#Review! Miracle On 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan (@SarahMorgan_) @HQStories

Blurb.

Hopeless romantic Eva Jordan loves everything about Christmas. Even if she is spending it alone housesitting a spectacular Fifth Avenue apartment. What she didn’t expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous–and mysterious–owner.

Bestselling crime writer Lucas Blade is having the nightmare before Christmas. With a deadline and the anniversary of his wife’s death looming, he’s isolated himself in his penthouse with only his grief for company. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva snowbound in his apartment, Lucas starts to open up to the magic she brings…This Christmas, is Lucas finally ready to trust that happily-ever-afters do exist?

What does TWG think?

One thing that always makes me think of Christmas is the film ‘Miracle on 34th Street’, so when I saw that Sarah’s latest novel consisted of a title in the same vein, I couldn’t resist nabbing it to read. Plus, I ADORE Sarah’s books anyway so it was really a win-win situation before I had even begun.

Meet Eva, a Christmasaholic who loves nothing better than being amongst the festivities and ensuring everyone else is amongst them too, whether they like the season or not. Unfortunately for her, the owner of Eva’s latest job happens to be a tough cracker to pull and celebrating Christmas isn’t at the top of his to-do list. Will Eva be able to turn a 21st century Scrooge into a Christmas Elf, or will she have to admit defeat and realise not everybody wants to sing ‘Santa Baby’? It would be a miracle..

Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book!! Everything from the setting of the book to the decorations on the Christmas trees were written with incredible detail and filled with so much magic I started to think it was Christmas. I think Eva’s Christmas naivety put the book on another level because she oozed sass alongside it. In a few of the Christmas books I have read, I sometimes find that a few of the characters can be rather slushy. However, Eva was completely different. Yes, she had naivety when it came to Christmas and the assumption that everyone else should love it like she does, but my goodness that woman sure knows how to give as good as she gets. Such a firecracker! Eva has got to be one of my top favourite characters within a book, ever. Such a fantastic character to read about and get to know.

I did find some parts of the storyline to have the predictability factor but that didn’t bother me in the slightest as it still made for excellent reading despite that. Everything about ‘Miracle On 5th Avenue’ shouted Christmas as the storyline was very atmospheric and magical. I actually am starting to think that Sarah Morgan managed to put me under a spell with her words!

I must admit, I did get ever so slightly teary in the last half of the book when the storyline went in a different direction as, even though I had a strong inkling about the route the storyline was taking, I was still overcome with emotion.

Sarah Morgan has an incredible way with words and fills her stories with so much emotion, magic and enjoyment; how can you not feel on top of the world once you have finished one of her books? Miracle On 5th Avenue was such a joy to read and I felt slightly empty once I had finished reading it!

Such a magical and cosy read that will have you spellbound from the very first page. A definite must have and must read for this Christmas. Magnificent book!

Thank you HQ Stories!

Miracle On 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan, published by HQStories is available to buy now in both e-book and paperback from Amazon UK.

Blog Tour! ‘A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love’ by Linn B Halton (@LinnBHalton) @BrookCottagebks

Today it is my stop on the blog tour for Linn.B.Halton’s ‘ A Lot of Sugar, A Lot of Love’! There is also a giveaway at the end of the post, just incase you fancy your luck!

Blurb.

Life isn’t all love and cupcakes …

Katie has had her fair share of bad luck, but when she finally realises her dream of opening a bakery it seems things can only get better. But the reality of running a business hits Katie hard and whilst her partner, Steve, tries to help she begins to sense that the situation is driving them further apart. Could Katie be set to lose her relationship and her dream job?

Then, one winter’s day, a man walks into her shop – and, in the space of that moment, the course of Katie’s life is changed. But nobody finds happiness in the blink of an eye. Sometimes it takes two Christmases, three birthdays and a whole lot of cake to get there …

Previously released as Sweet Occasions by the author. Revised and edited by Choc Lit December 2015.

What does TWG think?

Absolutely thrilled to be part of this blog tour, courtesy of Brook Cottage Books! I was rather intrigued by the cover of this book as it didn’t give a lot away and the title itself made me want to find out more.

‘A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love’ is set in a bakery; a bakery that is being run from the heart and not by the amount of money that goes into the till daily. Katie adores her bakery, but as her partner is a businessman, all he sees are figures, overheads and a business that lacks yeast and not rising as much as he wants it to. Unfortunately, it turns out that Katie may be being swayed into her partners way of thinking as she’s too afraid to say ‘no’. It’s funny what guilt can do isn’t it?

I must admit, I found Katie and Steve’s relationship quite an absurd one at first as I could tell something wasn’t sitting quite right, I just didn’t know what. The further into the storyline that I got, the much clearer that things became, but I still couldn’t work out what Steve’s motives were. If he had any that is!

I absolutely adored how the authors wonderful writing managed to embrace the warmth and heart of the bakery, just by the description used. I could smell the baking, I could see the wonderful cakes that were being decorated, and I could feel the heart and soul that oozed from the bakery walls. I am in awe at how Linn managed to create that feeling within her book. Absolutely outstanding.

There was a rather poignant part of the storyline which made me overcome with emotion. Obviously I can’t say too much about that part as I don’t want to give anything away, but wow, completely and utterly unexpected. It opened my eyes to many, many things; especially the powerful force behind true love itself.

