Book Review - Notting Hill In The Snow by Jules Wake

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Amazon UK

Title: Notting Hill in the Snow

Author: Jules Wake

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: One More Chapter

Publication Date: 11th October 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

It's mayhem in Bethlehem…unless they can work together!

Viola Smith plays the viola in an orchestra (yes really!), but this year she's been asked to stretch her musical talents to organising Notting Hill's local nativity.
Nate Williams isn't looking forward to Christmas but as his small daughter, Grace, has the starring role in the show, he's forced to stop being a Grinch and volunteer with Viola.

With the sparks between them hotter than the chestnuts roasting in Portobello market, Nate and Viola can't deny their feelings. And as the snow starts to fall over London, they find themselves trapped together in more ways than one…

I have fallen in love...

...not with the the simply amazing story that really does sum up London and Notting Hill in the snow

...not with the simply fabulous sounding Nativity that Viola helps to put on

... not with Viola's family who frankly were driving me mad, but equally amused me 

...  not with Nate the incredibly sexy and wonderful man

... but with Nate's daughter Grace, who has crept completely under my skin and is key to the whole story.  She is old beyond her years, and doesn't seem to know how to relax and just be a child.   Which is of course due to her high flying mother and Elaine's need for perfection and appearances. 

Grace was in some ways so wise, but in others so insecure and adorable. As Viola spends more time with Grace and Nate, it starts to feel like they are a family unit, but they also know nothing could ever happen between them. 

It was wonderful to see a familiar setting and faces from Covent Garden in the Snow, but if you haven't read that then don't worry, this will easily work as a standalone novel.   

Written with Jules Wake's trademark warmth, wit and incredibly relatable to characters, this is a sure fire hit book for me.   I loved every second of it, and just couldn't seem to read it fast enough. 

I thought it was incredibly clever to have so many references to Frozen 2, not in detail but just to help show just how excited children this winter will be for the film, and I desperately want to see it myself.   I loved all the Frozen references, although I have just had to look up LOL dolls.  It is clear Jules has definitely researched well what children will be enjoying this Christmas. 

Oh and the nativity,  and the children in Grace's class, so adorable, I loved George the innkeeper.  Some incredibly touching moments throughout this book. 

This is a wonderfully heartwarming story to read this winter.  I adored it! 

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - A Girl's Best Friend by Jules Wake

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Amazon UK

Title:  A Girl's Best Friend

Author: Jules Wake

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 16th April 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Welcome to your new cottage in the country - complete with grumpy vet, village gossip and a very muddy dog . . .

City girl Ella wants to take refuge in the country, lick her wounds and work out what she's going to do with the rest of her life. She certainly doesn't want to have a four-legged house guest or anything to do with village life. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of Wilsgrave have other ideas.

Settling in to her godmother's house for a few months of R&R, Ella finds herself the reluctant babysitter of a badly behaved Labrador - and her plans of staying mainly indoors scuppered. But as she's forced into wellies and into the village's way of doing things, Ella meets people who make her think again about what she really wants out of life and love, starting with her new furry best friend . . .

Definitely a book for anyone who has ever owned a dog, or wanted to have their own dog, and possibly for those curious about the benefits of having a dog. 

For Tess, really is A Girl's Best Friend, Elle may have been looking after her reluctantly at first, but then she wasn't really sure about the village in which she is house sitting in either. However over the course of the story, Elle's thoughts about what she wants for life do start to change. 

This is a lovely story about new beginnings, discovering yourself and dogs.  If I am sounding slightly dog obsessed then well they are at the centre of the story and the best characters too! 

I really enjoyed this book and found I was losing myself within its pages, to the extent I didn't even notice a cat siting on my windowsill, until I looked up (I don't own a cat so was rather shocked!).  

With laughs to be had, almost always with Tess at the heart of the funny bits, a dishy vet to get to know and assorted villages,t this really is a fun and entertaining story to read. 

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

Book Review - Covent Garden in the Snow by Jules Wake

Amazon UK

Title: Covent Garden in the Snow

Author: Jules Wake

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Publication Date: 20th October 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Tilly Hunter has fabulous friends, her dream job as a make-up artist with a prestigious opera company and Felix, her kind and caring husband to be. It looks set to be the most perfect Christmas yet!

But when a monumental blunder forces her to work closely with new IT director Marcus Walker, it's not only the roast chestnut stalls on the cobbles of her beloved Covent Garden that cause sparks to fly…

Super serious and brooding, Marcus hasn’t got a creative bone in his sharp-suited body. For technophobe Tilly, it's a match made in hell.

