Guest Post - The Magic of Christmas by Aurelia B. Rowl - #CarinaChristmas

Christmas is a magical time of year, don’t you think?

Hi, I’m Aurelia B. Rowl, and I’m not only a writer but I’m also Mum to two gorgeous children. My son is 8 (nearly 9, dontchaknow) and my daughter is 6 (nearly 7) – their birthdays are in January so I’ll cut them some slack – so you can imagine the fun and general giddiness that comes with this time of year. Both are still ‘believers’ though I fear this could be our last year, which means I—ahem, I mean Father Christmas—needs to make sure this year is extra special.

For us, the real excitement begins on November 30th when we put up our Advent tree because this signals the impending arrival of ‘Elfie’ who moves in with us for most of December, ready to report back to the Big Man in Red. We’ve never actually seem him, but we know he’s here because he leaves the children a little treatsize chocolate in the pocket of the calendar each morning if they’ve been good the day before.

With the arrival of Yule, we dig out the artificial Christmas trees – did I mention that we also have a dog and three rabbits? – one for the main room, which we all help to decorate, and then one for the childrens’ playroom which they get to decorate without interference from the grown-ups. You can imagine how “beautiful” it looks, can’t you? I bet you can picture it now! 

Before we know it, Christmas Eve arrives and it’s time to wish Elfie farewell. If you head outside when darkness falls, you may even catch sight of Santa’s sleigh as it whizzes over collecting all the elves ahead of ‘the big night’. This flypast may, or may not, take place at exactly the same time as the ISS satellite passing over, but I’m sure this is purely a coincidence.

And now the fun really begins!

You see, as Elfie departs, he also leaves us with a special gift – a Christmas Eve box – demanding that we stop whatever we’re doing to come together as a family. Inside the box are usually onesies for all four of us to change into, a movie to settle down in front of, as well as hot chocolate and snacks to enjoy. Once the movie is over, it’s time for the kids to leave set a plate for FC and his reindeers, then head up to bed.

Christmas morning generally arrives far too early, with much squealing and giggling as the children discover the filled stockings at the end of their beds. Rapid footsteps are fair warning as they burst into the master bedroom and and leap onto me and my husband, their eyes and hearts full of joy as they shred wrapping paper from the little gifts, scattering it across the duvet.

From there, we all descend the stairs together, the kids both cautious and giddy with anticipation to see if there are any presents under the tree. Fast forward a few hours and a home-cooked breakfast, and it’s time to head over to Liverpool to spend the rest of Christmas with the grandparents for Christmas part two, including a lovely meal with family and friends.

Not everybody is as fortunate as me though, and for some, the magic of Christmas doesn’t exist anymore. Even if it does there are times when, through no fault of their own, Christmas gets well and truly cancelled. It was with this in mind that I sat down and began Tilly and Dean’s story, piecing together their lives and trying to understand their pasts.

Tilly has had it tough; estranged from her parents and living far from her hometown, she has spent the previous ten years trying to deny her true nature, even going so far as to hide her fiery red hair. She’s become very good at being somebody, cocooning herself in the world she has created, but even that falls apart. When the train taking her to brother’s on Christmas Eve is cancelled, she is truly alone in the world. Until her brother’s once best friend Dean happens to pass by and come to her aid.

Dean’s past is even tougher, but instead of becoming bitter and resentful he strives to overcome the obstacles and setbacks that have hindered him his whole life. Christmas is his absolute worst time of year, and with very good reason, yet he welcomes a barely recognisable Tilly into his home anyway, unwittingly opening the door for the spirit of Christmas to weave its magic...

Wow that truly does sound like a magical Christmas. I love the idea of Elfie, and just wish we still had young children in our family to have something even similar to your Christmas. I'm very envious!

About Aurelia B. Rowl

Aurelia B. Rowl lives on the edge of the Peak District in the UK with her very understanding husband, their two fantastic children, and their mad rescue mutt who doesn’t mind being used as a sounding post and source of inspiration. She regularly wows them all with her curious, hastily thrown together meals when she gets too caught up with her latest writing project...or five!...and she has developed the fine art of ignoring the housework.

