One choice, with a devastating conclusion

Synopsis

Autumn is stuck in a rut and desperate to escape the fears that bind her to the life she’s grown to hate. Back home and living with her parents after university with a degree that seems to count for nothing, she knows something has to change. After a chance meeting with a stranger at the beach, she makes the spontaneous decision to move to Dublin and chase her dreams. However, what Autumn doesn’t realise is that she has just made the decision that will lead to her death. But does a short life have to mean an unsuccessful life? Will she be able to make it count? 

Red Roses is a compelling and uplifting story that shows the true beauty of life, love and friendship.

My review

Autumn has one big dream, becoming a famous actress. But her life isn’t exactly a glamourous one so after meeting a stranger at the beach, she decides to move to Dublin. She hopes that there she will be able to make her dreams come true.
Random meetings will result in real friendships, colleagues will become close friends, but Autumn will also see that not everyone is as honest and loyal as she thought.
And little does she know that her moving to Dublin will lead to her death in three years. But these three years will fill a complete lifetime…

Starting reading this book, I didn’t expect that the prologue would be already such a sinister one.
I didn’t expect to be reading how someone would die, and especially not the main character…

And while I was reading, and the better I got to know Autumn and her story, I kept thinking and hoping that somehow things would end well for her.

Autumn, being in a rut, has the courage to just pack her things and start all over again. And that was something I admired, because I surely wouldn’t dare to do that myself!
Just pack everything, having no securities at all, I just cannot see doing that myself!

Sometimes I thought she was being too trustworthy, especially when we see how her friendship with Amelia is born. It makes sense in first instance to just share a cab, but then spend so much time together with, to be honest, a total stranger… Maybe I’ve been watching too many thrillers with a bad ending 🤣
But on the other hand it was also lovely to see how that random meeting with Amelia would resist the hand of time and that Autumn and Amelia truly become best friends.

I didn’t expect to be reading this book in 1 session, but suddenly I found myself totally immerged in the tale of Autumn and her dream of becoming an actress and just to find her own happiness.

This isn’t a story filled with only happy moments, where everything goes smoothly and Autumn is surrounded by real friends. But that is also just the reality… nothing in real life goes just as we wish, and we will always encounter people with a double agenda.
And just like Autumn, we will get betrayed by people we least expect it, and when we least expect it.

I have to say, sometimes the pace went a bit too fast for me. I would have loved to read more of the ‘in betweens’. But of course, Autumn’s story has to reach the climax, and of course not every little thing can be told.
And I just kept my fingers crossed that the prologue somehow would have a twist… and it did, just not in the way I thought it would, which broke my heart.

But in the end, there was also a silver lining… because some characters somehow got their happy end. And that all thanks to being friends with Autumn…

Autumn’s destiny and way she had to go, was almost reason for me to give “just” three stars. Because I’m a total sucker for happy ends for all the main characters. But the more I thought about the whole tale, the more I realized that would do injustice to the path Autumn took.

Because this book has heart – crunching moments. but it also filled with wonderful moments of friendship, courage, love and determination.
And all the positive events someone has in life, they outweigh the negative ones. And no matter what Fate has in store for us, in the end it will be all worth of all the pain when you see the happiness in someone else’s eyes…

A discovery from the past and difficult choices in the present…

Synopsis

A country at war. A heartbreaking betrayal.

1942. Three years into the war, Pam turns down her hard-won place at Oxford University to become a codebreaker at Bletchley Park. There, she meets two young men, both keen to impress her, and Pam finds herself falling hard for one of them. But as the country’s future becomes more uncertain by the day, a tragic turn of events casts doubt on her choice – and Pam’s loyalty is pushed to its limits…

Present day. Julia is struggling to juggle her career, two children and a husband increasingly jealous of her success. Her brother presents her with the perfect distraction: forgotten photos of their grandmother as a young woman at Bletchley Park. Why did her grandmother never speak of her time there? The search for answers leads Julia to an incredible tale of betrayal and bravery – one that inspires some huge decisions of her own…

My review

Julia has a successful business, but she is struggling with keeping all the balls in the air. Her business demands a lot of time, but she also has two children to take care of and her husband Marc’s jealousy only seems to increase the more successful she becomes. And he isn’t really the most helpful man around the house.
But on one day, her brother brings her the perfect distraction: photos and a camera belonging to their grandmother. Julia never knew that her grandmother worked at Bletchley Park. What did her grandmother do there? And why didn’t she ever speak of it?

