A Cinderella Christmas by Holly Kingston

 

 

Dancer Lucy is usually consigned to the chorus line whenever she works in the theatre, but this Christmas she has a bigger role in the pantomime. She isn't entirely happy with her costume but being in the pantomime means she gets to work with actual celebrities. Lucy has a massive crush on actor Ryan Aspall, who will be playing Prince Charming and Lucy can't help admiring reality star Charmaine, aka Cinderella. She isn't the most talented actress but she puts herself out there and wins the roles, unlike herself who is crippled with fear at the thought of being centre stage.

 

With the fairytale playing out on stage, will Lucy get her happily ever after too?

 

I'd been looking forward to reading A Cinderella Christmas as it sounded like such a fun, festive read (with a gorgeous cover too) and I wasn't disappointed. I was immediately drawn to the character of Lucy, who I thought was a fantastic character and very believable. She's fun and caring but also insecure and needs to stand up for herself, which only made me warm to her more. Lucy thinks Charmaine has taken her under her wing, but it seems Charmaine is taking advantage of her eagerness to please, particularly with her dog, the adorable-sounding Lenin.

 

I loved the feeling of being backstage at the pantomime, watching the story unfold during rehearsals and costume changes. Holly Kingston's writing is light and fun, with some proper laugh-out-loud moments, which makes perfect chick lit reading.

 



Last Christmas by Talli Roland

 

 

Last Christmas, Lucy was dumped by her long-term boyfriend, Robert. This year, she plans to abandon all the festivities and hole herself up in her studio flat with a bottle of cheap wine. But when she runs into Robert - and his fiancée - and he announces he is getting married on Christmas Day, Lucy finds herself telling a little white lie. She can't let Robert know she is spending the day alone, so tells him she is hosting a huge party.

 

Once Lucy's work colleague, Mimi finds out, she runs with the idea and Lucy finds herself planning a spectacular party. The party planning helps to take Lucy's mind off the disastrous last Christmas and she begins to wonder if she is finally ready to move on.

 

As a novella, Last Christmas is perfect for curling up with when you have a free evening. It's a quick read but it's jam-packed with fun and we quickly get to know the characters. I thought Lucy was a great character. Her confidence was obviously knocked when her relationship with Robert broke down and it has taken her a long time to pick herself up, but she finally begins to feel like her old self again once she throws herself into the planning of the party. I also loved Mimi. She doesn't mince her words but she is loyal and clearly cares about Lucy.

 

If you're looking for a quick but highly entertaining festive read, then Last Christmas is the book for you.

Posts of Christmas Past

I thought I'd have a wander down (Christmas) memory lane and link to my favourite festive posts since I started the blog *glides serenely down the lane. Then slips onto arse on the ice*

Short Stories:

Christmas Eve in New York
Christmas Spirit 

Christmas Songs and music:

Christmas Songs Quiz
Top Ten Christmas Songs
Top Ten Christmas Films 

Crafts & Baking:

The children and I are HUGE fans of Christmas crafts and baking. Click here to see what we made last year.

 

 

Click here to see all Christmas posts

Don't Tell The Groom by Anna Bell

I first posted this review at the beginning of the year but as it is now available in paperback, I thought I would repost it!

 

Penny has been planning her wedding for years. Even though she isn't engaged yet.  But when Mark does propose, Penny knows exactly what kind of wedding she wants and has the mood boards ready and waiting, along with the vast sum of money to fund her lavish Big Day. Penny and Mark have been squirrelling away money in a savings account and Penny has been secretly adding in extra cash whenever she wins a game of online bingo.

So with the funds and plans in place, Penny is thrilled when Mark finally proposes. But her euphoria shrivels away with one glance at their bank statement. Ten thousand pounds is missing and it turns out it is all Penny's fault. It seems her bingo wins weren't as frequent or plentiful as her losses and she's dwindled away their savings to five thousand pounds, meaning she must kiss her castle venue goodbye. But will there even be a wedding at all if Mark finds out about the lost money? Penny can't risk losing Mark so she comes up with a plan. Taking inspiration from the tv show Don't Tell The Bride, Penny will plan the whole wedding in secret and somehow bring it all together with their now much smaller budget.

Don't Tell The Groom manages to deal with gambling addiction in a fun and humorous way, much like Marian Keyes deals with drug addiction in Rachel's Holiday. I warmed to the character of Penny immediately and found her to be quirky and amusing. She had the potential to become a monstrous Bridezilla with out of control spending and increasingly extravagant plans and demands but her revised budget curbs such behaviour and Penny is forced to look at what is really important when it comes to weddings. I enjoyed the journey Penny goes on, both emotionally as she tackles her addiction and the ways in which she creates a beautiful wedding on a shoestring. I rooted for Penny the whole way, hoping she could pull off her scheme and have her new dream wedding and live happily ever after.

I thought Don't Tell The Groom was a brilliant, witty read. There are serious issues within the book but it is mainly fun with laugh out loud moments and it was an absolute joy to read.

Blog Tour: The Echoes of Love

Today I'm pleased to be taking part in the Echoes of Love blog tour. I asked the author Hannah Fielding what inspired her to write the book.

Inspiration for my writing

My sources of inspiration are wide ranging – so much so that sometimes bombardment of ideas can be a problem for me! I think when you are open to experiences and ideas, the muse is quick to latch on to that which stirs her.

