Book-Mad-Mum

  A Season In The Snow   by Isla Gordon published by Sphere Books Alice Bright loves her life as a cartoonist. She has a job she adores, a devoted family, and friends she'd lay down her life for. So when tragedy strikes, bringing with it Bear - a rapidly-growing Bernese Mountain puppy in need of a home - it turns Alice's whole world upside down. She retreats inside her flat, and inside herself, with only her new companion for company. But one-bedroom London flats aren't made for mountain dogs, and so Alice lets Bear push her out of her comfort zone to his homeland: the mountains of Switzerland. Could a change of scene in snowy serenity be just the thing to help Alice balance out life again? This was the last festive read I had on my review list, and boy did I inadvertently leave the best till last!! It’s not really a Christmas book, although the big day does feature, but it’s a winter season book, so if you find yourself reading this in January or February, it won’

  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

 Just Between Friends by Rosie Nixon published by HQ Books     Aisha Moore is eight months pregnant. She’s thrilled, and a little scared. Not least because her husband Jason hasn’t quite wrapped his head around the fact. Lucy is having her first child too. She has finally got her wish – although the circumstances aren’t quite what she had hoped. Oscar will be a great dad though, won’t he? When the two women join the same baby group, they quickly become friends and before long they’re confiding in each other. Only there’s one thing Lucy hasn’t told Aisha. And while a baby may turn your life upside-down, a secret this big will change everything.   I’m not going to lie – I had a horrifically traumatic birth with my (only!) son who is now 17, and the thought of a book purely about pregnancy, childbirth and babies filled me with dread, it was a time and a place that I never wanted to go back to…however…I absolutely loved this book! It’s not a story of gory birth details, it’

   The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss published by Pan MacMillan   Kate Turner is a fabric designer for Liberty Department store in London who has returned to her childhood home of Blexford when her parents marriage broke down.   Her lifelong friends Matt and Laura both have partners but Blexford isn’t exactly the Big Smoke, and the romantic prospects are limited. So when Laura comes to the rescue and signs Kate up with a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays, she decides to give it a go – after all what has she got to lose?   Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. This is an extremely festive read and will have you jingling your bells by the end of it – there is no way you can escape the Christmas season after reading this book!! It is stuffed full of tinsel, baubles and snow! It is a lovely, albeit predictable read and at times I felt that the twelve dates were way too much, and about thirt