eBook Review: Game of Scones by Samantha Tonge

"A story of icing and flour…and how love doesn’t always go to plan!
Growing up, Pippa Pattinson’s summers were spent in the idyllic Greek island fishing village of Taxos. There she spent many long hazy days determinedly ignoring thoughts of the life her parents had mapped out for her (a dreary-but-secure accounting job and obligatory sensible husband!) Instead she daydreamed of running her own tea shop – serving the perfect scones – with mocha-eyed childhood friend Niklaus by her side…

Arriving back in Taxos for the first time in years, with suave boyfriend Henrik, Pippa barely recognises the tired little town – but is relieved to catch glimpses of the quaint, charming village she’s always loved. Together Niklaus and Pippa put together a proposal to save Taxos from tourist-tastic ruin, and at the heart of their plan is Pippa’s dream project: The Tastiest Little Tea Shop in Taxos. It’s time for Pippa to leave her London life behind and dust off her scone recipe that’s guaranteed to win over both locals and visitors. And amidst the rolling pins and raisins, it seems romance is blossoming where she’s least expecting it…"

Rating: 4/5

You can buy Game of Scones as an eBook now.

A really enjoyable summer read that I want to recommend to you all this year is the new eBook from Carina UK author Samantha Tonge called Game of Scones, I've read a few of Samantha's books before and enjoyed them, so after reading the blurb I hoped that this one would just as enjoyable. Luckily it was, and is a perfect summer read for either the beach or sitting in your sunny garden this summer!

The main character in this book is Pippa. She's finally got some holiday from her boring job and has returned to the home of he childhood holidays, the Greek island village of Taxos. When there, she is reunited with the people she grew up with, including her childhood friend Niko and his family. Her boyfriend Henrik is acting a bit suspiciously, and Pippa is determined to find out what he is up to. When it seems like their lovely village is going to be destroyed for a development, Pippa and the other residents of Taxos decide they have to take action and save the culture and the village once and for all. That means Pippa's childhood dream of a teashop in Taxos just might come true after all...

I really did enjoy this book. Even from the beginning, I was hooked into the story, and wanted to join Pippa and Henrik on their holiday to Taxos, it sounds so beautiful! I have never been to Greece myself, but Tonge makes it sound so beautiful and idyllic, especially because Taxos is pretty untouched and still a traditional Greek fishing village. Everything from the restaurants, to the beach and the holiday home where Pippa and Henrik are staying is described beautifully, and came to life so much in my mind as I was reading, I felt like I was walking alongside Pippa and meeting Niklaus and his family!

Pippa was a great character, and determined to save Taxos at any cost, even if it means trouble between her and her boyfriend. I loved the passion she had for the village, loving it from a young age and really wishing to settle there, even if she knew it was just a mere pipedream. The chemistry that she had with her childhood friend Niko was really fun to read too, and I was hoping that the pair would be able to admit their feelings for each other! Niko was a lovely man, handsome, hard-working and passionate about the village of Taxos, much like Pippa was. He was very close to his family, especially his ailing grandmother and I loved their scenes together - it shows the importance of family, and were really touching. The feel of the village pulling together to save itself was great too - seeing how the residents could use their skills to bring in the holidaymakers to see a traditional Greek way of life was great, it would certainly be something that interested me!

The scones of the title do make the occasional appearance in the book - baking is Pippa's escape and scones are her thing of choice - she likes to change it up and make them a bit different, and has a skill for it too! The teashop in Taxos idea is something she has had in her heart since she was young, and I loved her excitement as it seemed it may finally become a reality. I personally don't like scones, but I enjoyed reading about Pippa baking them and and how much everyone enjoyed reading them, almost as much as I enjoyed reading this book!

Samantha Tonge's new novel is a brilliant summer read, full of sunshine, drama, love and baking - what more could you ask for?! It's a great book to pop on your Kindle and enjoy in the sunshine, especially if you aren't having a summer getaway this year - you'll definitely feel like you're in in Taxos with Pippa and Niko! I loved it, found the writing very easy to read, and the characters were excellently written too. After reading this, I'll certainly be reading more from Samantha Tonge, it was very enjoyable and I definitely recommend it.Thanks to Samantha, Carina and Netgalley for the review copy.