Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfours


Need a book to read during the coldest part of the year? Something to add to your winter fiction? Here's one to display, read and booktalk!

Katrina lives in a part of Washington state known for its Scandinavian heritage, quaint shops, and people who still eat traditional Scandinavian dishes that one doesn't see just anywhere. But amidst all this quaintness, lies a girl who doesn't really know what to do with herself and has no direction but to work beside her grandmother toting old-world coffee to even older men. And what really gets her worked up is the updated, modern Starbucks-esque coffeeshop right next door, where everyone goes for the latest macchiatto, latte, and cappuccino, as well as free wi-fi.

But Katrina has loyal friends, especially Vincent, the star swimmer at school. They've been friends forever, but things are beginning to change...

One night Katrina helps a street bum out with some hot coffee and old danish, and the next day the bum (aka Malcolm, a hot guy in a kilt!) shows up at school embarrassing Katrina with his duty to grant her deepest desire in the middle of a pep rally. And then the fun begins....

What does a person desire most? Fame? Wealth? Love? Katrina has to make some tough choices, and three little coffee beans are the only thing that can give her what she desires most. Is it revenge against the mega coffee-opolis next door? How about breaking up Vincent and his barbie girlfriend, Heather? What about Grandma's health or her rising debt?

Selfours has written a light, frothy, foamy, cup of chick lit that has some substance beneath the froth. Selfours combines elements of modern-day romance that girls crave with some fairy-tale (think Jack and the Beanstalk) mixed in, all centering around relationships and entrepreneurship. Angels, best friends, huge rats, and competition make for an enjoyable read. The message is simple: Follow the golden rule and you never know...there may be angels among us...

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