And yet, when Tilly discovers her fiancé isn’t at all what he seems, it's Marcus who's there for her with a hot chocolate and a surprisingly strong shoulder to cry on … He might just be the best Christmas present she’s ever had.

Had me laughing from the first page! 

There was something about Tilly's utter uselessness with computers that had me interested in her character almost instantly. It may have had something to do with her clicking on an attachment called "Santa Baby" or that yanking a plug out is her way of rebooting a computer, but she endeared herself to me very fast. 

The other thing that struck me very quickly in this story is just obviously it was set in Covent Garden and how well either the author knows the area or researched it at around Christmas time.  There were mentions of details or events that I just wouldn't have expected to see such as the Christmas lego display and the Christmas pudding race (which my family is involved with somehow, and I've never met anyone else that has heard of it!). 

It was the attention to detail throughout that impressed me, the behind the scenes at an opera company, as just how the wigs are created and some of the costume changes that aren't seen were so impressive. I'm a fan of the theatre so seeing this level of detail really interested me, and added a lot to the overall picture for me. 

Then there was Marcus, who is the IT Guru come to show Tilly the error of her technophobic ways! He grew on me as the book progressed. There is far more to him than first meets the eye, and I only 100% put two things together perhaps a chapter or so before Tilly.  

I enjoyed seeing how Tilly's relationship with her sister changed over the course of the book, and in fact with her parents too. 

Covent Garden in the Snow hits all the right notes for an entertaining and highly enjoyable story this Christmas, I loved it. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Guest Post - I Love The Colosseum by Jules Wake - Rome Week

When you’re writing a book set in Rome, the biggest problem is deciding how to chose which of the many amazing sights to include.  The Eternal City, as it is known, is like no other. Modern meets ancient in the most unlikely juxtapositions, first century aqueducts crossing busy ring-roads, the Colosseum rooted alongside speeding cars and the ruined buildings of the Palatine smack bang in the middle of a busy city centre. 

As I’ve been fascinated by the Romans since I was at primary school, the Colosseum was my must-see site in the city and I had to include it in the book.  

It’s one of my favourite buildings in the world, which is probably obvious to readers of From Rome With Love as I just had to take my hero and heroine there.  The Colosseum is the most amazing place, not just in terms of the vast structure, but also its complexity and history.  How on earth did the Romans build this huge edifice without the benefit of modern technology and power tools?

I also marvel at the sophistication behind the design, the features of which are still seen today in modern stadiums. The Colosseum was constructed with a series of 76 passageways behind the tiers of seats called vomitorium which enabled 50,000 people to reach and leave their seats in 15 minutes. Interesting fact: The word vomit comes from this, meaning to spew out. 

More importantly, whether you’ve seen the film Gladiator or not, there’s an incredible atmosphere when you stand on one of the tiers looking down into the huge oval arena.  It’s so easy to imagine the human history here; the Christians facing not just lions but any number of ferocious beasts, executions, animal hunts and gladiatorial combat with the audience, rich and poor, shouting and baying for blood. 

Sorry, as usual when it comes to the Colosseum, I tend to get a little carried away! Which brings home that one of the hardest things about writing this book was getting the balance right between describing the places and not sounding too much like a guide book. 

 My hero and heroine did also visit plenty of other famous tourist sites including the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica but there are many more I could have included.  I hope I did justice to the city of Rome, with the ones I chose to feature, and that readers feel I’ve given them a brief glimpse of this wonderful city.  

Well Jules, I think it is clear to say that you definitely love The Colosseum! Thank you so much for sharing your passion with us.

Jules Wake

An avid reader, Jules Wake started writing when she ran out of books by her favourite authors. Her books combine some of her favourite activities, food, wine and travel.  She draws on her experience as a PR in the food and drink industry, where she had to go on lots of press trips to dreadful places like Paris, Milan, Turin and Amsterdam as well as the period she spent working (hic!) for several wineries and vineyards in Marlborough, the Sauvignon Blanc capital of New Zealand. 
She is allergic to dust, and finds writing the perfect alternative to housework.

www.juleswake.co.uk 
@juleswake
https://www.facebook.com/juleswake.co.uk/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rome-Love-perfect-feel-good-romance-ebook/dp/B01KVEXOJI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

Amazon UK

If you can’t stand the heat…

Rome is the city of love and seduction, right? Not if you find yourself staying in a beautiful apartment with your childhood-friend-turned-arch-enemy, Will Ryan…no matter how hot he is!

Romance is the last thing on Lisa’s mind. She’s got more important things to focus on, like hunting down her estranged father. Except when her search falls at the first hurdle, Will doesn’t just help her get back on track, he also shares the romantic sights – and exquisite tastes – of the Eternal City, and Lisa starts to wonder if it’s not just Rome seducing her.

