📖 Blog Tour ~ Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop by Jessica Redland

Delighted to host one of the stops on today's blog today

Boldwood Books
3 August 2021

My thanks to Boldwood books for my copy of this book
and to Rachel's Random Resources for my invitation to the blog tour

Sometimes you just need a little Christmas magic to make your wishes come true...

When master chocolatier, Charlee, takes the leap to move to the picturesque seaside town of Whitsborough Bay, she is determined to follow in her grandfather's footsteps and set up a chocolate shop.

Luckily, she finds the perfect location for Charlee's Chocolates on beautiful Castle Street... Now she just has to refurbish it in time for Christmas!

With a useless boyfriend and countless DIY disasters, Charlee doesn't know if she'll make it in time. With no 'traditional' family to support her, she feels lost in her new surroundings and the secrets of the past are weighing her down.

But the warmth and festive spirit of the Whitsborough Bay community will surprise her, and when plumber, Matt, comes to the rescue, it might be that all of Charlee's dreams could come true this Christmas, and she could learn what family really means...

 

Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop was originally released as Charlee and the Chocolate Shop. Now re-released with a new title and new cover, this version has been freshly edited and features several new chapters.

📖 My Thoughts..

I’ve just spent a delightful few days, not just ensconced in the wonderful, and rather delicious world of chocolate making, but I’ve also got to know a delightful set of characters who call the charming Whitsborough Bay, in Yorkshire, their home.

Charlee Chambers has to make some pretty tough life choices when she leaves everything she has known to set up her chocolate shop in Whitsborough Bay. Moving in with her boyfriend soon presents it’s own set of challenges but Charlee is nothing if not resilient, and it soon becomes apparent that if she is to get anywhere in life she must do so  thanks to her own steely determination and sheer strength of will.

Charlee is such a likeable heroine that I was rooting for her all the way through and wanted her to succeed despite all the setbacks which seem to come at her from all angles. However, there are lovely characters who support Charlee through all of her challenges, but it is her special relationship with a certain, charismatic plumber who comes to her rescue in more ways than just fixing her faulty plumbing, that made me smile the most.

I raced through the story, at ease with the characters, the setting, and especially during the Christmas part of the story, which is quite magical, but I think it’s the warmth of the characterisation which makes this lovely, warm-hearted story, about love, life and friendship really quite special.

Beautifully written, with a joyous set of characters, not all likeable but all very memorable, Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop is every bit as scrumptious as the chocolate which Charlee moulds with such loving care at her little shop on Castle Street.

About the Author

Jessica Redland writes uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community set in Yorkshire where she lives. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast and her Hedgehog Hollow series takes them into beautiful countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.

Twitter @JessicaRedland #ChristmasWishesattheChocolateShop

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🎄Christmas Book Review ~ The Six Tales of Christmas by Anne Marie Ryan

🎅Welcome to my week of Christmas Reads to get you in the festive spirit🎅

Trapeze
October 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my ecopy of this book

It's almost Christmas and snow is falling in the Cotswolds. Simon and Nora are gearing up for the festive season - but their bookshop is in trouble.

Nora is delighted when a customer buys a book that's been on the shelves for years, but that won't be enough to keep the bailiffs away.

Fuelled by mulled wine and mince pies, Nora and Simon hatch a plan to rouse community spirit, sending out six books to lonely villagers. The books change the recipients' lives, but is it too late to change the bookshop's fate?

🎄What did I think about it..

The bookshop in the pretty Cotswold village of Stowford is right at the heart of the community and the owners Nora and Simon Walden are doing everything they can to make the book shop succeed in a world where online sales and cut prices supermarkets are taking the heart out of book selling. With sales diminishing this would appear to be the last Christmas for the book shop, but determined to bring a bit of cheer into lives which need a bit of a boost, Nora and Simon send out six very different books to six recipients, quite unprepared for the effect that their thoughtfulness will have on the lives of these six quite different people.

What this story does so cleverly is highlight the plight of independent book shops and shows how they can be the heart and soul of a community, not just by selling books which is, of course, their raison d'etre, but also sharing in the lives of those for whom the book shop is a real lifeline. I liked Nora immediately, she's a real softy, and genuinely cares for her customers who she considers to be her friends, however,  her infectious enthusiasm for books is what really makes the story come alive.

