Book Review - The Christmas Express by Isla Gordon

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Title: The Christmas Express

Author: Isla Gordon

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 7th November 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

SIX PASSENGERS . . .

When six ex-friends are invited to a winter wedding in Canada, the last thing they want is a reunion. But bride-to-be Bryn is desperate, so much so that she's offering to pay for their travel. But there's a surprise in store: Bryn hasn't booked them flights, instead she's bought non-refundable tickets for the cross-Canada Christmas train.

FOUR DAYS . . .

Four days trapped together in a cosy train cabin, travelling through snow-topped mountains, frozen lakes and glistening Christmas trees, over the most magical time of the year. It's a trip like no other and Bryn hopes it will end their feud just in time for the wedding.

ONE LAST CHANCE AT LOVE . . .

But tensions on board are fraught. Cali and Luke are each other's One Who Got Away, Joss and Joe are the ultimate sibling rivals, and Sara is stuck with the people who always left her out. Not to mention Ember, Bryn's ex, who wasn't even invited and is on her way to crash the wedding.

Then a snowstorm hits and stops them -literally - in their tracks. Will they make it to the wedding? And will it be together?

Set across a breathtaking winter wonderland and filled with cosy hot chocolates and a will-they-won't-they romance, this is the perfect festive treat for fans of Sarah Morgan and Heidi Swain

What an epic Christmas book that was. I was hooked from the first few pages, and I couldn't get enough of it. 

For it features a cross Canada train journey, in the run up to Christmas and the descriptions were just amazing. It almost made me want to take such a journey myself, but I'm not a huge fan of the cold! 

And within this train you have five estranged former friends, on their way to Bryn's wedding who used to be the sixth member of their incredibly close friendship group.  And they also found Bryn's ex, Ember on the journey too, who is adamant that Bryn has been sending her signals that they should get back together. 

The whole time I was curious as to just what broke up this group of friends, and also to see if the forced proximity between them on a four day train journey would aid them or destroy them completely. 

I loved getting to know our various characters especially Cali, and Ember. I felt for both of them, and they were our main focus points.  The dynamics at play between everyone varied continually and I also loved the fact that the train journey allowed short stops in some of the places on the route, and also put on a few activities in the run up to Christmas. 

It's a gorgeously festive book that I absolutely adored.  Another complete and utter winner from Isla Gordon. I loved it. 

Thank you to Sphere and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Christmas Wishes at Cranberry Cove by Holly Martin

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Title: Christmas Wishes at Cranberry Cove

Author: Holly Martin

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied copy

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 8th November 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Escape to Apple Hill Bay this Christmas, where the snow sparkles, the hot chocolate flows, the fires crackle and love is in the air. This gorgeous new love story by multi-million selling author Holly Martin is the perfect treat to warm your heart this Christmas.

For as long as she can remember Orla Kennedy has been in love with her best friend. A love she’s more than aware is very much unrequited. At age fourteen, when she first set her eyes on the gorgeous Shay Lucas in the beautiful town of Apple Hill Bay, she felt an undeniable bond form between them. And as the years passed, and they shared their hopes and dreams under the stars at Cranberry Cove, he unknowingly stole her heart. But apart from one magical Christmas when Orla let herself believe for a moment that Shay might feel the same way, only to have her hopes shattered, she has been content to hide her true feelings for him. For Orla, being Shay’s best friend is better than not having him in her life at all.

But what if Orla doesn’t really know how Shay truly feels? What if he has good reason to protect his heart? And what if this Christmas, Fate threw them a curveball that would turn their lives upside-down and force them to confront the fears that keep their love locked away? Because there’s nothing like the possibility of losing the most important person in your life to give a heart some courage…

It's the most wonderful time of the year, so curl up and get cosy with an unforgettable love story that’s guaranteed to make all your Christmas wishes come true. Perfect for fans of Hallmark Christmas movies and authors such as Jill Mansell, Sue Moorcroft and Phillipa Ashley

I think I'm in love... ok I'm definitely in love with Shay. 

Holly Martin has written perhaps a perfect book boyfriend. He is flawed but with an incredibly good heart and regardless of his words at times it is clear he treats Orla as though she is the most important person in the world. 

But yet they aren't together. 

