To spend Christmas and New Year in New York, just not like how expected…

Synopsis

Thirty-two year old Charlie Brown has a plane to catch.

As Christmas approaches, she is New York bound, to be reunited with boyfriend Harry after work has kept them apart.

But once she lands, Harry is nowhere to be found…

There’s no hand-drawn sign with her name being brandished at the gate. No answer from Harry’s phone. And all at once, Charlie’s worst fears come true.

What has happened to Harry? And what should Charlie do now that she’s an ocean away from home?

As Charlie slowly comes to terms with her predicament, she makes a decision. She’s not leaving New York without finding out the truth, and with a little help from her handsome new friend Pete, there might still be a path to happily-ever-after…

Bestseller Zoë Folbigg returns with a page-turning story of love, friendship and learning to believe in your own worth. Perfect for fans of Mike Gayle, JoJo Moyes and David Nicholls.

My review

Make – up artist Charlie Brown cannot wait to fly over to New York to spend the holidays with her boyfriend Harry, who is living there for work.
But when Charlie arrives at the airport, there is no Harry to be found. Not only that, but Harry doesn’t answer his phone and with Charlie not knowing Harry’s address, Charlie is utterly lost in a city she doesn’t know.
What can Charlie do in a city on the other side of the world, and worried about what could have happened to the man she loves?
With the help of her new friend Pete, a real New Yorker, Charlie is determined to find out the truth. But is it a truth Charlie wants to hear?  

If there is one thing I absolutely hate, it’s ghosting… so reading how Charlie is being ghosted by her actual boyfriend of all people, made my blood boil!
How can someone who claims to love you, leave you just stranded in a city you never been before? I understand that people can fall in love with someone else, but is it so hard to grow a pair and actual just break up with them? 

And Charlie for sure doesn’t deserve to be treated like that!
Charlie is such a likeable character. Likeable but also a bit naïve… from the moment there is radio silence from Harry’s side, I knew what happened. Yet Charlie has the hope somehow it’s all a misunderstanding, or that something has happened.
However, even in her naivety, Charlie shows an admirable determination. She goes lengths to find out what happened with Harry. 

And also further in the story, she shows a growth, by not just accepting cr*p from anyone. Slowly she learns to even go for the confrontation, to make her point clear, to show others that they are wrong. 

Charlie is also a very caring person. She doesn’t look at “what” you are, but who you are. She likes or dislikes you for the right reasons. And with Harry being the exception, she also quickly senses someone’s true colours. 

That is why it’s so easy for her to befriend Pete. Because Pete is genuinely a nice guy. I have never been to New York, but I can imagine it’s the kind of city where a lot of people only care about themselves and won’t help out a stranger.
But that is not who Pete is. He befriends Charlie not only out of pity, but because they just click. Even if Pete himself has been heartbroken, and apparently the person in question likes to rub it in, Pete didn’t let it affect his kind nature.  

It warmed my heart to see how Pete, his friends and even his family embraced Charlie. While Charlie sees the bad of some people, she, and we as a reader, see also all the good that people have. 

This was a wonderful, heart – warming but also slow – burning story, about how the worst that could happen can turn in the best.
We see the characters grow more mature, learning to stand tall and stand up for themselves. But we also see so much kindness and love in this book.
And it’s a nice extra touch having a character discovering a new city, taking us together with her on all her explorations!

One festive night, three decades, one family

Synopsis

Three women, three decades, three Christmas Eve moments that change their lives forever.

On Christmas Eve, 1968, Cathy McLean receives a surprise visit from the lost love of her life and is forced to chosebetween the one that got away and the one that stayed.

On Christmas Eve, 1993, Cathy’s daughter Helena is overjoyed to hear that her boyfriend is about to propose, until a devastating encounter threatens to bring her heartbreak instead of diamonds.

On Christmas Eve 2023, an shocking discovery rocks Eve Quinn’s world. The only gift Eve wants this year is the truth. But will it take a Christmas miracle to unravel generations of secrets?

Unwrap this festive tale of complicated families, impossible choices, and an unforgettable love that lasts three lifetimes.

My review

Christmas Eve is a wonderful holiday for everyone.
Yet in 1968, Cathy McLean is left flabbergasted from a surprise visit from the love of her life. Because no matter how they felt, he left and Cathy hasn’t heard from him in more than a year. And she has moved on…
But now she has to choose… to go back to the man she once loved, or stay with the man she loves now?
Same day, different year, as in 1993, Cathy’s daughter Helena is over the moon hearing that her boyfriend is going to propose. But on the prelude of an amazing night, Helena discovers that her boyfriend may still not have changed his spots. And that his intentions aren’t all that well…
So what should Helena do, especially as Christmas Eve may change her future forever?
Same day, different year, as in 2023, Helena’s daughter Eve discovers that what she thought was the truth, in fact wasn’t… But how can Eve find out what truly happened in the past and find that missing piece of the puzzle?  

