A Hogmanany Kiss - Elsie McArthur

 

Description

Marsaili and Will's happily ever after isn't turning out exactly like they planned...

Eighteen months after getting back together, and struggling to find a forever home in their small Highland community, they're still living in the upstairs bedroom of Marsaili's parents' croft. A chance to get away from it all for a romantic Christmas break is just what they need - Marsaili's brother is getting married, and they're going to spend two weeks in Edinburgh for the celebrations.

But when wedding mishaps, a flirtatious bridesmaid and past insecurities threaten to derail their plans, the idyllic festive getaway Marsaili and Will have been dreaming of could make them... or break them.

Reunite with all your favourite characters for a Christmas holiday they’ll never forget, in this fun, feel-good, festive sequel to The Back Up Plan

Review

Although this is a standalone novel, you would probably enjoy it more if you read The Back Up Plan first. The story begins with Marsaili in the pub with her teacher colleagues - wait a minute! Last time we met Marsaili in The Back Up Plan she was an aspiring actress, so immediately I could see things had moved on since the last book.

It was great to catch up with Marsaili and Will and find that they now live in the Highlands. Desperate for some time alone with each other they are delighted to be going to Edinburgh for a family Christmas wedding, and what a wedding it is. The festivities begin on Christmas Eve and span many days as this is a multicultural wedding. Even before the wedding itself there are some ups and downs for the couple and it's not all plain sailing for the rest of the family party either. 

I detested Sophie the bridesmaid from the first page she appeared on and didn't warm to her much from there on in. I was so hoping she wasn't going to ruin Christmas or the wedding for Marsaili. I'll leave you to read this delightful seasonal tale and find out for yourselves if she did. 

A lovely novella to snuggle down with and escape to Edinburgh, which was beautifully described, taking me back to my last visit there many years ago. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to the author for the digital copy to review.

The Little Swiss Ski Chalet - Julie Caplin

Description

*Preorder the new book in Julie’s bestselling series for a slice of escapism at the turn of a page!*

‘Up there with the best of them…A big, fat five stars from me’ Sue Moorcroft

‘An irresistible slice of escapism’ Phillipa Ashley

It’s time to pack your bags and head to the breathtaking, snow-covered peaks of the Swiss Alps for velvety hot chocolates, delicious cheeses and a gorgeous love story…

Food technician Mina has always believed that chocolate will solve everything – and it’s just what she needs when her latest relationship mishap goes viral!

So with her bags packed and a new determination to sort her life out, Minna decides to drown her sorrows with the best hot chocolate in the world at her godmother’s cosy Swiss chalet. Chocolate: yes. Romance: no. Until she has a run in on an Alpine train with a mysterious but oh-so-gorgeous stranger…

Review

What's not to love? Julie Caplin + new book in the "Romantic escapes" series + chocolate - it's a match made in heaven!

I listened to the audio version of the book and the narrator was so good. At one point I had to check that there was only one narrator as the different voices were excellent and certainly added to the enjoyment of the story.

The book begins with Mina who has a surprise for her boyfriend, and the surprise goes viral. No spoilers but I was not fond of the boyfriend. However, this spurs her into taking action and going to stay in Switzerland, with her Godmother who owns a ski chalet. The description of her journey her shopping en route, I felt like I was there, a real dose of escapism. I also learnt a few things, about food, skiing and Switzerland. 

Not only were all the characters (in the main!) in this book absolutely lovely, the descriptions of the chocolate and food just had me drooling. I suggest you have some chocolate on hand before beginning this book because you will be craving it in no time.

If you haven't gathered by now - I just loved this book and am giving it 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC of the audio. It is available on kindle now, but you will have to wait a little longer for the paperback and audio.

The Christmas Swap - Sandy Barker

 

Description

Will all three women have their Christmas wishes come true?

Christmas is coming and best friends Chloe, Jules, and Lucy are needing change… so swapping homes for the holidays could be the perfect present for all of them!