Because practically nobody knew about Pamela’s job as a codebreaker in 1942, after deferring her place at Oxford University. And at Bletchley Park she meets two young men, both keen to impress her. Even if Pam is starting to fall for one of them, the War is still going on, and she learns the hard way that her loyalty is being pushed to its limits. 

Two women of the same family with their own struggles and heartbreak… 

Each story I read from this author captivates me, but even if there are some likenesses (dual time lines), they also keep on surprising me every time. 

Both stories could have been a perfect standalone story, but it’s the link between them that makes this a beautiful book to read. 

I felt sorry for Julia, because even if her business is a successful one, she is struggling with just everything in her life. Her job is a very demanding one, but she also has a family to take care of. And Marc, her husband, isn’t really the most devoting husband in the world.
it even made me mad at some point, how people still have that outdated reasoning that women should take care of the family and cannot have a successful career. And when these wonderful women do, these “ancient” men can only get jealous and unreasonable… 

But I also loved seeing Julia’s resilience. She fights for her marriage and family, and tries her best to make everything work.
And even when my suspicion was confirmed and Julia get betrayed on several levels, she keeps her head high and shows everyone what a strong woman she is. 

But not only is Julia a strong woman to look up to, so was Pam. As a young woman, nearly out of school, instead of going to Oxford University, she makes the decision to help out her country during War. Reading how she settles in at Bletchley Park, makes new friend, was sweet to read. I say sweet, because even during hard times friends can be made, and even falling in love is not impossible.

I admired Pamela, as I can only try to understand how difficult life during War can be. but even at her rather young age, she understand the importance of her job and the importance of keeping it secret, no matter how hard it is.
I appreciated that the author made Pamela fall in love, but didn’t change her into a gullible species. Pamela keeps a bright head, and sees when things are a bit off. But she also has a kind heart, as she doesn’t judge people just because of their past. 

This is a story of strong, smart, determined women facing difficult times. The author managed again to write a captivating stories, with a link to the real past.
Personally I never heard of Bletchley Park before (I live in Belgium, before you all go ballistic of my ignorance 😄) but I knew a little about how code breaking was the start of the end of the War.
And the place now surely has my interest, even if I will ever truly grasp how it all works… 

I enjoyed reading this story, and was amazed by these women that both in past and present are doing their utterly best in distressful times but are making the best of it and manage to make their own, newly found happiness.

Hot chocolate and gingerbread, what else do you need?

Synopsis

River and Alice miss Somerset. Christmas isn’t Christmas without family and friends, even when you live in quaint Cornwall.

When River’s Aunt Sheba dies unexpectedly, leaving him her ancient VW campervan, nostalgia nudges him and Alice back to Glastonbury – and the surrounding villages – to rediscover their roots whilst serving the most decadent hot chocolate and delectable gingerbread from their renovated ‘bar on wheels’.

A bar on wheels complete with a fold-up stage to host local talent competitions rivaling anything Simon Cowell could dream up, even if he’d gorged on a truckle of Cheddar cheese!

As the villagers sip their cocoa and ice their gingerbread houses amidst the festive backdrop of song, dance, and slightly more unconventional talents, River and Alice find themselves in an unexpected race against time:

Zara, their chocolate supplier is leaving Glastonbury on the twelfth day of Christmas, keen to put a string of disastrous relationships behind her to make a fresh start.

Bruno, their gregarious and gorgeous baking supplier is secretly smitten with Zara – ticking every box on her New Year’s wish list.

If only they can get them together for one experimental kiss under the mistletoe…

They’ve even enlisted their customers’ help in their mission to wrap this budding romance up in all the jingle bells and whistles. How hard can it be?

So, ho, ho VERY tricky, as it turns out…

My review

When Aunt Sheba suddenly dies, River and Alice inherit her ancient VW camper. That is the perfect occasion for the couple to go back to their roots, and they decide to turn the camper into a bar on wheels, selling decadent hot chocolate and gingerbread that will make you lick your fingers. The idea is to travel around Glastonbury and they rely on Zara, their chocolate supplier and Bruno, their baking supplier.
Even if they enjoy their time on the road, the clock is ticking away, as Zara is ready to Glastonbury the twelfth day of Christmas.
But Alice sees sparks flying around Zara and Bruno, and she wants to bring these two lovely people together.
Will Alice succeed in her matchmaking, or will Zara leave anyway? And will Alice finally have River proposing after waiting so long? 