Oh my God, Shari Low just did it again! I know with each book she writes, that I will dive straight into it, will find it impossible to put it away and I just keep on reading even when I should be sleeping! 

Having read several books from this amazing author, I know that there is *A LOT* happening in a short timespan and that you should keep your focus otherwise you will miss a lot! Yet I juts loved how she did her usual thing, but yet managed to do it differently! It was just great to see the same common thread, Christmas Eve, and how each character lived this festive moment so differently with decades between them. 

With the three decades between all the characters, it’s easy to see the evolution of the characters. we can see Cathy thirty years later, Helena twenty years later and see how Eve is picking up all the pieces of a complicated puzzle. 

Cathy is perhaps the most gullible person. And I am not meaning this in a bad way. she got her heart broken and moved on, is a very responsible young woman. But did she truly expect things would just be that easy when her past reappears?
She is responsible not only towards looking after her sister, but also responsible in the choices she made and is still making. She doesn’t regret those choices, and knows that she did the right thing.  

And seeing how after thirty years she still stands by those choices, made my respect grow for her. But it was also sweet somehow to see how she still is wondering what would have happened if things went differently. 

For me, Helena was the most difficult character to like. As we see her in 1993 and in 2023, and we know what happened to her in 1993 with her boyfriend, I found it hard to understand how in 2023 she ends up by being divorced. And her being rather cold and distant didn’t make her score any cookie points. 

But slowly I got to understand Helena better. We see her struggling with the choice she has to make. And even on what was supposed to be a wonderful evening, I could comprehend what she did and why she did it. 

Eve was the character I liked the most. She was the most down – to – earth. She is shocked by a revelation and wants to discover the truth. But she also knows that she needs time to digest the information herself and needs to pick the right moment to confront her family. 

Beside the shocking news, she also has to make a personal choice herself. And while it would have been easy to take the easy way out, once again she decides to take her time to think things over. Whatever Eve does, she doesn’t do it on a whim. She wants to make the right choice not only for her, but also for those around her. 

I absolutely loved reading this book, as it shows that we all have a turning point in our lives. and how one choice, one decision will affect not only the course of your life but also the lives of those around you and even the next generations. 

But what I loved the most in this book was, no matter how all the main characters were from each other, even if they were family, the fact that they are and always will be family unites them.
Perhaps in the end, the loose nods were tied too easily, but that somehow was also in sync with the rest of the story, because in the end, you’ll never know how things will turn out for real. Sometimes all it needs is one moment in your life to make all the pieces of the puzzle fall perfectly into place. 

This was another amazing, marvellous, astonishing book from a very talented author. Each book makes me fall more and more in love with her and her amazing talent!

To return to a haunted past, to find a future that is… 

Synopsis

Lottie Fanshawe has become an expert over the years at banishing dark memories of the past – but now, the time has come to sell Sycamore House, her old family home, which she walked away from a decade ago. With beloved brother Dylan now a missing person – a victim of their past – there’s only Lottie left to organise the sale. Being back in Sunnybrook is the last thing she needs, and her plan is to get in and out as speedily as possible. But finding a welcome at the Little Duck Pond Cafe helps Lottie in more ways than she could have imagined. And then there are her growing feelings for dark-eyed Liam Westerbrook to grapple with . . .

My review

Sycamore House in Sunnybrook is a house with a dark past, and the inhabitants have heard different kind of stories about what happened.
But for Lottie Fanshawe, it’s a place with many haunted memories. For her, the time has come to sell the place, and the sooner the better. Unfortunately, the house needs some TLC for increasing the interest. And since her brother Dylan went missing, it’s all up to Lottie now…
She cannot wait to leave Sycamore House for good, but despite her dislike of the place, she finds herself welcomed in Sunnybrook, with the help of the people in the Little Duck Pond Café. And then there is Liam Westerbrook…
But is there a chance for Lottie to find happiness in a place that brought her also the greatest heartbreak? 

Here we are again, after reading another part of the Little Duck Pond Cafe…
And in fact, I could just copy – paste my previous review, change some things as this is another story with other characters. But the fact that I absolutely love each part of the series for sure still stands! 

Reading about Lottie’s past for sure broke my heart. Seeing how she had to fight tragedy after tragedy wasn’t the lightest story to read, and I absolutely understood her reasons for getting rid of Sycamore House!
My heart went out to Lottie, as it’s clear she is a lovely person, but her past hangs over her as a dark cloud. And her not knowing where her brother is, her brother who has been her rock despite his own demons… I just cannot even try to imagine not knowing where my own brother would be. 

