Blog Tour Book Review: Snowflakes on Silver Cove, by Holly Martin

Welcome to the charming seaside town of White Cliff Bay, where Christmas is magical and love is in the air…

Libby Joseph is famous for her romantic Christmas stories. Every December, readers devour her books of falling in love against the magical backdrop of the Christmas season. If only Libby believed in the magic herself…

Struggling to finish her current novel, Libby turns to her best friend and neighbour George Donaldson to cheer her up. But George also needs a bit of support himself. Nervous about getting back into the dating saddle after splitting from his wife, he and Libby strike a deal. She will teach George how to win over the ladies, and Libby will in turn be inspired to inject her novel with a good dose of romance.

As Libby and George explore the beautiful White Cliff Bay on a series of romantic Christmas-themed dates, Libby finds herself having more fun than she’s had in ages and…discovers feelings that she never knew she had for George.

But is it too late? Will George win someone else’s heart or can Libby act like the heroine in one of her stories and reach for her own love under the mistletoe this Christmas?

Snuggle up with a piece of Christmas cake and mulled wine, and spend the festive season at White Cliff Bay. You won’t want to leave! Christmas at Lilac Cottage also out now

Blog Tour Book Review: Christmas at Lilac Cottage, by Holly Martin

Welcome to the charming seaside town of White Cliff Bay, where Christmas is magical and love is in the air…

Penny Meadows loves her home – a cosy cottage decorated with pretty twinkling fairy lights and stunning views over the town of White Cliff Bay. She also loves her job as an ice-carver, creating breathtaking sculptures. Yet her personal life seems frozen.

When Henry and daughter Daisy arrive at the cottage to rent the annex, Penny is determined to make them feel welcome. But while Daisy is friendly, Henry seems guarded.

As Penny gets to know Henry, she realises there is more to him than meets the eye. And the connection between them is too strong to ignore…

While the spirit of the season sprinkles its magic over the seaside town and preparations for the ice sculpting competition and Christmas eve ball are in full swing, can Penny melt the ice and allow love in her heart? And will this finally be the perfect Christmas she’s been dreaming of?

Like a creamy hot chocolate with marshmallows, you won’t want to put this deliciously heartwarming novel down.

Spend the perfect Christmas in White Cliff Bay this year. Snowflakes on Silver Cove coming very soon

Christmas & Penguin Themed Giveaway!

Well, it’s twelve days till Christmas, which means it simply MUST be time for a festive giveaway!

I hope all of you have an absolutely amazing Christmas, and thank you all so much for your support. I’m totally blessed for each and every one of my reader, blogger and writer friends who I’ve met in 2014. So, this giveaway gives me a chance to give one of you a gift at least – one lucky entrant will win a festive-themed bundle, (including lots of penguin items, naturally!)

You have till the end of Christmas Eve to enter – good luck 🙂

Christmas Corner Guest Post: What Christmas Means to Me, by Rebecca Raisin

Thank you for inviting me here today, Paris!

What Christmas means to me…

It’s no secret Christmas is my favourite time of year! Hence writing books centred on that time! There’s something completely magical about the season, and it’s even better celebrating it from October onwards…

Christmas Corner Guest Post: What Christmas Means to Me, by Jenny Hale

When I think of Christmastime, I think of friends and family. They’re all around me during this season. Christmas Eve church services, big dinners with grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, making and receiving treats for our neighbors, decorating with my children—I am surrounded by loved ones. For me, it’s the people in my life that make this season special. I have a million different memories of Christmas, but I thought I’d share a few of the good ones—the ones that shaped my view of the holiday!

Book Review: One Hundred Christmas Proposals, by Holly Martin

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to One Hundred Proposals…

If you thought Harry & Suzie’s life couldn’t get anymore sweepingly romantic than Harry asking her to marry him at the end of One Hundred Proposals – think again!

It’s Christmas in a snow-kissed London, and the.PerfectProposal.com have vowed to carry out one hundred proposals in December. No easy task at the best of times – made even more complicated by Harry & Suzie trying to plan their first Christmas and a visit from the dreaded in-laws. But one hundred deliciously Christmassy proposals later they find themselves asking if everything is still perfect in their own relationship….

