Book Review - The Christmas Getaway by Jill Barry - Back Catalogue Books

Back Catalogue Books is my new regular Saturday feature, focusing on books that are not the latest releases. There is going to be a mix of Q&As and also reviews, depending on what I have the space for. 

If you are an author wanting to take part in Back Catalogue Books then please do email on gilbster at gmail dot com and I'll whizz the questions over to you. 

I hope everyone enjoys this weekly look back at some of the slightly older books that are about but still great, and that I eventually make a dent in my TBRs as a result of it! 

This week I am featuring The Christmas Getaway by Jill Barry that I bought last year and just haven't got around to reading yet. 

Amazon UK

Title: The Christmas Getaway

Author: Jill Barry

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Endeavour Press

Publication Date: 8th October 2015

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Christmas is not Lulu’s favourite time of year.  And she can’t yet face the idea of her gorgeous boyfriend Ravi meeting her family.  So this year she wants to plan an alternative Christmas.

When Ravi suggests they invite Lulu’s best friends - Susannah and Jo - to join them she is unsure at first.

But when Lulu suggests that they all spend the Christmas break in a secluded coastal cottage together, with their partners in tow, they both jump at the chance.

Susannah is back in a relationship with her teenage sweetheart, Grant. And Jo is living with Troy Cooper AKA TC, the soap opera star.

And, as of yet, none of the girls have met their best friend’s partners. With the cottage booked, Lulu can’t wait for their festive getaway. But then disaster strikes.

Ravi is mugged on his morning run and ends in hospital the day before their holiday. Will Lulu still manage to get her perfect Christmas holiday? Will all the couples get along? Or will everything come to a head during their The Christmas Getaway?

This book was previously published as Couples Retreat.

The Christmas Getaway is an enjoyable short novella that gives you an insight into 3 couples and the Christmas they spend together. For a book spanning a short space of time, and only 109 pages, there is a lot more going on than you may think, this is not an uneventful Christmas. 

Lily wants to show off her new boyfriend Ravi to her friends, that she doesn't see that often. She also isn't that keen on a family Christmas, although the reason behind that is barely touched upon which is a shame. Ravi organises a retreat in Bournemouth for the three couples, but then runs into trouble the day they are due to head there. 

There is Susannah who is in a relationship with Grant, but has had some heartache in the past, so is she currently with the right guy, or are they just trying too hard. And there is Jo who clearly loves TC but will his career become more important than her. 

This was an easy and quick book to read, but I couldn't help but feel there could have been a bit more depth, or that I should have been able to connect to the characters a bit more. I liked the ladies, but was missing that emotional connection to them, that would have shaped a great story. 

As a first introduction for me to this author's writing, I quite liked it, and would be perhaps interested in reading a longer book by her, to see just what she is capable of. 

Funday Friday - Truth or Lie? - Jane Cable - Month 6 Week 4

Welcome to the latest edition of Truth of Lie. My name is Rachel and I will be your host, for this exciting new game show. Each Friday, I will have one contestant, and they will be answering at least 14 questions. There is of course one small twist...

For three of the answers, they have to lie. It is your task as the viewer to guess which three answers are lies. You are allowed 3 guesses and I want them posted into the comments field. 

Every 4 weeks, I will close the guessing, count up how many correct answers each of you has, and create a leaderboard. Anyone who is top of the leaderboard, will go into a draw for a paperback of the winners choice (open internationally). 

Please do include a way for me to contact you (email or twitter or similar), so that I can let you know if you have won. 

The weekend after a 4 week period closes, not only will I produce a leaderboard, and announce a winner, I will also let you know into the true answers, and which were the lies.  

Closing date for the sixth month is 11pm on 27th October 2016. 

So without further ado, let's meet today's contestant. 

Good morning contestant, please can you tell me your name and a little bit about yourself?

I’m Jane Cable and I’m a writer of romantic novels with a twist of suspense. My first novel, The Cheesemaker’s House, is a spooky tale about a divorcee who moves to Yorkshire and meets new neighbours from the present… and the past. My second book, The Faerie Tree, is about a couple who meet again twenty years after their brief affair and discover their memories of it are completely different. My third, The Seahorse Summer, has just been signed by Endeavour Press and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Please to meet you Jane, congratulations on your Endeavour Press deal, I hope you have great success with The Seahorse Summer. 

Now onto the show, and remember everyone, Jane hasn't been entirely truthful with three of these answers, so it is up to you to guess which ones they are (only 3 guesses per person though). 

1) Who is your favourite author?

Favourites come and go but the most enduring on my list is R F Delderfield, a master of the saga at a time when England was changing beyond all recognition. 

2) What book do you wish you had written?

Without a doubt it’s The Time Traveler’s Wife. It was a book which opened up new worlds for me because it showed me that if characters were convincing enough readers were happy to suspend disbelief while their story unfolded.

3) Tell me about any really memorable dream or nightmare you have had

It was actually the dream Alice has about Owen in The Cheesemaker’s House the night after she first sees him, swimming in the river. It was just a gentle kiss on the lips from a man I didn’t know but I could still feel it when I woke up.

