Book Review - Happy Christmas Eve by Jackie Ladbury

The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: Happy Christmas Eve

Author: Jackie Ladbury

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Publisher supplied copy

Publisher: Ruby Fiction

Publication Date: 15th October 2019

Rating: 4 Stars

All I want for Christmas is you … or you?
Eve Halligan is back in her hometown for Christmas after a whirlwind few years touring with her band, the Molotovs. A lot has changed since she left, but two things have stayed the same. One: Eve is head-over-heels in love with Lucien Malikov, the Molotovs’ bad boy lead singer. Two: Lucien is completely indifferent to her.
Still, Eve dreams that this could be the Christmas where she convinces Lucien that they’re made for each other. But when childhood friend and local caterer Theo Wright comes back into her life bringing with him festive cupcake and sausage roll conundrums, Eve begins to question whether her Christmas dreams have been wasted on the wrong man …

What a sweet romance, featuring Eve who has been in love with Lucien for her whole life and is suddenly becoming unblinkered to just what sort of a man he really is,  and Theo her home town best friend. 

Lucien really is a nasty piece of work, I didn't take to him or his family at all, and really wasn't sure why Eve had been pining for him for so many years, other than the fact that love really is blind. 

Whereas Theo I fell for instantly, he felt like the boy next door, was a talented baker, and left me with a craving for cupcakes.  He also had a slightly hidden depth that surprised me.  

It took a short while for me to get to know Eve and when I did I really liked her, and felt for her. She is without a doubt a talented singer / song writer not that anyone really knows it and has such a kind heart that she is taken advantage of a lot.  

Set in the run up to Christmas, this is about discovering if you have the courage to go for what you really want in life, to make changes, and about reconnecting with old friends. 

It was a enjoyable novella to read,  with lovely short chapters to keep you hooked on reading just one more, and was a lovely story to enjoy.  

Thank you Liz at Ruby Fiction for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Christmas Kisses on Hollywell Hill by Jackie Ladbury

The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: Christmas Kisses on Hollywell Hill

Author: Jackie Ladbury

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied copy

Publisher: Fabrian Books

Publication Date: 16th November 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Christmas is coming and actress Kirsty Castille seems doomed to play the front part of Nag, the Christmas pantomime horse, when a surprise audition lands her the lead role as Maria in the Sound of Music.
Even better she bonds with a handsome chef over a piece of squid at her local supermarket, although sadly romance is the last thing on Jake Levy's mind.
He has a Christmas deadline, an ex-wife to mourn and lots of emotional baggage to drag around. He certainly doesn’t have time for romance and even if he did he wouldn’t fall for someone like Kirsty who craves the limelight: been there, done that.
A misunderstanding leads Jake to offer Kirsty a job in his new restaurant and she takes it purely to convince him that she’s the girl of his dreams.
Her charm offensive begins to work but while he’s cooking up a storm she’s secretly sparkling under the spotlight – until her cover is busted.
The fallout is catastrophic, but as they say in Luvvie Land, the show must go on, even if Kirsty is terrified that she's taken her last curtain call and ruined her chance for love.
Read on and immerse yourself in this delightful winter romance as the snow starts to fall and Christmas day becomes a magical reality.

I really enjoyed reading Christmas Kisses on Hollywell Hill.  

From Kirsty's innate quirkiness and ability to cause me to giggle in many scenes, to Jake's obvious love and knowledge of food, this was just an enjoyable story. 

Although set at Christmas time,  which certainly explains why Kirsty had roles as a dancing turkey, the front end of a horse,  and a wicked witch, and why there were mentions of dancing Christmas puddings, I didn't really feel as though it was what i wanted from a festive story.   

That's not to say that it's not a good book, it truly is just more that I didn't feel remotely Christmassy as a result of reading it and that the time of year felt as though it was there to add a bit of character but could have possibly worked no matter when in the year it was.  It does though mean you could probably easily read this at any time of the year, and not feel the Christmas spirit too early! 

I adored all the food descriptions, really did make me hungry read it. I also enjoyed seeing Kirsty's attempts to be a real actress instead of just a person with a funny costume doing promotional work!  There was loads of make you smile in this story and I loved all the interactions between Kirsty and Jake even if at times I thought banging their heads together and making them realise the obvious would be a lot more satisfying!! 

It really is a delightful book, and one that kept my on my toes, especially with Kirsty's more whimsical nature.  I loved her hair colours, her seemingly random trivia, her best friend,  the way she dealt with her ex boyfriend, although the continual mentions of how broke she was, did drive me slightly demented and felt a bit repetitive.   I got it she is a poor struggling actress! 

The initial meeting between Jake and Kirsty is pure gold!! It's fabulous and it really does set the tone for what is a really entertaining book. 

Thank you to the author for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Air Guitar and Caviar by Jackie Ladbury - #HolidayReading Book 13

Book 13 of 30 that I read on my holiday to Fuerteventura in December 2017

Amazon UK

Title: Air Guitar and Caviar

Author: Jackie Ladbury

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied copy

Publisher: Fabrian Books

Publication Date: 2nd February 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Busker Dylan spends his days pulling pints in the local pub and singing on the high street, waiting for fame to call. That suits him fine, until beautiful, but frosty air stewardess Scarlett tosses some coins into his hat but ignores his killer smile and his offer of pizza. 

He sets out to make her fall in love with him but Scarlett isn’t in the right frame of mind to date anyone let alone a penniless, if charming, busker boy.

Dylan's desperate for his big break, but will it bring him the happiness he longs for? And with Scarlett's past threatening to ruin her future, will Dylan be left to make sweet music all on his own?