Only, as Lisa and Will dig into the past, neither of them is prepared for the long-buried secrets they reveal. Secrets that will turn both their world’s upside down …

Book Review - From Rome with Love by Jules Wake - Rome Week

Amazon UK

Title: From Rome With Love

Author: Jules Wake

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Publication Date: 13th January 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

If you can’t stand the heat…

Rome is the city of love and seduction, right? Not if you find yourself staying in a beautiful apartment with your childhood-friend-turned-arch-enemy, Will Ryan…no matter how hot he is!

Romance is the last thing on Lisa’s mind. She’s got more important things to focus on, like hunting down her estranged father. Except when her search falls at the first hurdle, Will doesn’t just help her get back on track, he also shares the romantic sights – and exquisite tastes – of the Eternal City, and Lisa starts to wonder if it’s not just Rome seducing her.

Only, as Lisa and Will dig into the past, neither of them is prepared for the long-buried secrets they reveal. Secrets that will turn both their world’s upside down …

Such a joy to be back reading the From ...with love series, and I feel as though I haven't been away, with the story telling just as brilliant as the others. There is just such a comfortable feel to this book, its as though you are reading about old friends, but in reality Lisa and Will haven't been the focus of the others in the series, so its just clever writing making you feel as though you know them rather fast. 

That being said, Siena and Laurie from the first two books do play a part in this one, but as From Rome With Love works as a standalone, you don't need to know them to in advance, but for anyone like me that has read them all, it is great to catch up with characters I love. 

I feel as though I have had a fantastic trip to Rome through this story, taking in not only some of the major tourist attractions, but thanks to Will wanting to setup an authentic Italian restaurant, there is a lot of bellissimo Italian food. Lisa isn't the most adventurous eater, so its lovely to see her trusting Will, with trying some new delicacies, despite the fact the pair of them don't tend to get on. 

Lisa is a lovely main character, she has a fear of heights, has never travelled alone before, and absolutely loves her Nan, and her guide book!  Lisa has only agreed to this trip to Rome, in order to meet her estranged father, and allows a friend to give her free accommodation in Rome to save on money. However Giovanni appears to have other ideas. 

Their first day sightseeing together gives important insights into both of their personalities, so its rather a relief that Will had managed to arrange his research trip to Rome, for the same dates as Lisa. Will helps Lisa with the search for her father, and I could see that the pair were growing closer over the days in Rome, even if they were denying it. There are definitely some surprises in store, as things are never as they seem. 

With Lisa's guide book obsession, I learnt a lot about the Colosseum and also the Sistine Chapel, and I would have loved to gone to the Trevi Fountain with her. Then again I'd have also been happy with Giovanni's first night choice of things to do, but Lisa and Will weren't as enthralled at watching Rome vs Lazio in a Roman bar! 

From Rome with Love blends in a perfect mix...Italian food, the city of Rome, romance, hidden family secrets, friendship and fabulous descriptive storytelling, in  a wonderful story that I loved every second of. 

Thank you to Harper Impulse and Netgalley for this copy of the book which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Escape to the Riviera by Jules Wake - Rachel Reads Randomly Book #35

Amazon UK

Title: Escape to the Riviera

Author: Jules Wake

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: 24th June 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Carrie Hayes has a job she enjoys and a perfectly nice boyfriend. She’s sorted. Isn’t she?

But Carrie’s life wasn’t always like this. As a young, wild drama student, she married fellow actor, Richard Maddox, after a whirlwind romance. Life back then was full of possibilities, but when Hollywood beckoned Richard, Carrie was left behind.

Now an A-list superstar, Richard’s life couldn’t be more different to Carrie’s, so when their paths cross in glamorous St Tropez, she can’t help but wonder what might have been.

But with lovely, sensible Alan in tow, Carrie knows she needs to do the right thing. The only problem is,
Carrie and Richard never quite got round to getting a divorce…

You know exactly what you are going to get with a Jules Wake book, fantastic settings, great characters and some playful dialogue that will draw you into the story, and Escape to the Riviera does all that incredibly well. 

I loved the backdrop of the French Riviera as Carrie tries to find Richard Maddox, top movie star, in order to ask for a divorce, since she has just agreed to marry her boyfriend Alan. Alan is unaware of Carrie's married status, and its a race against time to get the divorce through before their upcoming wedding. 

Along with Carrie, her sister Angie and her niece Jade manage to get a loan of a gorgeous property on the Cote D'Azur for the summer holidays, and even the logistics of getting there were quite amusing as were the expectations of what the house would be like, compared to the reality. 

