A Perfect Cornish Christmas

Escape to Cornwall this Christmas in this gorgeous festive romance.

‘Sparkling and festive, as satisfying as figgy pudding and clotted cream – loved it!’ Milly Johnson

Christmas in Cornwall is just around the corner…

But after last Christmas revealed a shocking family secret, Scarlett’s hardly feeling merry and bright. All she wants this Christmas is to know who her real father is.

So Scarlett heads to the little Cornish town of Porthmellow, where she believes the truth of her birth is hidden. She just didn’t bargain on being drawn into the Christmas festival preparations – or meeting Jude Penberth, whose charm threatens to complicate life further.

Everything will come to a head at Porthmellow’s Christmas Festival … But can Scarlett have the perfect Christmas this year, or are there more surprises on the way?

Curl up with this gorgeous novel and savour the world of Porthmellow Harbour.

About the author

 

Phillipa Ashley is an award-winning author of 17 novels under three pen-names. 

Her best selling new Cornish Cafe series is available in e book and paperback now.

The first in a brand new series - Christmas on the Little Cornish Isles: the Driftwood Inn was published on September 18th.

She also writes the Oxford Blue series as Pippa Croft.


My Review

A real treat of a seasonal read. The characters jump off the page and if this book doesn't make you come over all Christmasy then nothing will. There's a bit of mystery, a lot of Christmas and a dollop of romance on top. This was one of the first books I read this season and it's perfect for the cooler weather, to be savoured by a warm fire, drinking hot chocolate with a cat on your knee. Heaven.

The Rector's Daughter

The Rector’s Daughter

Charlotte, daughter of Reverend Percival Hatton, has been content to follow the path laid out for her. Charlotte has an understanding with Captain Nicolas Paget – every inch the gentleman – who she expects someday to marry. But then she meets Josiah Martyn, and everything changes...

A driven and ambitious Cornish mining engineer, and the complete opposite to Captain Nicholas, Josiah has come to London to help build the first tunnel under the river Thames. When unpredictable events occur at the inauguration of the project, Josiah and Charlotte are suddenly thrown into an unexpected intimacy. 

 But not everyone is happy with Charlotte and Josiah growing closer. As friends turn to foes, will they be able to rewrite the stars and find their happy ever after, although all odds seem to be stacked against them…?

Purchase Link

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rectors-Daughter-stunning-sweeping-sense-ebook/dp/B07RZVTKNZ/   

US - https://www.amazon.com/Rectors-Daughter-stunning-sweeping-sense-ebook/dp/B07RZVTKNZ/

Author Bio – Jean Fullerton is the author of thirteen 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

This is a fascinating historical setting, the building of the first tunnel under the Thames, and brilliantly researched by the author. The social mores of the time are well documented and the reader cannot but help empathise with Charlotte who is desperate to break away from the path that her fate has decided for her. This isn't a book to rush through, rather take your time and savour the development of events and the interrelationships of the characters.

The child of Auschwitz

‘She touched the photograph in its gilt frame that was always on her desk, of a young, thin woman with very short hair and a baby in her arms. She had one last story to tell. Theirs. And it began in hell on earth.’ 

It is 1942 and Eva Adami has boarded a train to Auschwitz. Barely able to breathe due to the press of bodies and exhausted from standing up for two days, she can think only of her longed-for reunion with her husband Michal, who was sent there six months earlier. 

But when Eva arrives at Auschwitz, there is no sign of Michal and the stark reality of the camp comes crashing down upon her. As she lies heartbroken and shivering on a thin mattress, her head shaved by rough hands, she hears a whisper. Her bunkmate, Sofie, is reaching out her hand... 

As the days pass, the two women learn each other’s hopes and dreams – Eva’s is that she will find Michal alive in this terrible place, and Sofie’s is that she will be reunited with her son Tomas, over the border in an orphanage in Austria. Sofie sees the chance to engineer one last meeting between Eva and Michal and knows she must take it even if means befriending the enemy… 

But when Eva realises she is pregnant she fears she has endangered both their lives. The women promise to protect each other’s children, should the worst occur. For they are determined to hold on to the last flower of hope in the shadows and degradation: their precious children, who they pray will live to tell their story when they no longer can. 

A heart-breaking story of survival, where life or death relies on the smallest chance and happiness can be found in the darkest times. Fans of The Choice and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will fall in love with this beautiful novel. 

Author Bio:

Lily Graham grew up in South Africa, and is a former journalist. She lives now in the Suffolk coast with her husband and English bulldog, Fudge.