Welcome back to the divinely warm world of One Hundred Proposals – with a sprinkling of pure, joyful, festive magic.

Have yourself a very merry Christmas indeed with Holly Martin’s Christmas novella.

Christmas Corner Guest Post: My Best Christmas, by Jennifer Joyce

My best Christmas took place in 2011 when we went to New York. I’d wanted to go to New York – especially at Christmas – since I watched Home Alone 2 as a child, so it was amazing to actually go. I couldn’t believe I was actually there until we stood in Times Square and saw the view I’d seen on TV and films so many times!

We spent a week there and did the usual touristy things, like going up the Empire State Building and sampling American pancakes and cheesecake but we also got to take our daughters (who were 8 and 3 at the time) to see Santa at Macy’s, which was even more magical than I could ever have imagined. We also got to see the gorgeous festive windows displays and the gigantic tree at Rockefeller Center. Christmas Day was spent in Central Park, starting with a horse and carriage ride before we went to the zoo.

On our last night in New York, my oldest daughter and I went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway, which was brilliant. We had such an amazing time in New York and as we brought some Christmas decorations home with us, we have a reminder of our best Christmas when we put them up each year.

***

Meet Jennifer

Jennifer is a writer of romantic comedies who lives in Manchester with her husband and their two daughters. When she’s not disappearing into her own fictional worlds, she can be found reviewing books on her blog or over on Novelicious as part of the Alternative Thursday team. You can read her Novelicious reviews here.

Her books, A Beginner’s Guide To Salad and festive short story A Beginner’s Guide To Christmas are available now.

Blog: Jennifer Joyce Writes

Twitter: @Writer_Jenn

Facebook: Jennifer Joyce Writes

Goodreads: Jennifer Joyce

Thank you so much for sharing your best Christmas with us, Jennifer. It sounds like a truly magical one.

Book Review: Cold Feet at Christmas, by Debbie Johnson

Running out on your wedding shouldn’t be this much fun!

A remote Scottish castle on a snowy Christmas Eve. A handsome husband-to-be. A dress to die for. It should have been the happiest day of Leah Harvey’s life – but the fairytale wedding turns sour when she finds her fiancé halfway up the bridesmaid’s skirt just hours before the ceremony!

Fleeing the scene in a blizzard, Leah ends up stranded at the nearest cottage, where she collapses into the arms of its inhabitant – a man so handsome she thinks she must have died and gone to heaven!

And when Rob Cavelli suddenly finds himself with an armful of soaking wet, freezing cold, and absolutely gorgeous bride on the run, he’s more than happy to welcome her into his snowbound cottage this Christmas…

Christmas Corner Guest Post: My Best Christmas, by Evelyn Chong

I am very happy to be a part of Paris’s Christmas Corner project and I am sharing about My Best Christmas. Christmas for me is a million things, various definitions. However, Christmas usually only meant one single thing when I was a child – celebrating at my parents’ fave hotel and seeing my relatives. I loved and missed those days, don’t get me wrong. I have celebrated nineteen Christmasses so far and if I were to choose the best, I would go for the most recent one. Not just the best Christmas but the best holiday ever.

It’s my best not because it happened only last year but it was the best Christmas ever. It was a Christmas which I will always remember as the funnest holiday before I turn twenty, the last chance to do something crazy and reckless and truly let my hair down, forget about all the stress and put a proper smile on the faces I love. It was also the Christmas that we deviated from the hotel lounge tradition. Late December 2013, my parents, my younger brother and I ended up going to Singapore for three days.

I’ve always loved going to Singapore, the food are great, the place is clean and everything is wonderful. Nowhere fancy or snowy and no chance of a White Christmas, but yet I still think of this holiday a lot. It wasn’t a planned trip, out of the blue because my dad finally decided to take a break and go for a proper holiday. The hotel was fabulous and it’s the most Christmassy hotel ever!

I loved the food there and the pool was great. There was a tiny miserable part, I booked breakfast for only one person instead of four and we couldn’t add. I was enveloped with guilt and ended up at the breakfast café alone. So I guess, instead of blabbing about the horrible first morning, I should focus on the beauty of that Christmas.