The Six Tales of Christmas is a lovely festive feel-good story which focuses on some pretty tough issues, especially about the decline of the independent book store, not just in small villages but also in our major towns and cities. It also highlights the importance of having friends and family around us in difficult times.

🎄Best Read with Nora's gingerbread biscuits and a bottle of good red wine..

About the Author

Anne Marie Ryan works as a book editor and has written several successful children's fiction series under a variety of pseudonyms. THE SIX TALES OF CHRISTMAS is her first novel for adults.

Twitter @AMRyanAuthor #TheSixTalesofChristmas

@TrapezeBooks

 

🎄 Christmas Book Review ~ One Family Christmas by Bella Osborne

 

🎅Welcome to my week of Christmas Reads to get you in the festive spirit🎅

Avon Books
October 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

A big family. A whole lot of secrets. A Christmas to remember…

This year, Lottie is hosting one last big family Christmas at the home she grew up in – just like her Nana would have wanted.

But when her relatives descend on the old manor house, Lottie gets more than she bargained for. Every family has its secrets, but in this family, everybody has one!

So, between cooking a Christmas dinner, keeping tensions at bay and a stray dog out of mischief, she has plenty on her plate (and not just misshapen sausage rolls and a frozen turkey). And then her first love shows up – nine years after he walked out of her life.

Can Lottie make their last family Christmas one to remember… for the right reasons?

🎄 What did I think about it..

Lottie is determined to have one last Christmas with her family before the old manor house which has been in the family for years is sold. It's a time of heartbreak for Lottie for not only is she getting used to life without her beloved Nana Rose, but then an ex-boyfriend resurfaces which brings back lots of painful memories that Lottie has kept hidden. To say this the family is dysfunctional is an understatement, and as they begin to arrive in time for Christmas Eve old tensions soon threaten to bubble over.

One Family Christmas is a laugh out loud funny festive story that has so much going on it's a wonder anything ever gets accomplished but the family leave everything to Lottie who is determined to make sure that everyone has a wonderful Christmas time even if it exhausts her in the process. Everyone has something going on it their lives, from Lottie's mum and her toyboy boyfriend, to her brother's girlfriend who is desperately trying to make sense of this crazy family who she is meeting for the first time, add Lottie's ex-boyfriend into the mix, a daft dog called Dave who is besotted with Duchess the snooty cat, and you have all the right ingredients for a delightfully fun and festive Christmas read.

I read One Family Christmas on a dark and dreary afternoon when this talented author's special brand of Christmas magic was just what I needed to make me smile.

🎄Best read with spicy sausage rolls and a glass of Lottie's special mulled wine

About the Author

Website

Twitter @osborne_bella

@AvonBooksUK

🎄Christmas Book Review ~ A Surprise Christmas Wedding by Phillipa Ashley

🎅Welcome to my week of Christmas Reads to get you in the festive spirit🎅

Avon Books 
19 October 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

It’s been a year since Lottie’s fiancé walked out, leaving her heartbroken. But things start to look up when she lands her dream job at a beautiful Lake District estate, with a handsome groundskeeper for a neighbour. 

So when Lottie is asked to organise a last minute Christmas wedding at Firholme, she can’t wait to get started. Until she meets the couple, and discovers that Connor, the man who broke her heart, is the groom-to-be. 

As snow falls on the hills, can Lottie put aside her past to organise the perfect winter wedding? And will there be any festive magic left to bring Lottie the perfect Christmas she deserves?

🎄What did I think about it..

After a disastrous end to a love affair, Lottie throws herself into her new role as events planner for a prestigious hotel in the English Lake District. What she doesn't bargain for is that her first major event, at Firholme, is in organising the winter wedding of someone she once knew very well. With the utmost professionalism, Lottie does everything she can to make this day special but in doing so she must revisit painful memories which she had thought long buried.

What then follows is a delightfully festive story which covers all aspects of wedding planning with a few surprises and hitches along the way. It's all made all the more exciting by the handsome ground-keeper at Firholme who has his own secrets which threaten his long term happiness.

I've really enjoyed spending time in the Lake District, although it was a real treat to have the book start in another area which fans of this author's writing will be familiar with.  I was delighted when the story line moved North for a lovely romantic story about wintery weddings and beautiful stately hotels, and as always,  I was charmed by this author's ability to create a magical story with characters who warm your heart and bring a little bit of festive magic to brighten your world. 

🎄Best Read with a creamy Cappuccino and a slice of Cumberland Rum Nicky Tart.