But Lottie is not the kind of person you will only pity. Because she has also this fierceness in her, she takes matter in her own hands, and she understands people on a level that isn’t for anyone…
So obviously seeing her being welcomed by the wonderful people of the Little Duck Pond Café warmed my heart.
Not that I had one doubt in my mind how my old friends would act towards the latest stranger in Sunnybrook!  

Yes, in this book there is a love interest for Lottie, in the wonderful form of Liam. And while Liam is everything we could imagine for Lottie, the romantic relationship wasn’t the focus.
Of course I had my fingered crossed and I was rooting for them, never losing hope even when Rosie Green would dare to add a twist. 

The focus of this book was picking up the pieces again after great tragedies. Lottie has been through a lot in her young life, has lost a lot people she loved. But slowly Lottie sees that beside the many sad memories, there are also a lot of happy ones.
When your past keeps haunting you, it’s difficult to see the little rays of sunshine, but they are still there. We just need to find them again. 

The deeper I got into the story, the more emotional I got. Lottie is having a lot of closures in this book. Some may go easy while others don’t. But we also see the effect Lottie has on the people in Sunnybrook. Sunnybrook for sure is a place that gives and takes in all the best ways. Lottie is exactly what Sunnybrook needs. But Sunnybrook is for sure what Lottie needs too…  

Rosie Green managed once again to write a magnificent story, isn’t there a limit on her talent? How can this woman keep on adding new chapters to a series without ever getting repetitive? Each story stands perfectly on its own, and as a reader you feel your heart expanding when you return to Sunnybrook. Seeing our old friends again for sure is a delight and making new ones is so easy!
I just cannot wait to return to this lovely place with its amazing characters! Bring it on!!! 😊

How to find yourself again when you’re at your lowest…

Synopsis

To look to the future, you first have to face your past…

With Christmas just around the corner, Molly Bliss has almost hit rock bottom.

After the heart-breaking loss of her parents, an escape to Iceland to spend the holidays with her sister Claudia is a chance for her to find solace and focus on her neglected relationship with her boyfriend Howard. But when Howard ‘misses his flight’, Molly is forced to rethink her whole outlook on life.

Surrounded by her family, Molly has never felt more alone. With ongoing family tensions rumbling and a surprising connection with old flame Leifur and his friend James, Molly realises she has an opportunity to rediscover who she really is.

While exploring the wild beauty of Iceland, a fragile hope seeds itself in Molly and alongside the life-affirming experiences and new friendships that are forged, she’s forced to question why she ever put her own dreams on hold.

Will Molly allow grief and disappointment to destroy her chance at happiness, or can new love sparkle as the land of fire and ice begins to work its magic?

My review

Molly Bliss isn’t herself ever since losing her parents. With Christmas just around the corner, visiting her sister Claudia in Iceland may perhaps give Molly peace and perhaps it will even reignite the fire between her and her boyfriend Howard.
But when Howard decides to not fly off with her and ‘catch a later flight’, and even manages to ‘miss’ that one, Molly has to think about what she wants from her life.
Once in Iceland, Molly has the chance to not only reinforce her bond with Claudia and Claudia’s family, but she also makes new friendships and even meets an old crush of hers.
The beauty of Iceland is also the perfect opportunity for Molly to rethink about her own future, and think of why her dreams aren’t worthy of pursuing. And perhaps the cold and snow of Iceland can warm her heart towards a man too?

I am not a person that loves the cold! So while I for sure want to visit Iceland and see all the beautiful things there, the cold is holding me back to put my dream into actual plans. And yes, I know you can layer up for visiting the place, but have you ever seen Bambi struggling on ice? Well, that’s me in snowy circumstances, even when there is no ice involved!
So I will just enjoy reading books that take place in a magical country! 

Reading about Molly and all her struggles absolutely broke my heart. I could feel her pain and sense of loneliness emerge from the pages.
I could only try to understand the devastation she was feeling after the loss of her beloved parents. And I could comprehend how it also affected her relationship with Howard. 

Now, the less is said about that idiot the better… I know that it has to be hard living with a person who is still grieving, but Howard didn’t make an effort at all through, and he even did the most terrible thing someone could do!
So I was glad that his presence was rather short-lived! 

