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Showing posts from September, 2021

Review: A Cosy Christmas at Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery

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A Cosy Christmas at Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery by Alex Brown My rating: 4 of 5 stars I haven’t read the previous books in the Carrington’s series, but Alex Brown is a favourite author, so I decided to read this one, and go back and catch up on Carrington’s later. I loved the seaside location of Mulberry-On-Sea, and the beach house. I really liked the sense of community, and the friendships (old and new) that Bridget starts building. The whole book feels lovely and Christmassy too. I really enjoyed the story, it felt like Bridget, and her children, were finding their feet again. I liked that there were lots of dogs, and the Bicycle Bakery concept was great. I also enjoyed the beginnings of a romance. It was necessarily quite tentative, but lovely nonetheless. You definitely don’t need to have read the previous Carrington’s books to enjoy this one. Though complete in itself, this feels like the first volume of a longer story, so I hope that we’ll ge

Review: One More Christmas at the Castle

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One More Christmas at the Castle by Trisha Ashley My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love all Trisha Ashley books, and especially her Christmas stories. This one certainly didn’t disappoint! I loved the setting for this book - Mitras Castle is lovely, and the gardens and grounds sound delightful. The atmosphere of the whole story is very Christmassy, and wintery. Perfect to curl up with when the weather is unpleasant outside! I also loved the characters, particularly Dido and Henry. I loved the way they teased each other and their fun sense of humour. In fact, there’s gentle humour throughout the book. I really enjoyed the way that Nancy and Sabine interacted, it brought a whole new aspect to Sabine, making me like her a lot more. There’s a lovely romance or two going on, as well, and a cute dog. What more could anyone ask for? Overall, this was a relaxing and Christmassy read, with plenty of romance and humour too. There’s nothing to beat a Trisha Ashley Chr

Review: The Post Box at the North Pole

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The Post Box at the North Pole by Jaimie Admans My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love Jaimie Admans books, and I love Christmas books, so this was an obvious choice for me. I really loved this story so much. The characters are really great, and have all been through hard times. I love Tav and Sasha, and especially I loved gradually getting to know Tav. The setting is just perfect, with the northern lights, and the North Pole Forest. It makes for a really Christmassy atmosphere, with a good sprinkle of magic. There are even reindeer. The story itself is lovely, and full of Christmas excitement. The ending is so romantic, and heartwarming, and just so perfect. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a Christmas romance. It wraps you up in a warm, Christmassy hug. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own. View all my reviews

Review: The Cosy Cottage in Ireland

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The Cosy Cottage in Ireland by Julie Caplin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve enjoyed many of Julie Caplin’s previous books, so it was an obvious choice to pick up The Cosy Cottage in Ireland. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was full of gentle humour, and relaxing to read. I liked Hannah, she was a very relatable and lovable character. Conor was not so likeable, he had the tendency to assume the worst and not let them explain, as well as being rather too pleased with himself. However, he grew on me as the book went on. The ending was excellent, funny, and it finished things off perfectly. Overall, this was a fun and romantic escape. I enjoyed it. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own. View all my reviews

Review: Matchmaking at Port Willow

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Matchmaking at Port Willow by Kiley Dunbar My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed Summer at the Highland Coral Beach, so I was really pleased to receive a copy of Matchmaking at Port Willow, which is the sequel. It was so wonderful to return to Port Willow, and to see how all the lovely characters are getting on. I particularly enjoyed catching up with Beatrice, after going through such an emotional journey with her in the first book. That journey continues in this story, in a satisfying way (I can’t really say much more without spoilers). As well as catching up with old friends, this book also follows several new characters. The characters are all well written (as is the whole book), and I especially loved Nina’s story. The setting is lovely (again). The Princess and the Pea Inn is continuing it’s renovation, and the surrounding area creates a great atmosphere. Overall, this was an emotional, but rewarding story, following old and new characters.