4) What was your most memorable holiday ever?

A trip to Newquay in Cornwall in the summer of 1987. We stayed with my friend’s Auntie Megan who owned a surf shop and fell in love with her boyfriend Robin who seemed the epitome of cool to two teenage girls.

5) If you could be a fruit, what would you be and why?

A prickly pear because they’re so hard to eat.

6) What is the most annoying interview question you have ever been asked?

If you could be a fruit, what would you be and why?

7) What is your dream job, and have you tried to achieve it?

My dream job is being an author so in some ways I have achieved it – just not in a way that I can give up my day job just yet.

8) Can you describe for me what your perfect day would involve?

Without a doubt it would be a glorious day in early September and I’d be on the north Cornwall coast body boarding with my husband and some friends. Then we’d be picked up by helicopter to have dinner at Winteringham Fields in Lincolnshire and spend the night in one of their gorgeous rooms.

9) Please name a cocktail that would describe you perfectly, and what’s in it?

I’m a mojito at heart. Sweet, sharp and hopefully refreshing. If not, rum-soaked will do me fine.

10) Besides reading, which I am guessing is a given, what other hobbies do you have?

I am passionate about my garden, in particular growing dahlias. I never tire of their wonderful jewel colours and I planted a whole bed in memory of my mother after she died last year. I even post pictures of them on Twitter sometimes.

11) Did you have an invisible friend as a child? If so please tell me about them. 

Definitely. I was an only child and invented a little white mouse that came everywhere in my pocket. I have a very clear memory of being upstairs at the front of a bus with him sitting on the palm of my hand taking in the view.

12) What would your ideal pet be?

A teddy bear. All of the love and none of the hassle.

13) Who is the most important person in the world to you?

Without a doubt it’s my husband. I was lucky enough to meet a man who is best friend as well as lover, business partner and the person I most want to spend my time with – even after 22 years.

14) If you won the lottery, how would you spend the money?

It depends how much I won! But realistically it would buy me the time to be a full time author. I’d love to do some good with it as well, most likely helping people who suffer from depression and other mental health issues.

Thank you so much for agreeing to take part Jane and I am sorry for being the supplier of your most annoying interview question, but I do love your answer to it! 

I hope you have enjoyed this edition of Truth or Lie? I will be back next week with another episode, and in the mean time...

Don't forget to guess the lies, to be in with a chance of a prize! 

And check out previous week's Truth or Lie's that you may have missed here

Jane Cable is a Chichester based writer of contemporary romantic fiction with a twist of suspense. In 2011 the manuscript which would become her debut novel, The Cheesemaker’s House, topped the suspense and crime category of The Alan Titchmarsh Show’s People’s Novelist competition. Following publication it won Jane writing charity Words for the Wounded’s inaugural Independent Author Book Award.

Jane’s two independently published novels (The Cheesemaker’s House and The Faerie Tree) have enjoyed high ratings from reviewers and readers and equally strong sales, especially in Kindle format. Following her initial successes Jane is now represented by Felicity Trew at The Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency and her third book, The Seahorse Summer, has recently been signed by leading UK digital publisher Endeavour Press.

Find out more about Jane at www.janecable.com, on Facebook at The-Cheesemakers-House-and-Other-Stories and on Twitter @JaneCable.

Book Review - The Cornish Affair by Laura Lockington - Rachel Reads Randomly Book #38

Amazon UK

Title: The Cornish Affair

Author: Laura Lockington

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Endeavour Press

Publication Date: 8th January 2014

Rating: 4 Stars

Fin thinks she's finished with love.

A dedicated food lover, she potters around her country kitchen with Nelson the bad tempered parrot, Baxter the dog and her delightfully vague Aunt, Nancy. 

Her days are spent creating ambitious recipes and gazing out onto the Cornish coast from her cliff top home - The House of Dolphins.

But this summer something is about to change. 

At the annual Port Charles beach party the glamorous TV chef Oliver Dean is making an appearance

Rich, worldly, and successful he couldn't be more different from Fin.

And yet sometimes opposites attract. 

And suddenly Fin realises that romance is on the menu.

But does she still know the ingredients for a a 'Cornish Affair'? 

Or is this a recipe for heartbreak? 

There are some incredibly interesting characters featuring this in book, from Fin who the story revolves around, who can describe the weather in soup flavours, to Martha a food historian who is full of interesting facts about food, although she does try to serve medieval fare to people, and then there is the TV Chef Oliver Dean, who certainly knows his food. 

Obviously the common theme from all my favourite characters is that they love food, and since Fin creates the recipes involved in ready meals, there is a fair amount of food talk and recipe testing going on, all of which made me quite hungry. 

This is set to the backdrop of Port Charles a small cornish town, and Fin's stunning cliff top house, which is known as The House of Dolphins. Fin lives there with her aunt Nancy, who is another great character and full of spark, her dog Baxter who really doesn't seem to like her parrot Nelson. 

Nelson is brilliant, he managed to pick the most inappropriate things to repeat, and generally seems to be quite a clever bird. 

