Guest Review: Escape for Christmas by Phillipa Ashley

 Sophie used to adore everything about Christmas. Hot chocolate and velvet bows, fairy lights and mince pies.

Until the December her fiancé jilted her.

Since then, Sophie opened Sunnyside Hotel, a quaint guesthouse nestled deep in the Cumbrian countryside.

And, though it might be winter at Sunnyside, it’s never Christmas.

Marketing her hotel to those who wish to avoid the festivities, Sophie is busy preparing for a season full of joy and laughter, but without the tinsel and mistletoe.

Yet, as she finds herself growing closer to her gorgeous neighbour, Brody, her heart begins to melt.

Will this Christmas bring the touch of magic Sophie needs to give love another chance?

Review: What a pleasure to return to the Lake District for Phillipa Ashley’s Christmas book this year. She never fails to present the reader with a fantastic festive treat of a story at this time of year. This book also comes with the bonus of a perfectly stunning cover that could hardly fail to attract readers.

This story concerns Sophie Cranford, who runs a guest house situated on the outskirts of the village of Bannerdale in the Lake District. She has not enjoyed Christmas since breaking up with her fiancé at this time of year, an experience which caused her to up sticks and move miles away to her current location. This year she has come up with the idea of advertising breaks suitable for people who would like an alternative to the conventional Christmas celebrations. Local residents think this a strange idea and regard her as a Scrooge type of figure, but her accommodation is soon booked to capacity. In the light of her history with her ex, Sophie has sworn off romance, but is finding herself more and more attracted to her nearest neighbour, vet Brody. He certainly seems interested in a relationship with her. In the midst of all the snow and Christmas festivities, can she relent and allow herself to consider that she might love again.

I can highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a romantic festive story in a stunning setting. I absolutely loved everything about it, even though, as a lover of all things Christmas, I found the idea of escaping the festivities a strange idea. Sophie had her reasons for avoiding the celebrations, but I was quite amused by her choices of alternative festive fare and activities. In addition to the central players, the book is populated with many other interesting characters each with their own individual stories covering a range of topics. Sophie was lucky to have the handsome and practical Brody as her neighbour; I hoped that she might consider forgetting her ban on men for him. The amazing scenery of the area is well described by the author; a fall of snow can add to the beauty of the vista but there is a reminder of the problems that it can cause at the same time.

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Guest Review: Mistletoe Magic in the Highlands by Bella Osborne

 Olivia Bingham is unlucky in love...

She's been ghosted more times than she can count, but this Christmas brings a glimmer of hope: Fraser Douglas,

a Scottish chef working at an idyllic hotel in the Highlands. He's sweet and sensitive, thoughtful and funny, not to

mention incredibly good looking – but there's a catch.

They've never actually met.

When Olivia tries to show her friends the hunky new man in her life, Fraser's online dating profile has vanished, and

Olivia fears the worst. Frustrated and wounded, she decides she's going to confront Fraser – face to face, in Scotland.

But when she arrives, things don't go exactly as planned. Worse still, Fraser doesn't seem to have any idea who she is...

Review: As a fan of all things Christmas, I look forward to this time of year when all the festive books begin to appear. Almost all of my favourite authors, like Bella Osborne, publish a Christmassy story. This title and its cover suggested a trip to Scotland and plenty of snow. Once I started to read, I became completely engrossed in the story and finished it in just a couple of sittings, so reluctant was I to put it down.

The central female character in this story is Liv Bingham, who has been ghosted on a dating site and is determined not to take this lying down. She had really thought there was a growing relationship with Scottish chef Fraser Douglas; they had so much in common. But suddenly he, and all of their communication, disappeared into the ether. With the help of her mother and sister, Liv tracks down Fraser, and, even though it’s almost Christmas, sets off on the 200 mile drive to the highland hotel where he works. After an eventful journey, she finds herself at the rundown building and steps in the middle of apparent chaos. Moreover, when at last she comes face to face with Fraser, he seems surprisingly to know nothing about her.

I have so enjoyed reading this festive and highly amusing book. It had me laughing out loud at the situations Liv found herself in throughout the story. I did feel sorry for her having been ghosted by the incredibly handsome and hunky Fraser, but the complications that arose for Liv, mainly involving his cousin and her grandmother, were at times absolutely hilarious. I would love to catalogue all the amazing things that went on, but no spoilers here. I can only urge other readers to go out and find the book; you’re in for a treat and a good few laughs if you do.

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Guest Review: A Skye Full of Stars by Sue Moorcroft

 Under the winter stars, anything is possible…

Ezzie Wynter can’t wait for Christmas on the beautiful Isle of Skye. Her island home sparkles at this time of year thanks to the snow-capped mountains and frosty winter walks, topped off with family gatherings with those she loves the most.

But her peaceful Christmas idyll is upended when she hears that the Larsson family – the owners of Rothach Hall – are flying in from Sweden for the festivities. As Manager of their grand Scottish manor house, Ezzie suddenly has decorations to hang, food to source and itineraries to organise.

Life only becomes more difficult when Mats Larsson turns up. The owners’ handsome, self-assured son is used to doing things his own way – and he is only another headache to add to her overflowing list.

