Would you take a chance on a bad boy with a leather jacket and a vintage motorbike?

That’s the question single mum Jo Morris has to ask herself when she collides with local bike mechanic Ed Griffiths on a rainy Welsh hillside. Working at the Art Café, Jo hears the gossip and is all too aware of Ed’s reputation. 

But whilst he’s certainly no angel, there is something about Ed’s daredevil antics that Jo can’t ignore. And as she gets to know him better and watches the kind way he deals with her young son Liam, she begins to wonder – is there more to this ‘bad boy’ than meets the eye? 

Connection to SUMMER AT THE ART CAFE

Title:  Meet Me at the Art Cafe
Series:
Author:  Sue McDonagh
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  March 26, 2019
Publisher:  Choc Lit
My Rating:  4.5 stars

If you enjoyed SUMMER AT THE ART CAFE, then you’re certain to have a wonderful time in a return visit with MEET ME AT THE ART CAFE.  And if this is your first visit to “…THE ART CAFE”, no worries, you’ll feel right at home and perhaps decide to go back for a visit later on.  (I would highly recommend both stories for they are the perfect feel-good romance with a bit of a lesson to be learned)

MEET ME AT THE ART CAFE takes us back for another visit with a different couple for a lovely, heartwarming, believable romance.  Jo is a devoted single mother to her young son, Liam.  She will do anything to protect him and give him a good life… even if that means that she trusts practically no one and keeps to herself for the most part.  She has her reasons yet on this day she’s about to discover that there are kind people in the world who want nothing more than to be kind.  And perhaps she’s about to get the chance to find happiness for herself as well.

Ed has more than a bit of a reputation, whether it’s completely deserved is another subject.  He hasn’t found that one woman who is right for him just yet.  And has no problem in continuing his search until he does find her.  What the townsfolk think of him may bother him at times, but for the most part, he simply lives his life.  On this day his path and Jo’s are about to connect and the resulting crash will bring secrets to light, hope for the future and bring walls tumbling down… eventually.

I enjoyed MEET ME AT THE ART CAFE on many different levels.  It’s a lovely slow burn romance that allows us to see the real people, and there are three of them, in this growing relationship.  It’s also a very real lesson in actually taking the time to see the real person we are dealing with in any capacity.  We all have walls we erect around ourselves for various reasons, and we all definitely wear protective armor as well.  Life happens, decisions are made (right or wrong) that will affect our lives for years to come.  How we protect ourselves becomes instinctive… and who we let in becomes very selective.  I loved watching Jo realize, through her son’s interactions with Ed, that it is alright and completely safe to trust the real person you see beyond the armor and walls.  But you have to be able to give them the same gift of trusting the unique person that is you that lives behind your own armor and walls.  I would not hesitate to recommend MEET ME AT THE ART CAFE to any reader who enjoys going a bit deeper, learning a few lessons themselves and simply love a good romance.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available for the Kindle