Aurelia writes young adult, new adult, and contemporary romance. To find out more about Aurelia, or check out her latest news, you can visit her website: www.aureliabrowl.com

Blog  ¦  Facebook  ¦  Twitter  ¦  Google+  ¦  Pinterest  ¦  Tumblr  ¦  YouTube  ¦  Linked-In  ¦  Amazon  ¦  Goodreads

Christmas is Cancelled

Amazon UK

It's impossible to forget...

Matilda 'Tilly' Carter has had the week from hell - and now, with all trains cancelled, it looks like Christmas will be too! With a mascara-streaked face, a broken heel and nowhere to go, there's never been a worse time to run into the man who once broke her heart. Especially when he looks better than ever. 

The one that got away...

For Dean, Christmas has always been hard. The Tilly standing before him is no longer the firecracker of his memories--even if the way she makes his heart race hasn't changed at all. He is determined to uphold the promise that kept them apart nine years ago. But spending a cosy Christmas with Tilly would break a better man and each accidental touch, heated look and stolen kiss is taking its toll on Dean.

After all this time, can the magic of Christmas bring Tilly and Dean together at last?

Buy links:

Amazon ¦Amazon UK ¦ iBookstore ¦ Nook UK ¦ Barnes & Noble ¦ Kobo ¦ Google Books  ¦ eBooks.com ¦ WHSmith

Come back tomorrow to see my review of Christmas is Cancelled, as well as my final day of posts for Carina Christmas.

For more #CarinaChristmas click here

Guest Post & Giveaway - Has the Book got the White Stuff? by T.A. Williams

Snow… don’t you just love it? My latest book, What Happens at Christmas, takes place in the winter and my editor made it quite clear to me that she wanted snow. The words winter wonderland were bandied about a lot last Easter when the Christmas book was mooted. When I say mooted, I should say ordered. I was told I needed to write a Christmas book, with snow. 

So I did, and What Happens at Christmas is the result. I hope you like it.

Anyway, back to snow. As a little boy, growing up in the south west of England, I can remember a lot of snow. Seeing as snow is fairly unusual in these parts, I can only assume either that the climate has changed drastically in the last fifty years or that my ageing memory is playing tricks. They do say that the brain tends to remember the good things and casts a convenient veil over less pleasant memories, so that’s the proof that I like snow. Or at least that I liked snow then. As a little boy I can remember the silence of the snow. I remember the early morning excitement when you wake up and there is no traffic noise. No cars and no people. Then the wonderful moment you open the curtains and see a white covering over everything and you know that, with any luck, there will be no school and it’ll be snowballs and snowmen all day long.

Then there’s the skiing of course. I was lucky enough to live for almost three years in the high Italian Alps when I was working as an English language teacher. Better still, one of my students was the very rich developer of the local ski resort and he gave me and my colleagues free ski passes for the whole season. For somebody earning, as I remember, less than a hundred pounds a month at that time, that was an amazing gift. So, for three years, from the end of November until early April I used to go skiing two, three times a week. Alas, I didn’t have the money to pay for lessons so my skiing is, shall we say, idiosyncratic? I can go down anything. In fact, I have skied down slopes that I would have been terrified to undertake on foot. Unfortunately however, it’s not a pretty sight. I have got so many deep-rooted bad habits that I must look totally weird, but I get the job done and I still love it. Snow, you see; very important for skiing.

Snow does, of course, have its downsides. The most visible of these is when you combine snow and driving. When I lived in the mountains I had special snow tyres. They were great. You could go anywhere and keep moving when most of the other cars had stopped. The problem, however, came from the other road users. However good your own tyres may be, if you meet some moron coming towards you too fast, out of control on summer tyres, there’s nothing you can do but brace yourself. The only serious road accident I have ever had was on snow. An Algerian driving a French-registered car in Switzerland crashed into the front of an Italian-registered car driven by a Brit. You can probably guess what kind of bureaucratic nightmare ensued. Anyway, I am currently working on a new book, to be titled What Happens in the Alps, and I draw heavily on my memories of those years and, of course, the snow.