It's not just all food and animals though, and the middle of the book really ramps up the drama of the story, and feels like it is based on real recurring events, which makes it all the more upsetting in some respects. 

There is romance too, from the almost mail order bride, to talk of arranged marriages, the older generation flirting, and of course whether Fin herself will find love or not. 

I found The Cornish Affair to be a pleasant story, by an author that I have enjoyed previously, that I did enjoy reading. 

Thank you to everyone that voted for this last week, it was a lovely way to spend some of my free time, absorbed in Cornish village story. I really hope you all pick something else that is brilliant for me this week. 

Book Review - The Last Resort by Jenny Stallard - Booklympics

Amazon UK

Title: The Last Resort

Author: Jenny Stallard

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Endeavour Press

Publication Date: 4th May 2015

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The trip had been part of Jackie’s grand plan. 

Jackie and her boyfriend, the perfect Jack with his handsome looks, wealth and charm, would spend one season working in the slopes. A final blow-out before they finally settled down. 

Jack and Jackie, Jackie and Jack. Childhood sweethearts, they would escape their small town and experience the romance of La France. 

But at the airport, poised to buy their two tickets, Jack shatters her dreams of the perfect Christmas. He’s been seeing someone else. Not just anyone, their lodger. 

With her last ounce of resolve, Jackie boards the plane and sets off on an Alpine adventure of her own. 

When she’s not cleaning up fondue, carving the early morning snow, or nursing a Genepi-induced hangover, Jackie tortures herself with the smug Facebook updates of Jack and his new girl. 

But as Christmas approaches, Jack is given an ultimatum by his father: settle down or lose your inheritance. His best option? Reliable Jackie, with her grand plans for a steady future. 

Will Jack be able to win back Jackie, in time for the New Year? 

Can Jackie embrace life as a single girl seasonnaire? 

And what of the quiet and mysterious Jacques who is always there to pick her up and dust her down? 

It will take a special kind of romance to teach Jackie to let it go... 

Meet Jacques, Jack and Jackie who are the main characters in The Last Resort. 

Jackie is the leading female, who against her better judgement ends up working a ski season, due to a joint decision with her boyfriend at the time. 

However Jack chose to announce before they got the train to the airport that has wasn't going and was in fact seeing someone else, leaving Jackie heartbroken but still determined to go to France.

Then there is Jacques, the brooding Frenchman who works year round in the resort and just happens to be around Jackie when she needs support. 

Must just say that scenes with all three characters in were very confusing just due to the similarity in the names. 

I really enjoyed Jackie's first few weeks of her season, working in a cheese restaurant and skiing in the mornings. She is determined to throw herself into life in the Alps, working and playing hard.  There is loads of talk of cheese which would have sounded delicious except I personally really dislike cheese heavy dishes, so some of the food descriptions should have been tasty so long as I ignored key ingredients!

I read this on a hot summery July day, in a heatwave, really hoping that reading something slightly Christmassy and definitely cold would cool me off, but it failed. I didn't get the sense most of the time of the cold level in resort, but just of the great sense of fun that was to be had. 

The Last Resort is a decent short romance story, just long enough to start to feel for the characters and fitting in a lot of action in a relatively small space, I do just wonder if there were enough references to Frozen and Let It Go in there! 

Funday Friday - Truth or Lie? Jan Ellis - Month 4 Week 2

Welcome to the latest edition of Truth of Lie. My name is Rachel and I will be your host, for this exciting new game show. Each Friday, I will have one contestant, and they will be answering at least 14 questions. There is of course one small twist...

For three of the answers, they have to lie. It is your task as the viewer to guess which three answers are lies. You are allowed 3 guesses and I want them posted into the comments field. 

Every 4 weeks, I will close the guessing, count up how many correct answers each of you has, and create a leaderboard. Anyone who is top of the leaderboard, will go into a draw for a paperback of the winners choice (open internationally). 

Please do include a way for me to contact you (email or twitter or similar), so that I can let you know if you have won. 

The weekend after a 4 week period closes, not only will I produce a leaderboard, and announce a winner, I will also let you know into the true answers, and which were the lies.  

Closing date for the fourth month is 11pm on 1st September 2016. 

So without further ado, let's meet today's contestant. 

Good morning contestant, please can you tell me your name and a little bit about yourself?

My name is Jan Ellis and I write contemporary romcom. I began writing fiction by accident in 2013 when Endeavour approached me to write a history book, then made the mistake of mentioning women’s fiction, which sounded much more fun.

Please to meet you Jan, and welcome back to Rachel's Random Reads.

Now onto the show, and remember everyone, Jan hasn't been entirely truthful with three of these answers, so it is up to you to guess which ones they are (only 3 guesses per person though). 

1) What book do you wish you had written?

That's tough, but if we're thinking modern, I'd have to say One Day.

2) What was your most memorable holiday ever?

Staying with the Governor and his wife in the Falkland Islands. Watching elephant seals the size of caravans lounging around on the beach was unforgettable.

3) If you could only read one author for the rest of your life (and I’m aware that’s a very scary world), who would you choose and why?

Enid Blyton, because her stories remind me of my childhood.

4) If you could be a fruit, what would you be and why?

