decor (lovingly collected by Abbie’s late Aunt), preferring a minimal approach. From what I remember of Abbie, I can ultimately only see her selling the hotel to someone that she likes, who can love it and nurture it like she does. Whilst Simon and his family would undoubtedly run the hotel with efficiency, they would never be able to run it with anything approaching the love and passion of Abbie and her friends and family. Oh dear, Daisy James writes in such a realistic way that I find myself genuinely caring about what happens to the hotel, almost to the point of wanting to campaign against Abbie selling up! I do so enjoy a book that instills this kind of passion in me.

I was slightly alarmed that the impending grape harvest was so close to the wedding, but could only hope that all would go well, although what use is a great harvest, if they don’t have the customers for the wine?

I also had a sense an impending disaster of the most hilarious proportions, at the idea of Cheapskate Simon popping into the Dance and Desserts Retreat! By the way, I have labelled Simon a cheapskate owing to the fact that he is driving around in the smallest, cheapest car around, despite clearly being far too tall to fit into it with anything approaching a vestige of comfort!

The retreat seems to be going exceedingly well, but:

• Who is playing tricks on Curtis
• When will Abbie summon up the courage to tell Felix about the impending sale of the hotel?
• Will Abbie actually be able to let go of her beloved hotel, even if Simon comes up with a credible offer?
• Will the vineyard be able to make ends meet?
• Will Curtis’ kind deeds come to light?
• Why can’t Abbie keep the hotel and have Nikos base his new restaurant there instead of at the vineyard?

You will of course need to read this great book for yourself, to find out.

I loved this book from the first page, right down to the very last word. Hallelujah for the ebook, so that nobody could tear out the last chapter of my read, as happened in the book. I felt as though I was holidaying vicariously through Daisy James’ writing – at times I felt as though I was there in Corfu with this fabulous, eclectic group of characters. Closing my eyes really enabled me to feel as though I was there, soaking up the special, heady mix of sights, sounds and smells. I didn’t want the book or the retreat to end and I most definitely didn’t want Abbie to sell the hotel. Of course part of me not wanting Abbie to sell the hotel, was my yearning to read another book (or seven) in this fabulous series. Alas this is the last of the Hummingbird Hotel series, but that will give Daisy James more time to enthral us with her imminent Tuscan teashop series.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B1VJT8L1

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