Book Review: Christmas at Tiffany's by Karen Swan

Cassie settled down too young, marrying her first serious boyfriend. Now, ten years later, she is betrayed and broken. With her marriage in tatters and no career or home of her own, she needs to work out where she belongs in the world and who she really is. 

So begins a year-long trial as Cassie leaves her sheltered life in rural Scotland to stay with each of her best friends in the most glamorous cities in the world: New York, Paris and London. Exchanging grouse moor and mousy hair for low-carb diets and high-end highlights, Cassie tries on each city for size as she attempts to track down the life she was supposed to have been leading, and with it, the man who was supposed to love her all along. 

Despite this being Karen Swan's third novel, I haven't actually managed to read anything by this author yet. I don't know what it is, I haven't been especially taken with the covers for one, but other than that it might just have been that her books have passed me by. However, when I was offered the chance to review her new title Christmas at Tiffany's, I jumped at the chance because let's face it - I'm a sucker for a Christmas book. However, now I've finished the book, I have to say I felt a little robbed because it wasn't really a festive book at all, BUT it was a really enjoyable story, perhaps just marketed a little wrongly! I found Karen Swan's writing very easy to read and despite it being a fairly long book, I found it very consuming and I really loved the cast of characters within. I think my favourite thing about this book is that you really don't know how its all going to end up, there are clues throughout but nothing to spoil it for the reader, and I loved that!

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Book Review: Home For Christmas by Cally Taylor

Beth Prince has always loved fairytales and now, aged twenty-four, she feels like she's finally on the verge of her own happily ever after. She lives by the seaside, works in the Picturebox - a charming but rundown independent cinema - and has a boyfriend who's so debonair and charming she can't believe her luck! There's just one problem - none of her boyfriends have ever told her they love her and it doesn't look like Aiden's going to say it any time soon. Desperate to hear 'I love you' for the first time Beth takes matters into her own hands - and instantly wishes she hadn't. Just when it seems like her luck can't get any worse, bad news arrives in the devilishly handsome shape of Matt Jones. Matt is the regional director of a multiplex cinema and he's determined to get his hands on the Picturebox by Christmas. Can Beth keep her job, her man and her home or is her romantic-comedy life about to turn into a disaster movie?

This is Cally Taylor's second novel, and I was really pleased to see that this time Cally is attempting a festive read. I think the cover is really stunning, and will certainly attract a lot of chick lit lovers to pick up the book, and possibly those who wouldn't usually go for this genre too! I adored Cally's debut novel Heaven Can Wait, and it was quite possibly by read of the year 2009, so I had high hopes for this one too. Luckily what I got was a heart-warming and touching tale of love, Christmas and what can happen when you really, really want something badly in your heart! Everything about this book was lovely, from the characters, to the descriptions of the wonderful old Picturebox cinema... I really wish I had one of those in my town instead of a big chain cinema! There isn't that much Christmas-related stuff in it but somehow it doesn't seem to matter, you're just swept up in the moment that when it does appear, it's lovely!

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Book Review: It Started With A Kiss by Miranda Dickinson

As the singer in a wedding band, Romily Parker has seen her fair share of happy endings, even though her own love life isn't quite as simple.

On the last Saturday before Christmas, (shortly after disastrously declaring her love for best friend Charlie), Romily has a brief encounter with a handsome stranger whose heart-stopping kiss changes everything.

Determined to find him again, Romily embarks on a yearlong quest, helped (and sometimes hindered) by enthusiastic Uncle Dudley, cake-making Auntie Mags and flamboyant Wren. Will she find the man of her dreams? Or could true love be closer than she thinks?

Somehow, I have managed to not yet read a Miranda Dickinson novel, despite her having released 2 gorgeous books over the past few years. Now I've started my own site, I decided it was time to finally read one of Miranda's books and eagerly decided to read her new book, It Started With A Kiss. Firstly, I have to comment on the cover - gorgeous much?! The pink and wintery scene work perfectly together, and it's definitely one of my favourite book covers of the year. I've read such positive things about Miranda's earlier books that I had a feeling I was going to like this one, but I didn't just like it... I loved it and here's why!

