My Bookish Weekly Wrap Up – CHRISTMAS DAY 2021!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!! I hope Santa treated you kindly!! I may have sent Santa a list with a few books on it….. have I been good enough?!
Looking back at the last week on the bookish front and it’s been pretty productive! Another 4 books have been finished, 2 new additions to the NetGalley shelf and then 2 newbies to my physical book shelves! nice and balanced!
Here’s my look back..

BOOKS FINISHED

THE WOLF AGE by TORE SKEIE – 5 STARS

THE NUTCRACKER by E.T.A. HOFFMAN – 4 STARS

CHRISTMAS AT SERENITY BAY by HELEN BRIDGETT – 5 STARS

A CORNISH CHRISTMAS AT PEAR TREE FARM by ANGELA BRITNELL – 5 STARS

BOOKHAUL

starting over at Netgalley..

THE ATLAS SIX by OLIVIE BLAKE

The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation.

Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will.

Most of them.

THE GIFTS by LIZ HYDER

publication date – February 2022

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in Shropshire as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.

Meanwhile, when rumours of a ‘fallen angel’ cause a frenzy across London, a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger . . .

THE GIFTS is the astonishing debut adult novel from the lauded author of BEARMOUTH. A gripping and ambitious book told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of nineteenth century London, it explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society and the dark danger of ambition

And in the post…

AFTER THE RAIN by LUCY DILLON

publication day – March 2022

First, the clouds…
Tara Hunter is a therapist on a mission to restore Longhampton’s community spirit after catastrophic flooding. But with her boyfriend AWOL, her family fragmented, and only a cat for company, Tara’s own life is crumbling.

Then the storm…
On top of everything, Tara’s father – last seen as he walked out on her when she was ten years old – is suddenly back, with a surprising offer that could change everything.

And after the rain…
Dr David Dalloway is Longhampton Wellness Centre’s new star counsellor. He’s charming, caring and has a knack for reading people’s minds – which is the last thing Tara needs right now. Will having David and her dad around make for a bigger storm on the horizon? Or is this Tara’s chance for a fresh start?

THE DOVES IN THE DINING ROOM by LAURA LAAKSO

Yannia Wilde arrives in rural Sussex to attend her friend Jessika’s aristocratic Mage wedding. When two butchered doves are left in the hotel dining room, Yannia volunteers to take charge of the investigation. More disturbing events follow, leaving Yannia convinced that somebody is trying to sabotage the wedding.

Yannia teams up with the groom, Robbert, a wheelchair-using fan of detective fiction, and Wishearth, her ever-loyal Hearth Spirit, who surprises her by taking an active role in the investigation. But as the clock ticks towards the big day, the sabotage continues and the contradictions mount. The case turns sinister when Yannia herself is targeted, and Wishearth has to act quickly to rescue her.

But can they solve the mystery and save the wedding before somebody loses their life?

This is a “sideways” story in the Wilde Investigations series (number 3.5!)

CURRENTLY READING

GEORGE by SEAN SMITH

HAPPY CHRISTMAS READING!!!

Advertisement

#GuestPost CHRISTMAS OF NEW BEGINNINGS by KIRSTY FERRY #PublicationDay @ChocLituk @RubyFiction @kirsty_ferry

It’s beginning to feel a lot like … CHRISTMAS!! Hope you’re ready!!  And I’m excited today to be handing over the Blog to the lovely Kirsty Ferry, so she can share some thoughts about her newest book, CHRISTMAS OF NEW BEGINNINGS, on Publication Day!! 
Go grab your copy NOW! And get those festive songs playing!!
Over to you Kirsty..

🎄🎄🎄

RELEASE DAY: Christmas of New Beginnings by Kirsty Ferry

My new book, Christmas of New Beginnings, is new in a couple of ways. It’s the first book in a new series, it’s my first venture into Ruby Fiction, the sister imprint of Choc Lit, and it’s the first romantic comedy I’ve written in first person, entirely from the heroine’s point of view. The heroine in this case is Cerys, who relocates to Padcock, a charming village in the South Downs, and she tells her story over a series of Christmases where we trace her relationship with Sam, the owner of the local pub. We are also introduced to Edie, Cerys’ best friend, who we will meet again in the second book of the series which is due out Summer 2022.

