The blurb:

"More than a year has passed since Marjan, Bahar and Layla, the beautiful Iranian Aminpour sisters, sought refuge in the quaint Irish town of Ballinacroagh. Opening the beguiling Babylon Cafe, they charmed the locals with their warm hearts and delectable Persian cuisine, bringing a saffron-scented spice to the once-sleepy village.

But when a young woman with a dark secret literally washes up on Cler Bay Beach, the sisters' world is once again turned upside down. With pale skin and webbed hands, the girl is otherworldly, but her wounds tell a more earthly (and graver) story - one that sends the strict Catholic town into an uproar.

The Aminpours rally around the newcomer, but each sister must also contend with her own transformation - Marjan tests her feelings for love with a dashing writer, Bahar takes on a new spiritual commitment with the help of Father Mahoney, and Layla matures into a young woman when whe and her boyfriend Malachy, step up their hot and heavy relationship.

Filled with mouthwatering recipes and enchanting details of life in Ireland, Rosewater and Soda Bread is infused with a lyrical warmth that radiates from the Aminpour family and their big-hearted Italian landlady, Estelle, to the whole of Ballinacroagh - and the world beyond."

A very pretty book, both visually and story-wise. Not a lot happens and I got a little confused towards the end when something considered by the village to be criminal at the start of the book was not criminal by the end although nothing seemed to have changed.

One disappointment, though, was that Dervla didn't get her comeuppance but since Mehran is writing a third book she probably needs Dervla intact to be nasty and interfering again.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posted to a fellow bookcrosser.

Thank you so much for sending this over! I am looking forward to reading it ...... and am so tempted to put all other books aside ..... (and I have a bookring book to read too) .... must exercise control .... but thanks heaps, pinkozcat for fulfilling my wish to read this one!! :) Will let you know how it goes ..............

Yes, it is a pretty book. I love the cover. It reminded me a little of Chocolat ....in the way that the aromas of cooked food kept wafting through the pages of this book. I noted that it was set in 1987 ..... which helped put the happenings in the world, into perspective for me..... and therefore look at the characters in a different light.

I enjoyed reading about the lives of these characters and the happenings of the village ........ also learning a little more about Iranian culture. Thanks so much for sending this to me, pinkozcat. (I do hope Dervla gets sorted out in the next book!!)

I'm putting this into the OZ VBB and hoping to see it travel again .... (soon). (4 weeks later) Taking it out of OZ VBB as I have other plans for it ....

Thank you so much, pinkozcat! I have just set the book free again. It is on the doorstep of the house of a bookcrosser who is now fast asleep (I think!) Hope she sees it when she wakes up!! (It is on her wish list .... so I've been saving it for her .... just never got around to sending it earlier for I had kept it in a safe place, .... a place that was so safe, that I had forgotten where it was!!) Happy reading and enjoy!!

Oh how ABSOLUTELY exciting that I received this book at this time!!! Quite by chance, the ONLY book I was inspired to read over the Christmas holidays was Pomegranate Soup, which is the book that precedes this one (I wasn't aware that the two were related until about 7 minutes ago!!!). Carole888, you are not only kind and thoughtful..... you might just have psychic powers too.

Thank you sooooo much. This one is not going on the book shelf, it's going beside the bed :-)

I finished this tonight. It wasn't *quite* as good as the first one (Pomegranate Soup), a bit more 'fictitious' with some aspects of the storyline, but still a very enjoyable read.

I do really hope there's more to come from the Aminpour family in Marsha's next book - there are so many avenues to explore with three such different personalities living under one roof.

I will be sending this book on straight away, to pair up with it's prequel which is currently TBR by another book crosser (L1nda). Thanks again for thinking of me Carole888, you really are a superstar!!