About the Author

Website

Twitter @PhillipaAshley

@AvonBooks

🎅 Book Review ~ The Country Village Christmas Show by Cathy Lake

🎅 Welcome to my week of Christmas Reads to get you in the festive spirit 🎅

Zaffre
29 October 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Recently divorced, the family home sold and her son all grown-up, Clare is at a crossroads. She's dedicated her whole adult life to her family, and now it's time she did something for herself.

In the lead up to Christmas, Clare decides that a bit of time in the countryside might be just what she needs, so she moves back to Little Bramble, the village she grew up in. But living with her mum for the first time in years - and not to mention Goliath the Great Dane - can be challenging.

When Clare finds herself running the village Christmas show, it feels like she has purpose in her life again. Bringing together people from all sides of the community, and all walks of life, will Clare manage to pull off a festive feat like no other? And will she find the new start in life - and possibly love - that she's been looking for?

🎅My thoughts..

When Clare returns to the idyllic country village of Little Bramble she does so with a heavy heart for her marriage is over and whilst it wasn’t a truly happy marriage, facing the uncertainty of life alone in her mid-forties isn’t entirely filling Clare with glee. However, moving back to her childhood home and spending time with her mother gives Clare the chance to start to put her life back together again. She has much to consider in her new life and the author highlights Clare’s very realistic problems and does so with warmth and a natural talent for making her characters feel like ‘real’ people with real life issues.

This is something of a slow burner of a book and it takes a while before everything starts to feel comfortable but once I had the characters firmly fixed in place I started to enjoy the story more. The author explores some interesting relationships, namely that between Clare and her mother, and also that of Clare and her son Kyle, who turns up in Little Bramble, with his own set of problems. Running throughout the book is the burgeoning relationship between Clare and Sam, the local vet, who she in initially meets in a less than perfect situation involving dog poo and a Great Dane called Goliath!

The Country Village Christmas Show is a delightfully entertaining festive story about finding unexpected romance and of being brave enough to take a second chance at love when it’s offered to you.

🎅Best read with a glass of egg nog and some ginger biscuits..

About the Author

Cathy Lake is a women's fiction writer who lives with her family and three dogs in beautiful South Wales. She writes uplifting stories about strong women, family, friendship, love, community and overcoming obstacles.

Twitter @LakeAuthor

@zaffre

🎄Blog Tour ~ Christmas for the Shop Girls by Joanna Toye

  

🎄Delighted to join in with this festive blog tour today🎄

Harper Fiction
29 October 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my ecopy of this book

and to Random Things Tours for the invitation to the blog tour

For Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls at Marlow’s Department store, another Christmas with ration books, shortages of goods and staff – not to mention a store coping with war damage – will be a real challenge.

But the girls rally round and put their worries aside to make this, the hardest wartime Christmas yet, one that their families, and their town, will never forget.

My thoughts..

Marlow’s department store is a family run business and attracts as much local custom as rationing and the effects of WW2 will allow. This entertaining story features those who work at the store and takes us deep into their lives and loves. 

Throughout this lovely story there’s a great sense of atmosphere and an awareness of the strength of a community which looked out for everyone. This is evident whether it be organising a fashion show at the store and everyone stepping in to help, planning a wartime wedding with all the uncertainty of finding the right wedding and bridesmaid dresses, or playing in a local cricket match.

I particularly enjoyed getting to know shop assistant, Lily Collins and her friends, Gladys and Beryl, who are all doing their utmost to make the best of whatever life throws at them and I think that’s what’s so lovely about Christmas for the Shop Girls, it allows the spotlight to shine on a great set of characters and shares the minutiae of their lives with warmth, love and understanding. 

The author writes well and has captured the essence of this close knit community who were both working and living side by side. There's a nice sense of history, which brings to life not just the camaraderie and stoicism of the war years, but also highlights the importance of these family run stores where the workers became more like family members than employees,

Although I am new to this wartime series, this is book four of five, I was able to pick up the story quickly and enjoyed how the author fed us snippets of information which give some background for new readers like me. Whilst the story is very much about life in this small Midlands town, there is a little focus on what’s happening with the war effort, and with their loved ones currently involved in the war effort, the story mentions briefly the events in the North Africa campaign which was, of course, coming to its conclusion in May 1943.

Christmas for the Shop Girls is a lovely story from start to finish and I am sure that followers of series will love it too.