I'd like to be a papaya, because I'd be fragrant and delicious and spend months hanging around in the tropics.

5) What is your dream job, and have you tried to achieve it?

In my twenties I really wanted to drive a London bus, but I failed the driving test.

6) Can you describe for me what your perfect day would involve?

I'm woken by the sun streaming in through the curtains. My handsome husband leaves my side for five minutes, returning with a perfect cup of tea. We then make our way to the beach via the market and enjoy a lazy picnic. The evening is spent with friends enjoying delicious food and wine at our villa on the Med. We totter tipsily to bed for a little light rumpy-pumpy and when Hubbers falls asleep he doesn't snore.

7) If you could choose anybody famous to star in the story of your life, who would it be?

It's got to be Meryl Streep, though we could perhaps get Cary Mulligan to play the young me.

8) What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to music? 

One word: Kajagoogoo. I used to have my hair like Limahl's.

9) Who is the most important person in the world to you?

The Aged Parent: he's 91 going on 18.

10) If you won the lottery, how would you spend the money?

Once I'd handed out lots of lolly to friends, family and deserving causes, I spend it on books, apartments in all the best bits of the world, wine costing over £5 a pop, and more books. Better add bookshelves to that list.

11 What is the most annoying interview question you have ever been asked?

"Tell us something about yourself."

12 Who is your favourite author?

Today it's Kent Haruf.

13 Please name a cocktail that would describe you perfectly, and what’s in it?

The 'Slender Funster', which is a blend of vodka, crushed raspberries, a hint of lime, lots of ice and a mint leaf all in a tall glass. Shaken not stirred.

14 Besides reading, which I am guessing is a given, what other hobbies do you have?

Walking the dog, singing choral music and gossiping.

Thank you so much Jan for taking part, I just can't imagine you as a bus driver, and your Slender Funster cocktail sounds delicious. 

I hope you have enjoyed this edition of Truth or Lie? I will be back next week with another episode, and in the mean time...

Don't forget to guess the lies, to be in with a chance of a prize! 

More about Jan Ellis

An Unexpected Affair, French Kisses, A Summer of Surprises and A London Affair are published in digital format by Endeavour Press. Waverley Books will be bringing out paperback editions of these as well as a brand-new paperback called The Bookshop Detective in spring 2017. 

Follow Jan on Facebook  and Twitter @JanEllis_writer
www.janelliswriter.com

Jan's Amazon page: http://goo.gl/yqmAey

Book Review - French Kisses by Jan Ellis - Paris Weekend

Amazon UK

Title: French Kisses

Author: Jan Ellis

Format reviewed: Ebook 

Source: Author supplied review copy

Publisher: Endeavour Press

Publication Date: 27th July 2015

Rating: 4 Stars

To the outside world, Rachel Thompson has it made: a wealthy husband, a successful career as an artist, and a to-die-for house in the middle of rural France. 

That is until her husband Michael hits 40, discovers his inner love-rat and runs off with the kids' young, skinny dance teacher. 

Determined to ignore her friends’ advice to up-sticks and move back to England with her children, Rachel decides to turn their crumbly stone farmhouse into a bijou hotel. 

As Rachel strives to create a new life for herself, friends and family rally around to give her a Christmas and New Year with plenty of surprises. 

With help – and some hindrance – from her loved ones, Rachel transforms their home into a cosy guest house for an eclectic collection of visitors, including Josh Perry, a handsome American academic. 

Although Rachel is getting plenty of attention from local admirers, her husband Michael is never far away… 

Will Rachel and Michael rekindle their love affair? 

Or will she be sharing French Kisses with someone else…? 

French Kisses is a lovely romance, set in France. Rachel is stuck in a bit of a rut, until her friend suggests she turns her farmhouse into a B&B. All of her friends help with the rooms, and its lovely to see a house turn into a business. 

Rachel has an errant husband, who now lives with his new partner, although he is determined to help out with the new business if he can. Then there is also the nephew of the framer she uses for her art prints, so is in the village for a short while, from Paris and is incredibly sexy. There is also one of her guests that also catches her eye. 

So while a variety of French Kisses are shared, the question is who will be Rachel's choice to start the New Year with. 

I enjoyed Jan Ellis' writing, in this short but likeable novella. I felt that the setting although most probably gorgeous, could have done with more description, to really get a feel for the little French town life,  and that the characters could have done with some more depth. 

I would recommend this if all you want is a short stay in a French village, with a light hearted romance. Perfect for a rainy afternoon. 

Thank you to Jan Ellis for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Guest Post & Giveaway - Thoughts on French Trains by Jan Ellis - Paris Weekend

Thank you, Rachel, for inviting me to take part in your Valentine's Day post about Paris. I'm a huge fan of the city and all things French!

To my mind, there's only one way to travel to Paris and that's by train. There's nothing quite like jumping on the Eurostar at King's Cross, holding your breath through the tunnel (or is that just me?) and popping up a short time later in La belle France. There's a melancholy sensation as you whiz across the plains of the north with its treeless landscape and low, red-roofed farm houses but entering the mayhem of Paris is always thrilling.