With a rather dramatic opening to this book, we are then treated to the highlights of Orla and Shay when they were growing up together, and could see their connection deepening at all times.  That first chapter inside Starlight Cottage was sweet, tender and amazing. I loved it and definitely wishes I was Orla! 

And its the present day actions that mean that things come to a head. 

In between that we get more of Carrie, Theo, Fern and all the other characters we have grown to love over this series. And I really do love them all, in addition to the setting, which was just perfect. 

And then there was the descriptions in particular of a Christmas market that had me definitely feeling festive, not to mention Christmas cookie making and snowmen! 

It's a festive treat of a book that I totally devoured.  And a lovely ending (I'm guessing it's an ending) to this series. 

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

Book Review - Life Begins at 50! by Celia Anderson - #HolidayReading Cyprus

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Title: Life Begins at 50! 

Author: Celia Anderson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 18th July 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

New friends, new flame, new fun . . . Can it be true that life begins at 50?

Kate dreamed of a happy marriage, a house full of children and a fulfilling teaching career. But after twenty-five years of married life and about to hit the big 5-0, it’s clear that her dreams haven’t quite come true. Then her husband leaves her for his golf partner, forcing Kate to take stock of what has become of her life.

Luckily, new friendship comes her way in the form of three feisty older women who take Kate under their wings, plus a new flame (could it be more . . .?) sparks with local divorced dad, Milo. As her big birthday approaches, Kate’s zest for life begins to return.

But opening herself up means making herself vulnerable to being hurt all over again . . .

As she turns 50, will Kate be brave enough to find happiness, and grab hold of it with both hands?

Perhaps an odd book for me to be reading in my fortieth year, given I've been trying to live my life to the fullest for years - but i can only aspire to be as lively into my 80s as Kate's friends. 

They are truly inspirational and the life and soul of any scene they are in and totally hilarious. 

But this was Kate's story in the run up to her turning the big 5-0. And her coming to terms with many things in her life. 

I felt for Kate as she married young, and none of her dreams really became a reality, but she does have a wonderful amount of god children, and a fabulous friend. 

I enjoyed her attempts to start improving her life after a tricky few years, and seeing a more confidence Kate emerge as the story develops was heartwarming to see. 

This is the first time I've read a book from this author but I suspect on the basis of this story that it won't be the last. 

I really enjoyed this book. 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Dying To Be Here by T J Emerson - #HolidayReading Cyprus

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Title: Dying To Be Here

Author: T J Emerson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 18th March 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

The unputdownable new thriller from the bestselling author of The Perfect Holiday, which will have fans of Lucy Clarke and T M Logan gripped.

You’d die to stay here. But would you kill to?

As soon as you first see the house, a former hotel in a picturesque enclave of the Cypriot hills, you know this abandoned resort is the perfect home for you – with breath-taking views, a refreshing pool, and peace and quiet, away from the rest of the world. A place to recover and grow.

But paradise isn’t cheap, and as the debts mount, you could lose everything you've worked so hard for.

Until someone makes you an offer: to keep your home, all you have to do is take a life.

But you could never do that… could you?

Opened this book at random on my kindle on holiday in Cyprus, and was delighted to see it was actually set in Cyprus. 

And even happier to say that it hasn't made me fear for my life or anything equally sinister while on holiday here. 

Set up in the mountains, its a retreat, a community of like minded people working to be the best versions of themselves they can possibly be. 

But even in this sun-drenched setting things can go wrong and there are a surprising number of secrets to be uncovered. 

And a massive moral dilemma that shocks all the residents into trying to work out whether they can really do the unthinkable for a huge sum of money.

it was eye opening and certainly gripping, and I loved the story being told from various view points. 

A thrilling book and one I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Written In The Stars by Helen Rolfe

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Title: Written In The Stars

Author: Helen Rolfe

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 19th September 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

A hidden secret

Live every day as if it were your last – that’s the motto Bess has lived by since her father died unexpectedly. As a critical care paramedic, Bess sees every day just how easily life can be taken away. But carefree living has risks, and as Bess’s debts mount, she discovers her actions could have terrible consequences…

An unexpected arrival

Nothing gives Gio more joy than his work saving lives in the fire service. And on the days when his call-outs put him in the path of the air ambulance, and one paramedic in particular, things are pretty perfect. Until Gio’s world is spun on its head, first by the arrival of his estranged mother on his doorstep, and then by an accident that could put his career on hold indefinitely.