When Carrie and Richard come across each other it soon becomes very clear that the book is about to get incredibly interesting as they come to a tentative agreement. Add in start struck Jade, and even a budding relationship for Angie and you have all the ingredients for a great summer. 

Loved seeing Carrie grow into her self as well as some of her reminisces of what she was like back when she and Richard were together.  

Escape to the Riviera is a beautifully summery read that is very enjoyable, and takes in the contrasts between normal people such as Carrie and just what being with a film star is like. Expect to see some amazing transport options, private functions and a surprising personality from Richard. 

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Jules Wake's Christmas Q&A - Blog Tour - #HarperXmas

I am delighted to be part of the From Paris With Love This Christmas blog tour, and would like to thank Jules Wake for joining me on Rachel's Random Reads to answer this bunch of festive questions. 

What is your favourite Christmas film?

My absolute favourite Christmas film is Serendipity, it combines all the classic elements of the festive season in New York, the shops on Fifth Avenue, ice skating in Central Park and snow falling on the divine John Cusack.  What I really love, and what sets it aside from other Christmas films, is that it has that extra touch of sparkle when the hero and heroine are brought together through the magic of fate.  It’s a fairy tale story which contains all the classic elements of Christmas. 

If you could only listen to one Christmas song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I never tire of hearing Wizard’s I wish it Could be Christmas Every Day. It brings back memories of Top of The Pops and its such a lovely,  shouty, celebratory track announcing that it’s time to have fun. 

What is your most treasured Christmas tradition?

Without a doubt, decorating the tree.  Wherever I’ve lived, at home with my parents, abroad or with my own family now, this is the one time that we batten down the hatches and all get together and devote time to being a family and doing something together.  

As a child, the whole family and my mum’s best friend had to be present before the tree could be decorated and now with my own children we’ve continued this tradition.  Everyone has to be at home. The lights go on first and then we unwrap all the decorations which have been brought down from the loft in readiness, and then we all decorate the tree together, after arguing about which sequence is best for the lights on the tree.

If you were one of Santa’s reindeer, which one would you be?

Prancer – there would be no point being a reindeer if you didn’t get to do some prancing. 

What is the best Christmas gift you have ever received?

I really shouldn’t be mercenary about this, but a couple of years ago my husband bought me tickets to see Journey, my all time favourite, favourite rock band.  It was a complete surprise and as they are American (and knocking on a bit)  I never thought I’d get to see them. I have to admit … I cried!

What is your opinion on mistletoe?
Come on! I write romantic fiction, what do you think? 

What is the best Christmassy beverage?

Champagne cocktails. My husband makes a really mean one, Angoustura Bitters, Brandy, a sugar cube and Champagne.  

When is the appropriate time to start listening to Christmas music?

We have a lovely Christmas CD which was produced by the local performing arts school and every year this comes out about a week before Christmas and we listen to it in the early evening with a glass of wine in front of the fire.  

How long after Christmas Day do your decorations stay up?

They always come down before twelfth night, usually in time for everyone to go back to school and it always feels rather sad.  However we do go through all the Christmas Cards when we take them down, reading them all and then cutting them up to make tags for next year’s Christmas presents. 


If you could ask Santa for one thing bigger than a dog but smaller than an elephant, what would it be?
A big dog.  For the last couple of years we’ve been talking about getting a dog but the timing wasn’t right because of our day time commitments but that’s gradually changing, so who knows, maybe this year will be the year of the dog.  

About Jules Wake

Despite early ambitions, my path to being a published novelist took a diversion when after reading English at the University of East Anglia, I ended up in the glamorous and deeply shallow world of PR, and I spent a number of years honing my fictional writing skills on press releases.


In my head I’m a winning contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, a competitive skydiver and a domestic goddess. Unfortunately in reality I can’t dance, or sky dive and dust bunnies gather in every corner of my house but in my fun, romantic comedy, my heroines can be anything they want.

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From Italy With Love
From Paris With Love This Christmas

Book Review - From Paris With Love This Christmas by Jules Wake - #HarperXmas

Amazon UK

Title: From Paris With Love This Christmas

Author: Jules Wake

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Publication Date: 29th October 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

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…

This Christmas, jet off to Paris with Siena and Jason and experience the magic of the holiday season

Another cracker of a book from Jules Wake. I was absorbed in this story right from the beginning, and the second my memory kicked in fully to remind me of the meeting between Laurie and Siena in From Italy with Love, it became even better. As I did remember Siena, I just couldn't fully place her at first. 

Although this does feature small parts by characters featured in From Italy With Love, this is definitely a standalone book, with a whole new cast, and is set predominately in England, but there is a trip to Paris in the run up to Christmas that is brilliant. 

