Christmas secrets at Villa Limoncello

                                                                                             

A gorgeous festive read perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Jenny Oliver.

Christmas Secrets at Villa Limoncello

Escape to Villa Limoncello… where dreams come true in the most unexpected ways.

With Christmas around the corner, Izzie Jenkins is ready to kickstart the new ‘Snowflakes and Christmas Cakes’ course at Villa Limoncello with chef and business partner, Luca Castelotti.

However, secrets are stirring with their latest guests and when nasty accidents keep befalling the group it looks like Izzie will have to turn detective once more to protect the Villa’s fledgling reputation. On top of all this, Izzie’s been offered the job of a lifetime – back home in Cornwall. Will she be coming home for Christmas, or will Tuscany work its magic to keep her at Villa Limoncello with Luca?

Purchase Links 

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Secrets-Villa-Limoncello-feel-good-ebook/dp/B07TKJ4NMX

US - https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Secrets-Villa-Limoncello-feel-good-ebook/dp/B07TKJ4NMX

Author Bio – Daisy James is a Yorkshire girl transplanted to the north east of England. She loves writing stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plotlines. When not scribbling away in her peppermint-and-green summerhouse (garden shed), she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something pink and fizzy or indulging in a spot of afternoon tea - china plates and teacups are a must.

Daisy would love to hear from readers via her Facebook page or you can follow her on Twitter @daisyjamesbooks or on Instagram @daisyjamesstories.

Social Media Links –  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/daisyjamesbooks/

                                       Twitter @daisyjamesbooks

                                       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daisyjamesstories/


My review

A lovely light read that has all the usual Christmas elements but with an Italian twist. I loved the descriptions of the Italian Christmas specialities as well as the English foodie treats and, as a bonus, there are some recipes at the back of the book to try out. 
There are some delightful characters on the course that Izzie has been asked to help run but are the things that keep happening really accidents or is there something more sinister afoot?
It seems everybody has a secret and some people would rather their secrets stay that way. So, not only does Izzie have to ensure all the guests are happy, she also has to figure out what's going on. This doesn't give her much time to pursue her relationship with Luca and when she hears indirectly that Luca is thinking os selling the hotel, her future plans might be in jeopardy. I really loved the ending and how everything came together. A lovely read.

I'll be home for Christmas

                                                                        

                                                                          

Description:     

         

Nina Bailey loves Christmas. Except this year she doesn’t. Because it turns out that her husband-to-be has been cheating on her – and her beautiful wedding ceremony in the snow is cancelled.

She’s not really in the mood to be jolly, sing carols, or go anywhere near gingerbread men – in fact, what Nina wants is to avoid the whole thing. So she’s come to stay at her Aunt Dolly’s cosy café to nurse her broken heart.

Nina is determined to get through Christmas with no tinsel, no fuss – and definitely no flirting. So when she arrives and meets infuriatingly handsome Ryan Sadler, with his gorgeous forest-green eyes, she is not best pleased. And when Nina overhears him making fun of her, she is furious. (There might have been an incident with a koala onesie and a spilled bottle of milk, but that really wasn’t her fault!) So despite the spark between them, and the fact that he can whip up a fabulous dinner faster than she can say Michelin star, romance and Christmas are off the menu this year.

Unfortunately, Aunt Dolly hasn’t quite got the message, going to great lengths to provide a proper British Christmas for her beloved niece: a true home away from home. With sparkling lights adorning every wall and a tree to equal the Rockefeller Center’s and, yes, mistletoe above every doorway, can Nina resist the magic of Christmas – and stick to her no-romance rule?

This heart-warming romantic comedy will have you reaching for eggnog, roasted chestnuts and gingerbread cookies! The perfect festive book to read curled up in front of the fire, for fans of Sue Moorcroft, Holly Martin and Debbie Johnson.

BUY Links: 

Amazon: https://geni.us/B07W85JH9Bsocial

Apple Books: https://apple.co/32VeSoi

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2MqsWj9

Googleplay: http://bit.ly/2nmummc

Author Bio: 

Karen Clarke writes romantic comedy novels. Her BEACHSIDE series is set in the fictional seaside town of Shipley and features recurring characters, but each book can be read as a standalone. She is currently working on a new, three-book series set in Devon. 

Karen has also written three romcoms with a paranormal twist, all available to download

When she's not working on her novels, Karen writes short stories for women's magazines and has had over three hundred published globally. Some of them can be read in her short story collection 'BEHIND CLOSED DOORS...and other Tales with a Twist'

Karen lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children.