I’d run out of series to write a Christmas book on for this year, as I think I’ve done one for each series now, so I was excited to start something new instead. I wrote the book in the winter lockdowns of 2020 and early 2021, so, as you can imagine, it was sometimes quite difficult to stay upbeat and cheerful while writing; but the good thing was that writing it and escaping to Padcock was a form of self-care and I began to enjoy my forays into Padcock. All the more important, as Christmas 2020 was so disappointing for so many people, I tried to make the Christmases Cerys experienced in Padcock festive and sociable, filled with friends and family. There is no inkling of anything lockdown-related in my book, and deliberately so.

The lovely thing I discovered about writing in first person point of view is that you can really get into the mind of the character and explore all their quirks, flaws and strengths. You can also create an “unreliable narrator”, which is maybe a bit literary and a bit clever for me, but the fun thing with the first person point of view process is that the readers experience everything through the eyes of the narrator and hopefully cheer them on, flaws and all!

I really enjoyed creating the village of Padcock. In my head, as I was writing, I was walking around the streets and knew exactly where everything was and had a real sense of the place. Padcock is very loosely based on Lacock, in Wiltshire. Lacock village is more or less owned by the National Trust and used a location for many television programmes and films. It also has a wonderful stately home called Lacock Abbey which was the home of Henry Fox Talbot who was a photography pioneer. There is a really interesting museum of photography there, and if you, like me, are interested in vintage photos, it’s well worth a visit.

I do hope you enjoy our first visit to Padcock in Christmas of New Beginnings – and that you’ll come back and visit Padcock again next year!

🎄🎄🎄

ABOUT THE BOOK

Not all festive wishes come true right away – sometimes it takes five Christmases …

Folk singer Cerys Davies left Wales for the South Downs village of Padcock at Christmas, desperate for a new beginning. And she ends up having plenty of those: opening a new craft shop-tea room, helping set up the village’s first festive craft fair, and, of course, falling desperately in love with Lovely Sam, the owner of the local pub. It’s just too bad he’s firmly in the clutches of Awful Belinda …

Perhaps Cerys has to learn that some new beginnings take a while to … well, begin! But with a bit of patience, some mild espionage, a generous sprinkling of festive magic and a flock of pub-crashing sheep, could her fifth Christmas in Padcock lead to her best new beginning yet?

Buying links: 

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-New-Beginnings-warming-uplifting-ebook/dp/B09G38ZTV3/

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/christmas-of-new-beginnings/id1586450033

 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/christmas-of-new-beginnings

 Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-of-new-beginnings-kirsty-ferry/1140157522

About the author:

Kirsty Ferry is from the North East of England and lives there with her husband and son. She won the English Heritage/Belsay Hall National Creative Writing competition and has had articles and short stories published in various magazines. Her work also appears in several anthologies, incorporating such diverse themes as vampires, crime, angels and more.

Kirsty loves writing ghostly mysteries and interweaving fact and fiction. The research is almost as much fun as writing the book itself, and if she can add a wonderful setting and a dollop of history, that’s even better.

Her day job involves sharing a building with an eclectic collection of ghosts, which can often prove rather interesting.

Kirsty writes for both Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction.

🎄🎄🎄

#BookReview CHRISTMAS AT MOONSHINE HOLLOW by ANGELA BRITNELL

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mistletoe and moonshine: a Christmas match made in heaven?

Moonshine Hollow’s famous ‘Lightning Flash’ might be an acquired taste, although the same could be said for moonshine distillery owner Cole Landon, what with his workaholic habits and ‘Scrooge’ tendencies when it comes to all things Christmassy.

But when Jenna Pendean from Cornwall pays a visit to Cole’s family-run distillery in Tennessee during the holiday season, will Cole’s cynicism about the existence of Christmas miracles be put to the test?

PUBLISHED BY CHOC LIT

PURCHASE LINKS

Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Moonshine-Hollow-wonderful-feel-good-ebook/dp/B08K95SXLV/ 

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/christmas-at-moonshine-hollow/id1533651559?itsct=books_toolbox&itscg=30200&at=11lNBs&ct=books_christmas_at_moonshine_hollow&ls=1 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/christmas-at-moonshine-hollow 

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-at-moonshine-hollow-angela-britnell/1137771792?ean=2940162963264 

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Angela_Britnell_Christmas_at_Moonshine_Hollow?id=_5oCEAAAQBAJ

MY REVIEW

I was in need of a pick me up read, and this was absolutely blooming perfect for that!! There’s just something about those Southern men that Angela writes about that I can’t help falling for!!