She is the author of six novels, published by Bookouture, including the bestselling, The Paris Secret and The Island Villa. 

Her latest novel The Child of Auschwitz will be out in 2019. 

https://lilygraham.net/

@lilygrahambooks

My Review

Any book that is set against the background of the atrocities of Auschwitz is bound to be heartbreaking. This one is no exception and I found myself in tears at what they endured but also heartened slightly by the camaraderie. This is a book that will haunt you long after you finish it as the reader follows Eva's story. The only thing I found rather contrived was the ending where, as a reader, it felt improbable as the denouement was quite unexpected. In my head, I had imagined a different scenario so I was a little shocked. However, the story is beautifully told with horrors that we need to be reminded of. Very moving.

Keeper of Secrets

Keeper of Secrets

Should some secrets stay buried?

For as long as Cassie Hunt can remember her Aunt Aggie has spoken about the forgotten world that exists just below their feet, in the tunnels and catacombs of the Sand House. The story is what inspired Cassie to become an archaeologist. 

But Aggie has a secret that she’s buried as deep as the tunnels and when excavation work begins on the site, Cassie is the only one who can help her keep it. With the assistance of her old university friend, Noah Flanagan, she puts into action a plan to honour Aggie’s wishes. 

It seems the deeper Noah and Cassie dig, the more shocking the secrets uncovered – and danger is never far away, both above and below the ground …

Purchase Link:  https://tinyurl.com/y22eg3ze

Author Bio – Lynda is a wife, step-mother and grandmother who grew up in the mining village of Bentley, Doncaster, in South Yorkshire..

She is currently the Sales Director of a stationery, office supplies and office furniture company in Doncaster, where she has worked for the past 28 years. Prior to this she’d also been a nurse, a model, an emergency first response instructor and a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor … and yes, she was crazy enough to dive in the sea with sharks, without a cage. 

Following a car accident in 2008, Lynda was left with limited mobility in her right arm. Unable to dive or teach anymore, she turned to her love of writing, a hobby she’d followed avidly since being a teenager.

Her own life story, along with varied career choices, helps Lynda to create stories of romantic suspense, with challenging and unpredictable plots, along with (as in all romances) very happy endings.

She lives in a small rural hamlet near Doncaster, with her ‘hero at home husband’, Haydn, whom she’s been happily married to for over 20 years.

Lynda joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association in 2014 under the umbrella of the New Writers’ Scheme and in 2015 her debut novel House of Secrets won Choc Lit’s Search for a Star competition. Lynda writes for both Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction.

Social Media Links – 

Facebook www.facebook.com/lyndastaceyauthor

Twitter https://twitter.com/LyndaStacey

Website www.Lyndastacey.co.uk

My Review

As I was born a few miles outside Doncaster, this story fascinated me as I had never heard of the Catacombs. This is such a moving and gripping story it will have you hooked. It was quite scary in parts yet it makes you want to keep turning the pages.  The secrets of the Catacombs will have far-reaching effects on all the characters but is Aunt Aggie whose secret will shock. I must admit to shedding a tear at the outcome. Brilliantly done.

Christmas at Wynter House

Christmas at Wynter House

After a frosty welcome, things soon heat up at Wynter House.

Neva Grey is looking forward to spending a quiet Christmas with her family in the cosy cottage they’ve rented in the picture-postcard village of Wyntersleap. Nestled between rolling hills and a gently burbling river, it’s going to be idyllic.

Except it’s not. Torrential rain causes the river to burst its banks and the quaint little village isn’t quite so cosy with water lapping at the doors. Add to that a power cut and a sudden blizzard and Christmas is looking bleak ... until gorgeous Adam Wynter invites them all to Wynter House.

Although not everyone is happy to share the ancestral home. Adam’s elder brother, Rafe is less than pleased. Their grandmother, Olivia extends a grudging welcome. And for Carruthers, the oddly arrogant butler, unexpected guests are a Christmas surprise he could do without. Especially one as troublesome as Neva’s eight-year-old niece.

But something’s not quite right at Wynter House. What is Rafe intent on hiding behind the locked doors of the old barn? And what really happened to his first wife? It’s a good thing Neva has a sense of humour. She’s going to need it this Christmas at Wynter House.

This is book one in the Wyntersleap series but it can be read as a standalone. The Wyntersleap series is interlinked with the Merriment Bay series and several characters appear in both series.