In What Happens at Christmas, I save the snow until the end. When it comes, it transforms the rugged landscape of Dartmoor into the aforementioned winter wonderland. The Christmas lights turn the snow crystals into a multi-coloured curtain. The sharp edges of the houses, rocks and walls are rounded off, transforming familiar objects into bulbous sculptures. Stirling the Labrador disappears up to his tummy in the snow and starts doing that crazy mad-dog thing dogs do in the snow, scampering round in circles like a jack rabbit. The only vehicles still running are tractors and Land Rovers and smoke from the chimneys indicates the woodburners are in use all over the village. Outside it’s cold and crisp. Inside it’s warm and cosy.

Snow, you see; that’s what does it.

Author Bio:

My name is Trevor Williams and I'm a man. I thought I'd better point that out as my books are designated by my publisher variously as "Women's Fiction" or "Chicklit". I write under the androgynous name of T A Williams in the hope that prospective readers won't be put off by the fact that I am in reality a bald old man. I have been writing for many years, but it's only in the last couple of years that I have found my niche, writing romantic comedy. I live in a little Devon village with my Italian artist wife. When I can tear myself away from the computer, I ride my bike or spend time in the garden, principally removing fox poo in summer and feeding the pheasants in winter. 

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter 

Buy links on Amazon and B&N:

Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Barnes and Noble 

Giveaway to win an e-copy of When Alice Met Danny (open internationally)

T.A. Williams and Carina  have kindly offered readers of Rachel's Random Reads a chance to win an e-copy of When Alice Met Danny

Giveaway open to everyone, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 4/12/2015. 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


Thank you so much Trevor for this wonderful guest post. I do like a bit of snow, but it never looks picturesque for long. And thank you for offering a giveaway too. It is always appreciate especially for one of my favourite of your books.

For more #CarinaChristmas click here

Book Review - What Happens at Christmas... by T.A. Williams - #CarinaChristmas

Amazon UK

Title: What Happens at Christmas...

Author: T.A. Williams

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Carina

Publication Date: 22nd October 2015

Rating: 4.5 Stars

For the perfect Christmas…

When career-girl Holly Brice learns that her estranged father has died, she decides to take a trip down memory lane and find out about the man she never knew.

Arriving in the sleepy little Dartmoor village, she’s shocked to discover that she’s inherited the cosy little cottage she remembers so fondly, a whole load of money – and her father’s adorable dog, too!

Head to snow-covered Devon!

And as the first snowflakes begin to fall and Holly bumps into her gorgeous neighbour, Jack Nelson, life gets even more complicated! Men have always been off the cards for high-flying Holly, but there’s something about mysterious writer Jack that has her re-thinking her three-date rule…

I loved What Happens at Christmas.. based on the cover, you may think its just going to be a shallow Christmas story, but I can assure you, it has a good amount of depth, and a fabulous story. 

Holly Brice has been estranged from her father for over 20 years, so is shocked to hear she has inherited a little cottage in a Dartmoor village, that she only vaguely remembers from childhood. 

When she gets to Dartmoor she discovers its not just a cottage, but also a very healthy trust fund, and Stirling, a 1 year old dog, that has been very well trained. 

Needless to say it was Stirling that to me was the star of the story, especially once he and Holly have bonded. Holly really appreciates the one living link to her father. I will admit to having a soft spot for dogs in books, and when I read this, I had been to a dog show that day, so clearly had gorgeous dogs on the brain, but Stirling is fabulous, and would possibly be a lot of people's idea of a dream dog. 

As Holly prepares for Christmas in the cottage, she meets 3 men who all end up meaning different things to her, and also discovers loads about her father. 

I found the dealing with Holly's emotions regarding learning all about her father, the reasons for the estrangement and just what it was he was doing to produce such a healthy inheritance, to be very realistic and there are some very touching moments. 

The three men who have an impact on Holly are Justin, who also loves classic cars, and has a couple of dates with Holly. Jack, who is her sexy next door neighbour, and friend to her father, as well as to Stirling, and Howard the older gentleman with a surprising past. 

The rest of the villagers really make Holly feel at home too, and its not long before she is thinking seriously about her future and what to do with the cottage and Stirling. 

There is a lot of snow in this book, as well as Christmas feeling, and the whole books with great pacing is set on the 11 days in the run up to the day itself. And there is a lot packed into each day, which makes this a cosy and easy festive story to read. 