It was so sweet to see the two sisters reconnecting again. Molly and Claudia couldn’t be at a more different phase in their lives, yet the love between the siblings is so palpable.
Claudia, as the bigger sister, wants to protect Molly, she wants Molly to be happy and she wants Molly to succeed in realizing her dreams.
But the literal distance also put somehow an emotional distance between the two… 

For sure discovering the wonders of Iceland together with Molly, Claudia, and new/old friends Molly made was wonderful. I could just envision myself what they were all seeing.
But for Molly the journey to Iceland was more a journey to self – discovery and overcoming her grief. Slowly Molly sees that in fact she isn’t that alone in the world, and that even if her sister lives in another country, they can still be there for each other. 

Molly also starts to see that her dreams are worthy to be pursued. Why shouldn’t she follow her passion and take that chance? It’s better to have tried and failed than just take the easy way out… 

Of course Molly has also a love interest in this book. And I am not going to spoil anything, but I was glad to see that the author followed my line of thinking! 😊 

This was a cold story, literally, but with so much warmth in it. Molly goes through a great journey, from feeling lonely and lone to finding love from her family (even if it has been always there), to finding love in new friendships, finding herself, finding courage again and even finding love in other matters of the heart. 

Kate Frost wrote once again a great story about characters that you will like from the start, even if they have a sad story of their own to tell. A great story about a physical journey but mostly an emotional journey, making you understand that there isn’t a strict timeline for grief, but there is always time to chase your dreams. And that even if you don’t feel it, you are loved and surrounded by people that care and have your best interest at heart!

When you are searching for love but do not or cannot see what’s in front of you

Synopsis

On an anonymous online dating app, LittleMissPerfect meets HotAussie007 and it’s love at first click. In real life, a smart but spiky woman in STEM, research scientist, Dr Eden, meets a laid-back Aussie marketing manager, Finn, at the big pharma company where they both work in California. They’re forced to compete for special projects funding, and both their jobs are on the line.

Eden just wants to win at science and in life. It’s not happening! She can’t stand Finn’s too-cool-for-school, nice guy act, or his delectable forearms that keep invading her space. While Finn is stupidly attracted to Eden, when she’s not telling him off, he isn’t free to pursue her. He’s stuck in the worst position in his professional life, and doesn’t see a clear way out. He can’t tell her the whole truth about what’s going on at work or in his personal life. . . or it could all blow up in his face.

When they realise the truth about their online alter egos, dating is off the table. Can they ignore their inconvenient attraction, and work together to take down their unethical boss? Or will intense rivalry cause their IRL work lives and online love lives to collide and explode like a science experiment gone wrong?

Note: Dating Little Miss Perfect is an updated take on You’ve Got Mail for lovers of online dating romcoms, with added science, cupcakes and old movie references! This new release from award-winning author Cassandra O’Leary is a stand-alone contemporary romance novel of approximately 97,000 words.

My review

Eden is a research scientist known for being a Little Miss Perfect. Well, of course everything should be perfect when you’re doing groundbreaking research. However, her perfectionism also makes it impossible to find love. Yet she managed to find her perfect match online. HotAussie007 is everything she is looking for a man and she cannot wait to see if HotAussie007 is also in real life a perfect match for LittleMissPerfect.
In real life there is another man in Eden’s life. But in a negative way. Because Finn is the Australian marketing manager the company Eden is working for. And whenever these two are together, it’s a clash of the titans.
Yet there is that saying that there is a thin line between love and hate. However, Finn has other reasons for not pursuing Eden… and what about Eden’s online match? 

There are stories where you know from the start what is going happen and how it’s all going to end. And yes, beside a few twists, this story was one of those kinds. But did it bother me? No, because those twists make it worth reading, and there is for sure enough originality to make you want to keep reading. 

I am not the kind of person that understands anything of doing research or elaborated science, so whatever Eden was saying about her own wok, well, I just went with it. But no worries, it isn’t that the author is slaying you with scientific words! In Eden’s line of work it’s normal talking about results going not the way they expected and I let it go over my head. 

Eden is indeed a Little Miss Perfect, but while at work that may seem sometimes that Eden is a know-it-all (but she truly does know it all), we see that she has reasons to be so determined and resolute to make everything work. 

She is also the kind of person that would do anything to protect who and what she loves. she isn’t happy where she working now, but she needs the money in order to keep the house and protect her sister, especially with their background… 

Yet it was lovely to see a complete other side of her, while she is talking to her online match. They for sure do say that still waters run deep! To say I was shocked is overstating it, but I didn’t expect her to be talking like that!!!  😊 

Finn is the complete opposite of Eden. He is the perfect example of how I would imagine Australians to be like. And I mean it as a compliment!
He is laid – back, doesn’t even take that great offence whenever Eden is being her usual self. In everything he does, his caring and loving character emerges. The way not only he is looking after Eden after their literal clashing, but also the lengths he goes afterwards.
And seeing how even in time of need, he doesn’t hesitate to return back to his parents, shows his true heart.  

