Review: Christmas in St Ives by Miranda Dickinson

A wonderfully festive ebook short that will get you excited for the Christmas season, by the author of the bestselling Fairytale of New York.

Heartbroken Cerrie Austin is doing her best to hold it together in the run up to Christmas. Not easy when her cheating ex works in the same school and everyone’s eyes are on her. The last thing she needs is a new teacher meddling in her beloved nativity play, even if he is charming, handsome and a talented musician. The Christmas performance is her pride and joy, and she won’t be undermined.

Seren McArthur has recently returned to her Cornish hometown and is enjoying being close to her family and her oldest friends again. St Ives is at its most magical at Christmas, with fairy lights and tinsel in every shop window, tempting locals and holidaymakers alike as they pick up gifts. But an exciting opportunity is just around the corner: will she stay or will she go? 

Meanwhile, the St Ives Christmas celebrations are in crisis: plans for a giant lantern parade through the starlit streets have ground to a halt. As the snow starts to fall, can Cerrie, Seren and their friends Kieran and Aggie rally around in time to save the big day? 

Christmas in St Ives is a charming novella that introduces you to the characters from Miranda Dickinson’s upcoming novel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Available for preorder now! Just click the link: UK or US

Review: ok this was just the perfect start to the festive season for me. I am now ready to drink peppermint mochas, mulled wine and snowballs, watch all the christmas films and wrap my presents. And all this from one novella. I decided not to gobble up this festive offering in one go but to take it in slowly and savour it so I read it in 3 sittings. I really feel like i got to know the characters this way and I can't wait to meet them again in Somewhere Beyond the Sea in June 2018!

I think that Cerrie was my favourite character but that is because she is a kick-ass teacher and just a kick-ass woman in general. Miranda did such a good job writing about what it is like to be a teacher putting on a christmas production and got all the little important details spot on! I loved Aggie too and I know I would loved to visit her coffee hut after a long day at school as well. Of course I know we are going to find out more about Seren in Somewhere Beyond The Sea, and I really hope I get to see all of these characters get their happy endings in that book next year. 

This works really well as a novella because it is getting us ready for christmas, but also getting us ready for this novel next year. I love the fact that we have been introduced to these characters, we know some of their back story and their relationships to each other. But also we get to know about their lives and their town. It was great getting to know how the community works so we candice right in when the novel is out next year. 

The Christmas level in this novel is on high and it really does celebrate all the little things that we take for granted during the festive season. there isn't so much talk pop christmas trees, christmas dinner and the presents, but the events like the school play and the shop windows being dressed. `the first festive drink of the season and people breaking up from school for the holidays. I know these things are so important to me and reading about them made me feel so ready for the holidays. 

This book was a bargain and could definitely be a quick read if you decided to devour it all at once. Whether you are planning to read the follow up novel or not, I would definitely recommend picking this one up to get you in the festive mood and make you feel all warm and sparkly this winter!