Over in Tennesse, we get to visit the family distillery that Cole runs. A real workaholic so with Christmas approaching his family are getting to his scrooge like tendencies again! They just want him to have a bit of fun but he feels the pressure keeping up the good work that previous generations worked so hard for!

Jenna is over in Tennesse on ‘holiday’ but she’s actually searching for answers after she discovered something in her family history that has left her with many questions but she soon finds herself under the spell of Cole when she has a tour of the distillery, and the feeling is mutual!

These two together are just so much fun – there seems to be a pretty strong connection from the start with them. They just get on so well and have some really good banter… alcohol does play a part!! What do you expect when a book is set at a distillery?!!

As Jenna starts to spend more time at the distillery helping out with the tours, she begins to see how things work behind the scenes which leaves her with a dilemma concerning her quest to solve her family puzzle!

It’s fun, flirty, festive and fabulous!!

★★★★★

My Christmas 2019 Bookhaul #bookstack

Hello!!! Just thought I would share a little post abut my Christmas Book Haul as I’ve been very lucky to have been spoilt by Santa, family and friends this year! And I know how much I enjoy looking at what other people got for Christmas! Nosey lot aren’t we!! Ooh got a cute Puffin cushion too so he wanted in on the photo!!

Click on the link to take you to the GoodReads blurb page!

Pan’s Labryinth by Guillermo del Toro

The Boy, The Fox, The Mole and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

Starling Days by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

Things We Say In The Dark by Kirsty Logan

The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami

Transcription by Kate Atkinson

The Gospel Of Loki by Joanne M.Harris

Runelight by Joanne M Harris

Runemarks by Joanne M Harris

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson

Anyone read any of these?! A number of them have been on my wishlist for a while so it’s nice to finally have my grubby little mitts on them!

There was also a couple of other bookish related gifts I received including a day to day calendar – 1,000 books to read before you die! –  which should add a few more books to my TBR pile and also a BOOK BUCKET LIST notebook which is nicely sectioned with places to write reviews, book shopping lists, favourite quotes etc!

So did you get any bookish  gifts this Christmas!?  I’ve also been lucky enough to receive some book tokens so I’m already having fun putting together a list of what I’m planning on spending those on! Watch this space for the arrival of more books coming soon!!

📚📚📚

#PriceDropBlogBlitz THE CHRISTMAS CALENDAR GIRLS by SAMANTHA TONGE @rararesources

Fabulous news to share with you today – my thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for letting me be part of the price drop promo blitz!!  

Always worth treating yourself and even better when it’s only 99p – for a short time only!! So get clicking on the links before it’s too late……

The Christmas Calendar Girls

This Christmas fall in love with the town of Chesterwood…

Christmas is meant to be a time of giving, so with Chesterwood food bank under risk of closure Fern knows just what to do to save it. She’s going to get the town to create a living advent calendar.

Fern, and her best friends, call for help from the local community to bring this calendar to life. When Kit, the new man in town, offers his assistance Fern’s heart can’t help but skip a beat (or two).

As they grow ever closer, Fern must admit that Kit’s breaking down the barriers she built after the death of her husband. But his past is holding him back and Fern doesn’t know how to reach him. No matter how hard she tries.

In this town, Kit’s not the only one with secrets. Domestic goddess Cara is behaving oddly, burning meals in the oven and clothes whilst ironing, and Davina’s perfect children are causing trouble at school leaving her son, Jasper, desperately unhappy.

Can the Christmas Calendar Girls find a way to bring the community together in time to save the food bank, while still supporting their families and each other? Can Fern find love again with Kit?

This is a story about kindness and letting go of the past. It’s about looking out for your neighbours and about making every day feel like Christmas.

Purchase Links – 

Heart-warming, cosy and charming, get The Christmas Calendar Girls for just 99p for a limited period!

Amazon

Google Play

Kobo

Apple Books

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK with her husband and children. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.

When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines. 

She is represented by the Darley Anderson literary agency. In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins and in 2014, her bestselling debut, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. In 2018 Forgive Me Not, heralded a new direction into darker women’s fiction with publisher Canelo. In 2019 she was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association romantic comedy award. 