About the Author

Joanna Toye joined the production team of THE ARCHERS after reading English at Cambridge University, and became a scriptwriter for the programme for over twenty years. She has also written a number of spin-off books about the long-running radio drama. On television, she has written for CROSSROADS, DOCTORS and EASTENDERS.

Twitter @JoannaToye #ChristmasfortheShopGirls

@fictionpubteam @HarperFiction

@RandomTTours

🎄Blog Tour ~ A Little Christmas Hope by Kathryn Freeman

🎄

Thrilled to join in on today's final blog tour stop

Independently Published
2020

Thanks to the author and Rachel's Random Resources for my ecopy of the book
and the invitation to join this blog tour today

Newly promoted head teacher Anna Dalton needs a Christmas miracle – and fast! After years of sitting through excruciatingly dull Christmas productions, complete with crying children and sleeping parents, she’s determined Riddlescomb Primary School will put on a Nativity to remember.

Enter bad boy actor Dan Ramsey, recently axed from the lead role in a TV drama and in desperate need of cleaning up his image or he’ll never work again. 

Dan can flash those heart-stopping dimples all he likes, Anna tells herself she isn’t going to fall for them. She knows why he’s decided to volunteer at the school, and it’s for the good of his career…not his soul. 

But as Anna and Dan are forced to work together for the sake of a truly magical Christmas for the children, sparks fly and they can’t help but wonder what will happen once the festive season is over…

What did I think about it...

Anna Dalton is ill-prepared for the effect that Dan Ramsey will have on her life when she lets him into her Primary School to help out with the school Christmas production, for Dan is a volunteer like no other. Recently axed from his long time acting role as the handsome Doctor Tyler in a daytime soap, Dan is more used to making hearts flutter than inspiring young actors. However, as Riddlescomb Primary starts to work its magic on Dan, so a sprinkling of his charismatic allure starts to work its charm on the lovely Anna.

A Little Christmas Hope isn't just about romance, although when that happens it fairly sizzles on the page, but it's also about being lost and a little bit lonely, about being brave enough to take a second chance when it's offered, and about the bonds of friendship when you need someone to listen. 

A Little Christmas Hope is a lovely heartwarming story which is difficult to put down. I started reading the book on a really grey sort of day when the mist and drizzle seemed set in and there was nothing else to do but settle down in my favourite chair with a packet of chocolate cookies and a good story. I really think that during a national lockdown any of Kathryn Freeman's romantic novels should be compulsory reading as they never fail to take me out of a rather dreary situation and place me quite firmly in the land of her imagination, with lovely heroines and hunky heroes, in romantic stories which just make me smile from start to finish.

About the Author

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

I’ve two sons and husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), so any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.

Twitter @KathrynFreeman1

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AmazonUK

🎄Blog Tour ~ Christmas at the Farmhouse by Rebecca Boxall

 

Thrilled to host one of  today's stops on this Blog Tour

Wild Fox Press
24 October 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and to Rachel's random Resources for my invitation to be part of this blog tour today

Can peace be made with the past this Christmas?

As the anticipation of Christmas builds in the Nielsen family’s cosy farmhouse, Jo, Magnus and their grown-up children begin to congregate for a hybrid Danish-Jersey festive season, each with a surprise of their own – though the surprise that arrives on Christmas Day is something nobody could have predicted.

Fifty years earlier, in 1969, Susan finds herself being pursued by Mr Jenners, her former English teacher, and at the age of seventeen is packed off to a Home for Unmarried Mothers in London by her uncompromising father. As Christmas approaches, all she can do is desperately hope to be rescued, but will anyone be able to reach her in time,

The two timelines of this festive story gradually weave together in a tale that examines whether love and hope can eventually triumph over even the deepest sadness.

🎄What did I think about it..

This story is so Christmassy that you can almost smell the chestnuts roasting and Christmas lunch gently steaming in the Aga. Throughout this gentle drama there is a lovely feel of family, true, this is definitely a family with secrets, but when it counts they all pull together, with parents, Jo and Magnus, doing their best to keep their Jersey-Danish family traditions alive.

It's not all about the here and now as there's also an intriguing story arc which features teenage  mother, Susan, who on discovering that she is pregnant in 1969 is sent off to have the baby at a home for unmarried mothers, a story which is both poignant and heartbreaking in equal measure. The author does a wonderful job of bringing these two stories into sharp focus, I was equally interested in joining in with Christmas at the Farmhouse with Jo, Magnus and the family as I was in travelling with Susan on her rather sad story in the 1960s.

