Two Weddings and a Baby by Scarlett Bailey

From reluctant bridesmaid, to accidental mother.

Tamsyn Thorne has not been back to her home town of Poldore for five long years.

But now her brother, Ruan, is about to get married and she has no excuses left.

Her plans to arrive in Cornwall looking chic and successful are dashed when a huge storm turns her from fashion goddess to a drowned rat. Worse, she ends up insulting the local hunky vicar - and then finds a tiny baby abandoned in his churchyard.

Published on 19 June 2014 by Ebury Press, Two Weddings and a Baby is Scarlett Bailey's fourth novel.

I have to hold up my hands and admit that I've not read any of the previous Scarlett Bailey novels, but I do adore the books that she writes under her real name of Rowan Coleman. I'm not sure how I've missed these books before, I'm guessing that it's because they've all been Christmas themed and although I always intend to read themed books in December, I rarely get around to it.  I'm sorry Scarlett/Rowan, I'll do my best to catch up, I promise!

Two Weddings and a Baby features the cast from one of the previous novels; Just For Christmas. I didn't realise that, and it certainly doesn't matter - this is easily read as a standalone story.

Tamsyn Thorne has returned to her home town of Poldore in Cornwall for her brother's wedding. It's clear that there is some bad feeling between them and the reader soon learns why. Tamsyn is a strong character, she says exactly what pops into her head, pulling no punches and often offending .... but I liked that .... I especially loved the conversations between Tamsyn and her twin four-year-old nephews.

"What do you want from me? I've got no sweets, no toys, no money, nothing. I'm no good to you."

"To be honest, I'd rather wear something nylon and with an elasticated waist than go anywhere near your sleeping bag. You have the personal hygiene habits of, well, a four-year-old boy, to be fair."

Tamsyn's return to Poldore is the beginning of a warm, funny and very entertaining read. Expertly paced, the writing flows so well and the characters are really vivid and recognisable as real human beings - warts and all.

As Tamsyn arrives home, so does a violent and quite terrifying storm that affects the whole town, also making an appearance is a sexy and fairly mysterious vicar and a one-day-old baby girl who floats upon the floodwater in a Moses basket.

I'm not going to go over the plot, but suffice to say it contains a little bit of everything and works very well; there are family relationships, romances, rivalries and jealousies, old scores, new loves, storms, babies and oh those twins!

Two Weddings and a Baby is a story with a bit of a wallop and I enjoyed every excellently written page, I hope that Scarlett Bailey decides to write more about the residents of Poldore - I'd love to find out more.

My thanks to the publishing team at Ebury who sent my copy for review.

Check out some more reviews of Two Weddings and a Baby from Anne at Being Anne and Lisa at The Book Addicted Housewife

Scarlett Bailey has loved writing stories since childhood. Before writing novels she worked as a waitress, cinema usherette and bookseller. Passionate about old movies, Scarlett loves nothing more than spending a wet Sunday afternoon watching her favourite films back-to-back, with large quantities of chocolate.
Scarlett also writes novels under her real name Rowan Coleman. Currently she lives in Hertfordshire with her husband, five children and a very large collection of beautiful shoes.

To find out more, visit her website at www.rowancoleman.co.uk
Facebook or Twitter @rowancoleman and @scarlettbailey