eBook News: Christmas At the Beach Cafe by Lucy Diamond

Another author who is bringing out a festive novella is Lucy Diamond! Her offering, Christmas At the Beach Café is a follow up to her novel from a few years ago, The Beach Cafe. I really like the design of the cover which matches her other books well, and it'll be nice to catch up with Evie again. It's out on 7th November.

You can pre-order Christmas at the Beach Café as an eBook now.

"After a hectic summer running her beach café in Cornwall, Evie Flynn is looking forward to her first Christmas with new boyfriend Ed – she’s determined that it’s going to be the most perfectly romantic one ever. Cosy nights in front of the fire, spicy mulled wine, mince pies . . . what’s not to love? But the peace is shattered when Ed’s ex suddenly gets in touch again, and then some unexpected guests arrive: Ed’s surly brother Jake and Evie’s heartbroken best friend Amber. Add in the stress of trying to finish her very own recipe book, snow blizzards and family dramas and Evie’s Christmas starts to look as if it’ll be a total turkey. Will any of her festive wishes come true . . . or is this Christmas just a recipe for disaster? An absolute Christmas cracker from Lucy Diamond, bestselling author of The Beach Café and Me And Mr Jones. This novella is the perfect present for anyone who loves women’s fiction, heartwarming stories and the festive season!"

Book Review: Christmas Carol by Michele Gorman

"One winter wedding, two happy couples, three ex-boyfriends... And a very uncomfortable weekend. Carol hates Christmas. Being recently dumped, she’s not crazy about weddings either. So her sister Marley’s nuptials, over the Christmas weekend, are making her positively Scrooge-like. When she arrives for the weekend at the stately home in rural Scotland to find her three ex-boyfriends in attendance, Carol has no choice but to face her ghosts to discover what really happened in those relationships, learning a lot about herself in the process. As the snow falls outside and the fire crackles in the hearth, might one of the wedding guests become the harbinger of Christmases to come?"

Rating: 4.5/5

You can buy Christmas Carol as a paperback or an eBook now!

Michele Gorman's latest book, published by fab new publishers Notting Hill Press, is a short festive novella. Entitled, Christmas Carol, it's a modern retake on Charles Dickens' classic tale 'A Christmas Carol', a story that I love to read every year, and watch the film as well. Michele was kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing, and while this has not influenced my review in any way, I am thrilled to say I loved the book and thought it was a perfect Christmassy short story to enjoy in the run up to Christmas which will be here before we know it!

Carol really doesn't like Christmas. She finds it stressful enough, so when her sister reveals that she's getting married at Christmas, she isn't exactly over the moon. She has to make her way to snowy Scotland to an isolated stately home for the nuptials, but there is something that her sister hasn't divulged to her - her three ex-boyfriends, one of whom very recently dumped her, are in attendance at the wedding. Carol tries in vain to get them uninvited but her sister isn't having any of it. Carol realises she's going to have to grit her teeth and bear it, and find out perhaps why these relationships didn't quite work out. As the wedding fast approaches, Carol tries to lose herself in the festivities, and make the most of the time she has there with her nearest and not-quite-so dearest...

I'll be honest and say that at first I didn't twig that this was a modern retelling of the classic story, even though the title should have left me thinking about this really! It wasn't until I was reading about her three ex-boyfriends that I realised these were the three ghosts of Christmas past from the other story, and once I was into it, I found that it worked really well! We had a female Scrooge in this book - Carol really doesn't like Christmas, she's a workaholic, addicted to her phone and is generally a bit of a sourpuss about all things fun. Despite all this though, I really liked her and felt that Gorman made her sympathetic enough that we cared about what had happened to her romantically, and how she felt quite awkward with all her exes around her.

The way these three men were written into the story was good too. Gorman makes use of Carol telling us their past relationships through flashbacks and I enjoyed reading about them, and why they all ended, although Carol  freely admits she doesn't understand why men keep leaving her! They are all very different men, and you can see Carol genuinely had feelings for all of them, but is just a bit unlucky in love. I was hoping for Carol to find a happy ending in the book, but Gorman certainly makes you work for it, not leaving it obvious at all. Although the story is short, I felt Gorman covered everything well enough and didn't leave anything unexplained, but I could have quite happily read this as a full length novel, I enjoyed it so much.

