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A Not So Quiet Christmas by Suzie Tullett

Antonia is 34 years old and after her friend Jules breaks her leg, she is persuaded to spend Christmas in Jules’s aunt’s cottage in Little Leatherington, taking her mate’s dog Frank along with her. She loves London and busy cities and hates the quiet life of the countryside, so what could go wrong? Seeing it as a bit of a chore, Antonia begins her stay but isn’t expecting anything very pleasant to come out of it. But as she arrives at 3 Bluebell Row for the first time, she meets the letting agent Oliver Chase and her interest is piqued… Was she going to get the quiet Christmas break she hoped for?

This book is funny, I laughed out loud several times and smiled a lot. Antonia gets herself into several situations and you can’t help but feel sorry for her. She meets different villagers, each one a real character. You follow her story with interest and delight.

The book is well-written with realistic characters and you are rooting for Antonia throughout. Frank the dog is lovely too, I enjoyed him being in there.

It’s festive too, as you’d expect, but the whole novel is a treat. I really enjoyed my time spent in its pages.

9 out of 10

BLURB

A Not So Quiet Christmas

A solo getaway at an English country cottage is a pleasant way to spend the holiday—but it takes two to really make things merry . . .

Antonia prefers a quiet Christmas. She’s happy to spend it on her own, watching Hallmark holiday movies in her pyjamas, eating what she wants, when she wants.

Antonia’s friend Jules, on the other hand, loves a big Christmas celebration and plans on travelling to the Yorkshire Dales for a festive break. But when Jules breaks her leg, she persuades Antonia to make the trip on her behalf. Arriving at the little cottage, Antonia meets the handsome property agent Oliver. But she can’t escape the weird locals—or avoid embarrassing situations like mistaking a cow for a burglar.

As Christmas approaches, the attraction between Oliver and Antonia grows. She could choose to return to the bustling city and spend it alone. Or she could choose love and have a not so quiet Christmas . . .

A Not So Quiet Christmas eBook : Tullett, Suzie: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

A Not So Quiet Christmas eBook by Suzie Tullett – 9781504073486 | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom

‎A Not So Quiet Christmas on Apple Books

A Not So Quiet Christmas by Suzie Tullett | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Author Bio –

Suzie Tullett is an author of contemporary humorous fiction and romantic comedy. She has a Masters Degree in Television & Radio Scriptwriting and worked as a scriptwriter before becoming a full-time novelist. When she’s not busy creating her own literary masterpieces, she usually has her head in someone else’s.

Suzie lives in a little cottage on the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, along with her husband and two Greek rescue dogs.

Social Media Links –

Suzie Tullett (Author) | Facebook

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https://www.instagram.com/suzie_tullett/

The Golden Girls Getaway by Judy Leigh

104 Drayton Mews in London is three flats occupied by three single women.

Vivienne Goldman is 71 and lives in the top flat. She’s an actress in a TV soap called The Edge of Edgeware. Her co-star Lennie is her ex-boyfriend.

Gwen Prichard is Welsh, 74 and a former professional singer. She lives in the ground floor flat and is pursued by their landlord – Vicente de Lorenzo, who loves her.

Mary Molloy is 80, a retired nurse from Ireland and lives in the basement flat.

The novel begins during the pandemic, with face masks, vaccinations and lockdowns, which I found really interesting. It shows how each of the three women has reacted to the situation too.

Once lockdown eases, the three women decide to borrow Vicente’s campervan and go off on an adventure. This forms the main part of the novel.

I absolutely loved this book. The main characters are brilliant, all really interesting and inspiring women you can completely believe in. You’ll be cheering them all on and hoping their dreams come true. It’s such a lovely book – warm, uplifting, involving. You’ll wish you were on holiday with them.

Judy Leigh is a wonderful writer and I have already bought another of her books.

9 out of 10

BLURB

The Golden Girls’ Getaway

It has been a long and lonely year for neighbours Vivienne, Mary and Gwen. All ladies of a ‘certain age’, their lockdown experience has left them feeling isolated and alone. They are in desperate need of a change.

Things start to look up however, when Gwen comes up with a plan to get them out of London by borrowing a motor home. In no time at all the ladies are on the road – away from the city, away from their own four walls, and away from their worries.

The British countryside has never looked more beautiful. As they travel from Stonehenge to Dartmoor, from the Devon and Cornish coasts to the Yorkshire moors, gradually the years fall back, and the three friends start to imagine new futures with no limitations.