What Happens at Christmas is a lovely festive story, and draws in my loves of the south coast of England, snow, dogs, men and Christmas in a delightful tale. 

Thanks to Carina and Netgalley for this review copy. This is my honest opinion. 

For more #CarinaChristmas click here

Guest Post - Maxine Morrey's Write Christmas Experience - #CarinaChristmas

This year Carina ran a "Write Christmas" competition for all aspiring writers, to send in submissions, with the winner being given a Carina contract, and book deal. This is Maxine Morrey's experience with the competition.

Being told I’d won the Carina UK ‘Write Christmas’ competition was a bit of a surreal moment. For one thing, I was in a hospital bed with a fair bit of anaesthetic still floating around inside of me!

This year, I really decided to go for it, when it came to writing competitions. Although I’ve had articles and a local history book published, writing novels has always been the thing I’ve enjoyed most, and what I really wanted to do. So although I do send off agent queries intermittently, my main plan for the year was to enter as many competitions as I could. If nothing else, it was good practice, not only for writing itself, but also for managing deadlines. 

That aspect certainly came into play with the ‘Write Christmas’ competition! When it first came to my attention, I was working on another entry – but I really liked the sound of a Christmas themed book and had an idea tucked away that I thought might work. In the end, by the time I got the synopsis ‘just right’ and read everything through so many times, the entry was sent off with less than ten minutes to spare on the midnight deadline!

Once it was sent, I moved on to the next competition. I also had some medical stuff scheduled in August – realising I was due to have general anaesthetic on the day of the Carina winner announcement, I joked on Twitter that I was quite glad I’d be under sedation that day as it would be less painful that not winning! 

When I came back from theatre, I picked up my phone to ring my husband to let him know that he couldn’t cash in the life insurance just yet! That’s when I saw an email entitled ‘Write Christmas’. Honestly, I really thought it was one of those ‘Thanks for your entry. I’m sorry to say…’ messages. I blearily opened it anyway – and read that the publishers had been trying to contact me and could I give them a call! I read it about ten times, just to be sure! By this time, it was nearly 5 o’clock, so I wasn’t sure if they’d still be there or not but fumbled about dialling just in case! 

Victoria Oundjian, the Carina editor who’d sent the email, was lovely and told me that they’d absolutely loved the chapters I’d sent in and couldn’t wait to discover the rest of the story! I couldn’t believe it! She was so enthusiastic and encouraging – it just felt wonderful! I couldn’t stop grinning – even when I found out that the deadline was less than a month away! My blood pressure was through the roof with the excitement! I wasn’t allowed to make any announcements but I ended up having to tell the nurse that I’d just got a book contract because they weren’t going to let me home due to the super high blood pressure! She was almost as excited as me and told the rest of the team! So much for secrets! Luckily, I hadn’t mentioned the competition or the name of the publisher but their support was really heart warming! 

It was a very surreal day, all in all – and I have to say, I was so glad when the winning announcement was made on Twitter the following day – because a teeny bit of me was worried I’d just made it up in an anaesthetic induced haze! 

About Maxine Morrey

Maxine has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember and wrote her first (very short) book for school when she was ten. Coming in first she won a handful of book tokens -  perfect for a young bookworm! 

As years went by, she continued to write, but 'normal' work often got in the way. Finally, she really decided to go for it, and wrote. Really wrote. And after a while she had a bunch of articles, and a non fiction book to her name. But her real love is writing novels and the magical escapism it affords - for both writer and reader. After self publishing her first novel when a contract fell through as the publishers succumbed to the recession, she continued to look for opportunities. 

In August 2015, she won Carina UK’s ‘Write Christmas’ competition. Her first romantic comedy from HarperCollins (Carina UK) 'Winter's Fairytale' is due out in November and is available for pre order now. 

Maxine lives in Sussex, England with her husband and when not wrangling with words, can be found adding to her To Be Read pile, sewing, walking and wondering when they are going to invent a robot for ironing.