I really loved the festive touches in the book, the mentions of the snow, the wedding festivities, all sounded perfect, and the setting of a remote stately home in cold Scotland was just the icing on the cake really. There's quite a bit of humour in there from Carol, she's funny and Gorman writes her quite dry-wit well, I especially loved her despairing over the lack of signal she got for her Blackberry whilst at the wedding! Carol doesn't particularly some of her other family members, and this leads to some quite funny moments too, although a tad cringing at times! Altogether though, it's a really enjoyable novella, and is a great retelling of a classic story. There's characters that you'll love and hate in there, a wonderful setting, and a whole lot of good feeling too. Sure, Carol isn't perfect, but that's what I loved about her, and hoped someone else would too! Christmas Carol is a great short story to curl up with and enjoy for this coming festive season.

Book Review: A Gift To Remember by Melissa Hill

"Darcy Archer works in a small bookstore in Manhattan. A daydream believer, she refuses to settle for anything less than being swept off her feet by the perfect man… literally. One day, when cycling to work, Darcy accidentally crashes into a sharply dressed gentleman walking his dog. He is knocked out cold, rushed to hospital and the poor pup gets left behind. Wracked with guilt, Darcy takes the dog and makes plans to reunite him with owner, Aiden. As she discovers the mysterious stranger's world of books, travel, adventure and all the wonderful things she's ever dreamt about, Darcy builds a picture of this man and wonders if he could be THE ONE… But does fantasy match reality? What happens when Prince Charming wakes up? Will Aiden be the happy ever after she's always imagined?"

Rating: 5/5

You can buy A Gift to Remember as a hardback or an eBook now.

Melissa Hill is one of my favourite chick lit writers of all time, I absolutely love her mysterious tales, and get so involved in them each time I pick one up. Her latest book is a wintery offering, not exactly a Christmas story but it is certainly a fantastic book to curl up with as winter approaches. I want to mention the cover as well because it is just stunning and is certainly perfect to me, characters coming to life out of the pages of a book... what more could you want? I eagerly got stuck into the book a few nights ago, and just could not put it down, it's one of my favourite reads by Melissa Hill to date, and here's why I think it's a must-read this winter.

Darcy is a serious book lover, and consequently loves her job working a small book store in New York City. She loves everything about it, from shelving the new books to chatting about her beloved stories with the customers who visit her shop. However, things come crashing down when on her way to work one day, she runs a man down on her bicycle as he comes across the crossing. His dog is left behind, and he's rushed to hospital, and Darcy is determined to help the stricken man, especially when she finds out he needs her help. Darcy is determined to assist Aiden in any way she can, and begins to construct a life for him in her mind... to her, he seems like the perfect man. As time goes on, will Darcy and Aiden realise they are a match made in heaven, or is it too good to be true?

I really loved this book from the beginning. I loved Darcy, I could see so much of myself in her - her love of books, getting lost in stories and characters, and also being a little bit of a loner too. She's very independent but seems to really love living in New York City. I love how Melissa Hill describes the city through her eyes, and brings to life the places, sights and even things like the hustle and bustle of the streets, the way she zips about riding her bicycle, it all sounds perfect to be honest! The bookshop too sounds wonderful, crammed with gorgeous books, luxurious bags for the customers and some fun young bookworms working in there... what more would you want?!

The slow progression of the story between Darcy and Aiden was perfect, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. He is a mystery both to the reader and Darcy at first, and it's fun to try and guess who he is, what he does and more about his back story. Darcy's way of finding out more is fun to read, and you feel like you're on a little bit of an adventure with her as she tries to piece together Aiden's life. I enjoyed the split narrative that comes in a short while after the book, hearing Aiden's story from his point of view, and this introduces us to yet another mystery - what exactly is Aiden up to in the run up to Christmas and why?!  I loved trying to guess, and I'm pleased to say Melissa fooled me this time, I certainly didn't expect the answer to this mystery and it was fun to read and find out!