Australian Chloe spends her Christmas in a sleepy village in Oxfordshire, England. She is totally star-struck when she discovers who lives across the road.

Lucy, who has jetted off to snowy Colorado for her dream-come-true white Christmas, is taken into the fold of Jules’s loud and brash family, discovering more about herself in a few short days than she has in years.

And Jules leaves the cold climes of Colorado to spend her Christmas on a beach with Chloe’s friends in Melbourne, finding that time away is just what she needed.

The only thing better than one Christmas romance is three, and this wonderful festive novel is perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Holly Martin and Karen Swan.

Review

If you are looking for a little Christmas escapism with some romance thrown in, then this is the book for you! If you've seen the film "The Holiday" well this is similar as the ladies within the story admit, only three times the fun.

The best thing about this book for me, particularly at the moment, is that it was set in three locations and I felt like I had a little holiday in all of them. We have Oxford (taking in London), Colorado and Melbourne. I loved that Melbourne had some descriptions of the City landmarks and even looked them up online, which made it all the more real. I also enjoyed reading about the different Christmas traditions, such as the popcorn stringing in America (which I have never really understood).

The story centres around three best friends Chloe,  Jules and Lucy who all live in different countries and they agree to swap their Christmases with each other. Of course each of them finds romance in their new location, but it doesn't always run smoothly or to plan. 

There's not much more to say other than snuggle down, be whisked away to a different scene and enjoy.

I'm giving this book four out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley and One More Chapter Books for being part of the #readalong.

Patch Work - Claire Wilcox

 

Description

Claire Wilcox has been a curator of fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum for most of her working life. In Patch Work, she steps into the archive of memory, deftly stitching together her dedicated study of fashion with the story of her own life lived in and through clothes. From her mother's black wedding suit to the swirling patterns of her own silk kimono, her memoir unfolds in spare, luminous prose the spellbinding power of the things we wear.

In a series of intimate and compelling close-ups, Wilcox tugs on the threads that make up the fabric of our lives: a cardigan worn by a child, a mother's button box, the draping of a curtain, a pair of cycling shorts, a roll of lace, a pin hidden in a seam. Through the eye of a curator, we see how the stories and the secrets of clothes measure out the passage of time, our gains and losses, and the way we use them to unravel and write our histories.

Review

I love fashion, sewing and the V&A - so I was delighted to read this book. What I wasn't expecting from the author was the exceptionally beautiful writing. I do hope Claire goes onto write more as she is very talented.

The book begins with a personal recollection of life behind the scenes at the V&A and I was hooked straight in. Not all the chapters relate to the V&A. Some are snapshots of the authors life from early on to present day. Interspersed with photographs, some of items and others are personal ones. The recollections are in no particular order, and because of this you can easily dip in and out as you wish.

I just loved being able to read about how they did the audit at the V&A.  Coming across items labelled '99 for the year 1899, with no thought for future years bearing the date '99!. Reading about the thought process behind organising an exhibition, and that you may pass curators in the corridors transporting precious items, as there are no private tunnels. The day they were sent home while a specialist in a white boiler suit and mask had to be called in to isolate a box of medieval leather shoes, in case they were from a plague pit. Just fascinating.

Even if you don't care for sewing or the V&A this book is a great recollection of times gone by, particularly the early 1960s. Although it predates me some of the lines rang so true for me, such as her drinking from a green cup and saucer in the staff canteen - I remember that crockery so well.

This book is a keeper and one to be read again and again. As to sink into it's pages and be delighted by the author's poetic use of words for the precious but evenly the everyday, is just fabulous. 

My thanks to Pigeonhole for sending the daily staves to enable me to read this book.

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Cherry Radford @CherryRad @urbanebooks @lovebooksgroup #lovebookstours

Description

After the break-up of her marriage, Imogen escapes to her aunt's converted lighthouse on Beachy Head. Writing for a tedious online magazine but hoping to start a novel, she wants to be alone until she finds an entrancing flamenco CD in her borrowed car and contacts the artist via Twitter. It turns out that actor-musician Santiago needs help with English, and is soon calling her profesora.

