Mini-Droids and Tea- Seattle

Penelope Carter lives the simple life. She owns a quaint tea shop in Seattle where she works six days a week—most of the time even sleeping on a pallet in the back room. Business could be better, and her mother could be less critical, but Penelope believes herself to be content with the quiet life she has created for herself. But when the latest technological craze —a Mini-Droid invented by Penelope’s childhood sweetheart — takes off, she can’t help but take note of the droids’ striking similarity in appearance to both herself and her ten-years-lost love, Colepepper McSimmons. When Colepepper makes his reappearance in her life, the hurt she feels from his abandonment so many years ago leaves Penelope wondering why the droids’ inventor used her image as a design model…and if she can ever trust him with her heart again.

The best element of this cute narrative, besides the sweet romance, is the use of the fresh plot elements found in the description of the tea shop and the vehicle of a mini-droid employed in the attempt to rekindle lost love. The characters are well-developed and readers will love the mix of whimsical romance paired with a touch of sci-fi and a healthy dose of danger. Readers may wish the technical elements regarding the droids were better researched, as the necessary science element comes across as weak in a couple of places. Some of the reactions from Penelope’s mother also come across as unrealistic. Otherwise, this cute and clever romance will offer its readers an addictive deviation from the norm.

Claudette Melanson