Yet when unexpected visitors arrive looking for Ezzie, nothing else matters as she is left questioning everything she ever knew about herself. But amidst the Christmas chaos, she might also discover that, when all is lost, it’s sometimes those we least expect who come to our aid…

Review: This is the second book in the Skye Sisters Trilogy, set on the scenic island off the west coast of Scotland. The books feature three sisters unrelated at birth but adopted by the same couple. The first book centred on the youngest of the three, while this story focuses on the middle sister. The book’s cover beautifully illustrates the starry sky visible on an island free from light pollution.

Ezzie Wynter, the middle by age of the three sisters is a great lover of Christmas. She is currently manager of the Rothach estate on Skye, which is owned by the Swedish Larsson family. Unusually, the family are due to visit the hall for Christmas this year, so Ezzie is busy looking out decorations and planning menus for the large party which will include several adults and children. In her previous role on the estate, Ezzie didn’t have much contact with the family, but now she liaises with them directly and is finding Mats Larsson, a handsome but determined divorcee who is visiting with his two young children, difficult to deal with. To add to her load, Ezzie is suddenly faced with unexpected visitors who turn her world upside down. In the midst of this stress, she finds help and support from a surprising source.

I very much enjoyed this tale, set on the snowy Isle of Skye. I was treated to wonderful descriptions of the marvellous scenery being experienced by the characters. The estate and its hall were also well described, making me wish I could visit. Ezzie is a really strong person who I met in the first book in the series, but got to know in greater detail here. She certainly had problems to deal with and a very different Christmas from what she had expected. I found the visitors from Sweden very interesting. There was a lot of family drama going on there. Mats sounded very attractive but had an annoying habit of speaking without thinking which made him not altogether likeable. However, Ezzie found herself attracted to him and his adorable children. The author also presented the reader with some interesting facts about Swedish traditions at Christmas time. I can recommend this book as a perfect festive read.

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Guest Review: A Very Irish Christmas by Debbie Johnson

One part American sugar, two parts Irish spice. Cassie O'Hara is about to discover the recipe for the sweetest Christmas…

When New York-born Cassie O'Hara decides to use the money her sassy Irish nana Nora left in her will to book a month-long stay in a quaint country village, she's expecting a cozy cottage, steak-and-ale pie and plenty of Christmas cheer. Instead, she gets a draughty disaster covered in dust, a temperamental stray dog and two devastatingly handsome men vying for her attention…

There's Charles, the dashing English aristocrat with an enormous manor house and a heart of gold. And Ryan, a curly-haired Irish handyman with a past he won't talk about and an accent that makes her weak at the knees.

When Charles enlists Cassie's event-planning expertise to save his family estate, she finds herself working shoulder to shoulder with Ryan, breathing new life into Bancroft Manor. As village life weaves its spell, Cassie uncovers some intriguing secrets about Nana Nora's past. With her return ticket looming and her heart pulling her in unexpected directions, can Cassie find the love and belonging Nana Nora always wanted for her?

Review: I have been looking forward to reading this Christmas book from one of my favourite authors. She writes brilliant romantic comedies in wonderful settings. I just knew that once I started reading this one I wouldn’t want to put it down. It reminded me a little of the Christmas film the Holiday. I particularly liked this book’s cover, so striking in green, linking in with the Irish theme.

The heroine of the story is event planner Cassie O’Hara, who has decided to use the inheritance left to her by her beloved Irish grandmother to leave behind her native New York and spend Christmas in the UK. Searching online, she finds the perfect little cottage in a small English village where she pictures herself relaxing by the fire surrounded by Christmas spirit. The reality is quite different when she opens the door of the cottage to find dust and decay. Turning to find the village pub in the hope of a meal, she is intercepted by a small dog barring her way, but her fortunes improve when she is rescued from the whole situation by not one but two handsome men. The first is Irish handyman Ryan and the other is local landowner Charles, who offers her alternative accommodation in the local manor house that has been his family’s home for generations. While Ryan fixes up Cassie’s holiday cottage, she helps Charles with advice on activities that will bring in some income for his floundering estate. During Cassie’s stay, she also finds out some facts about her own family history. As time passes, she becomes attracted to both Ryan and Charles and they to her, but who will she choose or will she in fact return to New York?

What a marvellous Christmassy romance this was, filled with humorous situations and characters in an unusual setting. I loved the idea of the quaint English village that is so very Irish, filled as it is with families with Irish backgrounds. Cassie was a great character, so kind and helpful and not at all fazed by anything thrown at her. She has been unlucky in love in the past and then two lovely men are there before her - she certainly had a quandary. I loved the little stray dog who turned up mysteriously all over the place. The story was not all laughs. There were some serious issues dealt with and I was reduced to tears at times. I can thoroughly recommend this heartwarming Christmas book; charming setting, likeable characters and romance - what more could you want?

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October Wrap Up/Nonfiction November TBR 2024

OK, long time no post, I know. Can we just not mention that?

I DID actually read some books in the month of October and I'm pretty proud of that so I want to tell you about them and it has motivated me to want to read some books in November too so I hope you'll help cheer me on to finish at least one of those before the month is up!

Books I read in October 2024

Nonfiction books I want to read in November

Netgalley books I want to read in November

Let me know what you've been reading...