A new beginning?

Gio and Bess have always worked well together, but could they be the solution to each other’s problems beyond the frontline as well? And will they let their guard down enough to give each other a chance before snow falls over Whistlestop River?

It’s time for the Skylarks to drop everything and take to the skies again in this gorgeous new book from Helen Rolfe, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley and Jo Bartlett.

How lovely to be back amongst the Skylarks again, and this time it's Bess we get to know extremely well.  From the start it is clear she isn't being honest about her life, and I guessed almost instantly what she was hiding (I don't think it was meant to be a secret for the readers). 

And it's something that for a winter set book, in the run up to and aftermath of Christmas, is going to be very relevant to many people, and something I'd imagine lots can identify with sadly. 

And then there is Gio, a firefighter so if there isn't enough adrenalin being caused by the air rescue descriptions, then there is even more when we see Gio in action. Up until things don't quite go according to plan, which coincides with the timing of his mother arriving back in his life. 

The storyline involving Marianne, Gio's mother is dealt with sensitively and it felt realistic to me. 

I loved seeing how all the various threads were developed during this story, including the clear will they, won't they between our two main characters. 

This was another really great book in this fabulous story, and I was invested in the lives of these characters.  Bring on book three! 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - All I Want For Christmas by Karen Swan

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Title: All I Want For Christmas

Author: Karen Swan

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Pan

Publication Date: 10th October 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Three first dates and an art-world mystery – it's going to be a busy Christmas for Darcy. All I Want for Christmas is the Sunday Times bestselling cosy winter romance from Karen Swan, author of Christmas By Candlelight.

Can she find love this Christmas?

Christmas in Copenhagen is a magical time of year but Darcy Cotterell isn’t feeling festive. Newly single, again, she's not even going home for Christmas. Instead she will be spending her holiday finishing her art history PhD. Her best friend, Freja, has other ideas. She signs Darcy up to a dating app, determined that she won't be lonely this Christmas.

Darcy agrees to three dates – but her mind is on work, not play: an unknown portrait by Denmark’s greatest painter has been found and she is tasked with identifying the woman in the painting. During her research, she encounters sexy, arrogant lawyer Max Lorensen – who happens to be bachelor number one! The attraction is instant but, knowing they must work together, they abandon the match. Or try to. But their feelings are undeniable - until Darcy discovers Max has an agenda . . .

It wouldn't be Christmas without a cracking new festive book from Karen Swan, and this year's is as brilliant as ever! 

What an utterly absorbing story this was, I was engrossed in the mystery at the heart of it, and just how Darcy was going to work out who the subject of a hidden painting was, and then bringing them to life, all with a seemingly impossible time frame. 

Set to a Copenhagen backdrop, this was a fascinating story, that offered moments of great levity with Darcy's dating exploits.  She is on a new app, and her picks are not the best, although it does turn out she will be seeing a lot more of one of them, whether she intends to or not. 

Also set in the art world and acedemia, this just combines all matter of worlds in a way that was compelling to read.  I was never completely sure how things would turn out, and I was overall astounded by some of the revelations. 

I also loved the descriptions of the Christmas markets and various Danish festive traditions that are also featured in the story. 

It's a fabulous book, and was joy to read it. 

Thank you to Pan and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - You Had Me At Chateau by Portia MacIntosh

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Title: You Had Me At Chateau

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 15th September 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

This writer's retreat has a plot twist...

Romantic comedy writer Amber Page is stuck in a rut.

After her editor tells her she needs to "up the spice" in her books (literally Amber's worst nightmare...), she is at a crossroads with what to do with her career.

When the opportunity arises to go on a writer's retreat at an exclusive château in the beautiful French Alps Amber reluctantly agrees, hoping a change of scenery will help with inspiration.

But while she tries and fails to spice up her writing - with the unhelpful guidance of the eccentric romance writers at the château - she meets two leading men who cause her own real-life romantic comedy to unfold...

A laugh-out-loud love triangle, forced proximity romantic comedy from million-copy bestseller Portia MacIntosh.

Utterly hilarious as you have come to expect from Portia MacIntosh. 

So many memorable and funny moments and the whole writer's retreat was certainly different to what I would have thought! Makes me wonder which authors the author was modelling the participants on. 

