When Lilly Pear finds her boyfriend cheating with her best friend, she doesn't cry, she buys a café.

On a whim, she leaves London behind and relocates to Jellyfish Bay, a charming seaside town on the Cornish coast. There, she becomes the unexpected new owner of The Toasted Teacake Café, a rundown but charming business that could be the fresh start she needs. Lilly knows how to bake, and she's not afraid of hard work, but turning a dilapidated café into a thriving business is no easy feat.

As autumn settles in, Lilly throws herself into transforming the café. But not everyone in Jellyfish Bay is thrilled by her arrival, least of all Trystan Trenoweth, the brooding, maddeningly handsome video shop owner who seems determined to keep her at a distance. He's lived in Jellyfish Bay all his life and knows better than to get attached to some gorgeous city girl who wants to play shops.

Trystan has his own complications. Beneath the sarcasm and scowls is a man quietly juggling more than most people realise. He is a father figure to his spirited young niece, Becca, and acts as an emotional anchor for his best friend Jago, not to mention the fact that's he's still nursing a broken heart he's never quite recovered from. The last thing Trystan needs is a whirlwind like Lilly blowing through town.

And yet, as she breathes new life into the café and finds her place among the town's eccentric characters, Lilly's warmth and strength begin to chip away at his walls. Slowly, as the autumn air turns crisp and bonfires crackle on the Common, something begins to grow between them — something unexpected, and far more complicated than either of them ever planned for.

Just when Lilly starts to believe she might actually have a chance of happiness in Jellyfish Bay, her ex boyfriend Harry shows up. Harry makes it clear he wants her back. He's ready to make a commitment, and he tells her he's finally ready to be the man she always wanted him to be.

Now Lilly must decide between the comfortable, familiar love she walked away from... and the exciting new life she's been building.

The Toasted Tea Cake is a heartwarming, feel-good small-town romance about learning to love again. This grumpy/ sunshine love story is perfect for fans of Holly Martin, Phillipa Ashley, and Sarah Hope.

The first book in the Jellyfish Bay sweet romance series by bestselling author L.C. Dounaeva.