"Tea with Emma", the first of "The Teacup Novellas" by Diane Moody, is a contemporary romance within another story.

The novella opens with Lucy Alexander, an author with writer's block receiving an inheritance of teacups from her Aunt Lucille, who collected the cups over the years.  Lucy is inspired to write a story for each teacup.

In "Tea with Emma", Lucy writes her first story.  Emma is not a character in either the story or the story within a story.  Emma refers to Maddie Cooper, who decides to open a tea shop after an inspiring tour of Jane Austen's hometown.  Maddie is like Jane Austen's Emma in that she tries to be a matchmaker for her best friend Lanie, regardless of the fact that Lanie is already very fond of someone.  Just as in Jane Austen's Emma, it doesn't work out very well.  The resemblance ends there, however.

Dr. Ian Grant, a professor from England, has come to Texas to be a visiting professor at a university.  He lives across the street from Maddie and is grumpy and sometimes rude for most of the story until he undergoes a transformation.

What I liked:

*I liked Maddie's relationship with her grandmother and how she cares about those around her.

What I didn't like:

*There was really no romance.  You see only one significant conversation between Lanie and one of her two love interests.  Every other conversation is not shown.  Maddie seems interested in Ian, but I don't know why.  He is so rude to her!  One of my favorite types of romance is when the hero and heroine dislike each other in the beginning of the story.  But in Tea With Emma, you just don't see a gradual transformation from antagonism to friendship.  This seems like an extreme case of "insta-love."

*I found Maddie, Lanie, and Ian all annoying from the very beginning (without much improvement later).  These were not characters that I cared about at all.  All three characters, particularly Lanie, seemed immature in the way they spoke and in the way they handled relationships.  I understand that character growth is desirable in a story, but you really need to like at least one of the main characters from the start!

*There is a Christian element to the story, but it often seemed too vague.  I didn't see anything that was contrary to Biblical principles, but I think that the Christian themes were too open for interpretation.  Some reviewers misunderstood the intent, and I think that being more specific or explanatory would have been helpful.

I really didn't enjoy this book.  I was glad when it was done at 75% on my Kindle Reader due to recipes, etc.  It sounds like the later "Teacup Novellas" are probably better, but my appetite was most assuredly NOT whetted.  I will not be picking up more books by Diane Moody.  Another of her books might be more to my taste, but I'd rather read books by authors I know I enjoy.
"Tea with Emma", the first of "The Teacup Novellas" by Diane Moody, is a contemporary romance within another story. The novella opens with Lucy Alexander, an author with writer's block receiving an inheritance of teacups from her Aunt Lucille, who collected the cups over the years. Lucy is inspired to write a story for each teacup. In "Tea with Emma", Lucy writes her first story. Emma is not a character in either the story or the story within a story. Emma refers to Maddie Cooper, who decides to open a tea shop after an inspiring tour of Jane Austen's hometown. Maddie is like Jane Austen's Emma in that she tries to be a matchmaker for her best friend Lanie, regardless of the fact that Lanie is already very fond of someone. Just as in Jane Austen's Emma, it doesn't work out very well. The resemblance ends there, however. Dr. Ian Grant, a professor from England, has come to Texas to be a visiting professor at a university. He lives across the street from Maddie and is grumpy and sometimes rude for most of the story until he undergoes a transformation. What I liked:

*I liked Maddie's relationship with her grandmother and how she cares about those around her. What I didn't like:

*There was really no romance. You see only one significant conversation between Lanie and one of her two love interests. Every other conversation is not shown. Maddie seems interested in Ian, but I don't know why. He is so rude to her! One of my favorite types of romance is when the hero and heroine dislike each other in the beginning of the story. But in Tea With Emma, you just don't see a gradual transformation from antagonism to friendship. This seems like an extreme case of "insta-love. "

*I found Maddie, Lanie, and Ian all annoying from the very beginning (without much improvement later). These were not characters that I cared about at all. All three characters, particularly Lanie, seemed immature in the way they spoke and in the way they handled relationships. I understand that character growth is desirable in a story, but you really need to like at least one of the main characters from the start! *There is a Christian element to the story, but it often seemed too vague. I didn't see anything that was contrary to Biblical principles, but I think that the Christian themes were too open for interpretation. Some reviewers misunderstood the intent, and I think that being more specific or explanatory would have been helpful. I really didn't enjoy this book. I was glad when it was done at 75% on my Kindle Reader due to recipes, etc. It sounds like the later "Teacup Novellas" are probably better, but my appetite was most assuredly NOT whetted. I will not be picking up more books by Diane Moody. Another of her books might be more to my taste, but I'd rather read books by authors I know I enjoy.