His background for sure is a sad one too, and it truly left a mark on him. It’s clear how that event made his life take a complete different direction.  

Yet he also is the kind of person who makes it clear when a line has been crossed, and expresses clearly his hurt feelings.
He is also the kind of person that wants to do the right thing, especially when he sees that there is something dodgy going on at the company. 

Eden and Finn together are just explosive! Their banter is hilarious for us readers, while we can sense the simmering attraction, waiting to erupt!
It was sweet to see how slowly they realize that in fact they have more in common than they would think.  

Of course the revelation of the online matches wasn’t that big of a revelation. But in a way it also shows us that what we see in front of us isn’t the complete person. How we are at work, where we have to show our professionalism, isn’t the same person at home, where we can be 100% ourselves. 

In this book we also see that sometimes our own doubts can hold us back. Because we Eden having doubts about Finn, and how she is afraid to go all – in. And that results in her doing things the logical Eden wouldn’t do. But I could understand her, because haven’t we all done stupid things for/because of love? 

But we also see that love makes us protective. Because Finn, when on the look for answers, sees things that would point its dodgy finger towards Eden. Yet even if he is doing the right thing, he wants to protect Eden, even at risk of losing her… 

This was a wonderful, hilarious book. The author takes her time to make us get to know both main characters. There is depth in the both of them, making them even more human.
And we see that finding love isn’t always easy, as even when we have found it, there is still room for making mistakes, having misunderstandings. And that love can also be a scary thing, as we want to protect ourselves from a potential hurt. But love is also amazing, as it makes us see what we have in front of us, making us protective, making us open up about our fears.
And then, to end on a lighter note, there is love that makes your love for cupcakes only expand! 😊

Home is where the heart is, even when renovations are required.

Synopsis

Dig out your hard hat and gaze up at the snowflake-speckled sky over the Boardwalk.

Portia Fortescue has traded in the hustle and bustle of London to help renovate a magnificent French manor house on the beautiful island of Jersey with her boyfriend Charlie Hargreaves.

But what they hoped would be a blissful escape to the chateau, turns out to be more of a DIY SOS.

As the winter snow sets in, the stress of restoring the derelict chateau back to life begins to take its toll on their relationship.

Portia has known heartbreak before, but thought she’d found her happy-ever-after with Charlie…

Just when their dreams appear to crumble beneath them Portia and Charlie discover the warmth of the Boardwalk community – the best friends anyone could ever ask for.

This new life could be everything they want it to be, if only they can finish the chateau in time for its grand reopening!

My review

Portia Fortescue believes in love again, after meeting Charlie. Once she thought she could never love again, after her heartbreak, but Charlie showed her that love can be found again.
While living together in London has been wonderful, Portia feels that Charlie misses his life on the island of Jersey.
So when Charlie inherits a French manor house, it’s the opportunity the couple was looking for to return to Jersey.
But the manor needs a lot of TLC and both Charlie and Portia have underestimated how difficult it is to do it all by themselves.
Despite winter throwing snowy curve balls in their schedule, the couple can luckily rely on the community for help. Will Portia and Charlie manage to reopen the chateau in all its splendour in time  but at what cost? 

First of all, what a delight to return to this wonderful island! Secondly, it was great to read a story where love has already been found and we get to see what happens afterwards. Because most of the times, that’s where the story ends, but a life together starts. 

We see Portia and Charlie together, Charlie having made the “sacrifice” of making the move to London for love.
Yet it’s clear that there is something missing in the relationship. Yes, the love is absolutely there, and Portia couldn’t be happier to have found a second chance at love. But here we see that loving someone isn’t enough to be completely happy.  

It’s not that Charlie is ungrateful, but we see a clear difference in the Jersey – Charlie and the
London – Charlie. London – Charlie isn’t the real Charlie, and he obviously misses his home.
Luckily Portia sees behind his façade and decides that a return, even a short one, is needed to find themselves again. 

I found it wonderful how just literally everyone in Jersey is asking if the return is a final one, as Portia and Charlie are clearly being missed. And it was sweet to see how both main characters realize that Jersey is indeed home, even if Portia was a real city – girl before. 

With the French manor now belonging to them, Portia and Charlie have the incentive to make that move back home.
Now, I am not a Handy Harry (Harriet?) myself, so for me personally doing all those restorations would be a real nightmare. Not only would I truly be terrible at it, but in the end it would have to be redone all over again. So yes, I would just throw some money at it, and let the professionals do it! 😊 

I admired the positivism Charlie and Portia had at the start of all the work, but I was also a bit wary. Because things couldn’t be that easy, right?
And indeed, rather quickly, the couple’s dream turns into a minor nightmare. Problem after problem arise, making their plans just go terribly wrong. 