Social Media Links – 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

Instagram: @samanthatongeauthor 

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

HAPPY READING!!

#BookReview Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella #ChristmasShopaholic

ABOUT THE BOOK

Celebrate Christmas with the ultimate Shopaholic!

The brilliant laugh-out-loud festive novel from the Number One bestselling author.

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) adores Christmas. It’s always the same – Mum and Dad hosting, carols playing, Mum pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the next-door neighbours coming round for sherry in their terrible festive jumpers.

And now it’s even easier with online bargain-shopping sites – if you spend enough you even get free delivery. Sorted!

But this year looks set to be different. Unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocado, Becky’s parents are moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch and have asked Becky if she’ll host Christmas this year. What could possibly go wrong?

With sister Jess demanding a vegan turkey, husband Luke determined that he just wants aftershave again, and little Minnie insisting on a very specific picnic hamper – surely Becky can manage all this, as well as the surprise appearance of an old boyfriend and his pushy new girlfriend, whose motives are far from clear . . .

Will chaos ensue, or will Becky manage to bring comfort and joy to Christmas?

Publication Date – 17th October 2019

PRE-ORDER LINKS

Amazon UK  £14.00

hive.co.uk  £12.69

whsmith  – signed edition £12.00

MY REVIEW

Becky Bloomwood is back!! And this time Christmas is on her shopping list – surely a doddle for a shopping queen such as herself?! Wrong! The chaos, fun, disasters and dilemmas that Becky has faced so often in her life are present once more and it was an absolute blast to have these characters back in my life with the latest installment in the Shopaholic series!

Christmas has always been the same in the Bloomwood family – her mum and dad hosting the festivities, neighbours visiting and jolly japes all around! But this year it’s all changing as her mum and dad are moving so they are passing on the festive duties to Becky! And there are many requests for Becky to have to accommodate – her sister is a vegan, her husband only wants his normal aftershave and their daughter Minnie has put in her present demands…. in the Becky bubble world this sounds like the perfect excuse to go shopping for new stationery to make notes! So she does!!

I loved how his story is told through different means – the day to day, the emails, the texts, even glimpses of search histories! – and this helps make it flow so well and adds to the hilarity! Not that Becky ever needs an excuse to go shopping, but even she’s finding the quest for the perfect Christmas a challenge this year! She shares the stress of online shopping, the bargains you find but have sold out by the time you get to check out and I found myself nodding and chuckling along in agreement with her on so many occasions! She’s at her crazy but lovable best throughout this story and never likes to do things the easy way! Who knew a llama bauble would make someone go so crazy!!!

With all the issues that Becky faces it wouldn’t be fun if they all worked out swimmingly, so there’s always a spanner in the works as she makes life more difficult for herself – her family and friends are seemingly oblivious to the stress she’s putting herself under. She even decides to take on the local Billiards club just for a way to get her husband the most amazing present! The pressures of having a job and competing with the other school mums who try and outdo one another also adds to her stress – why is modern life so complicated?!

It was so lovely to be back in the world of Becky! Yes she’s overboard, often tactless and slightly out of control but her heart is always in the right place and she means well so I’m just hoping that this won’t be the last we see of this super shopaholic as I just had so much fun reading this book!

★★★★★

My thanks to Becky Short and Bantam Press for the advance reader copy in return for a fair and honest review.

#CoverReveal Christmas In Little Penhaven by Angela Britnell @ChocLituk

cover reveal

Welcome all!!!  Hope you’re all excited to see another fabulous cover reveal – and today it’s the turn of CHRISTMAS IN LITTLE PENHAVEN by ANGELA BRITNELL, so my thanks to Angela and Choc Lit for letting me loose once more with the honour!!

Here’s a little bit of blurb about the book to get you in the festive mood!!

Have yourself a little Cornish Christmas …

Wannabe author Jane Solomon is expecting an uneventful Christmas in her Cornish village of Little Penhaven.

But then super fit American gym owner Hal Muir comes to town, and suddenly the holiday season looks set to be far more interesting. Hal is keen on embracing every British tradition on offer, from mince pies to Christmas pub quizzes – and perhaps some festive romance too …

Release date: 26^th November 2019

Excited?!  I hope so!!  And here it is …..