Now, an Isabella May book is always a recipe for leaving me hungry during and after my reading. And this book made me even long more for a hot chocolate than I could imagine! 

It was only after finishing this book that I realized that this was a sequel, and that made me understand the book better.

River and Alice are somewhat already in their happy place, even if their current location isn’t making both of them happy.
Even if I didn’t know the background (which would have come in handy), the love between them is obvious. They both think the other one is happy in the current situation, and they both find it difficult to come clean about it, because they don’t want to break the one’s heart with the honest truth.

And even if I didn’t know the background of this lovely couple, that love between them, made me truly like them.
I found it funny how Alice kept waiting on a proposal and how River seems oblivious to it! 

However, I found that the main characters of this story were Zara and Bruno.

Zara may look like an ice queen, but the more we got to know her, the better I understood her and where she came from.
And her wish to move to Italy was understandable, even if of course I wanted her to end up with Bruno!
Her story shows us that every one of us comes with a bag filled with the past and that the past formed us to who we are now.
And even if we don’t always see it at the right moment, running away isn’t always the best solution. 

Bruno was hilarious in his behaviour. He has his heart at the right place, but his ways of communicating can surely need an update!
But that was also his charm, because we know what he truly means! 

Even if the Christmas Spirit wasn’t as present as I thought, this was a lovely story to read, about a couple ready to start a new adventure, new characters that deserve their own happiness and some appearances of characters of previous books adding that little extra on top of the overload of hot chocolate and gingerbread! And let’s not forget, the right kind of friends push you gently in one direction, but only with the best interests at heart. And real friends can even forgive your own stupidity and give you a well deserved second chance!

I know I fell in love with all these books, will you too?

Synopsis

Don’t miss this gorgeous eBook boxset of the first three novels in Christie Barlow’s bestselling Love Heart Lane series – also including a bonus Christmas short story!

Love Heart Lane – where friends are there for you no matter what

Love Heart Lane

When Flick Simons returns to the cosy village of Heartcrossshe only expected to stay for a few days. The white-washed cottages of Love Heart Lane might be her home, but the place holds too many painful memories, and of one man in particular – Fergus Campbell.

Foxglove Farm

Isla and Drew Allaway appear to have the perfect life – a strong marriage, two beautiful children and their picture-perfect home, Foxglove Farm.
But, new mum Isla is struggling. When she discovers that Drew has been keeping secrets from her, Isla has to face losing the home they all love.

Clover Cottage

When Vet Rory Scott inherits ramshackle Clover Cottage in the quaint village of Heartcross, Allie MacDonald just knows this is their happy ever after. A place to call home with the man she loves – it’s her dream come true!
Until Rory drops a bombshell. He loves Allie but he has dreams of his own to follow – to live and work in Africa. Clover Cottage will have to wait just a little longer…

Plus the exclusive short story – Christmas at HeartcrossCastle.

Celebrate Christmas with all your favourite residents from Love Heart Lane – a short Christmas story not to be missed! Merry Christmas! X

Purchase Links 

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09B4R97YL/

US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B4R97YL/

About the author

Christie Barlow is the number one international bestselling author of fifteen romantic comedies including the iconic Love Heart Lane Series, A Home at Honeysuckle Farm and Kitty’s Countryside Dream. She lives in a ramshackle cottage in a quaint village in the heart of Staffordshire with her four children and two dogs.

Her writing career has come as a lovely surprise when Christie decided to write a book to teach her children a valuable life lesson and show them that they are capable of achieving their dreams. Christie’s dream was to become a writer and the book she wrote to prove a point went on to become a #1 international bestseller in the UK, USA, Canadaand Australia.

When Christie isn’t writing she co-presents The Book Show on Radio Northwich, enjoys playing the piano, is a keen gardener and loves to paint and upcycle furniture.

Christie is an ambassador for the @ZuriProject alongside Patron of the charity, Emmerdale’s Bhasker Patel. They raise money and awareness for communities in Uganda.

