"Grace and Justin have been trying for a family for years. So when Grace finally announces that she’s pregnant, she isn’t prepared for Justin’s reaction. Why does he act so strangely? Why does he leave and never return? Two years later, while at the seaside with baby Daniel, Grace sees Justin—who is desperate to come home but can’t reveal the reason he left. However, Grace, too, is harboring a secret, one that won’t just hurt Justin—but will destroy him completely. One thing is certain: their secrets will be exposed. And when they are, neither Grace nor Justin will be prepared for what follows…"
"How do you go from pulling pints one day, to travelling the world, all-expenses paid the next?For this author it involved a huge dollop of Ketchup, a little bit of growing up, and an extraordinary sequence of events that flings the author on a career path he’d never dreamed could happen.
Throw in the patter of little feet, sharp teeth, amputations and a smattering of characters from their Tenerife bar days, and you have another serving of Ketchup – only this time, it’s a little more salsa.
With the Smugglers Tavern still a nagging ghost of their past, Joe and Joy free themselves from limpet-like patrons, battle once more with Spain’s bungling bureaucracy and dip a toe in numerous but short-lived careers to stop their bar money evaporating.
Less Ketchup than Salsa is a true story about growing up, finding your dreams in the most unexpected of places and discovering what’s truly important in life.
If you’ve ever pondered living abroad, are interested in travel writing as a career, wondered what life is all about, or just want a funny read in the style of Bill Bryson or Carl Hiaasen…. join Joe and Joy on this third and final memoir in the Ketchup trilogy."
"A must-read reality check for anybody who has ever pondered making a new life abroad
'Pure enjoyment!'
'Another corker from Mr Cawley'
'Couldn't put it down. Made me happy, made me sad, made me happy some more. Really, really good book. Can't wait for the next installment!'
'Funny, emotional and identifiable, loved every minute...'
The first six months of running the Smugglers Tavern had been a baptism of fire. The subsequent years were about as much fun as bobbing for apples in a vat of acid.
Having swapped the tin roof of a cold British fish market for the sunny skies of Tenerife, one of Spain's holiday islands, Joe and Joy succeeded in thwarting the first wave of attacks from bungling bureaucrats, bewildered holidaymakers and their own spectacular ineptitude.
What they didn’t realise was that their enemies were regrouping. Not only that, but those enemies had made camp a lot closer to home, enemies that would make their encounters with exploding gas bottles, East European squatters and big-time Charlies seem like chapters from a children's picture book.
Dreams are shattered, relationships left in tatters and sanity is tested in this prize-winning travel and humour memoir in this revelation about what it's really like when you try to make a better life for yourself overseas.
Recent reviews...
- 'Beautifully observed, laugh-out-loud funny in parts and heartbreakingly emotional in others. If you've ever lived abroad, particularly in Spain, this book has something in it for you.'
- 'Hilarious all the way through and tinged with the slightest of sadness in parts.'
- 'The humour reminds me a lot of Deric Longden's equally poignant books and plays, especially the bits about Joe's gran and Buster the cat. Would make a great film.'
- 'Loved this book! Laughed and cried... Honest and compelling read.'"
"A laugh-out-loud, heartwarming memoir.
**Winner of ‘Best Travel Narrative’ by the British Guild of Travel Writers.**
'If you only buy one book this year... get this.'
'Probably the best book I have read this millenium.'
'Fantastic, hilarious, painful. Completely un-put-downable!'
Childhood sweethearts, Joe and Joy are broke and bored. They’re also tired of smelling of fish.
When offered the chance to escape from the dreary market stalls of England to run a bar on a sub-tropical island, they recklessly jump at the opportunity - despite their spectacular lack of experience.
In Tenerife, dreams of a better life overseas are soon crushed by mini-mafias, East European prostitutes and biblical-grade cockroach infestations.
Joe and Joy's foreign fantasy turns into a nightmare as they find themselves trapped with a failing bar in a foreign land, pandering to a bar full of oddball expats while trying to stop their relationship crashing into the rocks.
Can they save their business, their dreams, and their relationship before it's too late...
'If you've ever wondered if the grass really is greener on the other side, you need to read this hilarious and heartwarming memoir now!'
'A book full of humor, laughter and tears.'
'Loved the story, the humour, the characters - found it hard to put down.'
'Thank you for hours of true entertainment...'
'I've read a lot of travel-abroad memoirs and enjoyed many of them. This is my favorite... by a long way.'"
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