Author Social Media Links: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karen.clarke.5682

Twitter:     https://twitter.com/karenclarke123

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

Website: http://writewritingwritten.blogspot.co.uk/

My Review
Loved being transported back to the Ile de Re for Christmas. Karen Clarke magics up the essence of Christmas in this book without it being sugary or overdone. The romance between
Nina and Ryan is definitely one that is a slow burner and all the more delightful because of that. I loved the humour, the sense of place and the magical descriptions, especially at the end - simply beautiful.

Let it snow

This Christmas, the villagers of Middledip are off on a very Swiss adventure… 

Family means everything to Lily and Zinnia Cortez and, growing up in their non-conventional family unit, they and their two mums couldn’t have been closer.

So it’s a bolt out of the blue when Lily finds her father wasn’t the anonymous one-night stand she’s always believed. She is in fact the result of her mum's reckless affair with a married man.

Confused, but determined to discover her true roots, Lily sets out to find the family she’s never known – an adventure that takes her from the frosted, thatched cottages of Middledip to the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, via a Christmas market or two along the way…

About the author

 

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author and has held the coveted #1 spot in the Amazon Kindle chart. She's also a bestseller in Germany. She writes women's contemporary fiction with sometimes unexpected themes.

Sue has won the Best Romantic Read Award, been nominated for a RoNA and is a Katie Fforde Bursary winner. She also writes short stories, serials, articles, columns, courses and writing 'how to'.

An army child, Sue was born in Germany then lived in Cyprus, Malta and the UK. She's worked in a bank, as a bookkeeper (probably a mistake), as a copytaker for Motor Cycle News and for a typesetter, but is pleased to have wriggled out of all 'proper jobs'.

Newsletter sign-up: http://bit.ly/2jUlSwl

Website: www.suemoorcroft.com
Blog: http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com. 
Twitter: @suemoorcroft
Facebook: sue.moorcroft.3
Instagram: suemoorcroftauthor
Facebook author page: www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor.

My Review

This was the first Christmas book I've read this season and what a wonderful way to start the festive period. It has all the elements you might expect - a winter wonderland in Switzerland, Christmas carols, a Christmas market and a slow-burning romance that will melt the snow by the end. Underlying the festivities though is the serious problem of Lily trying to discover her roots and things not going quite to plan. I enjoyed reading about her non-conventional family ( which actually is becoming more conventional today) and the relationship between her, her mums and her 'sister'. The descriptions of the winter scenery really set the scene for the book and are sure to put you in a Christmassy mood.

Blackpool's Angel

Blackpool’s Angel

Maggie Mason

Sphere | Paperback | 3^rdOctober 2019 | £6.99

The first book in a new Blackpool-Set trilogy from bestselling saga author Mary Wood, writing as Maggie Mason.

Tilly has come a long way from the run-down tenements in which she grew up. She has a small but comfortable home, a loving, handsome husband, two beautiful little’uns, and she earns herself a little money weaving wicker baskets. Life is good. 

Until the day Tilly returns home to find a policeman standing on her doorstep. Her Arthur won’t be coming home tonight – nor any night – having fallen to his death whilst working on Blackpool tower. Suddenly Tilly is her daughters’ sole protector, and she’s never felt more alone. 

With the threat of destitution nipping at their heels, Tilly struggles to make ends meet and keep a roof over her girls’ head. In a town run by men Tilly has to ask herself what she’s willing to do to keep her family together and safe – and will it be enough? 

 Maggie Mason also writes saga as Mary Wood. Mary was born the thirteenth child of fifteen and throughout her life had various factory, office and home-based jobs, finally becoming a probation service officer before she retired. Mary marrie din 1963 and with her husband Roy has four children, eight grandchildren, and five step-grandchildren. She got her first book deal in 2013 and has not looked back since. 

For more information, please contact Francesca Banks at Francesca.eBanks@littlebrown.co.uk| 020 3122 7413 | @_francescabanks

My Review

Once again Mary Wood, writing as Maggie Mason, has kicked off what promises to be a wonderful new series. This book just makes you want to keep reading as the heroine copes with some unbelievably cruel blows that fate deals her. Yet throughout, and despite making mistakes, she is the kind of person everybody would hope to be their friend. Her loyalty and generosity know no bounds where friendship is concerned and although the book is not so cliched as to have an unrealistic happy ending, she does find contentment and a new beginning. I can't wait to see what the next book offers.