One of the perennial surprises about the capital is how French is always seems! Let me explain what I mean: London is like an exotic island marooned in the south-east of the country. It many ways it couldn't be more English and yet there is nowhere else quite like it in the whole of the UK. But Paris is France with nobs on: full of fiercely efficient waiters, excellent food, very chic people and enticing shops and galleries down every back street. It doesn't matter how many times I cruise along the Seine or sit at a pavement café pouting and trying to look like a native, it always feels like being on a film set.

I been lucky enough to visit the city many times over the years, but perhaps what I love most is the mad dash across town to catch the TGV south. I adore double-decker trains and made sure that my heroine in An Unexpected Affair caught one with her sister when they were travelling down to the Rhône-Alpes from Lille to look up an old flame.

The train really is the best way to cross the country, especially if you're on a romantic mini-break. Wave au revoir to the horror of airports with the endless hanging around and hatchet-faced customs officials and say bonjour to the Train à Grande Vitesse.

There is nothing to compare with the decadence of lounging at one of the high tables in the café-bar of a TGV Duplex eating delicious croques monsieur with a chilled vin blanc or two as the landscape hurtles past at 200 miles per hour. It's an experience that sets you up nicely for stepping off the train and into the heat of Marseille, Nice, Grenoble or wherever else you are fortunate enough to be heading. I can highly recommend it – and don't forget to call in at the Eiffel Tower on your way home!

Giveaway to win a PDF of French Kisses by Jan Ellis (Open INT)

Jan has very kindly said I can give away a PDF copy of French Kisses to one of my followers. 

Giveaway open internationally, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 19/2/2016. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner.  Good luck everyone.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Jan Ellis

Jan Ellis began writing fiction in 2013 and is proud to be a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. An Unexpected Affair, French Kisses and A Summer of Surprise were published as ebooks by Endeavour Press and will appear in two paperback volumes with Waverley Books in July 2016. The Bookshop Detective will hit the shelves in spring 2017. Jan's latest ebook, Kate in the City, will be out in March 2016.

* Find Jan's ebooks here: Amazon UK
* To read extracts and to discover more about the French locations for Jan's books, check out her website:http://www.janelliswriter.com
* You can also follow Jan on Facebook and on Twitter @janellis_writer.com

Thank you so much Jan for agreeing to come onto Rachel Random Reads and for the giveaway. I love your comparison of London and Paris. 

Book Review - Christmas in the Park by Laura Lockington

Amazon UK

Title: Christmas in the Park

Author: Laura Lockington

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Review copy from publisher

Publisher: Endeavour Press

Publication Date: 20th October 2015

Rating: 4 Stars

30-something Sarah has finally decided to start her own business. After years of 5 a.m starts, running around a busy television studio, she has decided to hand in her resignation, and begin her dream of running her own cake making business. Swapping her stylish clothes for tracksuits and an apron she gets to work, and is thrilled when the local café agrees to start selling her treats. 

And – even better – she starts to get to know the handsome and single owner, David. 

Working from home also means she can finally do one other thing she couldn’t do with her hectic job – get a puppy. Deciding she wants a rescue dog, Sarah heads off to the local dog’s centre, and tries not to say yes to adopting the whole lot. 

One beautiful little Dachshund with adorable amber eyes immediately takes a liking to her. And Sarah knows there is no turning back. 

She bundles Malteaser up and takes him home, and before long he is helping her to meet new people in her local park.  But Malteaser can be more than a bit of a handful. And Sarah knows she is no good at disciplining him... 

So when fellow dog-walker Nick steps in to give her hand she knows she should take his advice. But does he just want to help her out, or is he interested in something else? 

With an excitable puppy, and lots of orders to bake for the café, could Sarah be taking on too much? And could there be something there with David – or Nick? 

With Christmas on the way, and the café suddenly coming under threat, things get even crazier. And Sarah has to find a way to create a magical Christmas in the Park... 

‘Christmas in the Park’ is a warming festive novella, full of sweat treats, doggy disasters and snippets of romance. 

I'm not ashamed, nor sorry to say that I am a huge sucker for a pet dog in a book, and Malteaser is no exception.  He is a Dachshund with lovely colouring and a beautiful personality. As a rescue dog he is a bit shy initially, but he soon warms to Sarah, and becomes the key character of this story. 

Sarah has swapped jobs, from TV Producer to cake maker, supplying to cafes, and as a result throughout this story we hear about the fabulous cakes she is baking. They may not be the most exotic sounding cakes, but there was enough detail to make your mouth water. 

With all the great food descriptions, I was happy to see a recipe included at the end, and if I had the slightest talent for baking I would have gladly given it a go!

Thanks to Malteaser, she is getting to meet a lot of new people, and 2 men become prominent in Sarah's life for different reasons. The question you are wondering for a lot of the story is which one will she end up with. 

Nick has two dogs of his own, and seems to be quite strict with them. David part owns the cafe that Sarah is supplying with baked goodies in the middle of the park. The cafe also likes dogs, so Malteaser is even welcome.  And then there are all the other dog walkers, with their various quirks, but all love the cafe and are all happy to join in the fight to save it. 