Christie loves to hear from her readers and you can get in touch via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christie_barlow/?hl=en

Twitter @ChristieJBarlow

Facebook page Christie Barlow author

A different choice, a different life

Synopsis

A modern-day retelling of A Christmas Carol…

Caroline is a cynic career woman living the high life in Manhattan where love and relationships are but a distant memory of the past.

But after a freak accident on Christmas Eve, Caroline receives a visit from a cheeky spirit of Christmas Past, Present, Yet to Come, and—most importantly—Christmas That Could Have Been. When she wakes up on Christmas Day suddenly married with three kids and living two doors down from her parents in New Jersey, Caroline has a chance to experience the life she would’ve had if she’d made a different choice.

Will small-town life as a mother and a wife make her rediscover what’s really important in life?

My review

Caroline is the typical cynical career – focused woman. The passion she once had for books has shifted into finding books that would make the most money.
Spending Christmas Eve with her family has become a chore that she wants to tick off as soon as possible.
But this Christmas Eve, Caroline has an accident while leaving her sister’s place and she receives a visit from a Christmas Spirit.
Suddenly Caroline is catapulted into a whole different life, married to her ex – boyfriend, with three kids and living way too close to her parents and sister.
Even if it looks like a total nightmare at first instance, Caroline learns what her life would have looked like if she would have made a different choice in the past. 

I have read several books from this other and each time I loved it! So having the opportunity to read a retelling of a Christmas Carol, with the imagination of Camilla Isley, I knew it would be a hit! 

Caroline was initially very easy not to like. Her focus is purely on money and prestige, she doesn’t treat her employers very kindly and she loathes Christmas.
I understand the desire for someone to have a wonderful career, but I found Caroline very obnoxious.
Of course that’s the whole point of this tale (and the original story), to have a very unpleasant person and make him/her see how different life could be if he/she chose a different path. 

So when she finds herself suddenly not only married, but also with three kids, I found it hilarious! Being surrounded by a bunch of kids, asking for attention and not actually knowing them, that’s asking for trouble for Caroline.
She learns the hard way that children do not always follow the plans you had made, and a disaster is quickly followed by another. 

But she also sees that being loved and being surrounded by that, can make all the disasters disappear.
Not only did I fall in love with the kids myself, but also Sam was the kind of man that could easily steal my heart! 

I found it lovely and also funny to see how Caroline is adapting to the family life. The whole different life shows how much she has changed in her ‘real life’ and it wasn’t a good change. Caroline now sees how a good life could look like, and she herself undergoes a change. She becomes the Caroline she once was again, following her passions and following love, not following just the money. 

I found this a wonderful retelling, with a few changed bits compared to the Dickens’ story, but they only elevated this tale even more. It reminded me also of the movie with Nicholas Cage (while he still made the better kind ones).
Camila Isley stayed true to the original concept of A Chistmas Carol, adding her own signature and making it up to date to 2021.

This story was exactly what everyone needs to read on a day where you do not want to do more than just sit comfortably under a blanker with a hot cocoa! And it made me wonder in what kind of different life I would end up after the visit of my own Christmas Spirit!

Giveaway time!

And you can also try your luck:

Win 3 x e-copies of A Christmas Date by Camilla Isley (Open INT)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494448/

When your biological clock keeps on ticking…

Synopsis

She can’t hit the snooze on her biological clock forever…

Love, career, kids—Brooklyn Monroe wants it all. Her beauty company? A triumph. Her love life? Total fail. At 42, that makes motherhood her top priority. With no man in her life, she’s prepared to fly solo, but her plan is derailed when a mailing list mishap turns Brooklyn into a someone-get-me-pregnant internet meme. Making her PR nightmare go away entails a soul-baring interview on national TV. And the guy asking the questions? Her all-too sexy ex.

Talk show host Alec Trakas is the king of bad timing. Case in point, his heartbreaking romance with Brooklyn. Alec was all about commitment but Brooklyn was launching her start-up, and forever wasn’t in the cards. Now a shot at his ultimate dream job depends on convincing Brooklyn to spill the secrets leading to her viral celebrity. It sets Alec’s star rising, but puts Brooklyn in a sea of flirty men. Fate has thrown them back together. Sparks are flying. But is the timing finally right? Because having it all might not be worth the risk of losing each other again.