From moments with lingerie, massage oils, a bathroom and a whole lot more, this is just brilliant.  Especially with Amber being a rom-com writer, who would love to swivel genre slightly, but instead her editor is insisting on spice - and it is very clear that Amber can't write spice, but she does want to include dead bodies! 

That's before you take into account a chapter that I can only imagine was in part modelled on the three Christmas dinner episode of Vicar of Dibley.  Amber loves her food,  but her bottomless pit may have have met its match with all the amazing food mentioned this story. 

With an absolutely stunning backdrop - the French Alps, this a fabulous wintery book, with plenty of com and some rom, that I enjoyed every last second of. 

Already can't wait for the next book from this author (luckily I don't have to wait for too long as she is a writing machine!). 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Escape For Christmas by Phillipa Ashley - Blog Tour

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Title: Escape For Christmas

Author: Phillipa Ashley

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 7th November 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

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?

What an enjoyable story.  I absolutely loved Sophie's little hotel in the Lakes, Sunnyside.  And I especially loved her idea of offering an Escape for Christmas that isn't your typical Christmas break - she was offering Paella, Flamenco and no turkey! 

After all not everyone is a fan of Christmas, but she has her reasons for wanting to not be festive this year.  But yet fate has other plans for her. 

The entire break with the guests was brilliant, I loved getting to know the various guests both paying and completely unexpected.  To say things didn't go quite according to plan, would be an understatement. And just about everything made me smile. 

I also really enjoyed her neighbour Brody who really is s knight in shining armour on multiple occasions and I had a real soft spot for Jingle, Belle and Harold - some of our four legged friends in the story. 

The setting is gorgeous and I really hope the author will return there in a future book as all the characters wee meet are fabulous.  

This was just really entertaining, and I definitely enjoyed my time between the pages of this book. 

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - A Very Irish Christmas by Debbie Johnson

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Title: A Very Irish Christmas

Author: Debbie Johnson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Storm Publishing 

Publication Date: 30th October 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

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?

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy filled with Irish charm, festive flirting and enough Christmas spirit to warm even the coldest of hearts. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Catherine Walsh and anyone who believes in the luck of the Irish…

This was a great big warm hug of a book, as I have come to expect from the queen of comfort reads.

Once again Debbie Johnson has conjured up a magical sounding setting that I never want to leave,  and really hope might be the start of another series. 

I absolutely loved Cassie, Ryan, Eileen, Charles and Eejit, and everyone else too. 

And the New Yorker in England for Christmas staying in what is known as Little Ireland is a lovely touch.

Plenty of Irish slang and colloquialism added to the quaintness of the village. 

There is a wonderful community spirit and this really is the best place for Cassie to heal after some recent tough years. 

This is a beautifully heartwarming story that I couldn't get enough of,  and the pages just seemed to whizz past. 

An absolute pleasure to read. 

Thank you to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Getaway by Nicola Martin - #HolidayReading Cyprus

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Title: The Getaway

Author: Nicola Martin

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Raven Books

Publication Date: 7th November 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

Welcome to Keeper Island, the private Caribbean paradise where the cocktails are chilled, the guests are not, and new manager Lola is hoping nothing messes up her badly needed fresh start.

Her previous job in Hong Kong ended in tears – and quite a lot of blood – so she's come to Keeper to lie low, as well as to provide the gold-star service the resort's spoiled one-percenters expect. Her only connection to her previous life now is her old mentor and new boss, Mike Moxham.

But nothing is that simple, and no secret is truly safe forever. When Moxham is found dead less than a day after her arrival on the island, the rules Lola uses for working with the super-rich quickly become rules for survival:

Be prepared for anything.

Trust no one.

Because she might be next…

Bella Mackie meets Below Deck in this twisty escapist thriller – as gulpable as rum punch and just as deadly

I do love an destination thriller and this one really had me scratching my head 

I had absolutely no clue who could be trusted, nor who may actually be behind the sinister goings on, on remote Caribbean Island, Keeper Island. 

Lola is on the run, and I'm not even fully convinced at times I trust her, and she shows us the seedy underbelly of what life is like working behind the scenes at an ultra luxury hotel. 

There were some guests that definitely amused me far more than others.

And amongst the staff, I didn't get great vibes from that many of them, but I did love sound of the hotel at least for the guests. 

This was twisty, it was gripping and it was a really great read.  Fabulous summer holiday reading! 

Thank you to Raven Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.