Christmas in the Park is a sweet festive romance, with lots of food, a fabulous Christmas day, dogs and a lot of humour. Written in a chatty style, this is a reasonably easy to read short story, and has proven to me that the one book I have read by Laura Lockington in the past wasn't a fluke. I last read one of her books probably about 10 years ago in paperback, loved it a lot, and then didn't see anything else by her, until the last year or so, where her books were popping up in kindle recommendations. 

Thanks to Endeavour Press for this review copy. This was my honest review.

Fabulous Freebies #2

Well since you all seemed to like my findings last time I did a Freebies post, I thought, almost a month later, I would do another, since I have found another glut of great looking freebies. 

Please note all books were FREE at time of writing this post. Please do double check the price of anything you click to look at, as prices do fluctuate. Equally, this is for my UK followers, that use Amazon, please do check your other e-book reader sites in case of price matching things going on.

I also urge you if you do like the look of these, to pick them up while they are free, for the best bargain, as if you come back later, who knows what will have happened to the price!

Some of these I have read, some have been reviewed on this blog, and others are ones by authors I have read, but not read this specific book by them, and a few I have waiting for me on my kindle!

One Hundred Christmas Proposals by Holly Martin

Amazon UK

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to One Hundred Proposals.

If you thought Harry & Suzie’s life couldn't get anymore sweepingly romantic than Harry asking her to marry him at the end of One Hundred Proposals – think again!

It’s Christmas in a snow-kissed London, and the.PerfectProposal.com have vowed to carry out one hundred proposals in December. No easy task at the best of times - made even more complicated by Harry & Suzie trying to plan their first Christmas and a visit from the dreaded in-laws. But one hundred deliciously Christmassy proposals later they find themselves asking if everything is still perfect in their own relationship….

Welcome back to the divinely warm world of One Hundred Proposals – with a sprinkling of pure, joyful, festive magic.

Have yourself a very merry Christmas indeed with Holly Martin’s Christmas novella.

Christmas at Carols by Nicola Yeager

Amazon UK

Carol Gabriel hates Christmas. Not just a little bit, but quite a damn lot. She can’t even stand having a boyfriend over the Christmas period and habitually dumps them just before the season begins. 

Even the restaurant she co-owns, a French bistro called Carol’s, doesn’t do a Christmas menu and it doesn’t do Christmas decoration, either.  But then she gets some bad news; the bistro is failing. 

There’s too much local competition, they don’t have enough customers and there’s a risk that the business may have to sold. For the sake of the restaurant, her glamorous business partner Roksana and all its much-loved employees, Carol takes on her mother’s advice and creates a Christmas menu for the first time. 

She may even tart the place up with some decorations. But it’s an uphill struggle. There’s a reason Carol doesn’t like Christmas and it’s one that she keeps to herself… 

As time is running out Carol wonders if she’s left it too late. 

Will her fabulous and charming employees be able to boost the restaurant's popularity? 

Will there be Christmas at Carol’s? 

From Paris With Love This Christmas by Jules Wake

Amazon UK

Just until Christmas…

That’s what Paris socialite Siena keeps telling herself. She’ll hide away in her sister Laurie’s cottage near London to escape her hot-tempered fiancé.

However, when Jason – gorgeous but a bit of a Grinch – picks her up from the airport, he reveals that Laurie hasn’t lived there for months, complicating Siena’s holiday getaway.

At first, Jason and Siena don’t see eye to eye. But after a weekend in the most romantic city in the world, experiencing all it has to offer – from the magic of a fir-lined Champs-Élysées, lit up by thousands of sparkling fairy lights, to the swoosh of skates on ice at the Eiffel Tower – Siena shows Jason her Paris, and a whole other side to herself. Suddenly Siena’s December deadline seems far too close…

A Beginner's Guide to Christmas by Jennifer Joyce

Amazon UK

Ruth usually spends Christmas curled up on her parents’ sofa, watching feel-good movies whilst being fed festive food and drink until she can no longer move. But Ruth’s perfect Christmas is shattered when her mum receives a DIY-induced injury and Ruth is forced to take over the preparations. 

Shopping. Cooking. A house full of hyped-up kids. 


Christmas may no longer be the most wonderful time of the year.



Humbugs and Heartstrings by Catherine Ferguson

Amazon UK

Two ex-friends. One Christmas to remember …

Bobbie's boss Carol is a real misery-guts, dedicated to making the lives of everyone around her unhappy in pursuit of every last penny. What makes it worse is that the two women have history: they were once best friends.

When handsome hotelier Charlie steps into the frame the two women go to battle as one sees a romantic future and the other a possible lifeboat for her business.

With wonderful warmth and humour – and the odd mince pie fight – the women are forced to confront their shared past, the turbulent present and, most importantly, the potential of the future.

Curl up this Christmas with this heartwarming and funny read. You’ll never look at a mince pie in the same way again…

The Kiss Before Midnight by Sophie Pembroke

Amazon UK

Heading home to Liverpool for Christmas, Molly Mackenzie isn’t just looking forward to the mulled wine and mince pies – she’s got high hopes for who she’ll find under the mistletoe this year!