My review

Brooklyn Monroe and her sister Virginia have made a real success of their beauty company. But at 42, Brooklyn realizes that if she wants a child, it has to be now or never… easier said than done, as her love life is non – existing…
So when a joke goes viral and Brooklyn becomes a someone-get-me-pregnant internet meme, the only way to make this nightmare disappear, is having an honest interview on national TV. And of course it’s her ex Alec Trakas that will ask the questions… talking about awkward!!!
Alec meanwhile is ready for his career to take another turn. And what better way than a heartfelt interview with a woman who has gone viral overnight?
Sparks keep on flying between Brooklyn and Alec, but as once it was Brooklyn focused on her career and Alec on making a family, the cards are all turned now. And Brooklyn being pursued by many man wanting to get her pregnant.
Will second time be a charm for them? Or will bad timing be again the spoilsport of something that could be perfect? 

Even before I started reading this book, I cold understand Brooklyn desire to become a mom. And as she is still single, I could completely support her decision to get some help from a certain bank to get pregnant.
The decision that Brooklyn made some time ago, to focus on her career, was also something recognizable. But unfortunately for her, that meant breaking up with Alec and having currently a biological clock ticking too loudly! 

I found it hilarious to read how a joke could go so viral, and how suddenly Brooklyn becomes (in)famous. Even if in the story, there are people making fun of her, it also shows us the other side. Many women are in the same position, having chosen for their career and now for them it’s almost too late.

The reconnection between Brooklyn and Alec was something just indescribable… Isn’t that we often think we are over someone (even if that person broke our heart) and then we see them again and all those feelings just resurface? And even if you are both in a different place in life, you want to do anything for the other one, just to help out.
It’s just that thinking that made me love Alec even more!
Even if Brooklyn broke his heart, he sees what she is going through now. And even if he isn’t in that place to give her what she wants, he helps her out in her time of need. Even if that means to pretend to be more than just friends!

The attraction between Brooklyn and Alec is just so obvious for anyone, even for themselves. And even if they know what the other wants and the best thing would be to just stay away, the heart wants what it want! 

I truly enjoyed reading this story. It is not only about just second chances, but also about how priorities can shift. It is a realistic tale with funny bits about how women sometimes are struggling with finding the perfect balance between family and a successful career.
The author grasped perfectly the struggles Brooklyn is going through, but she also managed in a wonderful way to show us the power of love and reconnections.

This book was the first one I’ve read from this author and it made me now curious to read more from her!

When past and present collide and forgiveness stands in the way

Synopsis

Christmas. A time for family, friends – and rekindling old flames…

When Laurel returns to the village of Middledip, she’s looking for a quiet life. Adjusting to her recent divorce, she’s ready to spend some time getting back on her feet amidst the glorious snow-dusted countryside.

Yet, life in Middledip is far from straightforward. Coming to the aid of her sister, Rea, as she navigates her own troubles, Laurel barely has a moment to think about where her own life is going.

However, time stands still when she sees her old flame, Grady Cassidy – and it’s soon as if they’ve never been apart. But through her happiness, Laurel remembers why she left the village all those years ago, as she recalls a dark night and Grady’s once-wayward brother, Mac…

Can Laurel learn to forgive and forget? Or will her chances of Christmas under the mistletoe with Grady remain a dream?

An enchanting, festive read, perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Carole Matthews.

My review

After divorcing her husband, Laurel decides to return home. Home being the village of Middledip. Not only is she looking for a quiet life but her sister Rea needs her help more than ever.
Slowly adjusting to the country life and focusing on her paintings, Laurel is in shock when she sees Grady Cassidy again. Not only is Grady an old flame, but he is Mac’s brother. And let it be that Mac was involved in making Laurel leave head over heels Middledip so many years ago.
However, when things with Grady are going for the better, the past is still holding Laurel back.
Will she be able to forgive the persons that hurt her so may years ago? Or are some things just unforgivable? 

I always feel a bit sad when a story starts with a couple breaking up. It’s a pity that for a while they were a perfect team and suddenly they aren’t anymore.
And when we get to know the specific reasons why it didn’t work out between Laurel and Alex, well, my heart just broke a little bit… 

But not only her tale broke my heart… there is Rea with her phobia, Laurel’s niece Daisy having a hard time at school, but also Grady is having some difficulties. However, there are also many lovely moments in it, so do not think you will get depressed while reading!