Through her window, the other lighthouse winks at her across the sea. The one where her father was a keeper until he mysteriously drowned there in 1982. Her aunt is sending extracts from his diary, and Imogen is intrigued to learn that, like her and Santi, her father had a penfriend.

Meanwhile, despite their differences, Imogen is surrounded by emotional and geographical barriers, Santi surrounded by family and land-locked Madrid their friendship develops. So, she reads, did her father's but shocking revelations cause Imogen to question whether she ever really knew him.

Two stories of communication: the hilarious mistakes, the painful misunderstandings, and the miracle or tragedy of finding someone out there with whom you have an unforeseen, irresistible connection.

Review

What a truly unique story this really is. With the dual locations of Beachy Head and Madrid so beautifully and poignantly described, this book is unlike anything I have ever read before.

With the meeting of Imogen and Santi being made through Twitter this book has a very contemporary feel, although it is set in 2012. Imogen is staying alone in a lighthouse, which looks out onto another lighthouse; the one from which her Father lost his life in 1982. 

As Imogen begins to converse with Santi through Twitter her Aunt is drip feeding her extracts from her Father's diary by post. Why can't she just send the whole diary to her wonders Imogen? Soon she begins to see a parallel in her own situation and that of her Father. 

Meanwhile in Madrid. Santi is a musician and actor and has a life surrounded by family and friends, so much going on for him. But, he needs to improve his English in order to get a part. So begins his friendship with Imogen who helps and corrects him over the internet and then later in real life.

The book flips between the two locations over many months, and is told from both Imogen's and Santi's perspective. The information on suicides and the people working at Beachy Head was very moving and not something I was expecting. It is dealt with sensitively and even with some humour too.

I really enjoyed  how the author used Spanish dialogue (even though I don't speak Spanish) and also the way all the dialogue was at times left unfinished, hanging in the air. Although I had to re read it sometimes, it was so true to life. People speaking over one another, a turned head and missed words.  

There is a lot more than this basic outline I've given happening within the book. Failed romances/marriages, teenage angst, misunderstandings - to name but a few. I rapidly read the pages as I really wanted to know how it was all going to end. Then I was in tears and then they were wiped away, only to lurk again. I can't say much more as the story needs to come as a surprise to you, as it did to me.

I loved this book so much and I know it is one that will stay with me.  I'm giving this book 5 out of  5 stars. My thanks to Love Book Tours for a copy of the book to review.

Author Bio

Cherry Radford was a piano teacher at the Royal Ballet Junior School, a keyboard player in a band, and then a research optometrist at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. She now lives in Eastbourne, UK and Almería, Spain. Her third novel, The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter, publishes April 2018.

WEBSITE: www.cherryradford.co.uk

BLA BLA LAND BLOG: https://cherryradforddotblog.wordpress.com

TWITTER: @CherryRad

Buy Link 

https://amzn.to/3oSH0Em

Meant To Be - Louisa Leaman

 

Description

After a spate of terrible boyfriends, Jess is sure she’s found her perfect man in dependable – but occasionally dull – Tim. But when her grandmother, tasks her with retrieving a family heirloom from a local auction she finds herself face to face with a charming stranger, Guy.

Guy has already bought her grandmother's precious necklace and whilst Jess desperately tries to buy it back from him, he somehow convinces her to go out on a date instead.

Ridiculous. But Guy has the necklace and Jess’s grandmother’s health is declining rapidly. Jess has no choice but to indulge Guy and go on a date with – if only to get the necklace back.

But when she and Guy hit it off on their date Jess’s dependable happily-ever-after is thrown off track…

Review

This is the second book by Louisa Leaman I've read and loved - the first was The Perfect Dress.