It saddened me to read how all the to do’s and setbacks truly took a strain on this wonderful couple. Yet that made them also more human in my eyes. Because in life it isn’t always lovey – dovey. Things get difficult, but it’s up to you to make it still work. 

While it saddened me to see how difficult Charlie and Portia are having it, I also found it just wonderful and heart – warming how just the whole community decide to help out, any way they can. It can go from the little things, to bring food over, to help with the plastering. 

I have to be honest, at a moment I was a bit afraid that the book would be too much of a ‘Restorations For Dummies’ book. I almost feel the ache in my own body, the frustration building up with every setback. 

But my fears were totally unfounded, as I quickly realized that this is a marvellous book about taking charge of your life, making sometimes choices that aren’t easy to make, finding a home with happiness and love, and a wonderful community that feels more family – like than just friends. And understanding that even when things don’t go easy, some things and some people are worth fighting for and they deserve every blister, every ache in your body, as the reward of happiness and love is priceless…

Today I will try to tempt you with a guest post!

Synopsis

Former New York darling turned amateur sleuth Madeline Vaughn-Alwin is once again thrown into a colourful yet deadly web of secrets, lies and soirees to die for!

It’s the week of Fiesta in Santa Fe and Maddie is looking forward to enjoying the celebrations. But as ‘Old Man Gloom’ Zozobra goes up in flames, so too do Maddie’s hopes for a carefree life . . . Human remains are found in the dying embers of Zozobra, and then Maddie and her dashing beau Dr David Cole find a body washed up in the arroyo at the edge of town.

Soon identified as Ricardo Montoya, a wealthy businessman and head of one of the most affluent families in Santa Fe . . . the plot starts to thicken. While his beautiful wife Catalina and her complicated children seem less than heartbroken at his untimely demise, and with many disgruntled locals crawling out of the woodwork, Maddie is surrounded by suspects.

With the celebrations of Fiesta continuing around them, Maddie and her ‘Detection Posse’ get busy infiltrating the best parties and hobnobbing with old and new faces – but can they bring the murderer to justice before they strike again?

Guest Post

I’m so excited to be back in Maddie’s world of 1920s Santa Fe for the third book in this series!Though I live here, and so much of what she loved in this place is still what I love (the weather, the art, the food!), there’s a lot that has changed, too.  And that’s true of Fiesta, a week of remembrance and celebration that has changed and evolved over the years, but which is still here.  (My dogs love the Desfile de los Ninos, or Pet Parade as it’s also known, where children and their dogs/cats/guinea pigs/whatever they have, put on a colorful and joyous parade!)

Fiesta has its origins in 1692, when the Spanish who were driven out by the Pueblo Revolt twelve years before, returned, led by Don Diego de Vargas.  In 1712, the Spanish governor of the province proclaimed a religious commemoration of those events, where there were Masses, processions, and family dinners.  This didn’t change for many years, and in fact had much lapsed by the 1760s.

In 1912, the Chamber of Commerce thought Fiesta ready for a revival—as a commercial scheme.  They organized events that often didn’t have much to do with New Mexico, and charged entry fees which shut out many locals and was meant to draw more tourists to the new state.  In the 1920s, a group of artists, led by Will Shuster, protested this and organized their own “El Pasatiempo,” complete with many of the events we have now—parades, dances, and especially Zozobra!  (There are still traditional events, as well, such a Novenas and Masses, and the procession of La Conquistadora, a wooden figure of The Virgin Mary brought to Santa Fe in 1692 and now housed in the Cathedral).

Will Shuster was one of the great characters of Santa Fe in the twentieth century!  Born in Pennsylvania in 1893, he came to New Mexico with his wife in 1920 for his health (he was gassed in World War I) and to pursue his dreams of being an artist.  His natural gregariousness and creativity made him a leader, especially among a group who lived near him called Los Cinco Pintores (or “five little nuts in five mud huts,” as some wags called them!).  He was constantly throwing parties, organizing events, getting into scrapes.  One of his most enduring parties is Zozobra, or “Old Man Gloom.”  Made of wool, wire, and cotton cloth, he now reaches 50 feet high and his burning is attended by around 70,000 people, who crowd into a park to contribute their “glooms” (anxieties or bad events, written on slips of paper to be packed in and around the giant marionette).  In 1924, Zozobra was only about 6 feet high, a puppet in Shuster’s garden to amuse his artist friends.  As far as I know, there were no body parts found in the ashes that year!  By 1926, he realized it was a popular thing and moved to a park for others to see.  On Shuster’s death in 1969, he left the rights to Zozobra’s party to the Kiwanis Club, and it’s run every year as a charitable fundraiser (and gloom-burner).

