The Ice-Cream Café Books in Order

The Ice-Cream Café books are warm, funny seaside stories about women who come to Appledore carrying more baggage than beach towels. In Ella's Ice-Cream Summer and Curves, Kisses and Chocolate Ice-Cream, Sue Watson uses the Devon coast, homemade ice cream, and a close-knit small-town crowd to tell stories about starting over when life has gone badly off script.

The first book follows Ella, a single mum who heads back to Appledore after her life falls apart. What waits for her is not a glamorous inheritance, but a battered piece of the family ice-cream business and a tangle of old secrets. The emotional drive of the story comes from watching Ella rebuild, little by little, while deciding who she can trust and what kind of future she wants for herself and her child. There is romance too, especially once Ben enters the picture, but the real hook is Ella finding her footing again.

Appledore matters here.

Watson writes the town as more than a pretty backdrop. The sea, the summer trade, the local gossip, and the pressure of working in a seasonal business all shape what happens. These are books full of sun, salt, food, and community, but they never pretend that a lovely setting makes problems disappear. Money worries, family fallouts, old heartbreaks, and bruised confidence all travel to the beach with the characters.

The second book shifts the focus to Dani, who returns to Appledore years after leaving with a broken heart. She wants a quiet summer, a healthier routine, and maybe a chance to feel better in her own skin. Instead, she finds old memories everywhere, especially in the newly revived ice-cream café and in the reappearance of Jude, the man who hurt her before. Chris, her personal trainer, offers the possibility of something steadier, but the deeper story is about self-worth, habits, and whether Dani can stop repeating the same patterns.

That is the real thread running through this little series. Not a single mystery or cliffhanger, but women getting another shot at themselves.

If you like romantic comedy and women's fiction with plenty of heart, this series is an easy one to sink into. Expect second chances, chatty friendships, seaside charm, and enough cake and ice cream to make you hungry. Just as importantly, expect characters who feel a bit messy, a bit hopeful, and very human.