Review: Murder at the Wedding

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Murder at the Wedding by Helena Dixon My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Miss Underhay mystery series has been a favourite ever since I discovered it, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Murder at the Wedding. I honestly enjoyed this book so much. I love Kitty and Matt, they are both great characters. I love their slowly developing relationship, and the fact that it’s progressing over the course of so many wonderful stories. It’s so much more rewarding than a whirlwind romance. Murder at the Wedding takes place at Thurscomb Castle, where friends and family are gathered for Kitty’s cousin Lucy’s wedding. The setting is atmospheric and a great place for a murder mystery. It was fun to spend more time with Lucy, who is another character that I really like. The mystery was a good one, it kept me guessing until the end. With so many people who were suspicious, or not very likeable, for one reason or another, there was a excellent pool of suspects. And what an

Review: Mistletoe at Moonstone Lake

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Mistletoe at Moonstone Lake by Holly Martin My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have been a big fan of Holly Martin’s for many years, so it’s always a delight to start a brand new story. I just love the safe, warm, and happy feeling I have when reading a Holly Martin book. So I had high expectations for Mistletoe at Moonstone Lake, and I was not disappointed! I love the Jewel Island, reading another book set here is like returning to a happy and comfortable home. The community is welcoming, and the scenery spectacular (this time we discover Moonstone Lake). The Christmas market and the snow make the atmosphere wonderfully festive. The characters, as always, are great. I loved Kit and Zoey, and the way they initially met was certainly entertaining. They are both lovely people, and I really enjoyed the process of them getting to know each other. The other characters were great too. The plot was delightful, I can’t really say much without spoilers, but we get a l

Review: Danger at Dead Man's Pass

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Danger at Dead Man's Pass by M.G. Leonard My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Adventures on Trains series has been one of my favourite discoveries of the last few years, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Danger at Dead Man’s Pass. This time, Nat and Hal are off through Europe to Berlin, to investigate on behalf of an old friend of Nat’s. This adventure seems a little more serious to Hal, and it doesn’t help that Uncle Nat is behaving oddly too! I read this book in less than 24 hours, I enjoyed it so much. I love getting swept up in these stories. I had high expectations, and I was not disappointed! M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman have exceeded their very high standards with this one. The setting of Schloss Kratzenstein was very atmospheric and spooky. It was wonderful to join Hal and Uncle Nat on another journey, and make friends with another group of children. It felt like Hal grew up a little, working more on his own. Overall, this was a really fun

Review: Christmas at Fox Farm

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Christmas at Fox Farm by Helen Pollard My rating: 4 of 5 stars With such a delightful title and cover, I had to give Christmas at Fox Farm a go. I love Christmas books, and I really enjoyed this one. Fox Farm was a wonderful setting, it felt like home, and the surrounding countryside of Yorkshire worked really well too. The snow made the book feel really Christmassy. The characters were great. I really liked Jean and Daisy especially. I thought Daisy and Alex’s relationship was well portrayed, under so much stress it’s not surprising they had some difficulties! I found the story slightly more stressful than what I’d choose - all the family drama (down to Sebastian completely) was a bit much for me. However, it worked well in the context of the rest of the plot, and I know most readers like more drama than me! The story starts in the late autumn and goes all the way through to Christmas. It has lots of Christmas atmosphere and, of course, a happy endi

Review: The Christmas Wedding Guest: A perfect festive and heartwarming romance for 2021

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The Christmas Wedding Guest: A perfect festive and heartwarming romance for 2021 by Susan Mallery My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve read (and enjoyed) a couple of books by Susan Mallory before, so when I saw The Christmas Wedding Guest, I had to give it a go. I really enjoyed this book. The thing I loved most was the relationship between Dena and Reggie. They love and support each other through everything, and appreciate their differences. They are both strong, brave women who go for what they want. I loved them both. The other characters are all well realised too, and I liked both the male leads. Toby especially, he’s been through a lot of difficulties, but he’s all about looking after his son. The setting of Wishing Tree was great, so festive and Christmassy. I loved all the traditions, and the B&B. Overall, this was a festive, Christmassy tale of romance and friendship. I definitely recommend it. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions ar

Review: On a Night Like This

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On a Night Like This by Lindsey Kelk My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve been reading Lindsey Kelk’s books for many years now, so I was pleased to receive an ARC of On A Night Like This. As always, Lindsey Kelk’s writing flowed well, and was so easy to read. The plot was interesting, and exciting enough to keep me turning the pages. It took a few turns that I wasn’t quite sure expecting (although I don’t know what I was expecting!). I enjoyed the Crystal Ball, it was ridiculous and some of the scenes that took place there kind of romantic too. And the ending was excellent. The characters were varied, and all the main characters were well realised, with their own stories. I liked Fran, though I found it hard to understand why she’d stayed in an unhappy relationship for so many years. I guess she just got stuck. I thought the progression was great too, especially for Fran. In some ways, the book was more about her personal development than a romance, though t