Book Review - Wishing On A Star by Mandy Baggot

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: Wishing On A Star

Author: Mandy Baggot

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Embla Books

Publication Date: 10th October 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

A single mum. A superstar athlete. A Christmas like no other.

Anna Heath is divorced, a single mum and trying desperately to keep her life in order. Despite her friends' best efforts, Anna has stopped looking for love and is determined to give her daughter, Ruthie, a Christmas to remember.

Sam Jackman has just been dealt with life-altering news, and all he could think to do was run. He's left his American football team back in the US, stuck a pin in a map, and landed in Richmond, London.

When Anna and Ruthie literally bump into Sam on the snow-speckled streets, he finds himself being welcomed into their lives. But what begins as a night on the sofa turns into the start of something special...

I think this could be the best book the Mandy Baggot has ever written, and I've read the vast majority of them. 

I'm gutted that I've reached the end, it was just wonderful and I am already missing Ruthie. 

In a book that features and autistic teenager and another character with a degenerative genetic disease diagnosis, you may be thinking this is deep and heavy. But that couldn't be further from the reality.  Yes the bits with the diagnosis will make you think but from my knowledge of the disease which has mainly come from Neighbours, feels as accurate as I believe it to be which adds to the authenticity. 

Ruthie is easily my favourite character, she is a wonder, a joyous ray of light, and knows what she is and isn't comfortable with. I love the way she sees the world and I would happily read more books with her at the centre. 

This also felt like a bit of a ode to Richmond, perhaps Mandy Baggot should be working their tourist board in addition to writing amazing books, as I really felt as though I was in Richmond, and could picture this part of London, that I've only visited once, so clearly. 

Actually can I have more of Sam too, I think I might be a tiny bit in love with the guy, and after the first two chapters I was so surprised with how the two main character's stories would cross over, as they seem to be worlds apart. 

Add in a couple of mad cap animals, Anna and her friends who are a real tonic too, there is just so much to love in this book. 

I couldn't' get enough of this story and found I read it very fast. I thought it was superb and probably one of my favourite festive reads of the season.  Just brilliant. 

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

Book Review - The Christmas Castle in Scotland by Julie Caplin

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: The Christmas Castle in Scotland

Author: Julie Caplin

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: One More Chapter

Publication Date: 31st October 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

Unwrap this gorgeous gift of a book for an escape to the snow-peaked caps of the Scottish Highlands and a romance that will melt your heart…

Izzy McBride had never in a million years expected to inherit an actual castle from her great uncle Bill but here she was, in the run up to Christmas, Monarch of her own Glen – a very rundown glen in need of a lot of TLC if her dream of turning it into a boutique bed and breakfast was to come true.

But when Izzy’s eccentric mother rents a room to enigmatic thriller author Ross Adair and the Scottish snow starts to settle like the frosting on a Christmas cake, it’s a race to get the castle ready before they’re all snowed in for the holidays.

I couldn't get enough of this book, I really wanted it to go on and on forever as I was enjoying it that much.  It's Julie Caplin at her very best. 

It's warm and cosy, its a hug of a book filled with nourishing food, a castle that is being turned into a hotel, a delightfully eccentric Xanthe (well she doesn't like to be called Izzy's mum),  an unexpected lodger, other waifs and strays, and lovely feeling of Christmas too. 

All set in the snowy Scotland highlands and the castle even comes complete with Duncan, who speaks with a thick local dialect, that I could hear clearly in my head (but since I'm bad with accents, would have been awful had I tried speaking it allowed).   This really does feel remarkably Scottish, and thankfully barely a bagpipe in sight. 

Definitely some kilts though, but first we have Izzy who has just done a cookery course in Ireland, and is the new owner of this castle. While she has been away Xanthe has been busy, with some good and some more stressful surprises.  

I felt transported to that castle, I could picture it so clearly, including the treasure hunt (which I had a strong inkling about), and all the decorations.  And I loved all the interactions between Ross and Izzy. Actually I just loved all the characters. 

It's another wonderful romantic escape from an author who combines destinations and food so so well wrapped up with some romance.  Just simply delightful. 