While this isn't exactly a festive read, it is a perfect winter story because it's set in New York, one of the best places in the world to be at Christmas, and it's a sweet story about the kindness of strangers, and helping those who are in need. I loved reading everything about it, from the descriptions of New York, to Darcy's different relationships in the book, both with her neighbours, colleagues, Aiden and her aunt Katherine, who was a very interesting character. Hill writes so beautifully, you can get really lost in her stories, and this one is certainly no exception. It's a fantastic story, I loved not being able to guess the answer to Aiden's mysterious tale and the pace of the story was perfect too, it keeps you guessing and interested, but gives you plenty of detail and leaves you free to come to your own conclusions too. For me, this si one of Melissa Hill's best books to date, a story about a book lover is perfect for me, and the setting just added to that magic. I loved it, and can't recommend it enough!

Book Review: The Moment by Claire Dyer

"Paddington station, nine a.m., rush hour. As the crowds ebb and flow, time suddenly stands still for two people: Fern and Elliott, ex-lovers who parted twenty-five years before and never expected to see each other again.

But here they are, face to face, and the connection is as powerful as it was the day they first met. Their lives have moved on - to marriage, children and divorce - yet neither has stopped regretting the day that drove them apart.

Fern gives Elliott her number and they tentatively arrange to meet again that evening when both will be travelling back through the station. And, as the day ticks on, and the memories resurface, both Fern and Elliott reflect on the past. As their emotions go round in circles, so does the Paddington clock, counting down the minutes to eight p.m. - and the moment the future is in their hands."

Rating: 2/5

You can buy The Moment as a paperback or an eBook now.

I was sent this book for review a few months ago, and I finally got around to reading a couple of weeks ago. A quote on the front says that it's 'this year's 'One Day'' - I haven't read that book yet but have heard such good things about it that I was very hopeful about this one. To be compared to such a novel can only be a good thing, right? So, I entered the book with big hopes, but unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to them for me. I found it hard work to read, and found that I was only reading on to the end simply because I'd read so much already and I wanted to know how it ended!

Years ago, when they were teenagers and at university, Fern and Elliott had a relationship that they were both happy in, and both seemed sure that they'd found the one they wanted to be with. But when it ends suddenly, leaving Fern heartbroken and Elliott confused, the pair part ways, not destined to see each other again for 25 long years. When a chance meeting at a train station one morning brings them both together again, the pair are forced to make decisions which may change the paths of their lives forever. Fern needs to decide if she wants to meet Elliott again later that evening, and what that decision will mean to both of them. They start thinking about their past together, and what different one moment can make...

I will say the premise of the book had me intrigued. I wanted to know what had happened between Fern and Elliott to split them up all those years ago, I wanted to know if it was going to end well or badly, and how it would end up too. However, that was pretty much all that kept me reading really. I found that the story was really slow, so slow that I found myself getting quite bored with it and not wanting to continue in parts. The narrative was both Elliott and Fern, and consequently I found parts of the story were repeated from each person's point of view, and it seemed like I was reading the same thing twice over, there was nothing new happening. The action takes place only over one day as well, so it didn't allow for things to happen too quickly, and for me it was just too slow.

The other problem I had with the book was that I didn't really care for Fern and Elliott, or their relationship either. I didn't especially care if Fern made the decision to see Elliott at the end of the day, what Elliott decided to do at the station, and if they got back together or never saw one another again. Even once I had found out what happened between them, it didn't make me care any more for their story, and I was only determined to finish it because I'd come so far and I didn't want to waste that much of the book. Much of Fern's part of the book takes place at a pottery class, and to be honest, this was totally dull, and I really didn't connect with either Fern or what she was doing... it was so slow I honestly just lost interest.

For me, I really didn't enjoy reading The Moment, and I can't say I would recommend reading it. I found the pace far too slow for me, it had characters I didn't care about and therefore I just struggled to connect to the story in any way. Dyer's writing did bring to life the emotions of the characters, but by that point, I had lost interest in it and it wasn't enough to fix the rest of it for me. The ending was interesting, perhaps the only ending Dyer could have chosen when reading it, but again that wasn't for me - I like things ended and in a neat package and this didn't deliver on that front, I hate uncertainty. It's a shame that I just did not enjoy The Moment, I'm sure there are people out there who will like it, but it just was not for me.

eBook News: Christmas at the Crescent by Veronica Henry

I was over the moon when I saw on Twitter that Veronica Henry was releasing an eBook festive short story, and now I've seen the cover and read the synopsis, I cannot wait to read it! How gorgeous is that cover?!? The eBook is due out on 7th November so not long to wait, it sounds just brilliant.