Best-selling author Chris Manby says, "I love Jackie Ladbury’s warm, engaging and amusing characters so Air Guitar and Caviar promises to be a real treat." 

Amusing will they, won't they romance that will have you flying by the seat of your pants. 

Absolutely loved Dylan's character, he is the typical cheeky chappy, regular busker on the street with dreams of stardom, who happens to fall for Scarlett before hes even met her properly. 

Scarlett is an air hostess, who is determined that she shouldn't be dating, much less someone who on their first meeting uses an incredibly corny chat up line. 

I really enjoyed the interactions between Dylan and Scarlett, and really wasn't sure how the book was going to turn out, despite a sneaking suspicion. 

A very enjoyable debut novel from Jackie Ladbury that will have you smiling!

Thank you to Jackie Ladbury for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Magic of Stars by Jackie Ladbury

Amazon UK

Title: The Magic of Stars

Author: Jackie Ladbury

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied copy

Publisher: Fabrian Books

Publication Date: 12th January 2018

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Sapphire Montrose always felt like a loser in the struggle of life, but when she becomes the airline manager of a run-down airline she starts to believe she is a winner – until she unwittingly propositions her new boss and all her hard work is undone.

In a moment of recklessness air stewardess, Sapphire Montrose throws caution and her dress to the wind by propositioning a handsome stranger in a hotel in Florence, only to find herself waking up alone and embarrassed in her hotel room.

Unfortunately for Sapphire, it turns out that her new boss, Marco Cavarelli, is the man she failed to seduce and she is now fighting for her job and her self-respect when he tells her there is no place in his revamped airline for an alcoholic woman with lascivious tendencies. To make matters worse she is increasingly attracted to him and he seems to be giving out the same vibes. Or is he simply testing her? One wrong move could be the end of her career. But what if he really is offering love – and is he worth the risk?

Having recently read Jackie Ladbury's first book, I jumped at the chance to read the next one, and what a lovely story this one is too.  I was drawn into the story from the first few chapters that were hilarious, but relatable to at the same time, and from then on I was just rooting for Sapphire to have a happy ending. 

Sapphire is a rather innocent, naive person in some respects but in others she is absolutely fabulous, and incredibly good at her job as an air stewardess, although as you read further you will discover she has hidden talents. 

It seems like the bane of her life is sexy Italian Marco Cavarelli, a man she drunkenly propositioned and then a few chapters later discovers is her new boss at the airline,  and from there sparks fly between them, and not necessarily in a good way. 

I love the way Jackie Ladbury creates such rounded, realistic characters, that feel like they could be good friends with you. Fintan, Sapphire's friend and colleague is hilarious and I was laughing a fair amount of his antics.  

The other thing I'm realising this author does incredibly well, is dialogue, I loved the conversations between Marco and Sapphire, especially when the reader has more likely more idea of what is going on than Sapphire a lot of the time. 

As you may hope there is a grand romantic gesture towards the end that I absolutely loved seeing, and guessed only a few pages before hand, that almost made me go weak at the knees.

My only disappointment with the book, is despite its absolutely gorgeous cover, was how little Florence was featured as the majority of the book takes place in the UK. I understand it makes for a much more striking cover, and the Florence scenes were pivotal to story, I just wish I had seen a bit more of the city and its food, as I'm a huge lover of anything Italian in fiction! 

Besides that I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover, and kept wanting to return to it even when I was meant to be working. It made me smile and I am positive this is an author who is going to go from strength to strength. 

Thanks to Jackie Ladbury for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Cover Reveal - The Magic of Stars by Jackie Ladbury

I am so excited that Jackie Ladbury asked me to organise her cover reveal in my other guise of Rachel's Random Resources and once I saw the cover I knew I had to share it with you all, as well as getting other bloggers involved.

So please take a look enjoy the cover, and then help make Jackie Ladbury have a fabulous publication day for The Magic of Stars which is also today, by purchasing her book or sharing mine or all the other cover reveal posts on social media today!

Sapphire Montrose always felt like a loser in the struggle of life, but when she becomes the airline manager of a run-down airline she starts to believe she is a winner – until she unwittingly propositions her new boss and all her hard work is undone.

In a moment of recklessness air stewardess, Sapphire Montrose throws caution and her dress to the wind by propositioning a handsome stranger in a hotel in Florence, only to find herself waking up alone and embarrassed in her hotel room.

Unfortunately for Sapphire, it turns out that her new boss, Marco Cavarelli, is the man she failed to seduce and she is now fighting for her job and her self-respect when he tells her there is no place in his revamped airline for an alcoholic woman with lascivious tendencies. To make matters worse she is increasingly attracted to him and he seems to be giving out the same vibes. Or is he simply testing her? One wrong move could be the end of her career. But what if he really is offering love – and is he worth the risk?

Purchase from Amazon UK  

Isn't this just a simply stunning cover? I know I will be making sure to read it when I get a spare moment, as I do love a book featuring Italy! What do you think?

About Jackie Ladbury

​

Jackie Ladbury was desperate to become a journalist when she left school but was ousted within minutes on the day of the exam at her local rag because she'd forgotten to bring a pen.

Short and sharp lesson learned.

Her budding writing career was not on hold for long, though, as Jackie found herself scribbling love stories of pilots and 'hosties' while she flew in aeroplanes of various shapes and sizes as a flight attendant herself.

Fast forward a good few years and, after being short-listed in a couple of prestigious romantic writing competitions, Jackie decided it was time to discard her stilettos, say goodbye to the skies and concentrate on writing romantic novels, where the only given is a guaranteed 'happy ever after.'

Social Media Links –

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jackie.ladbury

Website - https://jackieladbury.com/

The Write Romantics -  https://thewriteromantics.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/JackieLadbury