Seeing Siena guide Jason around Paris is superb, and she is full of surprises throughout the book. Siena shows Jason some of the big sights, some excellent views, and also some of the bits of Paris that she knows well. 

As I say Siena is surprising, not only was she continually making Jason rethink his initial opinion of her, but I was becoming more and more impressed by her, by ever passing chapter. The development of Siena's character reminds me a lot of Rachel from Friends, over the 10 series, going from reasonably clueless about the world outside the privilege she grew up in, to becoming a well rounded determined young woman.

I loved how Jason slowly changed too, and as a reader you are probably a few steps ahead of either of  them, with their feelings for each other. You can see the connection deepening and the changes in Jason towards Siena are lovely. 

Wonderful story set in the run up to Christmas, with some great festive touches including glittery pine cone Christmas decorations, and Siena's ability to keep cool in a crisis, once she has found a job she can do is inspiring,.  We slowly learn the reason for Siena's appearance in England, at short notice, and I can't say I blame her.

I think I preferred From Italy With Love, but this comes a very close second to me, in the books I  have read by Jules Wake. It may have been missing the cross-Europe road-trip but it features Christmas, and so much more, that I didn't mind. 

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.

Book Review - From Italy With Love by Jules Wake

Amazon UK

Title: From Italy With Love

Author: Jules Wake

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Publication Date: 14th May 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

‘To my niece I leave the Ferrari GT250… On the proviso that she takes it across Europe to Maranello within the next three weeks. Only on successful completion of the journey to a prescribed route, will the car be hers…’

Home-loving Laurie thinks she’s happy – she has a safe, reliable boyfriend and working in her local library is what she thought she always wanted. That is until she inherits a vintage Ferrari from her eccentric Uncle Miles and the conditions of the inheritance are far from simple. To keep the car Laurie will have to drive across Europe with the gorgeous but unreliable Cameron Matthews as her guide… and Cam’s motives for helping are not all that altruistic.

Cam isn’t particularly thrilled about escorting his late pal Miles’ dull mouse of a niece on this wild goose chase but all he has to do is get Laurie safely to Italy and he’s sure the Ferrari is his.

But Uncle Miles had a few tricks up his sleeve and the route he’s planned takes Cam and Laurie on a road trip they’ll never forget. From sampling the delights of the Loire Valley to the breathtaking beauty of Lake Garda, this is one journey that has more twists and turns than either of them could ever have imagined…

I knew I was going to enjoy this book from the first chapter, which features an eccentric funeral. Uncle Miles had decreed that there was to be no black at his funeral, and so all 4 of his ex wives showed up wearing incredibly bright clothes, and yet his niece Laurie, and boyfriend Robert show up in Navy, which gives an instant insight as to their personalities.

Laurie is a home lover, she has lived with her boyfriend Robert, for two years, works in a library and lives a very steady life, no risks, no real excitement, and Robert seems to be doing his best to contain Laurie. 

So Uncle Miles will, comes as a bit of a surprise to Laurie. He has left her a classic Ferrari GT250, so long as she take it on a journey to the home of Ferrari, Maranello within 3 weeks,, on a pre-designated route, and having to stop at certain places to send postcards along the route.  She also has to be accompanied by Cameron Matthews. 

Cam has agreed to look after Mile's niece, and is hoping to be able to buy the Ferrari at the end of the trip. He just has to decide how to persuade Laurie to sell it. 

Laurie isn't too keen on the idea of the trip, but the alternative of the car going to her mum if she forfeits, is not an option, and spurs her on to take a chance. Robert is not happy about any of this, and shows himself to be of dubious nature. 

Robert is very much the villain of this story, or at least I took an almost instant dislike to him, and my opinion on him had no reason to change. I honestly don't know what Laurie sees in him.

Whereas with Cam, I would like to take him, and the Ferrari and run away with them both. I love fast cars and I loved Cam. He is sexy, caring, and wow does he know classic cars. He clearly loves the Ferrari, but does he go to any length of make it his own?

I loved Laurie, she is s surprising lady, she really develops during the road trip, and I found myself liking her more and more. Away from Robert and expectations, she really comes into her own, and its a joy to watch her journey. 

I completely and utterly enjoyed this book. I would call it a romantic comedy, and there are plenty of scenes to keep a smile on you face. I felt like I was along for the ride, and wish I had been tucked away in the car, enjoying the thrills it was delivering. 

From Italy With Love is an entertaining book, which will keep you guessing right up until the end.

Thank you to Harper Impulse and Netgalley for my review copy of this book. This is my honest review.

From Italy With Love is out tomorrow.