A few sources I’ve found very helpful are:

• Joseph Dispenza and Louise Turner  Will Shuster: A Santa Fe Legend (1989)

• Edna Robertson  Los Cinco Pintores  (1975)

• Jennifer Owings Dewey, Zozobra: The Story of Old Man Gloom

• Gregor Stark and E. Catherine Rayne, El Delirio: The Santa Fe World of Elizabeth White (1998)

• Stacia Lewandowski, Light, Landscape, and the Creative Quest: Early Artists of Santa Fe (2011)

• Van Deren Coke, Taos and Santa Fe: The Artists’ Environment 1882-1942 (1963)

• Edna Robertson, Artists of the Canyons and Caminos (2006, reprint)

When love is absolutely the last thing on your mind…

Synopsis

A Hotshot Manhattan Attorney.

Drew Harrington knows exactly who he is—a legal shark with a love ‘em and leave ‘em attitude that works just fine in his cutthroat world. He’s on the cusp of being named a partner in his firm, but only if he can prove to his colleagues that he has a more human side.

A Sweetheart of a British Patisserie Chef.

Becky Fletcher is running from her past, so the last thing she’s looking for is love. What she does want is a friendly face in a cold city. Her sunny outlook is perfect opposite to Drew’s hard exterior, but can she afford to let down her guard?

One fateful meeting at a bagel cart.

They sound like a match made in heaven—or is it a car crash?

My review

Drew Harrington is so close to finally become a partner in the law firm he is working in. But his streak of successes also means that his colleagues don’t see his human side. And he needs his colleagues votes to have his name on the building.
The last thing Drew needs, is people loitering around when time is money.
So when at his usual bagel cart the customer before him takes too long, his patience is being tested. But all that Becky Fletcher wants, is to have a friend in a city that is not her home. And the last thing she needs, is a lawyer rushing her and not liking desserts at all.
Yet somehow American Drew and British Becky keep being drawn to each other, no matter how different they are…

I thought I knew what to expect from this story. Because haven’t we all read this kind of stories before? And while I absolutely love this kind of trope, I am always a bit fearful of having a story that is a dime a dozen.

Yet with this story, that was absolutely not the case, as yes it is about love, but also about self – discovery and facing dark demons of your past.

We see mainly Drew’s point of view, which was rather refreshing, as it’s often the female main character’s view we read. So that’s already an extra cookie point for the author by doing the opposite!

Now, Drew isn’t immediately the most likeable character you could meet. He isn’t a warm character, and his focus of becoming a partner makes it easy to understand his colleagues’ perception of him. He is great at his job, and he isn’t afraid to use every trick in his sleeve to win a case.
And while as a lawyer you couldn’t wish for anyone better, as a human, well, he is not really scoring points.

Drew is the typical kind of person who sees losing time as losing money, not seeing the beauty around him and doesn’t realize what he is missing out, if only he would take time to pause for a minute. But no, he appears to take everything for granted.

The difference couldn’t be greater with how Becky sees things. Her past brought her in a city on the other side of the world. She sees everything with fresh eyes.
But Becky also has something melancholically over her. Her past is still haunting her, yet she is ready to start over her and all she needs is friendship and kindness.

While her past isn’t clear from the beginning, it’s easy to see it was a difficult past. Yet I admired Becky’s positivism and determination. She wants to start a new life, and wants to be surrounded by happy thoughts.
Despite her background, she never loses her kindness. Her lightness truly lifts up the mood.

The initial banter between Drew and Becky is absolutely hilarious. What starts as a real annoyance turns into a friendly teasing.
They start on the wrong food, but seeing their relationship evolve into a friendship, the kind they both need and can rely on ,honesty included, was wonderful to read.
With Becky by his side, Drew learns to show his ‘humanity’ to more people and not only to those close to him. And he learns that there is more in life than just work.

And with Drew by her side, Becky not only discovers the beauty of a new city, but also again in trusting people and new friends.
And she also discovers who the real Becky is, as she for too long has been hiding herself and losing herself.

They respect each other’s boundaries, yet it was lovely to see how eventually their real feelings get the better of them.
And yet the struggle is real, as things aren’t just that straightforward…

I truly enjoyed reading this story! This was a wonderful story about two people, at different points in their lives, meeting/clashing. Yet thanks to each other they discover how much better life can be, if only they are open for it.
In this book we see how lovely characters grow and grow closer to each other. And we see how sometimes meeting opposite people may be a way to enrich our lives.

This author was once again able to write a compelling and warm story that didn’t disappoint at all!