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

Book Review - A White Christmas on Winter Street by Sue Moorcroft

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: A White Christmas on Winter Street

Author: Sue Moorcroft

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: 27th October 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

When Sky Terran returns to the village of Middledip after losing the job she loves, she anticipates a quiet Christmas getting used to her new life. However, the annual street decoration competition is coming up and this year, the residents of Winter Street are determined to win.

As she is pulled into the preparations, Sky quickly grows to love the quirky, tight-knit community she is now part of. Including the extremely handsome Daz, who soon becomes more than just a friendly neighbour.

But when Daz’s ex turns up determined to win him back and it seems he might not be the man Sky thought he was, she remembers how much allowing people into her life – and heart – can hurt. As the snow falls, will she and Daz find a way through – and help win a Christmas victory for Winter Street?

A gorgeously festive novel about love, family and the power of forgiveness from Sunday Times bestseller Sue Moorcroft, perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Phillipa Ashley.

What a warm and cosy read this was. 

It was joyous to be back in Middledip once again, a village that I am utterly convinced grows quite a bit larger with each book that Sue Moorcroft sets there, as this predominately has a cast of all new characters, plus a fluttering passing of familiar faces. 

But 100% this is a standalone, it's just fans of the author will recognise this setting, and The Corner House on Winter Street is a wonderful focal point for this story.  As is the whole Christmas decoration contest pitting Winter Street against other streets in Cambridgeshire. 

But it is so much more than a Christmassy story, for Sky Terran is a wonderful character, and her relationship with Freddy, her foster brother is interesting to say the least. It is also at the start not in the best of places which is upsetting Sky and leads her to quit her job with him and move back to Middledip. 

And seeing Sky quickly become part of the community in the village is heartwarming to say the least. Especially her friendship with Courtenay and her son Wilf who have been going through a tricky time themselves.  

And Sky is easily able to relate in a way to what Wilf is going through and it is so sweet to see him come out of his shell as the story progresses.  She also cares about the environment and it was interesting to hear about solar powered Christmas lights, and fat cakes for birds in winter that  can double as decorations. 

And then there is Daz, who is a video game developer and tester which makes him my perfect guy on job alone, let alone all of his wonderful personality traits. 

I just loved everything about these characters and this story and it was told with Sue Moorcroft's trademark warmth and sensitivity. There is a generous helping of Christmas Spirit sprinkled throughout the book too. 

It is simply marvellous and really did make me feel as though I was in a winter wonderland at times.  Another triumphant story from an author I absolutely love. 

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

Book Review - Wendy's Winter Gift by Debbie Viggiano

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: Wendy's Winter Gift

Author: Debbie Viggiano

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author Supplied Copy

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 1st November 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

Everyone has secrets but some are bigger than others.

Wendy Walker can count on two fingers the number of birthdays until she’s fifty. She can also count on six hands the number of years she’s been married to controlling Derek. Whatever happened to the boy she used to lark around with in the back of a Ford Escort? Just like Derek’s hairline, that lad has gone.

Wendy yearns for freedom but is resigned to her lot. After all, there are others to think about. Like daughter Ruby who – as a teenage single mum still at home – needs supporting, especially since abandoning her hopes of being on Love Island and achieving fame as a reality star.

But secrets dare to spill at the most inopportune moments.

Ruby is nurturing a mystery romance that she frets about her mother discovering, while Derek finds himself under the spotlight in the most disastrous of circumstances.

But just when Wendy thinks her world is falling apart, she discovers that sometimes unexpected joy is just around life’s corner…

This was really funny, so many giggles were had as I read Wendy's regular daydreams and inner musings. She regularly went off at a tangent in her inner voice and it takes a bit to get used to that particular character trait but once you do it's rather endearing. 

Wendy wants more than anything to be free from her husband Derek.  He is controlling and not overly pleasant and doesn't seem to like his daughter or granddaughter that much either. He is also adamant that divorce is waste of money and isn't too pleased when Wendy tries to ask for one. 

However that does set into play an a series of events that will ultimately change Wendy's life forever. 

I loved Wendy, she is s a dog walker, and amongst the dogs she walks there is the rather mischievous William Beagle who gets her into various amusing situations.  

And then there is the Paul Newman lookalike who Wendy keeps bumping into, normally in not the most straightforward of circumstances. 

