Ok, first of all, can we please take a moment to admire that cover? It is probably my favourite cosy Christmas cover so far this year, and completely representative of the story inside.

Overall, I thought this one was moderately Christmassy. I mean, it's Christmas time and the Cosy Kettle is decorated, and there were loads of mince pies, but there was just some kind of Christmas spark missing for me. Similarly, I thought the characters were fun, but again something was just a bit flat. I did love the setting though!

I think one of the things that made it hard for me to connect with this one was that I just feel like the storylines about heart broken young women wanting to change themselves (into their sisters) is a bit overdone for me. Becca was so down on herself, and while I understand this is probably meant to make her approachable and relatable, it was just too much for me. I also found it quite repetitive (maybe it was a tiny bit too long?). My favourite parts were definitely the bits where Becca was enjoying herself - for instance shopping and getting her hair done with her book club friends.

This was really kind of "eh" for me, and I gave it 2.5/5 stars.

xo Bron
***

A Christmas Wish and a Cranberry Kiss at the Cosy Kettle by Liz Eeles
Out now from Bookouture
Thanks so much to Bookouture for providing a free copy for review (via NetGalley)

 
Twenty-seven-year-old Holly Devine has just had her heart well and truly broken. Hurt by the two people she loves the most, she flees to her eccentric Aunt Clara’s cosy cottage to hide away over the winter season. But kind, impulsive Aunt Clara has other ideas… She’s not about to see her favourite niece wallowing in sadness during the most wonderful time of the year. So, with the help of her close circle of friends and plenty of gin, she creates a handmade advent calendar for Holly.

Every day in December, Holly opens a new door and has a different task to complete. She soon finds herself asking out a complete stranger – gorgeous, cheeky pub landlord, Finn Jackson. But as handsome Finn gets involved in her festive challenges, Holly’s determination to avoid romance is put to the test. Still, Finn’s far too carefree and single for true love, isn’t he?

As Holly begins to embrace each day – a complete makeover, building the biggest snowman she’s ever seen, singing in a karaoke contest – Finn is there adding fun and laughter to every moment. Holly starts to realise that she can become the person she’s always wanted to be…

But a secret from Finn’s past threatens to turn Holly’s Christmas upside down and makes her question everything she has experienced in the last few weeks. Will Finn open up to Holly in time to show her how he really feels? And will she complete the advent calendar challenges and fall in love this Christmas?

Ok, we know that Christmassy stories - whether in books or on the screen - are filled with tropes and 'advent calendar activities' is one of my favourites! I really thought this was a very sweet story - with a few steamy scenes too. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives - they switch between Holly and Finn. I also really enjoy quirky characters and a snowy setting, both of which this book definitely delivered on.

I think this one does a really good job with the 'background' characters - as well as enjoying Aunt Clara's and her WI friends, I liked seeing the relationships of some of Holly and Finn's friends grow.

I gave this three and a half shining Christmas stars, and a generous helping of Aunt Clara's homemade gin!

xo Bron

***
The Christmas Countdown by Donna Ashcroft
Out now from Bookouture
Source: free ebook provided for review by Bookouture via NetGalley
Themes: Christmas, heartbreak, finding yourself, relationships
 

Of note, I have both Wrapped Up IN Christmas  AND Wrapped Up FOR Christmas on my list, as well as Christmas Cow Bells (in case anyone was wondering what was the deal with the cows on the cover!).

I think I'm going to start with The Christmas Countdown by Donna Ashcroft:


Twenty-seven-year-old Holly Devine has just had her heart well and truly broken. Hurt by the two people she loves the most, she flees to her eccentric Aunt Clara’s cosy cottage to hide away over the winter season. But kind, impulsive Aunt Clara has other ideas… She’s not about to see her favourite niece wallowing in sadness during the most wonderful time of the year. So, with the help of her close circle of friends and plenty of gin, she creates a handmade advent calendar for Holly.
Every day in December, Holly opens a new door and has a different task to complete. She soon finds herself asking out a complete stranger – gorgeous, cheeky pub landlord, Finn Jackson. But as handsome Finn gets involved in her festive challenges, Holly’s determination to avoid romance is put to the test. Still, Finn’s far too carefree and single for true love, isn’t he?
As Holly begins to embrace each day – a complete makeover, building the biggest snowman she’s ever seen, singing in a karaoke contest – Finn is there adding fun and laughter to every moment. Holly starts to realise that she can become the person she’s always wanted to be…
But a secret from Finn’s past threatens to turn Holly’s Christmas upside down and makes her question everything she has experienced in the last few weeks. Will Finn open up to Holly in time to show her how he really feels? And will she complete the advent calendar challenges and fall in love this Christmas?

The Christmas Countdown is out now from Bookouture, who kindly provided me with an ecopy (via NetGalley). Pop back next week to see what I thought!

xo Bron

Tonight I'm sharing another new Christmas release from a favourite cosy Christmas author - Tilly Tennant's The Christmas Wish.

Here's the summary from Goodreads...

Christmas is coming but it doesn’t feel that way for Esme Greenwood. Recently jilted by her cheating fiancee Warren, she’s had enough of London life and escapes to Thimble Cottage in the Peak District, home of her beloved grandmother Matilda.

While Esme mourns for the wedding she’ll never have, Matilda puts her granddaughter back together again with comforting words and generous helpings of fruitcake and together, they plan the trip of a lifetime, to Lapland to see the northern lights, somewhere Matilda has always dreamt of going.
But tragedy strikes and when Matilda dies, Esme screws up the courage to go on the trip on her own to honour her beloved grandmother’s wishes. At the airport she meets a motley crew of characters including Zach, a handsome, brooding, out-of- work actor and together they set off for an adventure.

Beneath the indigo skies of Lapland, Esme and Zach grow closer. But when Esme is bombarded by messages from Warren promising he’s changed and she discovers that Zach is hiding something very significant – will her head be turned? And when a trip to the northern lights reveals the full extent of Zach’s own secret past, is there any hope that Esme will get the happy ending that her grandmother wished for her?

To be honest, this one wasn't quite what I expected! It starts pretty heavy - with Esme trying to escape an abusive relationship, and then her grandmother passing away - and I'd say it took until about 25% in to get to the Lapland trip and more of the cosy, romancey, Christmassy story I was expecting.
Once that all got underway I did enjoy it - and Lapland was such a fantastically fun Christmas setting.

I did have a little bit of trouble spending so much time in Esme's head because of how little confidence she has in herself and how self deprecating many of her thoughts were. This is something I always struggle with in books where the protagonist has low self confidence - I find their POV really uncomfortable, which gave kind of a weird vibe in a Christmas novel.

Overall this was sweet and mostly fun, and I liked the secondary characters a lot. It is possible that some readers could find the controlling aspects of Esme's relationship with Warren triggering, so that is definitely something to watch out for. I gave this one 3 stars!

I have previously read two other Christmas novels by Tilly Tennant - A Very Vintage Christmas and A Cosy Candlelit Christmas - both of which came out last year and were also really lovely. I think the latter was my favourite - so much snow and Christmassiness! I actually reviewd both on my blog - you can find them here.

Don't forget to let me know if you read any of these, or if you'd like to share your favourite Christmas read in the comments!
xo Bron


*** The Christmas Wish ***
Out now from Bookouture.
On Goodreads
Source: Free ebook provided for review by Bookouture via NetGalley
Find Tilly Tennant online here. 

Jenny Hale's new release this year is called It Started with Christmas. I love the covers on her books - they are some of my favourites! Here's the overview from Jenny's website: