Cressida McLaughlin is a British contemporary romance author, best known for her Cornish Cream Tea books and other cosy, community-led series. Reading order matters when you’re following a shared setting with returning leads (Cornwall, the canal boats, the guesthouse).
If you’re only here for one warm, self-contained story, you can jump straight to a standalone.
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First decision: pick your “home base”
Choose the shelf that matches your mood, then read that shelf in order.
- Cornwall small-town comfort (biggest, most continuous): start with The Cornish Cream Tea Bus (2019).
- Waterside village + canal-boat cafe: start with All Aboard (2016).
- Hotel/guesthouse ensemble with check-ins and check-outs: start with Opening Soon (2016).
- Festive Norfolk-set romance series: start with The Secret Christmas Bookshop (2024).
- One-and-done reads: start with The Staycation (2022).
Cornish Cream Tea (main series) – best read in publication order
This is her largest shared-world run. Each book shifts the focus, but the community continuity is the point.
- The Cornish Cream Tea Bus (2019): The series’ front door, sets up the Cornwall “found place” vibe and the core community you’ll keep revisiting.
- The Cornish Cream Tea Summer (2020): A sunnier, busier season that widens the social circle and raises the “who belongs where?” romantic tension.
- The Cornish Cream Tea Christmas (2020): A holiday turn that leans into family ties and seasonal pressure, with community traditions doing plot work.
- The Cornish Cream Tea Wedding (2021): Commitment becomes the theme, pushing long-running relationships into public, irreversible choices.
- Christmas Carols and a Cornish Cream Tea (2021): A festive follow-on that revisits the setting for comfort-reading and continuity check-ins.
- The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday (2022): A change-of-routine book that tests whether the characters can keep their happiness when the scenery shifts.
- The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop (2022): A fresh premise inside the same world, linking romance beats to a new community hub.
- From Cornwall with Love (2023): A later-stage entry that plays like a “next chapter” for the setting, rewarding readers who’ve travelled the whole route.
Cornish Cream Tea mini-series (Optional, separate from the main numbering)
These read best after you know the main Cornwall world, but they don’t replace the eight-book spine.
Cornish Cream Tea Bus (short-romcom set)
- Don’t Go Baking My Heart (2019): A quick, food-and-feelings romcom beat that captures the series tone in a smaller arc.
- The Eclair Affair (2019): A rivalry-to-romance style setup where misunderstandings are the engine rather than big plot twists.
- Scones Away! (2019): A momentum-heavy entry built around mistakes, apologies, and the risk of losing what you’ve started.
- The Icing on the Cake (2019): A payoff-style closer that turns simmering tension into a clear choice.
Cornish Cream Tea Summer (short-romcom set)
- All You Knead is Love (2020): A breezy summer romance that uses community closeness to force honesty.
- Beauty and the Yeast (2020): A “soft transformation” story where the real shift is confidence and boundaries.
- My Tart Will Go On! (2020): A comic escalation entry where small problems stack until feelings spill out.
- Muffin Compares to You (2020): A wrap-up that leans into reassurance and “choose the life you want” resolution.
Cornish Cream Tea Christmas (short-romcom set)
- Rudolph the Red Velvet Cupcake (2020): A festive meet-cute with a warm ensemble backdrop and minimal continuity risk.
- Let Jingle Buns Ring! (2020): A holiday push-pull romance where the season’s intensity speeds up decisions.
- I’m Dreaming of a Hot Chocolate (2020): Comfort-forward romance driven by proximity, routines, and small kindnesses.
- All I Want for Christmas is Cake! (2020): A “now or never” holiday closer that ties the set together with clear emotional payoff.
Cornish Cream Tea Wedding (short-romcom set)
- Down on One Knead (2021): A commitment-themed opener where expectations collide with what the couple actually wants.
- Two Tarts Beat as One (2021): A teamwork-and-trust romance that keeps the stakes personal and relational.
- You May Now Eat The Cake (2021): A high-pressure event story where timing and nerves force conversations to happen.
- Breaded Bliss (2021): A satisfying closer that leans into stability and earned happiness.
The Canal Boat Café – publication order
This is its own continuity. Read in order for best character and setting progression.