You can pre-order Christmas at the Crescent as an eBook now.

"Behind the gorgeous Georgian sweep of Pelham Crescent, Bath, everyone's getting ready for Christmas...

At Number 14, Josie Ballard is up to her ears in brandy, raisins and cherries as she battles to make forty Christmas puddings to sell at Bath Christmas Market. Ever since Giles walked out the day their baby was born, Josie has had to work twice as hard to make ends meet. Sacrificing a career as a chef, her famous steamed puddings keep her and her gorgeous baby boy Titus afloat. Almost. So when, in the middle of Stir Up Sunday, a new neighbour in the Crescent complains about the noise that Titus is making, Josie gives him a basinful...

Giles, meanwhile, is finding life in the fast-lane with his uber-glamorous new girlfriend Rebecca rather draining. With one party blurring into another, he's now wondering if he hasn't made a terrible mistake in abandoning Josie and his child. Isn't it time he grew up, his mother asks, and Giles is starting to agree. So when he discovers Josie has a handsome new neighbour, Giles decides it's time to step up to his parental duties...

Christmas just got complicated."

Blog Tour Stop: There's More to Life Than Cupcakes by Poppy Dolan

Today I am thrilled to welcome the Blog Tour to my blog for Poppy Dolan's new novel There's More To Life Than Cupcakes! The book has been released through new publishers, Novelicious Books, and looks like a cracking read. Poppy was kind enough to write a piece for me to feature on my blog, so here we go!

Novelicious Books are running a fab competition too...

"At midnight on the evening of Thursday 24th October (the tour's conclusion), we will be randomly selecting one person who has left a comment on any of the blog posts on the Poppy Dolan blog tour. That commenter will win a kit of baking and cake decorating supplies from BBC The Apprentice finalist Luisa Zissman’s The Baker Shop. Chock full of gorgeous edible shapes, sprinkles and even some sparkly edible glitter, each kit contains £50 worth of goodies."

So go on, get entering! What are you waiting for?!

There's More To Life Than Cupcakes is available to buy as an eBook now.

My writing rituals by Poppy Dolan

I don’t always write in the most organised, methodical ways (I often get my best ideas on the bus and so send myself baffling emails, typed between stops) but I do have some writing rituals that put me in the right mood for a long writing sesh. I usually can’t focus until I have these things in place:

1. Diet Coke. And tonnes of it. I know whatever’s in it that makes it sweet but still 0 calories probably isn’t super organic, but it gives me a good writerly boost just when I need it.

2. No chipped nail varnish. If my varnish is a bit chipped or peeling, I just can’t sit down and type until I’ve sorted it Call it work avoidance or OCD, but if I don’t fix it I’ll find myself staring at it for the next three hours instead of staring at my WIP. Having lovely nails also makes me feel all Barbara Cartland and she wrote a library’s worth all on her own.

3. A nice big jumper. I sometimes write in the shed (the shed called Terence, for full disclosure) and it gets a bit breezy in there. There are also spiders, so a rolled up newspaper is handy. Eugh.

4. A mozzarella and basil pannino. When I’m not in the shed writing (sorry Terence), I head to my local coffee shop. It’s warmer, it doesn’t have spiders and it does a mean mozzarella and basil pannino. A friend of mine once told me that pannini is actually the plural and now I can’t get that out of my head, so I say pannino and sound like a right twerp. (Sorry, coffee shop people)

5. Notebook. Beautiful stationery cannot be underestimated  - it inspires great things in ordinary people. And although it might be more efficient and whizzy to type my thoughts straight into my laptop, nothing quite beats scrawling down ideas old school, with a pen on paper. Lots of my notes are short and sweet: ‘TV advert?!!!’ ‘TOO much cake maybe?’ ‘Is she a right nob though?’ but they help keep the important stuff front and centre.

6. Spider. Nope, not the squishing kind, the Solitaire kind. If I manage an hour of writing, I treat myself to a few games. Which of course turns into eight games. Then the guilt kicks back in and I make myself write for the next hour. So, really it’s very healthy and productive.

Thanks so much, Poppy!

