One Family Christmas - Bella Osborne (Blog Tour & Review)

Date of Reading: 19/10/2020

Author: Bella Osborne

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: October 15, 2020

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources)

About the book:

A big family. A whole lot of secrets. A Christmas to remember…

This year, Lottie is hosting one last big family Christmas at the home she grew up in – just like her Nana would have wanted.

But when her relatives descend on the old manor house, Lottie gets more than she bargained for. Every family has its secrets, but in this family, everybody has one!

So, between cooking a Christmas dinner, keeping tensions at bay and a stray dog out of mischief, she has plenty on her plate (and not just misshapen sausage rolls and a frozen turkey). And then her first love shows up – nine years after he walked out of her life.

Can Lottie make their last family Christmas one to remember… for the right reasons?

A festive treat to curl up with this Christmas, perfect for fans of Milly Johnson and Trisha Ashley.

Review:

        I am speechless! It is a known fact that miracle hands are needed to manage a festive family gathering, but to manage Collins family . . . we need something more. Talk about a crazy family, and adorable in their own ways too.

        To honour her grandmother's last wish, Lottie is hosting the last Christmas in the manor. Her career and love life is in shambles and she is going to be homeless soon, but she can handle one Christmas right? How naive she was!!! 

        On the one side, there are the pets, Duchess the cat and Dave the dog, turning everything topsy turvy (I was planning to buy a puppy for Christmas, now I am not so sure). Then the family secrets which decide this the perfect timing to come out of the closet; and yes, Lottie's old flame is back too. What is not to go wrong?

        Did I scare you enough? Aren't you curious how Lottie survive this messiness? Go ahead then. This hilarious, unforgettable family story will definitely bring back memories of bygone Christmases and anticipation for more.

Meet the author:

Bella has been jotting down stories as far back as she can remember but decided that 2013 would be the year that she finished a full-length novel. Since then she’s written six best selling romantic comedies and she’s been shortlisted three times for the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year Award. 

Bella's stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She lives in The Midlands, UK with her husband, daughter and a cat who thinks she’s a dog. When not writing Bella is usually eating custard creams and planning holidays.

For more about Bella, visit her website at www.bellaosborne.com or follow her on social media.

Social Media Links 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/osborne_bella

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/BellaOsborneAuthor/ 

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/bellaosborneauthor/

Let it Snow - Sue Moorcroft

Date of Reading: 05/12/2019

Author: Sue Moorcroft

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: September 26, 2019

Source: NetGalley 

Rating: 3/5

About the book:

This Christmas, the villagers of Middledip are off on a very Swiss adventure…

Family means everything to Lily and Zinnia Cortez and, growing up in their non-conventional family unit, they and their two mums couldn’t have been closer.

So it’s a bolt out of the blue when Lily finds her father wasn’t the anonymous one-night stand she’s always believed. She is, in fact, the result of her mum's reckless affair with a married man.

Confused, but determined to discover her true roots, Lily sets out to find the the family she’s never known – an adventure that takes her from the frosted, thatched cottages of Middledip to the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, via a Christmas market or two along the way… 

Review:

      This book left me confused for a bit. The narrative sounded more like a travelogue than a novel. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed the travelling part great deal than the story wrapped around it.'Let it Snow' stroked in me the fire to travel which had been dulled for some time now. Through Moorcroft's efficient writing Scotland with all its pristine beauty and festival traditions has come alive and I was rather tempted to book a ticket right away. Well, that is part of my bucket list now.
        Now to the story. Lily and Zinnia are part of a homosexual family unit and now Lily has found out the identity of her father with whom her mother had an affair only for getting pregnant. Yes, this sounds flat even to my ears and surely her partner is not that forgiving. But they have weathered this storm somehow and now Lily wants to meet the rest of her biological family including her two brothers. She takes a job as the serving staff in the pub operated by one of her half brothers, Tubb. But even after two years, she is not confident enough to reveal who she really is. And that is taking its toll on everyone.
      Zinnia, her sister, accuses her of not being happy with their family and regretfully I agree with her. What is the need to tarnish another man's memory by bringing up this affair now? Especially when he is thought to be a besotting father. However Lily argues her case, I partly blame her for the fractures inside her first family. And that has ruined the romance for me. I am no expert in the complexities of human emotions and therefore don't want to judge Lily's motives. Still, I can't help feeling let down. Does the author intend to convey the incompleteness of homosexual families?

Meet the author:
 

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author and has held the coveted #1 spot in the Amazon Kindle chart. She's also a bestseller in Germany. She writes women's contemporary fiction with sometimes unexpected themes.