We had only three days and Singapore wasn’t new to us and it wasn’t my first Christmas there. I was in Singapore in 1999, checking out the Looney Tunes statues. So we decided to do what was usual to us. We ate ice creams at malls, macaroons (first Laduree boutique in South East Asia), visited Universal Studios Singapore (the queue for tickets was bloody long!), shopped for gifts, splashed water in the pool till it hurts (just me and my brother) and took hell lot of pictures.

 

Not a huge fan of theme parks, all I did in USS was taking photos and buying souvenirs. My brother enjoyed the rides that I hated. Brr. I loved the kiddy feeling that gripped my heart when I was there but not the heart attacks from the roller-coasters. I took a couple of photos, only a few left as one memory card went nuts. I enjoyed the Sesame Street merchandise store so so much! Tried on the headbands there and if I was given a choice, I’d stay there till forever. Hehe.

 

        We went to a mall with the most gorgeous Christmas trees! Not just the trees were gorgeous, they have the best macaroon boutique there! And did I mention the giant snow globe?

There was a Tiffany & Co. tree, huge and complete with cute tiny blue boxes. My dad is a camera shy man but a fabulous photographer, so the photographs are precious to me. We took a proper family Christmas photo there! I loved the Laduree Christmas Tree that’s made of macaroons! It’s pink but wasn’t as enormous as the Tiffany’s. You have to see the photos! The photos are rare!

I was so lucky enough that the Chanel The Little Black Jacket exhibition (held at the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands) was open to all. That’s where some great photographs by Karl Lagerfeld were displayed.

So, I went with my mom as the men decided to walk around. Some books about Chanel were on sale but pretty pricey. The overall space layout was pretty simple. A stack of books in the middle of the hall and posters everywhere.

 

All black and white and I saw pictures of Alexa Chung, Keira K and a few others. It was really an eye opening experience.

I know other girls went to Disney, New York and all sorts of exotic destinations, but I’m glad I experienced a very familial Christmas in a place that feels like home. Though there’s no mention of pressie, my family has given me the best Christmas present anyone could ever ask for.

Until next Christmas! xx

 

***

Meet Evelyn

Evelyn is the owner of Eve’s Chick Lit Reviews from sunshiny land, Malaysia. She is currently chasing her dreams and doing an English & Public Relations degree programme. She loves blogging and reading chick lit novels. When she’s not busy hiding behind a good book, she might be playing an instrument with six strings. She is probably busy writing or designing Christmas cards as we speak. Other than that, she could be found in malls or hiding in a book store seeking for new colour pens, watching movies or maybe, drinking strong coffee or tea with family and close friends.

 

Blog: Eve’s Chick Lit Reviews

Twitter: @ChickLitterEve

Goodreads: Evelyn

Thanks so much for coming on the blog today, Evelyn, your best Christmas sounds like it was absolutely amazing! Xx

 

Christmas Corner!

I really hope you enjoyed Spooky Reads Week as much as I did!

Now that Halloween has been and gone, there’s only one thing for it…Christmas is coming! (You have no idea how tempted I was to start this in September; be proud of my restraint!)

Christmas books releases are in full swing now, so as we enter November, I don’t feel too bad about going full blown Christmas Spirit on you all! My blog now has a ‘Christmas Corner,’ which you can access from the tab up there.

I’ve already started posting some Christmas reviews and releases over the last couple of weeks or so anyway, but as it’s now November, I will now be taking the festive cheer up a notch…come on, you know you love it 😉

I’ve got some great guest posts lined up from some fabulous authors and book bloggers, as well as lots more Christmas book reviews, Christmas book releases, and just about anything else Christmas related that I darn well feel like. ‘Tis the season, after all!

Oh, and of course there shall be at least one Christmas themed giveaway, if not more!

Also, for a little extra festive cheer, you may have noticed that Christmas books are being rated out of five Pink Penguins, instead of stars! Just look at how cute these little ladies are!!

 Hope you enjoy the festive fun!