THE BEST BOOMERVILLE
HOTEL
by
Caroline James

Available to pre-order now*:
The Best Boomerville Hotel

Well the day has finally arrived when I can reveal the cover of my new book, The Best Boomerville Hotel. I hope that you like it as much as I do. I want to say a massive thank you to all the wonderful readers who have supported me in my writing journey so far, I couldn’t have done it without you and I hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed writing it xx

Let the shenanigans begin at the Boomerville hotel …

 

Jo Docherty and Hattie Contaldo have a vision – a holiday retreat in the heart of the Lake District exclusively for guests of ‘a certain age’ wishing to stimulate both mind and body with new creative experiences. One hotel refurbishment later and the Best Boomerville Hotel is open for business!
Perhaps not surprisingly Boomerville attracts more than it’s fair share of eccentric clientele: there’s fun loving Sir Henry Mulberry and his brother Hugo; Lucinda Brown, an impoverished artist with more ego than talent; Andy Mack, a charming Porsche-driving James Bond lookalike, as well as Kate Simmons, a woman who made her fortune from an internet dating agency but still hasn’t found ‘the One’ herself.
With such an array of colourful individuals there’s bound to be laughs aplenty, but could there be tears and heartbreak too and will the residents get more than they bargained for at Boomerville?

Pre-Order your copy today: The Best Boomerville Hotel

AMAZON
KOBO
IBOOKS/GOOGLE
ITUNES

Early reviews:

‘I wish I could check into Boomerville and participate in the courses. I loved this book, it is a great read. Thanks to the author for bringing the crazy characters to life.’ Ronnie Montgomory, London.

‘Boomerville gripped me from the start with twists and laugh out loud moments. I loved it and hope we see more adventures in the future.’ Lisa Stewart, Southampton.

‘Caroline is a wonderful storyteller and I felt enveloped in a cocoon while reading Boomerville.’ Therese Ferguson, Author, USA.

‘Caroline’s characters shone their magic brightly and kept me hooked, evoking strong emotions. A triumph, I absolutely loved this book.’ Nicky Clifford, Author.

‘A coming of age book for those of a certain age.’ Ann Magbanua, Philipines.

‘Caroline’s best book yet. I loved the characters and the Lake District setting was gorgeous. Boomerville is a wonderful journey.’  Amanda Williams, Wales.

PUBLICATION DATE:
13 March 2018
ISBN:
978-1-912550-00-5
FORMAT:
eBook
CATEGORY:  Contemporary/Romantic Comedy
From multi-award winning  ChocLit Publishing:
http://www.choc-lit.com

Happy reading ,

with love and thanks for your support

Caroline xx

I made a cake today. It is a very special cake made with heaps of love and will be winging its way across the Atlantic in a few weeks.

The recipe for Caribbean Black Cake is traditionally used for wedding cakes and celebrations such as Christmas. Each Caribbean island household has its own version of this recipe and adapt it to their preference. The dark colour of the mix comes from prunes, dates, sultanas and currants but in this recipe I wanted a lighter cake and used tropical fruits in the ingredients, which I soaked in white rum and will douse weekly in the next three months, with Malibu which has a lovely coconut and rum flavour.

Don’t be fooled by its innocent appearance. This cake has plenty of punch and is spicy and very boozy – just like a typical Caribbean celebration!

Here’s my recipe below.  Happy cake making and happy celebrations!

With love

C x

 

Caribbean Celebration Cake

Ingredients

750g of mixed dried fruits, finely chopped

500ml dark rum

½ tbsp Angostura bitters

250g unsalted butter

250g demerara suga

200g plain flour

50g ground almonds

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground mixed spice

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Finely grated zest 1 lemon & 1 orange

4 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

One 23cm diameter, deep loose-bottomed cake tin, greased and lined

Method

Place the dried fruit in a large bowl and add Angostura bitters. Cover with cling film, then set aside in a cool, dark place to soak for 24 hours. This is the minimum soaking time*

Heat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/gas 2. Grease and line a deep 23cm diameter loose- bottomed cake tin with baking paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, mixed spice and lemon zest. In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and demerara sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture, one by one, then stir in the vanilla extract.

Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until fully combined. Fold in the fruit. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin, then transfer to the oven and bake for 31⁄2-4 hours until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack, then brush the top of the cake generously with a couple of tablespoons of dark rum. Allow the rum to soak in and the cake to cool completely before serving.*

*I soak the fruit for as long as possible – up to a year, When the cake is made, I wrap in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin for up to three months before serving. Each week or so, unwrap and brush generously with dark rum, re-wrap and store.