The author writes well and builds up towards the Christmas surprise with a lovely light touch, making Christmas at the Farmhouse such a cosy, warmhearted, festive read.

About the Author

Rebecca Boxall was born in 1977 in East Sussex, where she grew up in a vicarage always filled with family, friends and parishioners. She now lives by the sea in Jersey with her husband, three children and Rodney the cat. She read English at the University of Warwick before training as a lawyer and also studied Creative Writing with The Writer’s Bureau. She is the bestselling author of Christmas at the Vicarage, Home for Winter, Christmas on the Coast, The Christmas Forest and Christmas by the Lighthouse and was nominated for the Romantic Novelist Association Awards in 2020.

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Amazon UK

🎄 Blog Tour ~ A Christmas Wish for the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell

 

🎄Thrilled to host one of today's blog tour stops🎄

Arrow Paperback Original
1 October 2020

#9 Shipyard Girls

Thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

Sunderland, 1943: As Christmas approaches in the shipyards, everyone is hoping for a little magic…

Helen would love to find the courage to tell the dashing Dr Parker of her true feelings for him. But how can she when he clearly has eyes for someone else?

More than a year has passed since Bel’s wedding to sweetheart Joe. She knows she has much to feel thankful for and yet there is still one burning desire which she cannot ignore.

And as Polly grows with child, she hopes against hope for a safe delivery – and that her husband Tommy can soon return from the front line to meet their new arrival.

There will be storms to weather, but guided by their strength and friendship there is still hope for each of the shipyard girls that their Christmas wishes will come true.

What did I think about it..

It's always such a pleasure to return to this series as catching up with the Shipyard Girls is like meeting again with old friends. It's now 1943 and the North East shipyards are facing a tough time as a barrage of bombardment aimed at the docks means that the girls are constantly occupied in repairing the damage which has been inflicted by enemy aircraft. 

However, away from the shipyard, there are changes aplenty coming for all of the characters and none more so that for Bel and Pearl who must finally face up to the secret of their past which threatens to overshadow their present. As always the author captures the wartime spirit of stoicism and camaraderie, there are the usual fallouts and arguments but generally everyone looks out for everyone else and the stoicism and camaraderie comes across, especially in their care and concern for Polly who is facing the birth of her child without her beloved Tommy by her side. I think of all the characters, Helen Crawford is probably my favourite, and it's been lovely to have her feature quite a lot in this story as her relationship with the eligible Dr Parker keeps everyone guessing.

There is no doubt that in each of her stories the author brings the Shipyard Girls to life in such a vibrant and realistic way that you can't help but want everything to work out well for each of them. However, life is never straightforward and the author gives us an abundance of emotions, happy and sad, poignant and emotional, and yet what ultimately shines through is their friendship, love and care for each other.

This is now the ninth book in the series and whilst I think that it can be read as a standalone, there are lots of characters who you really need to get to know, so my advice on this series, if you enjoy WW2 sagas, is to start at the very beginning and get to know these intrepid shipyard girls as they survive the war years.  A Christmas Wish for the Shipyard Girls is a lovely seasonal read which can be read at any time of year but it's especially poignant as a Christmas read as several of the girls have wishes they want to come true whether do they do or not is for you to discover for yourself.

About the Author

Nancy Revell is the pen name of writer and journalist Amanda Revell Walton, who has worked for the national press for the past 25 years, providing them with hard-hitting news stories and in-depth features. She has also worked for just about every woman’s magazine, writing amazing and inspirational true life stories.

Nancy Revell is spearheading a campaign to honour the real women of the Sunderland shipyards in her home town with a new public statue that will be displayed within the historic Sunderland Shipyards. Nancy has worked closely with the Sunderland City Council and the Sunderland Soroptimists, a worldwide volunteer service organization for women, and after putting out a call on her own social media channels, Nancy was approached by local artist Rosanne Robertson who has been commissioned to create the statue that will be unveiled later this year.

Sunderland boasted the largest shipyard in Europe during WWII, and produced a quarter of Britain's merchant shipping at the time. When the men went away to war, the courageous Shipyard Girls took up the back breaking work building ships for the British Navy. Due to its size, the Sunderland Shipyards were a key target of Hitler’s Blitzkreig, making the work not only backbreaking but incredibly dangerous. Historians have estimated that without the courageous women working in Sunderlands’ shipyards during the war, WWII could very likely have been lost due to lack of ability to transport troops, provisions and ammunition.