Purchase Link - mybook.to/WynterHouse

Author Bio 

Emily writes novels, novellas and short stories about friendship, family and falling in love. She loves a happy ending but knows that life doesn't always go to plan. Her stories are sure to bring a smile to your face and a warmth to your heart.

Emily loves to connect with her readers and has a readers' group in which many have become good friends. To catch up with Emily, find out about the group, or connect with her on social media, go to her website at www.emilyharvale.com.

Having lived and worked in London for several years, Emily returned to her home town of Hastings where she now writes full-time. She’s a member of the SoA and the RWA, an Amazon bestseller and a Kindle All Star. When not writing, she can be found enjoying the stunning East Sussex coast and countryside, or in a wine bar with friends, discussing life, love and the latest TV shows. Chocolate cake is often eaten. She dislikes housework almost as much as she dislikes anchovies - and will do anything to avoid both. Emily has two mischievous rescue cats that like to sprawl across her keyboard, regardless of whether Emily is typing on it, or not.

Social Media Links –  https://www.facebook.com/emilyharvalewriter

https://www.twitter.com/emilyharvale

https://www.instagram.com/emilyharvale

 Giveaway to Win Christmas at Wynter House themed cushion (size 18 x 18 inches) a Wrendale Designs Christmas shopping pad and a Yankee Candle tealight holder and Winter Glow tealight (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494295/?

My Review

This is a typically cosy Christmas scene - a country cottage, Mum baking, just what Neva needs to decide what she is going to do next and more importantly where. The last thing she needs is a man but when she nearly runs hunky Adam off the road, she is unprepared for the strength of her feelings. These feelings are brought into question, however, when she crosses paths with Adam's taciturn brother. 

There is romance and mystery all set against the backdrop of an idyllic village. When the river floods, Christmas might have to be cancelled until Adam Wynter comes to the rescue with an invitation to Wynter House. This might just open up a whole new can of worms and Neva has to decide who and what she really wants.

The Paris Girl

                                                                                

Paris, 1920s. Tatiana Vytenis has worked hard to leave her past behind. Once a ruined Russian princess in hiding, she is now a sought-after model and engaged to Gérard de Sainte-Vierge – a handsome, if occasionally overbearing, aristocrat. With the Sainte-Vierge heirloom ruby sparkling on her finger, Tatiana feels as though she should be happy. Not long ago she was penniless and now she’s about to become a marquise.

But fate still has a final hand to play. One night in a bohemian café in Montparnasse, Tatiana discovers she’s been the unknowing plaything of the Sainte-Vierge family. Hidden beneath their genteel exteriors, Gerard and his brother have a secret darker side, and her darling fiancé will gladly ruin Tatiana’s life to save his own reputation. 

As Tatiana’s situation becomes ever more desperate, she crosses paths with an unlikely guardian angel. Serious, dark-haired Regan Dortmeyer is an American in Paris – a war photographer running from his own hard knocks in Hell’s Kitchen, New York. He’s no fancy French nobleman, but Regan has seen the lengths to which a wicked man like Gerard will go. As the consequences of her disastrous engagement threaten to swallow Tatiana up, he might be the only one who can save her now…

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Milliner’s Secret, The Paris Girl is a beautiful novel full of twists and turns, set against the breathtaking backdrop of 1920s Paris. Perfect for fans of Chanel Cleeton, Kathleen Tessaro and The Alice Network.  

Author Bio:

Natalie Meg Evans has been an art student, actor, PR copywriter, book-keeper and bar tender but always wanted to write. A USA Today best-seller and RITA nominee, she is author of four published novels which follow the fortunes of strong-minded women during the 1930s and 40s. Fashion, manners and art are the glass through which her characters’ lives are viewed. Each novel is laced with passion, romance and desire. Mystery is never far away. An avid absorber of history – for her sixth birthday she got a toy Arthurian castle with plastic knights – Natalie views historical fiction as theatre for the imagination. Her novels delve behind the scenes of a prestige industry: high fashion, millinery, theatre, wine making. Rich arenas for love and conflict. Most at home in the English countryside, Natalie lives in rural Suffolk. She has one son.  

http://nataliemegevans.uk/ 

@natmegevans

My Review

I found the twenties an interesting period to set a book in Paris and the backdrop of the fashion industry is a refreshing change from the usual wartime stories. This book has real depth of character and the twists and turns will keep you turning the page. 

The author has a feel for Parisian society of the time and this is a fascinating read. The reader cannot but empathise with Tatiana’s fate as she goes from rags to riches and back to rags again. The addition of an American photographer adds another dimension to the story. 

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.