Oh and I loved little Mo, Wendy's toddler grand-daughter, who has a fabulous habit of repeating new words from anyone around her, especially if they are naughty words! 

This is Debbie Viggiano at her humorous best. It's fabulous, I found it really quick to read and was thoroughly enjoying every moment I spent with this cast of characters. A triumph. 

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

Book Review - The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: The Christmas Bookshop

Author: Jenny Colgan

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 27th October 2022

Rating: 4 Stars

The brand new feel-good Christmas novel from Sunday Times top ten bestselling author, Jenny Colgan.

Carmen has always worked in her local department store. So, when the gorgeous old building closes its doors for good, she is more than a little lost.

When her sister, Sofia, mentions an opportunity in Edinburgh - a cute little bookshop, the spare room in her house - Carmen is reluctant, she was never very good at accepting help. But, short on options, she soon finds herself pulling into the snowy city just a month before Christmas.

What Sofia didn't say is that the shop is on its last legs and that if Carmen can't help turn things around before Christmas, the owner will be forced to sell. Privately, Sofia is sure it will take more than a miracle to save the store, but maybe this Christmas, Carmen might surprise them all...

This feels like it's a Christmas redemption sort of a story as Carmen is rather tricky to get to know initially, let alone like, is the main character, and over the course of the book I found myself really warming up to her and loving her. 

She has a tricky relationship with her sister, and barely knows her nieces and nephews and isn't really that impressed with the job that has been found for her. 

But as the story progresses you see changes in Carmen, in part due to the attentions of two men in different ways, and in part it's an internal change. 

I loved seeing how she tries to transform McCreadie's bookshop and in fact is able to to do so much, she just doesn't believe in herself. 

I was frustrated with Carmen for parts of the book but ultimately really did love her, and was rooting for her.  

Set in a snowy Edinburgh, with a slight cameo from a character from one of Jenny Colgan's other Scottish based books in passing but enough to make me smile, and all manner of fabulous secondary characters, this is a book that ultimately stole my heart. 

Thoroughly enjoyed reading it, full of the author's trademark warmth, this really was a gorgeous Christmas story. 

Book Review - Mistletoe and Magic for the Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: Mistletoe and Magic  for the Cornish Midwife

Author: Jo Bartlett

Format reviewed: Ebook 

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 27th October 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

But for single mum and busy midwife Nadia, it’s quickly turning into her worst Christmas ever.

Her marriage is over, and whilst her husband has moved on, Nadia finds herself back home, squashed into her mum’s spare room with her two small children. They might not be a perfect family anymore, but Nadia is determined to make this Christmas special for them.

Dr Hamish Spencer totally understands Nadia’s pain. As a fellow single parent, he’s struggling to cope with a rebellious teen daughter and a precocious six-year-old! Perhaps if he and Nadia join forces, they could make this Christmas slightly more memorable for everyone?

The last thing Nadia wants is a new man in her life, but she’d definitely like lovely Hamish as a friend. But Christmas has a way of melting the hardest of hearts and maybe a kiss under the mistletoe could change everything?

Once again Jo Bartlett delivers a book filled to the brim with drama, excitement, emotion and of course a way to catch up with all the other midwives we have met too. 

This is another excellent addition to the series, and there is one storyline in particular that had me welling with emotion fairly early on.  Then there are as you would expect a variety of different births, given Frankie and Nadia both work on the midwife unit, some rather unexpected and all quite varied in circumstances. 

It was lovely to meet so many more expectant mothers within the Three Ports area, and I have to say that Cornwall by now must be undergoing a baby boom! 

Frankie and Nadia are our main characters this time, along with Dr Hamish. Nadia and Hamish are both single parents and their 6 year old daughters are best friends. They are though both single for very different reasons and I was fascinated by their back stories. 

And it was great getting to know Frankie a lot better too, and she is also struggling with a family relationship, not with her daughter Nadia, but her son Hari and her mother are both being completely and utterly unreasonable and I really wanted to knock some sense into then. 

And although the book does take part in the run up to Christmas, it was more as backdrop, than a key part of the story, so if you are dubious about reading festive things too early in the year, then this one should be fine as the emphasis on the story is more on a variety of relationships both romantic and family.