As this was the first book of Linn.B.Halton’s that I have ever read, I reserved judgement as I had no idea what to expect or where the authors words would take me. It did not disappoint at all as it is a book that has stayed in my head since I finished reading it. If this book was a cake, it would be the most beautiful, multiple layered, complex and outstanding cake ever to be made. Never mind a little sugar; Linn’s book gave me a lot of sugar and a lot of love. Brilliant.

Thank you Brook Cottage Books!

A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love by Linn.B.Halton, published by Choc Lit, is available to buy now from:

Amazon UK E-Book
Amazon UK Paperback
Amazon US E-Book
Amazon US Paperback

GIVEAWAY! If you are feeling a little bit lucky, you can enter the giveaway here. Good luck!

About the author.

“I’m a hopeless romantic, self-confessed chocaholic, and lover of coffee. For me, life is about family, friends, and writing. Oh, and the occasional glass of White Grenache…”

An Amazon UK Top 100 best-selling author with A Cottage in the Country in November 2015, Linn’s novels have been short-listed in the UK’s Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards. Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award. Linn writes chick lit, women’s contemporary fiction and psychic romance for Choc Lit, Harper Impulse and Endeavour Press.

Website/blog: http://linnbhalton.co.uk/

Twitter: @LinnBHalton FB: Linn B Halton Author

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/LittleSugarLotOfLove

Review – ‘A Cornish Christmas’ by Lily Graham (@lilywritesbooks) @bookouture.

Blurb.

Nestled in the Cornish village of Cloudsea, sits Sea Cottage – the perfect place for some Christmas magic …

At last Ivy is looking forward to Christmas. She and her husband Stuart have moved to their perfect little cottage by the sea – a haven alongside the rugged cliffs that look out to the Atlantic Ocean. She’s pregnant with their much-longed for first baby and for the first time, since the death of her beloved mother, Ivy feels like things are going to be alright.

But there is trouble ahead. It soon emerges that Stuart has been keeping secrets from Ivy, and suddenly she misses her mum more than ever.
When Ivy stumbles across a letter from her mother hidden in an old writing desk, secrets from the past come hurtling into the present. But could her mother’s words help Ivy in her time of need? Ivy is about to discover that the future is full of unexpected surprises and Christmas at Sea Cottage promises to be one to remember. 

What does TWG think?

Having fallen in love with Lily’s previous book; The Summer Escape, I had extremely high hopes for ‘A Cornish Christmas’. I just couldn’t wait to see where it was going to take my imagination. When the story begins, it feels as though you’re walking into a story half way through, there is no gradual build up to each character or their lives as they’re right there, waiting for you to find out more about them. What a way to start a book, it pulled me in straight away and the book didn’t leave my hands until I had finished it. I just couldn’t put it down, something special had me hooked, but at that moment, I couldn’t quite place what it was.

‘A Cornish Christmas’ follows the lives of Ivy (a children’s book illustrator) and Stuart (mr jam man). After jumping many, many hurdles, Ivy is finally pregnant. The thing is, when you’re pregnant, the only person you really want…is your mum. Ivy’s mum passed away a few years prior, and she is now getting round to looking through her mum’s old desk. Ivy stumbles across a little something that unearths a lot of questions, some that may be left unanswered.

At first when I met Ivy and Stuart, I thought that their life would be straight forward. After all, their relationship is cosy, I didn’t want to think that the storyline would go any other way except happiness! Such wonderfully written characters. Further into the story, a little Christmas magic begins to happen, and oh my goodness me!!! I could not fathom exactly what was happening. I was in shock, my arms were covered in goose bumps, and I had to work out how to prop my kindle up as one hand was covering my mouth. Beautiful, just…beautiful. Whether you believe in a bit of magic or not, I don’t think it matters as the way Lily wrote the Christmas magic into the storyline, will have anyone and everyone believing it. I did.

Unfortunately, there is one character that made me think ‘oh mistletoe!!’, quite a few times in my head. There is nothing worse than an interfering person, but, after a few stern words with Rudolph, I had to grit my teeth and just go with the snow…sorry…flow. Ahem.

The Christmas magic situation does pop up multiple times with the storyline and as the book went on, the more powerful the magic became. I’m sure you know where I am going with this now, yes? Yes, I sobbed my heart out; not in a devastatingly sad way, but in a ‘that melted all the ice around my heart’ type of way. The emotion that poured from the book was unbelievable, so much feeling and heartache in so few words, yet the story became an intense and powerful work of art.

When it comes to Christmas, everyone associates it with magic and cosiness. ‘A Cornish Christmas’ is both of those. Not only does the book contain heartache, tragedy and jam, it oozes love, warmth and magic. I cannot fault Lily’s novel at all, the whole thing from start to finish was absolutely magnificent. I knew that Lily was a fantastic author, but after reading this, wow, I am in awe.
Inspiring, emotional and completely magical; if I could have ‘A Cornish Christmas’ under my Christmas this year, I will be one very happy lady. Another fantastic book from Lily Graham, ‘A Cornish Christmas’ is one of my favourite books of all time. Just, wow.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley – I received a complimentary copy in return for my honest opinion.

‘A Cornish Christmas’ by Lily Graham, published by Bookouture, is available to buy 30th September from Amazon UK