Twitter @arevellwalton #ShipyardGirls

Website

@arrowpublishing

Blog Tour ~ A Mrs Miracle Christmas by Debbie Macomber

🎄 I'm thrilled to be one of the blog's starting off this festive Blog Tour  🎄

Arrow Books
14 November 2019

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

An uplifting festive novel from the Number One New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

Laurel McCullough is in desperate need of help. Her beloved grandmother has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and the baby she and her husband Zach have longed for now seems like an impossible dream.

So when the kind-hearted, and a little bit unbelievable, nurse Mrs Miracle appears at the door, Laurel couldn’t be more relieved. She invites the nurse into her life and it’s not long before they become the dearest of friends.

When her grandmother’s condition begins to improve, and as Laurel and Zach continue their desperate quest for a child, Laurel soon realises that there is more to Mrs Miracle than meets the eye…

What did I think about it..

I always know that Christmas has arrived when I read my first Debbie Macomber book of the season and A Mrs Miracle Christmas has to be one of my favourite stories.

Laurel and her husband Zach live with Laurel's grandmother, Helen, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, so when Mrs Miracle arrives from a care agency to look after Helen, it seems like the answer to their prayers. Mrs Miracle soon has Helen coping better and their shared interest in knitting and chatting makes life much more settled. With her grandmother calmer, Laurel once again turns to the sadness in her marriage as she and Zach seem to be unable to have a child of their own, and even though they have had opportunities nothing seems to have worked out.

What then follows is a lovely family story which looks at those cross generational relationships which are so important, and also the sadness and tension caused within a marriage by the burden of infertility. Whilst the story covers some thoughtful topics there is also an air of warmth and wisdom which is so reminiscent of this author's ability to deliver a good story. And really its all those little special details which make these stories so special, from Christmas baking, and mouth watering Snickerdoodles, to choosing and decorating a special Christmas tree, to spending time with a basket of yarn and a good old chat between much loved friends.

Mrs Miracle is absolutely fabulous, every home should have one, and her ability to bring comfort and sound common sense makes this such a wonderful story and it takes no time at all to become emotionally attached to all the characters. A Mrs Miracle Christmas continues the theme of the Miracle series which is now well established and the legions of fans who follow this series will be delighted with this latest novel and will, no doubt, recognise a few other well loved characters.

If you've had a stressful afternoon there is no better antidote than a huge cup of tea and a copy of A Mrs Miracle Christmas ♡ 

About the Author

Debbie Macomber is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers. In addition to fiction, Debbie has also published two bestselling cookbooks; numerous inspirational and nonfiction works; and two acclaimed children’s books. The beloved and bestselling Cedar Cove series became Hallmark Channel’s first dramatic scripted television series, Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, which was ranked as the top program on US cable TV when it debuted in summer 2013. Hallmark has also produced many successful films based on Debbie’s bestselling Christmas novels. Debbie Macomber owns her own tea room, and a yarn store, A Good Yarn, named after the shop featured in her popular Blossom Street novels. She and her husband, Wayne, serve on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, and she is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and her husband Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington (the town on which her Cedar Cove novels are based) and winter in Florida.

Website

Twitter @debbiemacomber #MrsMiracleChristmas

@arrowpublishing

Review ~ Christmas at Miss Moonshine's Emporium Anthology..

When the magic of Christmas is just what you're looking for...

There’s something magical about Miss Moonshine’s Wonderful Emporium, and at Christmas she brings an added sparkle to the inhabitants of the pretty Yorkshire town of Haven Bridge. Customers who step over her threshold find an eccentric collection of gifts, but Miss Moonshine has a rare knack for providing exactly what they need: a strange Advent calendar whose doors give a glimpse of a happy ending; a vintage typewriter that types a ghostly message from Christmas past; a mirror in a silver case that reflects the person you’d like to be.

Step inside Miss Moonshine’s quirky shop, and the thing you need most for Christmas will be right there, waiting for you.

What did I think about it..

I can think of no better place to spend the festive season than in the company of Miss Moonshine in her wonderful emporium in the pretty Yorkshire town of Haven Bridge. In this collection of nine festive short stories we get to spend time with some lovely characters as they each celebrate Christmas in their own special way.