Book Review: Coming Home for Christmas by Jenny Hale

"Allie Richfield loves Christmas, so when she lands a job as House Manager for the amazing Ashford Estate—which includes organizing the Marley family festivities—she is in her element. With a budget bigger than her life savings and a team of staff, how hard can it be?

As one-by-one she meets the Marleys, she’s about to find out…

Allie’s new boss, Robert, might be gorgeous, but he’s also colder than the snow outside and refuses to come home for Christmas. Robert’s playboy brother, Kip, flirts with her relentlessly; and his sister, Sloane, arrives home with baggage—both the divorce-kind and the Louis Vuitton kind. Their ninety-two year old grandmother, Pippa, spends her day grumbling at everybody from her mobility scooter.

With Robert intending to sell Ashford, it’s the Marley’s last chance to create some happy memories in their family home—and Allie is determined to make it happen… even if it takes a little Christmas magic! With the festive spirit in full swing, she might even discover a little happiness of her own…"

Rating: 5/5

You can buy Coming Home for Christmas as an eBook or a paperback now.

I received a copy of this book after I spotted it's gorgeous cover on Twitter when I was having a browse one evening. The publishers, Bookoture, offered me the chance to review, and given that I love anything festive, of course I jumped at the chance and said yes please! I started the book last week, and I have to say that although it's my first festive read of 2013, I think it's definitely going to remain one of my favourites, I got so lost in the story and it's made its way straight to my keepers shelf!

Allie loves Christmas, loves her family, and loves living in Virginia. When her sister manages to find her a new job as house manager at the Ashford estate, working for the Marley family, she decides it's worth a try until Christmas and soon moves in. Her boss is Robert, a single man who seems estranged from all his family due to his wanting to sell the estate as soon as possible. His grandmother Pippa, who grew up in the house, doesn't want to go to a home, and isn't speaking to her grandson. Robert's sister Sloane is dealing with her own marital woes, and her two young children, and the youngest sibling Kip is does nothing but flirt with Allie, leaving her feeling somewhat awkward in her new abode. Allie is determined to make the Marley's last Christmas at Ashford a good one, but once she realises what she is up against, is it one Christmas wish too far?

Right from the off, I loved this book. I'll be honest and say I was surprised it was set in America, for some reason I just assumed it was an English author and a novel set in England, but once I realised it, it didn't bother me at all. In fact, everything about this book was just brilliant. I loved the setting, the characters and the story was just lovely, I didn't even mind that I was pretty sure I knew how it was going to end. Allie was very likeable, determined to make it a nice Christmas for the Marley family, she had her heart in the right place, and you could see she genuinely liked the people she worked for. It wasn't her dream job, she really wants to be a teacher, but she works really hard and does her best by the rest of the family.

It was the Marley family who were also so brilliant to read about. Often, you read about rich families in books and they are dislikeable people, but this was not the case in Hale's book. I especially warmed to Sloane, a woman struggling to get over her recent divorce but wanting to protect her two young children. Kip was a bit of a playboy for me, but he had a fun side and tried to get Allie to come out of herself a bit more. Even Robert, who is distant and at times quite rude to Allie is likeable and you can see something is making him how he is. Grandmother Pippa is just wonderful, and you love each of them as you're reading, and you can see why Allie likes them all so much and is reluctant to let their last Christmas in their home be a bad one. The slow-building love story just brings everyone together perfectly, and while I was hoping for one resolution, I wasn't entirely it was going to get there, but by the time you end, it's certainly one worthy of a Hollywood movie, it's perfect.

The story is a sweet one, showing us that the most important thing in life is our family, and looking after them. Other things; spouses, money, come and go but family will always remain and this book cleverly shows us that. I loved the gentle pace of the story, and despite the fact it rarely moves out of the Ashford home, it didn't matter because I was so lost in the story and the idea of this glorious big house all decorated for Christmas, with big trees, lots of snow on the grounds outside and a roaring fireplace. It is so idyllic as you're reading, it's easy to become so absorbed in it, and I just could not put it down, even when my eyes were begging me to get some sleep! It's a wonderful Christmas story with a lot of warmth and heart, with a cast of characters you'll love and plenty of that festive feeling. I absolutely loved it and look forward to reading it again, just brilliant.