Twitter - @Scribbler_Maxi

Instagram - @scribbler_maxi

Facebook - www.Facebook.com/MaxineMorreyAuthor

Pinterest - ScribblerMaxi

Website - www.scribblermaxi.co.uk

What a brilliant story Maxine, and after an operation, that must have been the best news to start you on your recovery. Congratulations and its a great book. 

For more #CarinaChristmas click here

Guest Post - The Twelve Not Quite Perfect Moments of Christmas by Annie Lyons - #CarinaChristmas

I'd love to welcome Annie Lyons to Rachel Random Reads today, and she is telling us those twelve Not Quite Perfect Moments of Christmas.

1. When your child catches you knocking back Father Christmas’ favourite tipple on Christmas Eve.
   
2. When during your impressive twerking routine at the Christmas party you realise that your skirt is tucked in your knickers. Again.
   
3. When your mother-in-law offers to help you sieve the gravy.
   
4. When you start to believe that socks really are a great Christmas present.
5. When your child declares ‘babyccino’ to be the son of God when answering the vicar’s question during your local church’s crib service.
   
6. When you decide that home-made gifts really do make the best presents, resulting in burnt chutney, bendy gingerbread and a kitchen that would make Mary Berry weep.
   
7. When the highlight of your festive TV season is the Peppa Pig Christmas special.
   
8. When buying new Christmas lights is preferable to untangling the ones you carelessly stuffed back into the box last January.
   
9. When some joker decides to give the dog sprouts.
   
10. When Granny decides to act out ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ during charades.
    
11. When your mother misinterprets your request for boots and instead of the knee-high beauties you’ve been coveting, buys you a pair of Dunlop wellies.
    
12. When you decide to make egg nog. And realise that any drink with ‘egg’ in the title really is as disgusting as it sounds.

Not Quite Perfect Christmas

Amazon UK

A Christmas fairy tale in New York?

This Christmas, Emma Darcy has decided, is going to be perfect! Not only has she exchanged her glamorous London life to jet out to the even more glitzy New York, but she has her gorgeous boyfriend finally by her side, and her dream job comes with an invite to their super-dazzling Christmas party. Ooooh, what to wear?!

To celebrate, this year she’s planning a Christmas like you see in the movies; her tinsel-topped to-do list includes ice-skating outside Rockefeller Center, strolling around a snow-covered Central Park and Christmas (window) shopping at Tiffany.

That plan goes slightly out the window with news that her Mum, sister and niece Lily will be visiting her – that’s a lot of Darcy women, even in the Big Apple! With family drama and a work disaster to avoid too, this might not quite be the picture-perfect Christmas she’d had in mind…!

A Not Quite Perfect short story.

About Annie Lyons

After leaving university, Annie Lyons decided that she 'rather liked books' and got a job as a bookseller on Charing Cross Road, London. Two years later she left the retail world and continued rather liking books during an eleven-year career in publishing. Following redundancy in 2009 she realised that she would rather like to write books and having undertaken a creative writing course, lots of reading and a bit of practice she produced Not Quite Perfect. She now realises that she loves writing as much as coffee, not as much as her children and a bit more than gardening. She has since written another two novels and is about to start work on her fourth. She lives in a house in south-east London with her husband and two children. The garden is somewhat overgrown. One day she hopes to own a chocolate-brown Labrador named John and have tea with Mary Berry.

Website & social media

www.annielyons.com

Twitter: @1AnnieLyons

Facebook: www.facebook.com/annielyonswriter

Annie Lyons on Amazon

Buy links:

Not Quite Perfect

Not Quite Perfect Christmas

Dear Lizzie

Life or Something Like It

Thank you so much to Annie, for this rather amusing post of when things just don't go quite right at Christmas. 

For more #CarinaChristmas click here

Guest Post - Top 5 Xmas Tips by A.L. Michael - #CarinaChristmas

Top Five Ways to Deal with Going Home For Christmas

When I wrote my novel ‘Driving Home for Christmas’, I was basing it on the universal truth that no matter how much you love your family, and however much you want to spend the festive season with them, they will probably drive you crazy. In the novel, my main character Megan is returning home ten years after being kicked out as a pregnant teenager. But even without the drama of something like that, it’s likely your festivities are not going to be as quiet as you think. So here are some tips to deal with the December Drama.