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side…

Synopsis

In this captivating story from the bestselling author of Picking up the Pieces, Daisy has always envied the perfect family next door. But will a weekend of unexpected drama prove that the grass isn’t always greener?

Daisy Harrop has always felt like she exists in the background, and since her mother stopped getting out of bed, her life has come to a complete standstill. Daisy would give anything to leave the shabbiest house on the street and be more like the golden Kelleways next door, with their perfectly raked driveway and flourishing rose garden…

Winnie Kelleway is proud of the beautiful family she’s built. They’ve had their ups and downs—hasn’t everyone? But this weekend, celebrating her golden wedding anniversary is truly proof of their happiness, a joyful gathering for all the neighbours to see.

But as the festivities get underway, are the cracks in the ‘perfect’ Kelleway life beginning to show? As one bombshell revelation leads to another and events start to spiral out of control, Daisy and Winnie are about to discover that things aren’t always what they seem.

My review

Daisy Harrop always wished she were part of her neighbours family, the Kelleways. The Kelleways have everything they could dream of, while Daisy’s home is a struggling one.
Daisy’s mother is struggling with depression, their house isn’t the nicest looking one and Daisy doesn’t stand out in anything. Yet young Daisy has the hope that one day her crush Cas Kelleway will admit that her feelings are reciprocated.
But the Kelleways aren’t that a happy family as everyone may think. As there are the festivities of the matriarch and patriarch’s golden wedding anniversary are taking place at the restaurant where Daisy works, slowly more and more revelations are being made that are putting the show of a happy family at risk…

I was very intrigued and looking forward at starting this book. It’s a bit of an evil side of me, wanting to see how things slowly falling apart…
And not only that, but also seeing what secrets are being revealed and how it affects the people involved.

Daisy is a character I immediately liked but also pitied a little bit. She isn’t a really bubbly character, she isn’t a popular girl and even at home things don’t got that well, as her mother is struggling with a depression and it affects the whole family.

Her behaviour, dreams and hopes are very recognizable, as she sees how easy things appear to go for her neighbours and she even has a secret and unreciprocated crush on the neighbours’ grandson Cas.

Winnie Kelleway I found to be the total opposite… I never took a liking to her, as I found her obnoxious, selfish and a smart ass.
She may have the wealth, but she cares more about appearances and not about the real happiness of her children.
Even the fact that she has an actual favourite child, bothered me a lot, and how she discards her daughter’s choices made even boil my blood.

This is a story about secrets and how things aren’t always that straightforward as they may seem. A few revelations didn’t come as a real surprise, while others absolutely did.
There were secrets that were accepted without prejudice, showing the power of unselfish love. But there were secrets that only show the egocentric characters.

Every family has its own cross to bear, no matter how perfect the family appears to be. And this book shows us perfectly that even if we are jealous of someone else’s perfect life, we should appreciate what we have.
And that works both ways in this book. Both the Harrops and the Kelleways should appreciate the lives they have, and accept also each other for who they are. But also learn from the mistakes and admit the need of help.
Because your loved ones can only accept and forgive until a certain point…

Perhaps in this book I would have loved to see more how things would actually be wrapped up. As I didn’t have an actual answer to all my questions. But I guess that is also part of life, that things don’t get solved that quickly and that it may take a whole different journey.

This for sure is a book that makes you pause and think about your own life and makes you appreciate what you have, even if it isn’t the perfect life you imagined having…

Check out this cover of the latest of an amazing author!

Synopsis

One murder mystery weekend. Two rival sleuths.

They’re looking for answers. But will they find love?

Kate Brannon is delighted to be attending her first murder mystery weekend in a movie-worthy Victorian manor house. Still getting over being dumped, cracking the case would be a welcome boost to her flagging confidence. And the prize money wouldn’t hurt either.

But Kate’s dreams of victory become a nightmare with the arrival of Max Ravenscroft. Smart, enigmatic and annoyingly handsome, Max is Kate’s sleuthing nemesis. 

When she and Max are forced to work together, Kate despairs. But, as the investigation brings them closer, she finds being his partner in solving crime isn’t all bad. 

With growing suspicions that the game is rigged against them, can Kate and Max beat the odds to find the killer? And, as their partnership deepens, can they find romance too?

A sweet romantic comedy with a cosy mystery at its heart. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Freeman, Laura Jane Williams and Katie Fforde.

Pre-order Link – https://mybook.to/CluesToYou

Publication Date: 19th September

About the author

Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire with her husband and two children. She writes uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but sometimes need a little help to realise it.

A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for over a hundred sweet treats at clairehuston.co.uk. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.

Social Media Links: https://linktr.ee/clairehuston_author

The cover