Sunday 25 November 2018

Callie's Christmas Wish by Jessica Redland


Callie's Christmas Wish by Jessica Redland
Published: 25th October 2018
Publisher: Little Bear Books
Pages: 210
Available on Kindle
Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Christmas is approaching and love is in the air at Bay View Care Home. Supervising carer, Callie Derbyshire, is blissfully happy with new boyfriend, Rhys. The tree’s up, the lights are twinkling, and, with the Christmas Eve wedding of one of the residents, Iris, to look forward to, everything is perfect.
Well, almost.
Rhys’s ex has him at her beck and call, yet refuses to let Callie meet their baby daughter. Callie’s ex is intent on stirring up trouble. And Callie’s favourite resident, Rhys’s nanna, Ruby, hasn’t been her usual self since Iris announced her engagement.
Convinced that Ruby’s lonely, especially after discovering the truth about her lost love, Callie’s determined to give Ruby’s romantic story the happy ending it deserves. Ruby might be adamant that the past should be left in the past. But, when it comes to true love, surely a little well-meaning meddling and a Christmas wish or two can’t do any harm. After all, it’s never to late to let love in again. Or is it?
A heart-warming Christmas story of finding new love, and the courage to revisit a love that was lost long ago.

Review
Callie’s Christmas Wish is the first book by Jessica Redland that I’ve read and I loved every page of it, if your looking for a heart-warming romantic tale with a little Christmas cheer then this is the book for you. It follows on from Jessica Redland’s novella Raving About Rhys but I think you’ll still love this book just as I have if you haven’t read it.
Callie Derbyshire is all set to have a magical first Christmas with her new boyfriend Rhys, there’s just one or two problems which might get in the way first. The major one threatening to spoil Callie’s Christmas is Rhys’s ex-girlfriend Tiffany who’s determined to keep Rhys at her beck and call helping her with baby Meagan, who she insists Callie cannot meet. Callie’s own ex-boyfriends Tony is also out to cause trouble; but Callie’s biggest problem is how lonely Ruby seems. Ruby is Rhys’s grandma and she lives in the Bay View Home where Callie works, with her best friend Iris planning to marry Ruby’s looking at a future alone and warm-hearted Callie wants nothing more for Christmas than to see Ruby happy.
Callie is such a warm-hearted and loving character and all she wants is for everyone around her to be happy, so she decides to take matters into her own hands and do a little festive match-making. I warmed to Callie instantly as she’s just lovely, she sees the best in everyone and longs for everyone to get along happily. She’s even nice to those people who have wronged her in the past such as old friend Maria, but sometimes even the nicest people snap and when Callie does its quite brutal but made for gripping reading.
Ruby was one of my favourite characters, she was such a lovely old lady and despite there being a sadness about her it was obvious that she adored Rhys and was very proud of him. I longed for her to get her happy ever after, like her friend Iris as she seemed a lady who hadn’t had much love in her life.
This book is full of drama and twists which made it such an enjoyable read for me, I loved the mystery of Ruby’s past and wondering how everything would come together after it turns into a big mess for Callie.
This is one of those stories which I could have just read forever as I just adored the characters and the storyline. I’m really glad Jessica Redland has another book out this Christmas as I’m eager for more of her wonderful story-telling.
Thank you so much to the publishers and Jessica Redland for sending me a copy to review honestly and to Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the blog tour.

About the Author


Jessica had never considered writing as a career until a former manager kept telling her that her business reports read more like stories and she should write a book. She loved writing but had no plot ideas. Then something happened to her that prompted the premise for her debut novel, Searching for Steven. She put fingers to keyboard and soon realised she had a trilogy and a novella.
She lives on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast — the inspiration for the settings in her books — with her husband, daughter, cat, Sprocker Spaniel, and an ever-growing collection of collectible teddy bears. Although if the dog has her way, the collection will be reduced to a pile of stuffing and chewed limbs!
Her passion for North Yorkshire is shared by fellow-writer and great friend, Sharon Booth and, together, they are the Yorkshire Rose Writers.
Jessica tries to balance her time — often unsuccessfully — between being an HR tutor, trying to re-learn how to play the piano, studying towards a Masters in Creative Writing, and writing itself. Who needs sleep?
Social Media Links –
Twitter:                               @JessicaRedland
Facebook:                          https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRedlandWriter/
Website and blog:           www.jessicaredland.com

Purchase Link


Thursday 22 November 2018

Blog Tour Review: A Little Christmas Charm by Kathryn Freeman


A Little Christmas Charm by Kathryn Freeman
Published: 16th October 2018
Publisher: Choc Lit UK
Pages: 267
Available on Kindle
Rating: 4/5

Blurb


Would you swap sea and sunshine for tinsel and turkey?
Gabby Sanderson is used to being let down – even at Christmas. Which is why she’s happy to skip the festive season completely in favour of a plane ticket and sunnier climes.

But this Christmas could be different, because this time she might not be spending it alone. Can Owen Cooper charm Gabby into loving Christmas in the same way he’s charmed his way into her life, or is he just another person who’ll end up disappointing her?