A ration book childhood

A Ration Book Childhood

In the darkest days of the Blitz, family is more important than ever.

With her family struggling amidst the nightly bombing raids in London's East End, Ida Brogan is doing her very best to keep their spirits up. The Blitz has hit the Brogans hard, and rationing is more challenging than ever, but they are doing all they can to help the war effort.

When Ida's oldest friend Ellen returns to town, sick and in dire need of help, it is to Ida that she turns. But Ellen carries a secret, one that threatens not only Ida's marriage, but the entire foundation of the Brogan family. Can Ida let go of the past and see a way to forgive her friend? And can she overcome her sadness to find a place in her heart for a little boy, one who will need a mother more than ever in these dark times?

Purchase Links 

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ration-Book-Childhood-Perfect-Styles-ebook/dp/B07RFTTFPG/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Ration-Book-Childhood-Perfect-Styles-ebook/dp/B07RFTTFPG/

Author Bio 

Jean Fullerton is the author of twelve novels all set in East London where she was born. She also a retired district nurse and university lecturer.  She won the Harry Bowling prise in 2006 and after initially signing for two East London historical series with Orion she moved to Corvus, part of Atlantic Publishing and is half way through her WW2 East London series featuring the Brogan family.

Social Media Links – 

Website: http://jeanfullerton.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jean-Fullerton-202631736433230/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter:  @JeanFullerton_

My Review

Having read 'A ration book Christmas' it was good to catch up with the Brogans again. This is a heart-breaking story of love, betrayal and forgiveness - the author manages to tap into all the reader's emotions leaving you feeling completely wrung out by the end. Once again, against the backdrop of war, the human spirit triumphs and none of us know how we would rise to the challenge unless we faced the same dilemmas. I am not sure, however, that many of us would be able to show Ida's generosity of spirit. This book will make you laugh and cry, often at the same time.

Her Missing Child

Description:

She lays her baby in his cot – the sound of his quiet breath filling the nursery as she leaves the room. Soon Claire will be fast asleep herself. She won’t hear the back door opening or the footsteps on the stairs.

When Claire Lucas is woken by her husband asking where their baby son is, she is dazed and confused. When she follows Darren into their child’s bedroom, she hears nothing but silence. No baby cries, no cute gurgles. The only thing left in Finlay’s cot is his beloved teddy bear. Finlay has gone.

Detective Jessie Blake rushes to the family’s modern home in the rugged Scottish Highlands. She notices that Darren avoids eye contact, and Claire seems disconnected – unable to account for the last few hours of her afternoon. Jessie knows there’s no normal response to losing a child, but something doesn’t feel right.

Friends rally round the young family, as a search of the narrow lanes and green hills of Moncrieffe begins in earnest. And as helpers battle the wild Scottish weather, Jessie is sure that someone in the search party must know more than they’re letting on. Someone must have seen something.

As a ghost from her own past comes back to haunt her, Jessie must put aside her own personal tragedy to save baby Finlay. Can she get the people of the small town to talk before it’s too late?

If you love Cara Hunter, LJ Ross and Robert Bryndza, you’ll love this addictive new crime thriller from Kerry Watts. Her Missing Child will have you hooked from the start!

Buy LINK 

https://geni.us/B07VJNKXYZSoc

Author Bio: 

Kerry Watts was born and grew up in a small town in the East of Scotland where she still lives today. She is always writing and carries a little notebook and pen with her wherever she goes because at her age ideas need to be captured before they disappear. 
Kerry specialises in crime fiction because she enjoys pushing the boundaries of what it is to be human. The nature versus nurture debate 

Author Social Media Links

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/KerryWattsAuthor/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Denmanisfab

My Review

From the title, it's clear that this book will deal with some difficult subjects; a missing child being one of the most difficult things a parent will ever have to deal with. There are some cleverly-drawn suspects including the mother, who is suffering from post-natal depression, her sister who is bipolar, the neighbour who is still grieving the loss of her own child, amongst others.
The mental health issues are portrayed sympathetically although it seems just about every character is suffering from some kind of problem. Just to balance this out, there are threats to the baby's grandfather from the family of a girl he killed in a drunken accident. All this ramps up the psychological tension and certainly kept me turning the pages.
If you then add in the reappearance of the investigating officer's ex-husband then this is a complex, multi-layered psychological thriller.
I enjoyed the plot and the character development. The ending does manage to come as a surprise and the reader is left thinking any one of the suspects could have done it right to the very end.