🎄😍😍😍🎄

Blooming gorgeous isn’t it?!! I want to spend my Christmas there!! Cannot wait to get hold of this in November and hope you feel the same!!

#CoverReveal BLUEBELL’S CHRISTMAS MAGIC by MARIE LAVAL @ChocLituk

cover reveal

 Guess what?!! It’s time for yet another Cover Reveal of the Christmas kind and you’re in for another treat with this one! My thanks again to Choc Lit for letting me share this festive stunner!  Think we’re in for a real treat this Christmas with all these wonderful books coming our way!

ABOUT THE  BOOK

A flick of a feather duster and a sprinkle of Christmas magic …

Cassie Bell is used to mess. Her cleaning business, Bluebell Cleaning, is well known in the Cumbrian village of Red Moss. However, now it’s almost Christmas and Cassie has a slightly messier situation to deal with than she’s used to.

She’s been hired to help Stefan Lambert, an injured army helicopter pilot who’s staying at the local Belthorn Manor whilst he recovers. Stefan resents Cassie’s interference and is definitely not looking for Christmas cheer. But Cassie prides herself on sparkling surfaces – so, can she bring some festive sparkle to Stefan’s life too?

Bluebell’s Christmas Magic will be published by Choc Lit on 19th November and will be available to purchase as an eBook on all platforms and also in audio.

🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄

Time to start playing those festive tunes to get you in the mood…… here’s the cover……..

😍😍😍

Hope you agree that this one looks  like a bit of a christmas cracker! Super excited to read this come November!!

#CoverReveal DAISY’S CHRISTMAS GIFT SHOP by HANNAH PEARL @RubyFiction

cover reveal

It’s time for me to get my Christmas emoji’s out again as I’m delighted to be able to share yet another cracker of a cover with you courtesy of the lovely team at Ruby Fiction.  I wish it could be Christmas everyday…….🎄🎅⛄

Here’s a little more info about the book to get you in the mood…

Struggling to find the perfect Christmas gift? Step into Romantic Daze …

Daisy Kirk is a sucker for a love story, which is why she opened up her gift shop – because there’s nothing that makes Daisy happier than when she’s helped a customer achieve their own ‘happily ever after’ by finding the perfect Christmas gift for their loved one. And she absolutely does not just sell ‘soppy presents and frilly pants’ as her brother’s infuriating best friend, Eli, is so fond of suggesting.

The sad fact is that whilst Daisy is helping others with their love lives, hers is non-existent. But when unusual circumstances take Daisy and Eli on a road trip from London to rural Wales, will she finally get the happily ever after to her own Christmas love story?

Daisy’s Christmas Gift Shop is published on 29th October by Ruby Fiction and will be available to purchase as an eBook on all platforms, as well as in audio.

So here it is – the wait is over…… 😍

❆❅❄

What do we think?!  Hope it’s made you want to add this book to your must haves list – it’s top of mine!!

#CoverReveal HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE by JACKIE LADBURY @RubyFiction

cover reveal

Time to get the tinsel out and start singing those Christmas songs!!  Delighted to be able to share this fabulously festive cover with you all today – thanks to Jackie and the team at Ruby Fiction for letting me bring you all the details … and I’m sure you will now all be singing Mariah Carey and Shakin Stevens songs  for the rest of the day!!!

🎅🎅🎅

ABOUT THE BOOK

All I want for Christmas is you … or you?

Eve Halligan is back in her hometown for Christmas after a whirlwind few years touring with her band, the Molotovs. A lot has changed since she left, but two things have stayed the same. One: Eve is head-over-heels in love with Lucien Malikov, the Molotovs’ bad boy lead singer. Two: Lucien is completely indifferent to her.

Still, Eve dreams that this could be the Christmas where she convinces Lucien that they’re made for each other. But when childhood friend and local caterer Theo Wright comes back into her life bringing with him festive cupcake and sausage roll conundrums, Eve begins to question whether her Christmas dreams have been wasted on the wrong man …

Happy Christmas Eve is published on 15th October by Ruby Fiction and will be available to purchase as an eBook on all platforms, as well as in audio.

Christmas countdown begins now……… ho ho hope you’re ready!!!

🎄🎄🎄

Hope that’s got you all in the mood for Christmas!! I can’t wait to read this one!!  It’s going to be a cracker…. ok I’ll stop with the puns now!!! Roll on October 15th!!