1) Do not expect people to change, just because it’s Christmas.

People in general, do not change. At least, not overnight. If your sister has always burnt the stuffing, your dad has always fallen asleep before dessert and you’ve had a row before you’ve even opened the tiny of Quality Street, then just decide that it’s a humorous festive tradition. 

2) Hold your tongue.

It’s hard, and especially when tongues are loosened by a Christmas sherry, or a few too many glasses of Bucks Fizz at breakfast, but don’t say whatever it is you REALLY want to say! Still annoyed that your Auntie forgot your birthday, that your brother got an Ipad whilst you got another pair of Rudolph socks? Maybe it’s the little baiting comments that are throwaway, but you don’t have to let them bother you! Focus on whatever it is that you love about the holidays. And if you’re really in need, think about how sad you’d be without those annoying family members at Christmas.

3) Mistletoe is NOT magical!

What do you get if you add mistletoe, Christmas parties, that work-place crush and a round of free drinks? An ill-advised smooching session with a hangover and a continued sense of shame. We all get a bit mushy around the festive season. But if you wouldn’t go there normally, don’t do it just because it’s Christmas!

4) Don’t get obsessed with perfection.

Some years, nothing goes right. And that’s okay. Sometimes the cooker breaks, or the electricity goes off. The turkey burns, there’s a big argument, the trifle is rancid and the kids smear pudding on the walls. But those can be the best times of all, because you can make them into wonderful, funny stories. 

5) Feel the love!

It seems obvious, but it’s a time of goodwill and love! Don’t let the petty little things get in the way! Tell people you care, show them you appreciate them, get in touch with people who you have missed over the years. Bear in mind Rule Number 3, but as long as you’re not drunkenly sticking your tongue down someone’s throat, share a little love!

‘Driving Home for Christmas’ is available on a variety websites, including Amazon 

The Blurb:

Amazon UK

Megan McAllister is home for Christmas…whether she likes it or not!

Christmas is about family…and for Megan family means two people: herself, and her daughter Skye. It doesn’t mean her parents who, ten years ago, saw her pregnancy as anything but a miracle. And it definitely doesn’t include her irresistible ex-boyfriend Lucas Bright.

So ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ has never been top of Megan’s festive playlist. But for Skye, she knows she needs to spend the holiday season with the people she’s left behind. She can do this. Even if the thought of meeting Lucas under the mistletoe still has her feeling like she’s drunk one-too-many Snowballs!

But somewhere between the hanging of stockings and the crackle of wrapping paper, Christmas starts to sparkle. And Megan begins to wonder if family could be bigger than her and Skye after all…

Pop the buck’s fizz, stoke the fire and prepare to giggle the festive season away with AL Michael!

Author Bio

A.L. Michael is a twenty something writer from London. She works as a creative facilitator, running workshops in creative writing, writing for wellbeing, and children's lessons. She has a BA in English Literature with Creative Writing, an MA in Creative Entrepreneurship, and is working towards an MsC in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes. She is not at all reliant on her student discount card.

When she's not writing or talking about writing, she bakes, runs, plays with her puppy, and gets continually distracted by shiny things on Pinterest. 

Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads




Thank you so much for this post A.L. Michael. I found myself nodding along in agreement with all these points, and suspect others will find them familiar too.

For more #CarinaChristmas click here

Book Review - Room For Love by Sophie Pembroke - #CarinaChristmas

Amazon UK

Title: Room For Love

Author: Sophie Pembroke

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Carina

Publication Date: 15th May 2014

Rating: 4 Stars

Can she make room for love?

When wedding planner Carrie Archer inherits the crumbling Avalon Inn where she spent her childhood summers, she knows she’ll do whatever it takes to make it home. With no money for renovations, that means finding investors if she ever hopes to turn the Avalon into a dream wedding venue.

But Carrie has been left more than the inn—she’s also inherited its occupants, including three senior citizens, a single-father chef with childcare issues, a panicky receptionist, and one very gorgeous gardener.

So when her cousin Ruth declares her intention to get married at the Avalon on Christmas Eve, Carrie finds herself juggling decorating with dance nights, budgeting with bridge games…and sabotage with seduction.