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Book Review: Wrapped Up In You by Carole Matthews

"A Christmas fling, or has Janie found the real thing? Thirty-something hairdresser Janie Johnson's single status is a constant source of gossip for her friends and clients. So after too many nights in with her cat, a blind date disaster and news that her ex is getting married, Janie realises it's time to do something dramatic with her life. It's time for an adventure! Leaving winter behind, Janie takes the plunge and books an exotic trip to Africa. Her friends think she's mad and Janie thinks they may very well be right ...but then she falls head over heels for her tour guide - and fully fledged Maasai Warrior - Dominic. But can Janie now face spending a snowy Christmas back home without him?"

This is my first Carole Matthews read in a while, and I have to say I was very impressed when it came through my door! I opened up the parcel and it was wrapped in a beautiful red christmas ribbon, and it really gave the book a special feel. I love the cover of the book, with the lovely wintery scene, red writing and silver theme, and think that will certainly make it a successful festive read. What I found inside was a complete surprise - instead of a sweet wintery tale set in a twee English village, our heroin ends up travelling halfway across the world to African plains, not something I have ever encountered in chick lit before but was quite excited to give it a go and see where the story would take me.

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Book Review: The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey

"All Lydia's ever wanted is a perfect Christmas...

So when her oldest friends invite her to spend the holidays with them, it seems like a dream come true. She's been promised log fires, roasted chestnuts, her own weight in mince pies - all in a setting that looks like something out of a Christmas card.

But her winter wonderland is ruined when she finds herself snowed in with her current boyfriend, her old flame and a hunky stranger. Well, three (wise) men is traditional at this time of year..."

I am a huge fan of Christmas novels, I love the cheesiness of them, the stories, the settings, they're fab. In fact, Christmas novels are some of the only ones I keep on my bookshelves as I like to come back to them again and again. It's even better when you get a debut author as you don't know what you're going to get, and when I received a copy of Scarlett Bailey's debut book As I said, I was really pleased when it arrived on my doorstep, and despite the fact Christmas is still a few months away, I couldn't resist getting stuck in! It was a fantastic read, and if Bailey's book continue in this vein, then it is going to be a successful writing career because I for one loved it!

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Book Review: Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris

Dreams can come true - it could happen to you...For the past two years, Evie Taylor has lived an invisible existence in London, a city she hoped would bring sparkle to her life. But all that is about to change. For winter has brought a flurry of snow and unexpected possibilities. Hidden away in the basement of Hardy's - once London's most elegant department store - Evie manages the stockroom of a shop whose glory days have long since passed. When Evie overhears that Hardy's is at risk of being sold, she secretly hatches a plan. If she can reverse the store's fortunes by December 26th - three weeks away - and transform it into a magical destination once again, she might just be able to save it. But she's going to need every ounce of talent and determination she has. In fact, she's going to need a miracle.

I love debut novels. There is something about heading into the unknown with a brand new author that is both exciting and intriguing. I love it even more when their debut novel happens to be a festive one, and when I received a copy of Ali Harris' debut novel Miracle on Regent Street, I was rather excited! I'll admit that I wasn't keen on the cover when I initially saw it, thinking it wasn't at all Christmassy looking but now I've read the book and seen the cover in real life (which does look far more beautiful I have to say), I think it's a lovely cover and suits the book perfectly. It is a gorgeous book to curl up with under your duvet in the cold evenings, and days if you can find a bit of spare time!

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Book Review: The Perfect Christmas by Georgie Carter

All I want for Christmas is you! If you’re a wedding planner it’s best not to have affairs with married men. This is one cardinal rule that Robyn always abides by. But then she meets Jonathan…After a delicious dalliance in the dance studio, Robyn and Jonathan fall truly, madly, deeply in love. Jonathan justifies his actions because his wife is a workaholic, while Robyn finds the glamour – free from any mundane concerns – thrilling.But then the pressure mounts up: the guilt; the lies; the strain of it all. With the festive season approaching, can Robyn make this the best holiday ever or will it be the nightmare before Christmas?

I am a massive sucker for Christmas books. Stick the word 'Christmas' in the title, or put some snow, a Christmas tree or a pretty wintery scene on the cover and I'm there. I don't care who it's written by, what the story is about, I just love them all and get really excited about new festive books coming. Actually, Christmas books are among some of the only books I actually hang onto because I love to read them again at a certain time of year. Georgie Carter a.k.a. Ruth Saberton is releasing her first book through Avon, and it's a lovely festive themed read, complete with obligatory gorgeous snowy cover. I thought it sounded like a really fun story and found it a really fun book to read, and think it's definitely going to be a keeper on my 'Festive Reads' shelf!
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