Unable to forget the delicious near miss with her brother’s best friend, Jake, last New Year’s Eve, Molly’s got a new resolution at the top of her list: seduce Jake and get this crazy chemistry out the way before it has serious repercussions on the rest of the Mackenzie family.

Only Molly has underestimated the magic of the holiday season… The more stolen moments in the snow that she shares with Jake, the more determined she is to make it a whole lot more than just a kiss before midnight.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without the festive warmth of a heart-meltingly romantic novella from Sophie Pembroke!

Christmas in the Park by Laura Lockington

Amazon UK

30-something Sarah has finally decided to start her own business. After years of 5 a.m starts, running around a busy television studio, she has decided to hand in her resignation, and begin her dream of running her own cake making business. Swapping her stylish clothes for tracksuits and an apron she gets to work, and is thrilled when the local café agrees to start selling her treats. 

And – even better – she starts to get to know the handsome and single owner, David. 

Working from home also means she can finally do one other thing she couldn’t do with her hectic job – get a puppy. Deciding she wants a rescue dog, Sarah heads off to the local dog’s centre, and tries not to say yes to adopting the whole lot. 

One beautiful little Dachshund with adorable amber eyes immediately takes a liking to her. And Sarah knows there is no turning back. 

She bundles Malteaser up and takes him home, and before long he is helping her to meet new people in her local park.  But Malteaser can be more than a bit of a handful. And Sarah knows she is no good at disciplining him... 

So when fellow dog-walker Nick steps in to give her hand she knows she should take his advice. But does he just want to help her out, or is he interested in something else? 

With an excitable puppy, and lots of orders to bake for the café, could Sarah be taking on too much? And could there be something there with David – or Nick? 

With Christmas on the way, and the café suddenly coming under threat, things get even crazier. And Sarah has to find a way to create a magical Christmas in the Park... 

‘Christmas in the Park’ is a warming festive novella, full of sweat treats, doggy disasters and snippets of romance. 

Falling For You (Pearl Island Book 1) by Julie Ortolon

Amazon UK

What happens when Mr. Slow and Steady finds himself on a collision course with Ms. Full-Speed-Ahead?

The forecast is smooth sailing for Oliver Chancellor, one of Galveston's premier financier. Destined to take his place in his family's bank, Chance is content with the future that's been mapped out for him, right down to his upcoming engagement to a prim debutante.

But when beautiful Aurora St. Claire crosses his path, Chance recklessly plunges into uncharted territory with nothing but his heart to guide him-and a beautiful woman to tempt him.


Propelled by a lifelong dream to buy the island home reportedly haunted by her colorful ancestors, Aurora desperately needs Chance's help in securing a business loan and she won't take no for an answer. In the midst of convincing the hesitant blue blood to take a chance on her dream, Aurora awakes his hidden streak of red-hot passion. Before they know it, the mismatched pair are all tangled up in a reckless desire and headed for trouble-trouble in the name of love.

Secrets of a Chalet Girl by Lorraine Wilson

Amazon UK

Set in the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Verbier, the winter playground of the rich and famous, Secrets of a Chalet Girl is the second book in Lorraine Wilson’s fabulous Ski Season series.










Dating A Cougar: Book One of the Never Too Late Series by Donna McDonald

Amazon UK

The Never Too Late Series is Sexy Romantic Comedy for the Over 40 Crowd. 

After two decades of looking for true love and never finding it, aging model and lingerie designer, Alexa Ranger, had finally given up searching. It’s shocking at fifty to find herself wanting a sex life again, and even more shocking to be an older woman attracted to a younger man. 


Thirty-eight year old, medically retired Marine, Casey Carter, is incredibly sexy, but a relationship with the man is totally out of the question. Casey is related to her daughter’s boyfriend. The last thing Alexa needs is another talk-show worthy drama in her already complicated life, no matter how well Casey kisses. 

My So-Called (Love) Life by A.L. Michael

Amazon UK

Meet Tigerlily James: romance cynic, North Londoner and die-hard margarita fan.

Tigerlily James has been a member of the Young and Bitter Club ever since she was dumped on Valentine’s day. By her fiancé.

Surviving on a diet of cynicism and margarita-fuelled ‘Misery Dinners’ with her best friends, she’s become a romance free zone…and that’s the way she likes it. Until an invitation for The Ex’s wedding arrives. Suddenly in need of a plus one, Tig has little choice but to bin the takeaways, ditch the greying underwear collection…and start pretending to view the opposite sex as something other than target practise.

Then, she meets Ollie – ie. the perfect solution. No sex. No strings. Fake boyfriend. The only catch is that she has to pretend to be his girlfriend for three whole months.

Dating without the heartbreak: the best idea Tig’s ever had, right? Wrong!

Never Tell by Claire Seeber

Amazon UK

Your past will always find you…

With her three beautiful children, millionaire husband and Cotswolds mansion, former investigative journalist Rose Miller has an enviable life. But behind the domestic bliss lies a secret past…

As Oxford students in the early nineties, Rose and James belonged to Society X, an elite clique that knew no boundaries. Led by the enigmatic Dalziel, the group were hell bent on breaking down society's norms - until an unimaginable tragedy occurs.

