REVIEW: The Country Village Christmas Show

The Country Village Christmas Show by Cathy Lake published by Cathy Lake

Clare is at a crossroads in her life, with the ink drying on her divorce papers, her son at uni and the family home sold, she must now start all over again.

Moving back into her childhood home in the village that she grew up in, Clare faces new challenges.

When herself and her son Kyle chance upon the idea of running a Christmas show in the village to bring the community together, it feels like she has purpose again, but can she manage to pull it off?

I snuggled down to read this book with a large mug of hot chocolate, the dog on my lap, and rain lashing down outside and for a few hours I lost sight of the doom and gloom going on in the world – COVID hasn’t reached Little Bramble yet! I did enjoy the book, the characters were believable and I got a taste of the village community which I yearn for, after living all my life in the Big Smoke!

However, saying that I was a little disappointed in the fact that the first mention of the show was made almost half way through the book, so up until that point it really felt like we were treading water. It also felt quite rushed at the end, lots of things happened in the last 10% of the book which could have been sprinkled around the story earlier on.

Comments

REVIEW: Moonlight Over Studland Bay by Della Galton

Moonlight Over Studland Bay – Della Galton published by Boldwood Books Samantha Jones works as an audio typist for a local company in Dorset. However, it’s not her dreams job. She wanted to devote, and expand, Purbeck Pooches, her pet sitting service. When best friend (and housemate) Abby has a baby boy Sam’s priorities change and she realises she wants more from her life. Does she want life to continue as it is or does she want to look for the perfect sperm donor – on a drunken evening Abby and Sam draw up the perfect "daddy" list. Sam’s world is soon rocked when her boss Rex accuses her of moonlighting and her parents who have run a B&B locally for years make a shock revelation. I’m going to say it from the start…I loved this book! Sam is a relatable character who knows what she wants from life, but she doesn’t want to upset, hurt or trample on people to get it. She’s just an all-round good egg!! There were times in the book when Abby made me laugh but a

Review: One Enchanted Evening

One Enchanted Evening by Anton du Beke My rating: 4 of 5 stars Anton Du Beke has his finger in many pies, professional dancer, singer, entertainer and now he can add novelist to the list. One Enchanted Evening is set in the ballroom of a London hotel in the 1930s and tells the story of Raymond De Guise, the principle dancer, chambermaid Nancy, and porter Billy who all work downstairs, behind the scenes of the hotel. As you would expect dancing is a big feature in this book, but also surprisingly was the politics of the time, which I found added another dimension to the story. If you like Downton Abbey or The Halcyon (the ITV drama set in a hotel) or Upstairs Downstairs, you will love this book. An enjoyable debut novel from Mr Du Beke. View all my reviews

Diva written by Daisy Goodwin and published by Aria and Aries

Opera singer Maria Callas known as “ la divina” with her fabulous voice was born with note only a gift of singing, but also the drama and beauty needed to succeed on the worldwide operatic stages. Sadly, liked a bird in a gilded cage, Maria’s life is lonely, and although surrounded by people and her husband she feels isolated. When she meets the fabulously rich shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, her isolation melts away. For the first time in her life, she believes she's found a man who sees the woman rather than the legendary soprano. Desperately in love, Onassis introduces her to a life of unbelievable luxury, mixing with celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. And then, suddenly, it's over. The international press announce that Onassis will marry the most famous woman in the world, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, leaving Maria to pick up the pieces. This is a fictional account based on true events, think of The

Book-Mad-Mum

Search This Blog