For me, inspiration strikes in four key areas:

Past experiences

Both my novels published so far, Burning Embers and The Echoes of Love, have their roots in my childhood. For The Echoes of Love, it was a childhood visit to Venice that fired up my imagination. I was so taken by the beauty and grandeur of the sights; to a little girl, it was such a big, opulent place. But then I remember standing in the main square, quite literally surrounded by pigeons, which I hated, and realising that all was not beautiful in this city. The idea that Venice had two faces – one the mask, and the other the truth – struck me even at that early age, and it remained with me. The seed was sown for a story set in the city of love that explored a world of light and darkness, truth and deceit, reality and mirage.

Setting and ambiance

I am a person most inspired by places. Where I live – in the south of France and in Kent, England – is important in enabling me to write: I need open skies and azure seas and lush landscapes; nature feeds my creativity. So places themselves are most important in writing a book. In some ways, in Burning Embers and The Echoes of Love, the settings came first – I fell in love with the fiery wilds of Kenya and the historical splendour of Venice, and I wanted to bring these locations to life in my mind as the backdrop for my all-time favourite things: love stories.

People

I am a great ‘people watcher’; I think all novelists must be. When I am researching a book, I travel to the setting and ensconce myself in the thick of the action in a café. There, I sit quietly and work my way through a hot drink or three, and I take in the atmosphere. In my trusty notebook, which I never leave home without, I note down dialogue and events and descriptions that take my fancy. And especially details about people.

Sometimes, I find my characters simply through inspiration provided by people around me. For example, the hero in The Echoes of Love, Paolo, first came to mind when I met an Italian lawyer who was the epitome of a gentleman and most attractive but was, I suspected, somewhat haunted in himself. And my heroine in the novel, Venetia, is a mixture of ideas and experiences I’ve had (and a dash of myself; aren’t all good protagonists?), but visually when I picture her I see a beautiful lady I spotted in a Venice street one day – elegant, confident, the kind of person you can’t help but notice.

Culture

For any book I’m writing, research is key. I always research my books thoroughly to make sure the facts are right, and in fact I very much enjoy this stage of the writing process. I spend several months immersing myself in books and films and internet research, and where possible I also travel to the location, where I dig around and take plenty of photos.

Italy has such a rich cultural heritage, it was a true pleasure to research the key locations in the novel – Venice and Tuscany. There is so much to discover: art, architecture, theatre, dance, literature, events, customs, legends; and, of course, cuisine – delicious! Knowing about every facet of a culture helps me to form the setting of a film in my mind where I can place my characters, reassured that their experience will be genuine and that my story will come from the heart. 


The Echoes of Love is out now. You can see a trailer for the book here

Festive Guest Post: Donna Trinder

 5* Review: Wish Upon a Star – Trisha Ashley

Cally Weston, food writer and columnist finds out she’s pregnant just after her fiancé Adam Scott walks out on her to do a long stint in the Antarctic as a marine biologist and with someone else to keep him warm. Cally tells Adam that she’s expecting his baby but he makes it quite clear that if she goes ahead with the pregnancy she will have to do it alone.

She resigns herself to this and adapts her life appropriately – until her baby is born with a life threatening heart defect. Cally struggles through operations and regular hospital visits with baby, Stella, who has always been very sick and prone to illness, but doctors say there is no more they can do to help her, apart from palliative care. As any parent Cally is determined to find something to help her toddler and contacts a doctor in the US who is willing to try some experimental surgery on her.

Cally thinks long and hard but decides that realistically it is Stella’s only hope, however she has no idea how she will fund it even with the surgeon kindly offering his services for free.

She sells their London home which and moves to her eccentric mother’s cottage in the Lancashire village of Sticklepond where she hopes to raise the shortfall left from the proceeds of their home.

The community soon embrace her and Stella as their own and the fundraising group “Stella’s Stars” is formed.

She finds an instant connection when she meets patissiere, Jago Tremayne and soon finds herself falling in love, but with Stella’s life hanging in the balance she knows she cannot commit, and certain dark shadows from both of their pasts seem hellbent on stirring trouble.

Ashley has captured true magic in Wish Upon a Star, the gentle romance and fierce mother’s love; along with the wonderful community spirit echoes the beautiful meaning of Christmas.

I loved watching Jago and Cally build such a close bond, and of course share a knowledgeable passion of cake! The recipes that Cally mentions and features in her column gave me lots of baking inspiration myself!

The characters are all wonderful and well thought out, and the subplots all give the story an extra sparkle, I especially loved the rebuild of Miss. Honey’s shop and her quick witted character itself.

All in all a really fabulous read!



Ruth's Christmas Playlist

Ruth Lynch from A Beginner's Guide to Christmas and the upcoming A Beginner's Guide to Salad is a massive fan of cheesy pop and girl and boy bands so I decided to put together a festive playlist that she would love.

Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens

Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes

Baby, It's Cold Outside - Glee Cast

Last Christmas - Wham!

Jingle Bells, feat.The Puppini Sisters - Michael Buble

Step Into Christmas - Elton John

Christmas Is All Around - Bill Nighy

Stay Another Day - East 17

Never Had A Dream Come True - S Club 7

Santa Baby - Kylie Minogue

 

 

  

A Beginner's Guide to Christmas is available to download for free at smashwords, Barnes & Noble and iTunes and you can also add it to your Goodreads.

 

Click here for more information about A Beginner's Guide to Christmas and A Beginner's Guide to Salad