There really is something to appeal to everyone with stories set in the present day, alongside stories set in the past, and rather than try to outdo each other the collection blends beautifully, so that each separate story becomes a real festive treat.

All of the stories have the wonderfully eccentric Miss Moonshine at the centre and yet, she doesn't dominate the individual stories, but rather sprinkles her own special brand of magic so that the people she tries to help find their own way of dealing with whatever life has thrown at them. Every conceivable emotion is covered in a lovely entertaining sort of way which makes the sad stories all the more poignant whilst the happy stories come alive with joyous expectation. Amongst the nine, I do have a couple of favourites but I'm not going to share which ones as I would really love it if you would read this collection and discover your own special stories.

Each of the nine festive stories are beautifully written by this group of talented authors who are at the top of their game in writing romantic fiction, be it current or historical, and each story is a perfect length to read over a lunch time break, or with a festive gingerbread latte in your favourite coffee shop.

This collection includes:

• The Ghost in the Machine by Mary Jayne Baker
• The Boy Next Door by Helen Pollard
• My True Love Gave to Me by Sophie Clare
• How to Save Christmas by Kate Field
• A Raven's Gift by Angela Wren
• Make My wish Come True by Helena Fairfax
• Christmas Magic by Marie Laval
• The Timepiece by Melinda Hammond
• Miss Moonshine's Advent Calendar by Jacqui Cooper

Christmas at Miss Moonshine's Emporium is out now in E-book and Paperback

About the Authors

Helena Fairfax, Mary Jayne Baker, Sophie Claire, Jacqui Cooper, Angela Wren, Marie Laval, Kate Field, Helen Pollard, Melinda Hammond.

Christmas at Miss Moonshine's Emporium is an anthology put together by a group of romantic novelists and short story writers from Yorkshire and Lancashire in the north of England. The group meet regularly in the little town of Hebden Bridge, and this location, lying as it does on the moors near the border between the two counties, led to the group name Authors on the Edge, and to the inspiration behind this collection.

Many mince pies were consumed by these authors in the making of this anthology.

Twitter #authorsontheedge

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Blog Tour ~ A Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley

🎄🎄 Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be part of this festive Blog Tour 🎄🎄

Avon
31 October 2019

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of this festive blog tour

Christmas in Cornwall is just around the corner…

But after last Christmas revealed a shocking family secret, Scarlett’s hardly feeling merry and bright. All she wants this Christmas is to know who her real father is.

So Scarlett heads to the little Cornish town of Porthmellow, where she believes the truth of her birth is hidden. She just didn’t bargain on being drawn into the Christmas festival preparations – or meeting Jude Penberth, whose charm threatens to complicate life further.

Everything will come to a head at Porthmellow’s Christmas Festival … But can Scarlett have the perfect Christmas this year, or are there more surprises on the way?

Curl up with this gorgeous novel and savour the world of Porthmellow Harbour.

What did I think about it..

Scarlett and her sister Ellie think they have found the perfect family Christmas present but what they don't bargain for is the way it tears their family apart. Whilst Scarlett is sure that the answer to this devastating family secret lie in the Cornish town of Porthmellow she is apprehensive of delving too deep for fear of what she might discover.

Those who have read this author's previous book The Perfect Cornish Summer will see a welcome return of some of the characters who featured in this first book in the series, however, this novel is more about Scarlett, and Ellie, who each need to find some sort of way forward. Each of them have been hurt in previous romantic relationships so neither of them are looking to find love again, but then Porthmellow starts to work its magic and both Ellie and Scarlett discover that, if they let it, life can offer some wonderful opportunities.

The family mystery at the heart of the novel is handled well and there are a few surprising twists and turns which show that in the aftermath of a shocking family secret there can be a hopeful resolution. I particularly liked the gentle Christmassy feel to the story which isn't overtly festive but which shines a light on the little town of Porthmellow, particularly their Winter Solstice festival, in wonderful heart-warming sort of way.

A Perfect Christmas Christmas is a lovely entertaining Christmas read about the power of family, and friendship, and of the distress and misunderstanding of keeping too many dangerous secrets.

About the Author

Phillipa Ashley writes warm, funny romantic fiction for a variety of international publishers. The first two books in her best-selling Cornish Café series made the Amazon Top 20 and Top 10 chart in 2016.