I absolutely adored this book, and this series as a whole, I love the authors writing style and felt as t though I was returning to friends, such is the sense of community that has been created.  I really hope there will be more books to this series. 

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

Book Review - The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop by Cressida McLaughlin - Blog Tour

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop

Author: Cressida McLaughlin

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: 10th November 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

Ollie Spencer has started a new life in the idyllic Cornish seaside town of Port Karadow. Throwing herself into her job at the town’s bookshop, A New Chapter, is one way to make friends. The shop is glitzing up for first Christmas and Ollie hopes her inspired ideas will give the shop the edge it needs to dazzle the town.

But far from being the Sugar Plum fairy the place needs, Ollie is fast becoming its Christmas pudding. With the bookshop’s success at stake, Ollie turns to twinkly-eyed café owner Max for help. Can he help Ollie to turn the page, and put the sparkle back into her Cornish dream?

Always lovely to be back in Port Karadow and this was another excellent addition to the series.  I absolutely adored Ollie and how enthusiastic she is for her new job, organising events for a new bookshop in Cornwall. 

She is like the energizer bunny, she doesn't stop and literally has idea after idea after idea, all of which I loved in theory, although some worked better in practice than others. Especially loved Book Wars! 

And then there is Max who I definitely fell for, there is nothing not to love about him, and the whole town seems to agree! 

Any story set in a bookshop is a winner with me, and this one mentions many authors I've enjoyed reading, in addition to just being a fabulous story.  I enjoyed seeing all of Ollie's ideas, and also loved seeing how the town was preparing for Christmas. 

Was great to see familiar faces from elsewhere in the series too, I always love it when that happens, and was especially pleased to be able to catch up with Meredith. 

I also loved the that there was a small mystery in the story, about a series of Cornish mystery books that went out of print many years ago, that were based on local legends.  I really enjoyed Ollie's discovery of these local legends and trying to find the locations and some rather weird goings on at the same time. 

Just all around this is another excellent book from Cressida McLaughlin, who is an author I always thoroughly enjoy. 

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

Book Review - The Great Christmas Cook-Off by Helen Buckley

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: The Great Christmas Cook-Off

Author: Helen Buckley

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Publisher supplied copy

Publisher: Choc Lit

Publication Date: 15th November

Rating: 5 Stars

It’s the festive showdown to end all festive showdowns …

“Queen of Chocolate” Beatrice Wodehouse, known for her decadent desserts, is ready to go head to head with her social media nemesis, clean lean baking machine Charlie Simmonds, in the Great Christmas Cook Off TV show.

Beatrice is fed up of Charlie’s sanctimonious attitude and is ready to show him that food is there to be enjoyed. Surely she’ll blow his keto, low sugar, low-carb mince pies out of the water with her chocolatey creations?

Except filming for the Cook Off turns out to be anything but sugar, spice and all things nice when the contestants realise there’s a festive saboteur in their midst – leading to melted ice cream, trifle mishaps and private stories leaked to the press.

As the countdown to the final commences, suspicions run high and sparks are bound to fly – and not just from the flaming Christmas puddings!

Part of the Spotlight series but it can be read as a standalone story.

How have I not ready any of Helen Buckley's spotlight series before? I mean they all sound like my sort of book but I finally knew I could resist no longer when it came to The Great Christmas Cook-Off. 

After all I love Christmas I love Bake Off,  I love romance and am fascinated with the behind the scenes of reality programmes!  So this hit all the boxes. 

And it was even better than I could have anticipated. I loved the nature of Beatrice and Charlie's rivalry but also enjoyed how their feelings towards each other changed many times over the course of book. 

They both have pre-conceptions about the other that will be challenged over the course of the book, and both of them bake the way they do thanks to things in their pasts. 

There is plenty of sweet treats in this story and I found my mouth-watering especially at anything that Beatrice and Alex were baking. 

Yet the eliminations on this show aren't necessarily down to the worst taste as it soon becomes apparent that the so called mistakes being made, might just be sabotage, which adds an air of mystery to the story. 

This was a quick and easy story to devour and I absolutely adored it. It felt hungry and festive while reading, while wondering if the couple that I was sure would happen, if they would indeed ever get together or not.  

Just a Christmas joy to read! 