With the subsequent scandal covered up, Rose has settled into family life - but is afraid to admit her feelings of boredom. So when her ex-editor asks Rose to dig the dirt on a wealthy businessman new to the area, adrenaline enlivens her.

But as Rose's investigation begins to threaten her family she backs away - and then a tragedy at her home begins to widen the cracks in her domestic façade. As their world crumbles around them, is Rose about to atone for the sins of her past?

The Debt & The Doormat by Laura Barnard

Amazon UK

Poppy and Jazz have been best friends from the first week of uni. Whenever these two get together trouble isn’t far away and things haven’t changed much. When Jazz gets herself into financial trouble Poppy, being a good friend, offers to help. She instead ends up being talked into swapping lives, with Jazz insisting it will be good and help her get over her broken heart. 

Poppy is thrown into a new life, full of crazy housemates; there’s fitness freak Izzy, horrendously beautiful bitch Grace and the slightly gorgeous, if not incredibly grumpy Ryan. Quickly, with the help of Jazz, her life is thrown upside down. Madness ensues and her need to please everyone gets her in more trouble than she could ever imagine. 

Before she knows it she’s got a fake boyfriend and is hiding so many secrets she’s scared they’ll spill out any minute. With a bullying boss, a sex crazed colleague, a mental mother and three brothers each with their own dramas, life has gotten pretty difficult for Poppy. And all of this would be much easier, if she could just stop falling over. 

Will she get her life back to normal before her brother’s upcoming wedding? And will she want to? 


Confessions of a Chocoholic: A humorous insight by Lynda Renham

Amazon UK

A collection of short funny tales and a unique insight into the world of chicklit royalty, aka Lynda Renham. A right comedy of errors if ever there was one. If you're looking for her beauty secrets and fashion ideas you've come to the right place. Read of her intimate sex life, her secrets for staying young and how she keeps her man - just. A fly-on-the wall true account of the life of a romantic comedy novelist, written in her own words. It's all here, the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 

Publisher Note: We are not responsible for any of the advice given in this book. If you do not look like Lynda after reading this we cannot be held accountable. 
Warning: Tena Pads recommended while reading

It Started at Sunset Cottage by Bella Osbourne

Amazon UK

Kate Marshall is slowly getting her life back on track after losing her fiancé. As an author she has been able to hide herself away from the world and its expectations – but now one of her books has been optioned for a film and Hollywood suddenly comes knocking on her door!

When Kate is given the opportunity to stay at a beautiful country retreat and concentrate on the screenplay, it’s an offer she can’t refuse. Encouraged by her best friend, sharp-tongued single mum Sarah, Kate sees it’s finally time to stop letting life pass her by.

Looking for confidence and inspiration in the idyllic Cotswolds countryside, the last thing Kate expects is for Timothy Calder, A-list actor and leading man in the movie adaptation of her book, to turn up on her doorstep, hoping to lie low after his latest tabloid scandal! But after a rocky start, with Tim narrowly avoiding death by watering can, they find they have a few things in common: a liking for Lady Grey tea, walnut whips and bad ‘knock knock’ jokes. Actually, the bad jokes are just Tim.

As an unlikely friendship begins to blossom, and with circumstances repeatedly throwing them together, is Sunset Cottage where both Kate and Tim’s lives will really start?

She Sins at Midnight by Whitney Dineen

Amazon UK

Lila Montgomery, thirty-two-year-old Hollywood assistant extraordinaire, has a secret. On the outside, she’s a hard-working dedicated employee, a good friend, and a loving daughter. But above all else, she’s been raised to be a lady, which of course is why she’s determined to conceal her secret life. If her straight-laced friends and family back home ever discover that she is really the smashing new author of a steamy romance novel, their disapproval would shame her forever! That’s why Lila has chosen to publish her sexy narrative under the nom de plume, Jasmine Sheath. 

With her fifteenth high school class reunion on the horizon, Lila finds herself at a crossroads. More than anything she wants to go home and see her childhood friends but is embarrassed that she hasn’t accomplished the things she feels she should have by this time in her life; mainly marriage and children. 

After another brutal run-in with Melinda Forrester, Oscar nominated actress and client of her boss, Josh Furber, Lila decides that fleeing Hollywood for a month is the best thing for her. Lila packs her bags for her childhood home of Bentley Hills, sure that her friends and family will be the touchstone of normalcy that she so desperately needs. What she doesn't expect is that Melinda will follow her and a tabloid media circus will ensue! 

Not only does Lila discover that her home is nothing like she remembers, but she meets and falls in love with the very man that inspired the hero in her novel.

She Sins at Midnight is full of laugh out loud hijinks that will make you never look at Hollywood the same way again! 

I hope you like this selection of the current freebies available on Amazon UK for kindle. I've read 10 of these myself and really enjoyed them, and the others I am looking forward to reading myself too. 

Which have you downloaded? Have I missed anything obvious at the moment? Let me know.