Review


Gabby Sanderson has been used to spending Christmas alone, preferring to jet off somewhere exotic rather than drown herself in tinsel and turkey. So when she starts an office romance with Sales Director Owen Cooper it looks like Gabby is about to share her Christmas holiday with someone else. As the big day approaches more and more obstacles appear preventing Own from joining Gabby on the beach. But has he charmed her enough for her to consider spending Christmas with him, his elderly father and his wannabe daughter Zoe and have the full on Christmas experience or will she board that plane alone again.

This is the second book I’ve read by Kathryn Freeman and it was a joy to be back immersed in one of her stories. Gabby and Owen’s romance is full of chemistry despite Gabby’s reluctance to completely open herself up to her feelings. This additional storylines in this book gave it much greater depth than just a romance. These characters all felt very real to me and I love how Kathryn Freeman has portrayed the vulnerabilities of both Gabby and Owen perfectly.  Their concerns about elderly parents and trying not to disappoint young Zoe, while finding time for their own fun are issues facing most of us at Christmas time and it was good to read about the realistic solutions they came up with.

I loved the addition of young Zoe who really added to the Christmas feel of this book and her interactions with Owen’s father were lovely to read about. Introducing Faith for A Little Christmas Faith was a great idea too as I now have this book on my Christmas reading wish-list.

This is a lovely Christmas romance which had me completely absorbed from the start with lovely characters and plenty of fun moments making it the perfect read for this time of year.

Thank you so much to Choc Lit for sending me a copy to review and Rachel’s Random Resources for organising this blog tour.
About the Author




A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.
With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.
Social Media Links –

Giveaway

Win a paperback copy of A Little Christmas Faith by Kathryn Freeman (Open Internationally)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Sunday 11 November 2018

Blog Tour Review: Who I Am by Sarah Simpson



Who I Am by Sarah Simpson
Published: 6th November 2018
Publisher: Aria
Pages: 494
Available on Kindle
Rating: 3/5

Blurb
I know everything about you

And you know everything about me… except

WHO I AM.

Andi met Camilla at university. Instantly best friends, they shared everything together. Until their long-planned graduation celebration ends in tragedy…

Years later, Andi is living a seemingly perfect life on the rugged Cornish Coast with her loving husband, happy children and dream home. Yet Andi is haunted by a secret she thought only she knew. Someone out there is bringing Andi’s deepest fears to life. And she knows there’s no escaping the past that has come back to haunt her…

You trusted me with your secrets, you told me everything, you thought I was your best friend... but you have no idea WHO I AM.

 Gripping, unputdownable and packed with twists and turns from the first page to the very last, this stunning psychological thriller will make you question whether we can ever really trust the ones we love. 

Review
Sarah Simpson is back with another twisty addictive thriller with Who I Am. Andi meets Camilla while studying in Edinburgh, the two form a close bond and are soon best friends until one fateful night after graduation where there is a tragic accident and their lives are changed forever. Years later and Andi’s living the dream life in Cornwall with husband Kyle and her two children but suddenly things are starting to happen which remind Andi of her past. Is Andi just imagining it or is there someone else who knows what really happened that night.
To begin with I was gripped by this character driven novel as we learn about the beginnings of Andi’s relationship with Camilla. I loved how we kept learning little details which helped me to try and build a picture of what happened on that fateful night. I did find though that I seemed to be getting too much information, things that happened when the girls were at university were brought back into the present day and left me more than a little confused.
Andi and Camilla were not character’s I particularly liked, both were very self-absorbed and didn’t seem to care about the feelings of others and when they did there always seem to be a hidden agenda. I did find them fascinating to read about though, especially Andi as she becomes haunted by her past. I loved the addition of Eve from Ms Simpson’s previous novel Her Greatest Mistake and it was good to find out how she was getting on.
This is a novel with a lot going on in it, there are three main narrative voices Andi, Camilla and a mysterious and quite vengeful sounding third and the storyline swaps between Edinburgh and Cornwall from 1999 to 2017. This made for a very detailed storyline and with characters who weren’t always honest it was hard to know what was the truth and what were lies.
If you like complicated plots with many layers you will love this novel, it has interesting characters and a complex plot exploring the truth and how well can we really know anyone. I enjoyed most of this novel but  I was left a little disappointed as I guessed a couple of the twists early on and the final ending for me was a bit lack-lustre after all the build-up.

About the Author


Sarah Simpson has a first-class honours degree in Psychology and has experienced working at a Brain Rehabilitation Hospital. She has spent time as a family consultant for Warwickshire and Oxfordshire solicitors and gained knowledge of the Family Court System. She now lives in Cornwall with her husband, three children and animals.

Follow Sarah
Twitter handle: @sarahrsimpson
Facebook: @sarahsimpsoncornwall

Buy links

Follow Aria
Twitter: @aria_fiction
Facebook: @ariafiction
Instagram: @ariafiction