Phillipa lives in a Staffordshire village with her husband and has a grown-up daughter.

Website

Twitter @PhillipaAshley #APerfectCornishChristmas

@AvonBooksUK

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🎄 Review ~A Winter Kiss on Rochester Mews by Annie Darling

🎄

Harper Collins
November 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Star baker Mattie has hated Christmas ever since she had her heart broken on Christmas Eve. The only thing she hates more is the insufferable Tom, who has rubbed her up the wrong way since she started running the tearoom next door to his bookshop. So when Mattie and Tom are left in charge in the frantic festive days before Christmas, it might be cold outside but things are sure to heat up.

Can a bookshop full of romantic novels, a life-sized reindeer and a mistletoe kissing booth persuade two scrooges to fall in love with Christmas… and each other?

My thoughts about it...

I've loved these books ever since I read The Little Book Shop of Lonely Hearts, so to meet up again with some of the characters who have featured in these delicious rom-com novels is a real treat.

This time the focus is on Mattie, the talented pastry chef, who runs the Happy Ever After tea rooms and Tom who works in the Happy Ever After Book Shop. Normally, these two don't see eye to eye on anything but when circumstances throw them together, well, as you find out, anything can happen !

What delights me about reading these novels is the way that Annie Darling brings her characters to life with such warmth that you can't help but be drawn into their stories. I loved Mattie from the start, and even though her heart was broken one Christmas Eve and she still has reservations about the festive season, she still manages to make wonderful festive confections which sound delicious. There's even a recipe for Gingerbread Cupcakes at the back of the book! Tom is a whole different matter and it took me a while longer to warm to his character but there are reasons, as we discover, why he acts in the way he does. Add into the mix a delightful cast of characters, who add lots of quirky personality into the story, and you have all the ingredients for a fabulously festive read.

A Winter Kiss on Rochester Mews is a heartwarmingly, gorgeous romantic comedy and is just perfect to read, with a gingerbread latte, in the run up to Christmas.

About the Author

@_AnnieDarling

@HarperCollinsUK

AmazonUK

🎄Blog Tour ~ The Mother of All Christmases by Milly Johnson

Jaffareadstoo is thrilled to be hosting The Mother of All Christmases Blog Tour

Simon Schuster
November 2018

My thanks to  the publishers and edpr for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

The brand new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Perfectly Imperfect Woman; a gorgeous read full of love, life, laughter - and crackers! 

Here are thoughts about it..

Three very different women discover that they are expecting a Christmas baby. For one it’s a dream come true, for another it’s a case of being a bit slap dash with the birth control pills, and for the youngest of the three, it’s a baby conceived in rather unusual circumstances. They bond over tea and biscuits at the aptly named Christmas Pudding Club and as their friendship begins, so the details of their lives start to emerge.

The Mother Of All Christmases is a festive treat, from its setting in a winter wonderland theme park, at the gloriously named Winterworld, to making hand-made crackers in the Christmas cracker factory, there is never a moment when the story doesn’t pull you into the fabulous world that this author so lovingly recreates.

What Milly Johnson does so well is making her characters feel real. Anne, Evie and Palma could be any of the women you know. Their worries and problems, high spots and low ebbs are so relatable that after a few pages you forget that you are reading a novel as this just feels like you’re having a natter, over a cappuccino, with your best girlfriends. There is so much to enjoy about this heartwarming story, for readers who are already fans of her work it's another chance to meet up with some of the characters from a previous story and for new readers it is a perfect standalone story to enjoy.

The Mother of All Christmases is an absolute triumph from an author who is absolutely at the top of her game. It’s warm, witty, wise and wonderful and there really is no better tonic at this stressful time of year than settling down with a pot of tea, a plate of mince pies and let Milly Johnson take you into the magical world of her imagination.

About the Author

Photo credit: Charlotte Murphy

Milly Johnson is a Top Five Sunday Times bestselling author of fourteen novels with plans for many more. Her novels are about the universal issues of friendship, family, love, betrayal, good food and a little bit of that magic in life that sometimes visits the unsuspecting. 

Milly is a columnist for her local newspaper and is also an experienced broadcaster on radio and TV. She is also patron of several local charities, including Yorkshire Cat Rescue and The Well at the Core, with community and animal welfare both things that are very close to her heart.

Website

Twitter @millyjohnson #TheMotherOfAllChristmases

@simonschusterUK

@ed_pr

Amazon UK