Blurb.
When all-round buttercream princess, Millie Carter, becomes stranded at Craiglea Manor Cookery School, she believes her chance of enjoying a merry festive season is over.
The village of Aisford is Christmas-card perfect, but Millie hates it – she hates the snow, her freezing fingertips, and being forced to look like her Aunt Marjory in a mud-splattered wax jacket and wellies instead of her beloved shorts and sparkly sandals.
She plots her escape but ends up locking spatulas with the estate manager, Fergus McKenzie, who is forced to rescue her before she succumbs to a severe dose of hypothermia. Things start to improve with the arrival of handsome Sam Morgan, fresh from the beaches and rum shacks of the Caribbean.
Can Millie accept her fate? And will Aisford sprinkle some of its seasonal magic on her troubles?
Snowflakes and Christmas Cakes is a festive story of love and friendship and reaching for the buttercream icing and edible glitter when life gets tough.
What does TWG think?
My first impression of the book was ‘guilty pleasure’ as the cover is bold, breezy and rather cute! Plus there is cake, although that is not guilty…it’s just a pleasure! For me, the book felt like a three-tiered cake as the first tier was the general getting to know the characters and setting the scene. The second tier gave me several moments of confusion mixed in with ‘omg’ moments, and then back to feeling confused as things weren’t quite adding up. Finally, the third tier, a part of the book that I shall call the ‘unexpected tier’. I went from being wrapped up in my guilty pleasure vessel, eating cake and stroking the snow to being hit with a curveball in the storyline! Luckily, the curveball was soft so it didn’t hurt, but oh my goodness I wasn’t expecting it at all.
The third tier of the book completely changed my opinion of the storyline due to the unexpected turn of events, especially when there didn’t seem to be much information beforehand to hint about what was coming next. The characters in the book seemed to wander along nicely in their own little worlds, some missing a bit of oomph in their personalities, but nice all the same. That said, I think there is an awfully lot more to Millie yet to uncover, she seemed a very guarded soul in Snowflakes and Christmas Cakes, so I am quite looking forward to learning more about her.
TWG’s verdict? Even though I found the first two-thirds of the storyline to be a bit of a slow riser yet still quite enjoyable, the last third of the book packed a lot of punch and left me wanting more. A very witty and clever storyline that is full of snow, surprises and A LOT of sweet treats. Lindsey Paley has gone from being my guilty pleasure in a sweet way, to being my guilty pleasure in a shockingly fancy sort of way. Or, in a simpler way, she’s made me go from scones (yum) to a three-tiered chocolate cake with sprinkles. Completely unexpected and very enjoyable, roll on book two!
Thank you Neverland BT.
Snowflakes and Christmas Cakes by Lindsey Paley is book 1 of the Camille Carter series (6 in total). To get your oven mitts on one, head to Amazon UK | Amazon US.
Author Bio
Lindsey Paley is a Yorkshire girl and author of contemporary romance novels with page-turning plotlines and satisfying endings. When not scribbling away in her peppermint and cream writer’s retreat (shed) she loves baking cakes, enjoying a spot of afternoon tea with friends and taking long walks in the countryside. Snowflakes and Christmas Cakes is the first book in the Camille Carter series set in the beautiful Lake District and the Caribbean. The latest in the series is April Showers and Wedding Flowers and is out now.
Author Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsey.paley.9
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindseyPaley1
The Writing Garnet 