It’s clear from the beginning that Laurel has been traumatized by something in her past, but she doesn’t hesitate when Rea needs help. Laurel doesn’t only come back because her sense of guilt or duty, but because she truly wants to rekindle their bond.
And seeing how Laurel understands Rea’s struggle and tries to help her, without pushing Rea too hard, was very sweet. It shows us that Laurel is this kind loving woman that would do everything to protect her loved ones.
And also when Daisy finally opens up concerning her problems, Laurel won’t allow anyone to hurt her little niece!

And then Grady enters the story…
Years ago he was head over heels in love with Laurel, but when she suddenly disappeared, he was devastated. Even now, her return doesn’t leave him unharmed!
When he and Laurel not only start talking to each other, but when it’s revealed they have faced the same issues not so long ago, my heart went out to these lovely characters! 

I was curious to know what happened to Laurel in the past, and how Mac was involved. I even feared a bit for the event to be even more terrible than what happened, but I understood Laurel now a lot better and somehow I understood her reasons for not wanting to forgive. 

This is not only a story about second chances at love, but also about second chances at life. The author managed to grasp the pain the characters are feeling but she also managed to show that pain can hold us back. Whatever happened in the past cannot/ should not be forgotten, but forgiveness isn’t only about making the counterparty feel better, but it will allow you to open your heart and go full ahead for the wonderful things that love can bring.

Synopsis

Dear Santa,

I wish I could believe in magic again.

From, Sasha.

Sasha Hansley hates Christmas. As a child, it was her favourite time of year, but ever since the tragic death of her mother, it has completely lost its magic.

But when she gets an unexpected phone call from her eccentric estranged father, she’s forced to dust off her snow boots.

He has been running a Lapland-style Christmas village in Norway and after suffering a heart attack, he is on strict doctor’s orders to slow down. Eager to reconnect with her dad, Sasha books the next flight out there. Only she has never actually been on a plane before, let alone to the Arctic Circle.

Met at the runway by drop-dead-gorgeous Taavi Salvesen, they sleigh ride through the snow with the Northern Lights guiding their way.

When Sasha uncovers sacks of unopened Santa mail – letters that children and adults from all over the world write to Santa every year – she realises that she can send a little bit of magic out into the world by replying to some of them.

With Taavi on hand to help, will Sasha rediscover her own excitement for Christmas and find love among the letters?

The Post Box at the North Pole is like one big romantic mug of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and a splash of Christmas magic! Fans of Holly Martin, Sarah Morgan and Heidi Swain will love this novel!

My review

Christmas Magic, that doesn’t truly exist, right?

Everyone loves Christmas, but Sasha Hansley is the exception. She used to loved it, but that love died together with the tragic death of her mother.
Her estranged father is the adventurous type, going from one place to another, doing even dangerous things, while Sasha has never been on a plane.
But her father suffered a heart attack and needs to slow down. So Sasha packs up and flies over to the Arctic Circle, all the way to Norway.
Not only is Sasha surprised  when at the airport it’s not her father waiting for her, but Taavi Salvesen with a sleigh.
But she is also surprised when her father appears to be running a Lapland style Christmas village, a failing one…
While her father and Taavi embrace the whole Christmas Spirit, Sasha struggles with it. Until she starts reading letters children over the whole world wrote t Santa. With the help of Tav, will she start to rediscover her love for Christmas again?

I’m a sucker for Christmas stories, and this one surely stole my heart!

Sasha initially is a woman I pitied… she had a job, working with dogs only because her friend gave her it. and when someone else is in the picture, she is being discarded.
She has no contact with her father, only the strict necessary. I found it a rather sad picture, because I saw how lonely Sasha was, even if she deserved so much more.
When her father calls, after suffering a heart attack, her kind character emerges. Because even if the contact is a strained one, and she has never been on a plane before, she doesn’t hesitate to help out her father.

I understand the passion someone can have for Christmas, but Sasha’s father went totally next level. Of course, running a Christmas Village has to be done by someone truly into it. but I have to admit, I felt Sasha’s frustrations when her father just refused to take things slowly and kept on Ho Ho Ho – ing!
However, further along in the story, his pain is also very clear and I felt how the past and the guilt kept hurting him.
I was happy that he had the help in the form of Tav…

Oh Tav… if only fictional characters could be real. He is just how I would imagine the perfect Norwegian Alpha Man!
But he is even better than the typical Alpha Man! He also has been hurt (even literally), giving him that vulnerability that made me swoon. But for him, the Christmas Spirit and Magic is something real, and he wants to show Sasha the Norwegian way to celebrate Christmas.
He has trust issues, but with Sasha this big man starts to melt and he becomes even more perfect than before!