Thanks to Choc Lit for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Sh!te Before Christmas by Serena Terry

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: The Sh!te Before Christmas

Author: Serena Terry

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: 10th November 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

Christmas time, toddler meltdowns, teenage angst, marriage problems and WINE.

This year, the perfect Christmas is going to take a miracle…

Twas the sh!te before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except for … mum!

Like every mum, Tara wants a perfect Christmas for her family – but no-one else is lifting a finger and she’s losing her elf-ing mind. From the kids behaving badly (vaping! Potty training! The Nativity!), to a distracted husband acting very out of character, the last straw is Tara’s glamorous, feckless, boundary-less mother moving herself back in for the holidays.

Can Tara pull off the holly jolly Christmas of her dreams? Will she deck the halls and not her family? Or is this a Christmas catastrophe waiting to happen?

What a wonderful follow up to Mammy Banter. 

Set throughout Christmas, this was fast paced, manic and so much fun, while also had me exhausted thinking about trying to Tara and dealing with everything she is. 

This is a warts and all look at motherhood in the run up to Christmas, complete with Tara's own mother paying a visit and to say she has been an absent mother / grandmother is an understatement.  Paul also seems rather distant and I'm incredibly glad the conclusion I jumped to, was completely wrong. 

I loved seeing Gemma's dfiffernet sides to this teenagers personality, and how she grew over the course of the book was really lovely.  And then there are Jax and Nathan who come out with easily all of the best lines. 

Then there is Tara's catastrophizing, her inner monologues which once you are used to them, are a wonder to behold.  

My only issue with this book was one specific chapter which I had the misfortune of hitting at the point my dinner arrived in the restaurant I was at while reading, and I basically had to skim the chapter because the level of details involved were making me feel ill and severely putting me off my food - far too much expulsion of things from a body at all ends from multiple family members.  I'm squeamish anyway but this painted a disgusting picture - but fairly sure one a lot of parents would fear. 

I especially loved the various ideas Tara and her family had for Wee Donkey and just what mischief he could get up to each day! 

Other than that I adored this book and couldn't get enough of it.  It's a joy to read and I really loved the ending which was just perfect! I can't wait to see what Serena Terry writes next. 

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

Book Review - Dead Rich by G W Shaw

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: Dead Rich

Author: G W Shaw

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: riverrun

Publication Date: 26th May 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

PARADISE CAN BE MURDER

Super yachts are secretive, like their owners. Like castles, they are created to inspire awe. Like castles too, they are defended. They are an entire world, separate from the rest of us.

Kai, a carefree once-successful musician is invited by his new Russian girlfriend Zina to join her family's Caribbean holiday. Impulsively accepting he learns that Zina is the daughter of a Russian oligarch, Stepan Pirumov and that the trip is aboard his yacht, the Zinaida, moored in St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.

On arrival Kai discovers that the head of security has been arrested, armed guards are below deck, there's an onboard panic room and a strong sense of all not being quite right beneath the gleaming surfaces of the Pirumov's lives. An unnerving presence punctures the atmosphere: a murderous imposter is on board the Zinaida, but who is it?

Kai will find that the only person he can trust will be Erin and that the world of the super-rich will become a prison from which they must escape.

Wow! That was fast paced, and incredibly addictive. I loved it! 

I could barely put the book down at points, and once it got going I read it in two further sittings that had I not had real life in the way, would have easily been one sitting.  I just couldn't get enough of the story and needed to know just how everything would turn out. 

I love books featuring the mega rich, I love thrillers set in exotic locations and this combination worked so so well in this instance. 

I could picture the yacht, the Zinaida so clearly, I also felt in danger when the characters were clearly in danger, and my heart was racing at times too.  I was just completely absorbed in the story, completely oblivious to real life and just was caught up in everything that was happening. 

It's full of danger and peril and although I'll admit I didn't really understand everything that was going on with the Russian Ogliarch, it didn't remotely detract from my enjoyment.  It did shock me some of Stepan's decisions, but he comes from a different world to me. 

I loved Erin, she embodies girl power, and is just wonderful.  And Kai really grew on me as the story ramped up and we got to see new sides to him. 

This was the first book I've read from this author but if he writes more like this then I will certainly be first in line.  It hit all my boxes and I was completely addicted. 

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