Book-Mad-Mum

  Christy and Alix have been friends since childhood, and Christy has planned her  perfect Christmas getaway—a trip to Lapland with her family and best friend, Alix. But facing a make-or-break marriage crisis, Christy desperately needs time alone with her husband. Her solution? Alix can take Christy’s little daughter to Lapland, and they will reunite there for Christmas Day. It’s a big ask, but what else are friends for? There’s nothing Alix won’t do for Christy. But Christy’s request to save Christmas is giving Alix sleepless nights. She knows something is wrong, but for the first time ever, Christy isn’t talking. And even the Arctic temperatures in Lapland aren’t enough to dampen the seriously inconvenient sizzle Alix is developing for Zac, a fellow guest and nemesis from her past.   Who doesn’t dream of spending Christmas in Lapland with endless supplies of hot chocolate,   sledge rides and views of the Northern lights? Well, if you can’t get to the Arctic t...

  Widow Sabine knows this will be her last Christmas in her beloved home, Mitras Castle. Determined to make it just like the ones she remembers as a child, she employs Dido and Henry of  Heavenly Houseparties  to help organise the big day. As Christmas day approaches, Dido feels that her connection to the old house runs deeper than she first thought. But when the snow begins to fall, and Sabine's family arrive at the house - including Dido's teenage crush Xan - tensions rise around the castle's future and long-buried mysteries begin to unravel. Writing this review has been really difficult because although I absolutely loved the story and the characters,   however, at times it felt much too long and a lot of the story felt like padding. I always hate saying things like that, as I know that an author invests so much of themselves into a story and it’s easy for me to sit here and judge when I’ve never written a book in my life, but I have to be honest, and at ti...

  Recently divorced artist Laurel returns to her childhood village of Middledip, to help her sister Rea overcome her agoraphobia and to spend some time getting back on her feet. Middledip holds some dark secrets for Laurel…secrets she hasn’t even told her sister, but now she’s back in the village she has to face these demons head on. However, time stands still when she sees her old flame, Grady Cassidy – and soon it’s as if they’ve never been apart. But through her happiness, Laurel is drawn back to the memory of why she left the village all those years ago…because of Grady’s brother Mac. Can Laurel learn to forgive and forget? Or will her chances of Christmas under the mistletoe with Grady remain a dream? This is a lovely, but sometimes hard hitting story of love and tales of the past. Sue Moorcroft never fails with her books, and although this is another visit to the village of Middledip, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t read the other books – you really won’t feel as if ...

  When their beloved grandfather dies, Fliss and her sisters are astonished to inherit a French chateau! Travelling to Normandy to visit the beautiful if faded house, they soon discover the chateau is a money pit. It requires major work, a huge tax bill is due . . . and there's a sitting tenant to whom they owe a monthly allowance. Unable to sell but strapped for cash, Fliss decides to spruce up the elegant old rooms and open a B&B. But, why is Jacques, the neighbouring farmer and also local mayor, so hostile, and how did their grandfather come to own the place anyway? I have had this book on my TBR shelf for a little while, but I was so excited to read it, that I pushed it up my list and I am so glad I did as I devoured it immediately. It was absolutely fantastic and I promise you won’t be disappointed when you read it. It has love, food, jeopardy and characters that you will want to befriend! I have read most of Jo’s books now and believe me, this is by far the best, th...

I n 2009, Norah spends a summer in Italy with her girlfriends. Whilst there she meets Andrew from Dublin and after spending a whirlwind week with him seeing the sights of Verona they return to their real lives but make a pact to meet outside Bewley’s in Dublin on Christmas Eve 2019. Fast forward to December 2019 and life has moved on for Norah, after losing her father, and her mother cancelling their Christmas plans, she remembers the pact she made with Andrew and persuades her friend Joe to go with her on the trip to see if what she felt during a holiday romance can be rekindled ten years on. This is a gorgeous romance novel, and I loved the fact that it was mainly set in Dublin during Christmas and the mention of Verona made my heart melt as it is always somewhere that I have wanted to visit. Although you can pretty much guess where the story is going, it is a wonderful book and you won’t be disappointed.

  Kate is a successful interior designer bringing up two children but when it comes to Christmas, she feels that her luck has run out. Grieving for her husband and her father she now worries about renovating her flat, paying the bills and trying to maintain the perfect life.   Her mother, Jean is concerned about Kate but she has her own set of worries to deal with. When sorting through her husband’s things, she discovers a letter informing him that he had inherited a house. A memory from the past comes back to haunt her, but she knows that she now has to face it head on, before she can move on with her own life. This is a story of grief from two different perspectives and the way that two family members handle   it in their own ways is woven into the story nicely, so it doesn’t feel all doom and gloom. I have to say that I absolutely loved this book and devoured it very quickly, I could have got RSI in my wrist from flicking the pages over so fast! When I knew I sho...

    “Award-winning director Clover Phillips is riding high when she encounters Kit Foley; a surfer and snowboarder as well-known for controversy as he is for winning championships. Involved in an accident that had devastating consequences for a bitter rival, Kit has never spoken about what really happened that day. Determined to find out the truth, Clover heads to the snowy wilderness of the Austrian Alps, sharing a romantic winter wonderland with a man who can’t stand her. But as she delves deeper, Clover finds herself both drawn to Kit, and even more convinced he’s hiding something. Is Kit Foley really as cold as he seems? ”   I have read many of Karen Swan’s books before and always loved them – this one is based around the snowboarding and surfing world, neither of which appeal to me if I’m completely honest, however…! Karen obviously does so much research on her subject and sets about creating a story that ...