Sue has won the Best Romantic Read Award, been nominated for a RoNA and is a Katie Fforde Bursary winner. She also writes short stories, serials, articles, columns, courses and writing 'how to'.

An army child, Sue was born in Germany then lived in Cyprus, Malta and the UK. She's worked in a bank, as a bookkeeper (probably a mistake), as a copy taker for Motor Cycle News and for a typesetter, but is pleased to have wriggled out of all 'proper jobs'.

Our Stop - Laura Jane Williams

 Date of Reading: 03/07/2019

Author: Laura Jane Williams

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: June 13, 2019

Source: NetGalley 

My Rating: 4/5

 

About the book:

 

What if you almost missed the love of your life?
Nadia gets the 7.30 train every morning without fail. Well, except if she oversleeps or wakes up at her friend Emma’s after too much wine.

Daniel really does get the 7.30 train every morning, which is easy because he hasn’t been able to sleep properly since his dad died.

One morning, Nadia’s eye catches sight of a post in the daily paper:

To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I’m the guy who’s always standing near the doors… Drink sometime?

So begins a not-quite-romance of near-misses, true love, and the power of the written word.

My Review:

       This is indeed 'Serendipity' reborn. I loved that movie and so was in no doubt got engrossed with this prettily written novel. With an exciting start (Nadia's first day of new beginnings), the story turns out to be unputdownable halfway through. I am not a regular fan of dual narration, but here I grudgingly admit that the technique was perfect.
        There are so many near misses to make you groan aloud in frustration and will also push you to see it to the end. And the meeting at last . . . ah! it was so worth it. The train guy was right in front of her the whole time. If that is not a lesson to get acquainted with our neighbours, I am not sure what is.  
     Altogether if you are looking for an easy to finish, exciting romance, just go for this blindly. Mind you, better start believing in destiny and true love because as the story of Nadia and Daniel teaches us, miracles do happen. 

Meet the author:

Laura Jane Williams is the author of cult non-fiction memoirs Ice Cream for Breakfast and Becoming, as well as rom-com Our Stop. Our Stop is a HELLO! Magazine summer book club pick and RED Magazine called it "a must read". She is currently working on her next novel - and Instagramming at @laurajaneauthor

A Perfect Cornish Summer - Phillipa Ashley

Date of Reading: 02/03/2019

Author: Phillipa Ashley

Publisher: Avon

Expected Publication Date: April 25, 2019

Source: NetGalley

My Rating: 5/5

About the book:

The first in a gorgeous new series from the author of Summer at the Cornish Cafe. 

Summer is on the horizon, and the people of Porthmellow are eagerly awaiting the annual food festival. At least, most of them are…

For Sam Lovell, organising the summer festival in her hometown is one of the highlights of her year. It’s not always smooth sailing, but she loves to see Porthmellow’s harbour packed with happy visitors, and being on the committee has provided a much-needed distraction from the drama in her family life (and the distinct lack of it in her love life).

When their star guest pulls out with only a few weeks to go, everyone’s delighted when a London chef who grew up locally steps in at the last minute. But Gabe Matthias is the last person Sam was expecting to see, and his return to Porthmellow will change her quiet coastal life forever.

Curl up with this gorgeous novel and savour the world of Porthmellow Harbour.

My Review:

         I got to know about Cornwall through many gorgeous novels set in this land surrounded by sea. But none of them had induced me to visit this place, probably because I am more drawn to historical places than coastal towns. Thanks to Phillipa Ashley, now I might have to add it to my bucket list. I have never seen a novel which has so effortlessly captured the spirit and life of Cornwall within a beautiful and mesmerizing story.
         There are so many things I loved about this book, starting from the elegant cover. Sam was in love with Gabe even from their school days, when he was not as good looking or famous as he is now. Their love life faced a set back when Gabe reported Sam's brother to the police. To be honest, I supported Gabe from the beginning but the way Sam behaved is quite understandable. And the way both of them moved on from their relationships and faced their break up is quite admirable too.
       But this is not only about Sam and Gabe coming together after years. There is also a subplot involving the new member of their community, Chloe. Behind her happy facade lies a heaviness and sorrow, for which the efficient community of Porthmellow offers the perfect cure.
     The author uses multiple narrative voices enhancing our understanding of the dilemma most of the characters undergo. 
     Altogether an impressive read that won't disappoint you a bit. . .

Meet the author:

Phillipa Ashley is an award-winning author of 17 novels under three pen-names. Her best selling new Cornish Cafe series is available in e-book and paperback now. The first in a brand new series - Christmas on the Little Cornish Isles: the Driftwood Inn was published on September 18th. She also writes the Oxford Blue series as Pippa Croft.