Louisa seems to be able to create a world I instantly want to fall headlong into and what's more contains all my own interests. In this book Jess is obsessed with jewellery and always notices what people are wearing and loves the jewellery section at the V&A, just like me! She's also fond of arts and crafts and William Morris and it was a joy to visit in the book a fictitious place called Pel Tawr (I had to google it, I was so hoping it was real!). In my minds eye I pictured Wightwick Manor which contains William Morris wallpapers as Louisa describes.

You can probably tell I adored this book for the above references alone. Jess is on the trail of a family heirloom and we meet her just as she has tracked it down and about to bid for it in an auction. When she literally bumps into Guy - sparks fly, but she is spoken for already with the lovely solid Tim. She's been hurt physically (in an accident) and had a few broken hearts in the past by going for the wrong type of man. But with Tim she's found the one - or has she?

We follow Jess through the book as she tries to reclaim the necklace whilst delving into her family history - taking her to LA and Hollywood, which was another really interesting part of the book. We also find out how Jess got injured and now that she uses a walking stick what her life has become for her.

Louisa manages to combine the romance we all love with a wonderful original and unique grounding in facts. This just brings her books alive for me. I flew through this book, not wanting it to end but equally wanting to escape to its pages. I can't wait for her next book, I was so sorry to leave this story behind. Maybe a sequel...

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Random Things Tours for the Book Blog invite and to netgalley for the ARC to review.

THE AUTHOR 

Louisa Leaman was born, raised and now lives near Epping Forest. She studied Art History at Leeds University before becoming a teacher working with children with special needs. After winning the Times Education Supplement’s New Writer’s Award, she turned her hand to writing books for children. Louisa currently writes content for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but has also been published in the Guardian, the Observer, the Independent and The Times Educational Supplement. Her interest in the arts is often inspiration for her plots and her first book, The Perfect Dress, was inspired by the V&As large wedding dress collection and fulfils her dream of writing romantic fiction. When she isn’t busy writing or rearing her three lively children, she paints portraits, takes long walks and spends far too long browsing vintage clothing shops. 

There's No Such Thing As An Easy Job - Kikuko Tsumura

 

Description

Convenience Store Woman meets My Year of Rest and Relaxation in this strange, compelling, darkly funny tale of one woman’s search for meaning in the modern workplace

A young woman walks into an employment agency and requests a job that has the following traits: it is close to her home, and it requires no reading, no writing – and ideally, very little thinking.

She is sent to a nondescript office building where she is tasked with watching the hidden-camera feed of an author suspected of storing contraband goods. But observing someone for hours on end can be so inconvenient and tiresome. How will she stay awake? When can she take delivery of her favourite brand of tea? And, perhaps more importantly – how did she find herself in this situation in the first place?

As she moves from job to job, writing bus adverts for shops that mysteriously disappear, and composing advice for rice cracker wrappers that generate thousands of devoted followers, it becomes increasingly apparent that she’s not searching for the easiest job at all, but something altogether more meaningful...

TRANSLATED FROM JAPANESE BY POLLY BARTON

Review

On the face of it this novel shouldn't be that interesting, the jobs in the book certainly aren't. Yet because it's been written about someone in Japan it's just fascinating!

I loved this book and am sorry to finish it. I'm not sure we ever learn the name of the lady in the book, but she wants "an easy job" not because she is lazy but because she has suffered from burnout in her previous career. 

Each of the jobs she gets are very tedious and yet she manages to excel at them and had me rivetted to the book in the process. The first job where she watched endless hours of surveillance on a man in his apartment, had me wondering like her - what was he doing? Would they find the right DVD case?

The next job writing for the adverts played on buses may seem to the Westerner pointless. But this is Japan and there is a quiet on a bus that we do not have in the Western world, so of course the adverts can be heard perfectly. Meanwhile she enters a kind of twilight zone with this job.

So it goes on, each job a little more intriguing, but will she find one she wants to stick at? I find myself describing these events like they really happened - the writing was so good (and the translation) that I forgot I was reading a work of fiction.  If you liked Convenience Store Woman then this is in the same vein. If you like you books to have no grey areas - no wondering "could that really happen" and firmly set in the real world, then it's not for you.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.