All characters have their own issues. Sasha having no real purpose and being alone, Tav with trust issues and just avoiding people as much as possible, and Sasha’s father and his guilt and trying to make amends with Sasha…
Having such characters elevates this story to a higher level. Because they all are processing their issues, and it’s not just a ‘silly’ problem, but heart – breaking ones…

I am not a fan of the cold, or the snow (I can enjoy it from the inside of my home although!) but when Sasha lands in Norway, and the scene she sees before her, it’s just magical, making me want to see it for myself!
The sleigh, the reindeers (I absolutely adore Rudolph Number Three!), the whole Christmas Village, the Northern Lights, for me, it was all magical!

On a funnier note, I loved reading those small snippets of letters that children wrote to Santa. Some were typical, asking for material stuff or the newest games, but those who made me melt were those unselfish ones… I am always amazed how perceptive children can be, and how altruistic. And Sasha also realizes this and it was sweet to see how she wanted to do the extra effort for those kind of letters!

Despite the cold, this was a real heart – warming story, showing characters that learn to trust, love and open up again.
The setting is magical, the characters loveable, and all doing their utterly best to make things works. Life is not always a straight path we follow, but we have hurdles we have to jump over. But those hurdles allow us to understand what truly matters and that a hurdle isn’t always the scariest thing.
I fell in love with all the characters, the location, the reindeers and the passion that emerges from everyone having a spot in this wonderful, magical tale!

Everyone loves Christmas, don’t they?

Synopsis

‘Tis the season for mulled wine, mince pies, and magic under the mistletoe…

Flora loves Christmas more than anything else in the world, so she’s gutted when her Scrooge-alike boss fires her from Deck the Halls Christmas emporium. But now she finally has a chance to follow her dreams – and what better place to start than the home of Christmas?

Before she can say ‘sleigh bells’, Flora’s on her way to Lapland in a campervan-cum-Christmas-shop. She can’t wait to spend her days drinking hot chocolate and taking reindeer-drawn carriage rides, but something Flora didn’t expect was meeting Connor, a Norse god of a man who makes her heart flutter and snowflakes swirl in her stomach. There’s just one problem: Connor hates Christmas.

Can Flora convince Connor of the joys of Christmas – and will she find a festive romance along the way?

My review

If Flora could celebrate one holiday all days of the year, it would surely be Christmas. So even if her boss is more like The Grinch, she loves working for Deck The Halls Christmas Emporium. But when she gets fired, Flora has the opportunity to follow her dreams.
So now Flora is on her way to Lapland and has a campervan/ Christmas sop – on – wheels.
Lapland is just what she needed, but meeting Connor surely isn’t. Their first meeting was already one filled with misunderstandings, but now he appears to be in charge of the markets where Flora is staying.
And to make things even worse, he absolutely hates Christmas! Flora suddenly has a new mission: convince Connor that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year!

I love the time around Christmas, but to say I go all the way in preparations and celebrating is also an exaggeration.
From the beginning of December I start singing that certain song about what I want for Christmas and when it’s snowing I surely enjoy the magical atmosphere, from the inside although!
Hot chocolates and beautiful lights surely can lift my spirits, but that’s in for me. So somehow I understood Flora’s love for the holiday, but I wouldn’t ever think to go to Lapland!

But I loved Flora’s enthusiasm at being able to do something she dreamed about! Of course, if everything would go smoothly from the beginning until the end, I wouldn’t enjoy this story so much!
Not only does Flora has to search for a new camper, but her first encounter with Connor isn’t the happiest encounter of encounters!
I nearly laughed my pants of reading how absurdly suspicious they both were!
But I also found it funny to see how they pretended to have that same mistrust afterwards.

Seeing how Flora is struggling to adapt in Lapland, and sometimes failing, was very entertaining to read. But also seeing how she is able to make new friends in a new environment was sweet. 
Obviously she doesn’t get along with everyone, Connor included initially, but I loved seeing how she won’t accept being bullied!

But what truly warmed my heart was seeing how Flora tries to show Connor the real spirit of Christmas. Some of Connor’s points were right, and his reluctance understandable, but then there were moments where Connor shows how kind and caring and also how funny (even if not on purpose) he can be.