Room For Love is a lovely romance, and underdog story.

 Carrie inherits the Avalon Inn, from her gran, and is determined to revive its fortunes, despite her whole family trying to get involved and interfere. She is intending to do it alone. She isn't though counting on the grounds of the property, having been left to gorgeous gardener Nate, nor was she expecting on the band of Seniors that regard the Avalon Inn, as their second home, and don't really want anything to change. And that doesn't even take into account the existing members of staff, who all have very distinct personalities. 

Before Carrie has even finished her list of things that need doing at the Inn to make it into a wedding venue, like she has dreamed of running her whole life, Ruth, her cousin announces she is engaged and wants to have the wedding at Avalon Inn, that Christmas.

This is the start of a few months of renovations, money woes, simmering sexual tension, arguments, and family members trying to help, as well as an ex boss who is set on revenge, culminating in a wedding on Christmas Eve. 

I loved the group of Seniors who were trying their hardest to help Carrie, initially without her knowing, and the thought there could be a new relationship between a couple of them too. There is a lot of family connections at Avalon Inn, with Jacob, Nate and Muriel all being related. Which gives a feel to what the Avalon Inn has always been, a place that is at the hart of the local community. 

Carrie shows a quite a bit of character development throughout the story, as she learns to let others in. I really admired Carrie's determination, even if her dealings with Nate, made me want to knock their heads together at times. 

I found Room For Love to be a really enjoyable story, that is really uplifting and will leave you smiling. 

For more #CarinaChristmas click here

Guest Post - The 12 Signs of Christmas by Sophie Pembroke - #CarinaChristmas

As a lover of all things festive, I like to keep an eye out, starting around late October, for signs that it is almost time to get excited about Christmas again. Over the years, I’ve refined my list of signposts to festive-ness, leading all the way up to the big day itself, and I thought I’d share them with you all.

1: Christmas magazines appear in the shops

This is definitely the moment I feel that first little bubble of excitement. Every year I buy each and every Christmas magazine that appears on the shelves, and every year I complain that it’s exactly the same as last year’s. It’s practically a tradition at this point. But that doesn’t change the fact that there is little I enjoy more as the weather turns colder than curling up on a lazy afternoon with a cup of hot chocolate and a Christmas magazine. It’s just the way to get into the festive spirit!

2: Christmas books begin to be released

Of course, once I’ve passed the ‘anticipating Christmas’ threshold, I want to share that festive feeling. Since my husband refuses to hear the ‘C’ word before December 1st, I often find festive companionship in Christmas books. This year, I had an eagerly anticipated list of Christmas books I was waiting to be released. 

Once they’re downloaded to my kindle, they’re usually devoured in a day (or night, depending on how many times the baby needs feeding between bedtime and sunrise).  

3: The Christmas barn opens! (Also, Mince Pie Cravings)

As soon as Halloween is out of the way, the shops start loading up the aisles with Christmas cards, wrap, chocolates and other goodies. Traditionally, people walking past shake their heads and complain about it being too early. I nod along while trying to scope out the advent calendars. 

Also around this time, my favourite shop of all time opens: The Christmas Barn. It is packed to the gills with decorations, table accessories, lights, wreaths, stockings and other festive goodness. As soon as it opens I’m plan a trip with friends. This has resulted in us all showing up at the school gates in Christmas jumpers in October, in the past. 

(They also serve excellent hot chocolate and mince pies, which tends to get the cravings going. From here on in, it’s mince pie time straight through until January.)

4: Shops start playing Christmas music

Once they’ve got the decorations in it’s only a matter of time before the music starts too. At the first sign of Wham! singing Last Christmas I am transported to my happy Christmas place. I start scowling at any shop not playing carols or Now That’s What I Call Christmas at top volume. (My husband tends to have the exact opposite response.) 

5: Mum sends out the Secret Santa email

I have a ridiculously large family, and we’re all very fond of each other. However, to make things easier (and less financially crippling) we decided some years ago to do a Secret Santa between all the adults for gifts. The children (all ten of them as of writing, might be eleven by Christmas…) all get presents from everyone, however, because none of us can resist buying prezzies for little people. 