- All Aboard (2016): A return-and-rebuild beginning that establishes the canal-boat café, its village rhythm, and the series’ emotional anchor.
- Casting Off (2016): A second-step entry that turns “starting over” into a plan, with romance complications that won’t stay background noise.
- Cabin Fever (2016): Close quarters plus winter energy, small tensions become unavoidable, and relationships have to declare themselves.
- Land Ahoy! (2016): A momentum book where the future starts to look real, and the characters must act on what they’ve been circling.
- Port Out (2017): A new phase that expands the world beyond the first comfort zone without dropping the core cast.
- Starboard Home (2017): A settling-in sequel that asks what “home” means when your life has already moved once.
- The Canal Boat Cafe Christmas (2020): A festive revisit that works best once the main arc is established, adding cosy closure beats.
Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse – publication order
Another separate shelf, built around a location and an ensemble. Read in order to keep character introductions clean.
- Opening Soon (2016): The guesthouse premise kicks off with a new beginning and the first wave of community entanglements.
- Fully Booked (2017): Success brings complications, more people, more secrets, and romance that can’t stay neatly scheduled.
- Do Not Disturb (2017): Privacy, boundaries, and misunderstandings take centre stage as the cast gets more intertwined.
- Wish You Were Here (2017): A capstone-feeling entry that leans into what’s been built and who the place has become “for.”
House of Birds and Butterflies – publication order
This is a distinct mini-series (not the same continuity as Cornwall or the canal boats).
- The Dawn Chorus (2018): A new setting opens with fresh hope and a cast that must learn to trust the place, and each other.
- The Lovebirds (2018): Romance takes the lead as the community web tightens and personal histories start to matter.
- Twilight Song (2018): A more reflective entry where emotional stakes rise and relationships require clearer choices.
- Birds of a Feather (2018): The set’s payoff, focusing on belonging and the “found family” promise coming good.
Primrose Terrace – publication order
A cosy, pet-and-neighbourhood-forward series. Read in order for character continuity.
- Wellies and Westies (2015): The series’ welcome mat, introduces the terrace dynamic and the warm, neighbourly tone.
- Sunshine and Spaniels (2015): A lighter follow-up that deepens friendships and nudges romance into the foreground.
- Raincoats and Retrievers (2015): A comfort-with-complications entry where the cast starts feeling like a real unit.
- Tinsel and Terriers (2015): A festive closer that leans into community traditions and emotional resolution.
- A Christmas Tail (2015): A Christmas-set entry tied to the same world, best read once you’ve met the terrace cast.
Standalone novels – read anytime
These don’t require any series background.
- The Staycation (2022): A “time off that changes everything” romance where stepping away from routine forces honest decisions.
- The Happy Hour (2024): A friendship-and-romance story shaped by nightlife energy and the messy clarity of starting over (edition dates may vary by market).
- A Cornish Love Story (2025): A Cornwall-set standalone that uses place, reinvention, and romantic tension without requiring the eight-book Cream Tea run.
Recommended reading route that avoids continuity snags
If you want one clean path that shows her range without jumping mid-stream:
- Read the Cornish Cream Tea main series (2019-2023) in order.
- Dip into any of the Cornish mini-sets (Summer/Christmas/Wedding/Bus shorts) as optional extras.
- Start a second “location shelf”: The Canal Boat Café or Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse (read whichever you pick in order).
- Use the standalones as palate cleansers anywhere.
Latest release status
- Most recent titled release currently listed: The Secret Mistletoe Promise (2025) (Secret Bookshop Book 2).
- Next confirmed upcoming entry: Untitled Secret Christmas Series Book 1 (2026) (Secret Bookshop Book 3), scheduled for October 8, 2026.
FAQs
Do the Cornish Cream Tea books have to be read in order?
If you’re reading the eight-book main series, yes, order keeps the community timeline and recurring references clear. The smaller themed mini-sets are optional and more flexible once you know the world.
Is A Cornish Love Story part of the Cornish Cream Tea series?
It’s Cornwall-set, but it’s treated as a standalone rather than one of the numbered Cream Tea novels.
Are the Canal Boat Café books connected to the Cornwall books?
They’re best treated as separate continuities (different setting, different cast). You can read either without the other.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.