A Christmas story without any romance wouldn’t be complete, so of course there are some romantic bits.
But those feelings weren’t the main characters. For me it was about starting over, following your passion, and feelings what Christmas is truly about.
Kindness and spreading joy is important during these holidays, but not only during this period, but everyone should show these emotions every day!

This was a lovely story, about a lovely character with her heart at the right place. Sometimes all it takes is courage to follow your dreams. You cannot know for sure where it will take you, but it will certainly be an adventure.
And just because you don’t believe in certain aspects of the Christmas period, doesn’t it mean you’re a Grinch. But it’s a matter to find the things that you do enjoy and open your heart and mind about it. And with the right nudge in your back, you’ll never know what will happen next!

After finishing this book, I was completely in the Christmas mood, trying to name all the reindeers of Santa, seeing if it would be too early to set up my tree (unfortunately the tree is still not set…) and drinking hot chocolate with a big smile on my face!

The wedding of your dreams, or not…

Synopsis

Wedding excitement is in the air! With their big day approaching, Fen has her heart set on a gorgeous, intimate celebration with not much fuss at all. But strong-minded mother-of-the-bride Marjery seems to have considerably grander plans. There’s also the small problem of a missing best man, and when Fen tasks Hudson Holmes and Ruby Watkiss with the job of tracking him down, their investigations unearth far more secrets than they bargained for. Will the Big Day go ahead in the light of such dramatic revelations? Can a wedding cake wish save the day? One thing’s for sure – this will definitely be a wedding to remember!

My review

Ruby Watkiss and Hudson Holmes are joining forces again when Fen needs help after her fiancé’s best man is missing.

But the missing best man is not Fen’s only problem… while she dreams of an intimate wedding, her mother Marjery is taking over and is changing the wedding into Fen’s worst nightmare. And then the love of her life Rob is going cold on her…

But why is Rory gone missing? The more Ruby and Hudson investigate, more is being revealed.

Can the wedding still be saved after everything? And when Myles’ ex – girlfriend Amelia appears on the scene, where will that leave the blooming romance between Ruby and Hudson?

I’m a rather new fan of the Little Duck Pond Café series. But even if I only jumped in late, I could not not love it!

Even if I don’t know how some love stories were born, all the couples are just so adorable. And that surely is also applicable for Fen and Rob!Every couple should have the wedding they dream of, and I found it cute to see how these two were so aligned.

But with an interfering mother, and Fen finding it hard to stand her ground, I could see how that would put a strain on the otherwise perfect couple. And when the best man also goes AWOL…

I have to admit, I just loooooove Ruby and Hudson! Despite what they have been through in the past, they now have found each other (unfortunately for us readers only as friends…) and they are not only great at investigating, but they also help each other in their more difficult moments. There are so many sparks flying around, it’s just too much for my poor heart!

When Amelia enters the picture, my heart broke for Ruby… Of course I understood Hudson, having that link with his lost brother, but seeing how Amelia is claiming more and more of Hudson…

There is so much I can tell about this story, pinpointing all the things that made me love it. But that would mean giving a few spoilers and I just won’t do that. This is a story you have to completely discover and fall in love with yourself.

Two things truly stood out for me, while reading this next chapter… wonderful people are always the one struggling in realising just how amazing they are. This is both applicable for Ruby as for Fen. These women are women to be jealous of. They have kind hearts, are unselfish and just magnificent by being ‘just them’. So why cannot they see what is so obvious for evryone around them?

And a more negative thing that stood out… some people are just disgustingly nasty people… Instead of just being nice, they enjoy hurting people just for fun or for inexplicable reasons. I cannot grasp why people would do what some characters did in this story. But do not fear… karma is a b*tch!

I’m stating the obvious when I say this was a wonderful read, with many mysteries, a lovely yet not always very smart in their investigations, couple with so much potential.

For a lot of readers it’s a lovely encounter with old friends, and for a few meeting new lovely characters.

How things ended in this second chapter surely left me longing for the next part, with the conclusion having not only my fingers crossed, but all parts that are ‘crossable’.

I loved this mix of romance and mystery, it left me a few times surprised as some twists I absolutely didn’t see coming. But the romance parts truly did warm my heart and I was again amazed by the wonderful writing of this author!