Mum is currently in charge of the Secret Santa system, and will normally send out her first email requesting sign ups and wish lists in mid November. 

It is also around this time that I realise I haven’t actually thought about buying any presents as I was too busy eating mince pies and reading Christmas magazines. 

6: Holly starts singing Christmas songs. Over and over and over. 

It’s always briefly exciting when my daughter (the very festively named Holly) arrives home from school humming the first of the songs they’re learning for their Christmas play. The excitement tends to fade a little around the seventy fifth repeat of the same three lines, though. 

7: Christmas Tree Saturday

This is another family specific tradition, with its roots (literally, I suppose, in the case of the trees) in the hills of Llan Degla, Wales. 

When I was younger (well, a teenager), we used to drive up into the hills to choose the perfect tree. I’d flirt with the young guy playing Santa, and we’d all pray the tree wouldn’t fall off the roof of the car on the way home.

Now I’ve relocated down south, I try to recreate this as best as I can. 

What this actually means is, the first weekend in December, I make my parents and a sibling or two show up to buy a tree at the local garden centre, then feed them mince pies and wine while they help me decorate it. Then we go out for dinner! 

8: Amazon Overload

Having failed to be organised and start early, as I always swear I’m going to every year, mid to late December is usually the point at which the postman starts glaring at me as parcel after parcel arrives from Amazon. Everyone likes books, right?

9: Christingle Service

I took Holly to her first Christingle service last year; somehow, we’ve always had something else on every other year. Anyway, she loved it. Mostly because it involved getting sweets in church and playing with fire. It was like Bonfire Night and Easter all rolled in to one. 

10: Driving Home For Christmas

The minute the schools break up for the holidays, I load up the car ready for the long drive home. 

It’s about a three and a half hour journey to Wales, if you don’t include stops. This is, I’ve found, almost the perfect length to listen to the entire of The Best Christmas Album In The World… Ever AND all three CDs of Now That’s What I Call Christmas. 

Holly loves this. My husband does not. 

11: Boat Sunday

The Sunday before Christmas is always Boat Sunday in my family. It’s the day where we all go out for a fancy Christmas lunch at a local hotel, since we might not all be together on the day itself. There’s usually about 32 of us, including children. We eat, drink, then make merry by getting the guitars out and having a good old Christmas sing song. It is, I think, my favourite day of the whole year. 

12: Christmas Eve 

Come Christmas Eve I’m vibrating with excitement - far more than the children. I make a point of always wearing red on Christmas Eve, and it’s usually a day of last minute wrapping, more mince pies, visiting friends and hanging stockings. In years gone by I’d have been down the pub that evening with friends, staggering back up the hill for the midnight mass service. These days, I’m usually in bed half an hour after the children are asleep, conserving my energy for the big day ahead. 

After all, I want to be up at 5am to open my stocking!

Biography:

Sophie Pembroke writes very British romance for Mills & Boon / Harlequin Romance, Carina UK and Harper Impulse. She’s been nominated for a number of awards, and is starting to get an ‘always the bridesmaid’ feeling about them, so plans to be the bridesmaid who runs off the with the best man. 

Born in Abu Dhabi, Sophie grew up in Wales and now lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and two children. She blogs about books, writing, and her home and family at www.SophiePembroke.com.

Sophie believes in happy ever afters, taking tea at three and always having time for one more page. 

Room for Love:

When wedding planner Carrie Archer inherits the crumbling Avalon Inn where she spent her childhood summers, she knows she’ll do whatever it takes to make it home. With no money for renovations, that means finding investors if she ever hopes to turn the Avalon into a dream wedding venue. But Carrie has been left more than the inn—she’s also inherited its occupants, including three senior citizens, a single-father chef with childcare issues, a panicky receptionist, and one very gorgeous gardener. So when her cousin Ruth declares her intention to get married at the Avalon on Christmas Eve, Carrie finds herself juggling decorating with dance nights, budgeting with bridge games…and sabotage with seduction.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Mcl6Tz

Nook: http://www.nook.com/gb/ebooks/room-for-love-the-love-trilogy-book-1-by-sophie-pembroke/9781472096296 

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/room-for-love-the-love-trilogy-book-1

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