And as their journey continues and their friendships deepen, and while the seaside views turn into glorious mountains and moors, Mary, Vivienne and Gwen learn to smile again, to laugh again, and maybe even to love again. Now they can believe that the best is still to come…

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/2YoGDsk

Author Bio –

Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of Five French Hens , A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

Social Media Links –  

Website http://judyleigh.com

Twitterhttps://twitter.com/judyleighwriter

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

Newsletter Sign Up Link http://bit.ly/JudyLeighNewsletter

Bookbub profile https://www.bookbub.com/authors/judy-leigh

A Winter Wedding at Mistletoe Gate Farm by Helen J Rolfe

Tilly is thirty years old and owns a shop called Tilly’s Bits ‘n’ Pieces in Heritage Cove, a village on the east coast of England, where the novel is set. (This is Book 4 in the Heritage Cove series, but works well as a standalone book too.)

Benjamin Doyle lives at Mistletoe Gate Farm, which is owned by his parents Danny and Heather. He’s also the chef in The Copper Plough pub. Benjamin and Tilly fancy each other, but don’t seem to be able to get round to telling the other one!

Tilly’s friends Harvey and Melissa are getting married soon and Tilly is one of their bridesmaids. After a storm destroys their planned wedding venue, they have to find somewhere else in the village.

Then a stranger turns up, claiming to be Tilly’s Uncle Scott, though she’s never heard of him…

The novel is lovely and festive, with lots of Christmas trees and mistletoe and celebrations going on, which make it perfect to read at this time of year. This is also a very individual thing, but I was also pleasantly surprised to find there weren’t any swearing or sex scenes in the novel, which is just how I like it! But there’s excitement, intrigue, things going on and yes, there’s romance, but that’s more of an underlying theme than the main focus of the story in many ways.

It has a great community feel to it, I loved getting to know the villagers and where they worked, who they lived with and so on. It felt like moving somewhere new and finding out that there are loads of lovely people nearby. The novel is warm and cuddly and I loved it!

Snow Falls Over Sunnybrook by Rosie Green

(This is part of the Little Duck Pond Café series, but works fine as a standalone.)

One Hallowe’en, Ruby Watkiss is at her friend Fen’s house – Brambleberry Manor – when she learns about the ancient tale of the Crimson Lady, a ghost who is said to haunt the big house. The story goes that Lady Eleanor lost her young son tragically and will continue to haunt the house until someone spends the night in the Blue Room, which will reunite the Crimson Lady with her son.

The suggestion is made that Ruby should spend the night there, along with Hudson Holmes, her good friend who she wishes could be more than just a friend. But will they be able to stay there the whole night? And if they do, will she find more than friendship with hunky Hudson?

Despite the initial premise of the book sounding like a standard romance novel, there is more to it than that and soon Ruby and Hudson are trying to solve a mystery.

I liked the characters, they seemed realistic and I cared about what was happening to them – and I especially liked the dogs! It’s a lovely little story, well brought together and nicely written.

A Cornish Christmas at Pear Tree Farm by Angela Britnell

The novel is set in Cornwall, where Nessa owns Pear Tree Farm. Her sister-in-law, American Ashley, begins a romance with Welsh former soldier Crispin, and all seems to be going well between them, until Crispin receives a letter that leaves him trying to figure out what step to take next. As everyone at Pear Tree Farm gets involved in the ‘Christmas, Cornish Style’ weekends they are organizing, has Ashley and Crispin’s relationship finished forever?

This is the second book in the Pear Tree Farm series, but I haven’t read the first one and easily understood what was going on in this book, as the author explains any relevant backstory.

It is an easy, light read, I finished it in a day. The characters come to life beautifully and I really enjoyed the community feel. There is quite a small cast of characters, so it’s easy to get to know everyone and they are a highlight of the story, as you care about them and want things to turn out well for all of them.

I enjoyed Angela Britnell’s book and hope there are more books to come in the Pear Tree Farm series.

A COSY COUNTRYSIDE CHRISTMAS by Eliza J. Scott

Ella Welford is 34 years old and works as a teaching assistant at the local village primary school. She lives in a cosy rented cottage with her cat.

Joss Campion is called back to his father’s farm after a family crisis. He hasn’t been back for eighteen years, but he reluctantly agrees to return to Camplin Farm with his gorgeous dog Sid. As he drives towards the farm, he sees Ella, the girl who broke his heart when they were both sixteen.

Will they rekindle the friendship they had all those years ago? Or is life destined for them to continue on their separate paths? After all, Ella has always said she’s never fancied Joss, they were just best friends. And Ella’s friend Portia definitely DOES fancy Joss. So what will happen there? And why has Joss’s brother Rich suddenly disappeared?

The book is told from both Ella’s and Joss’s viewpoints. The story is set in the village of Lytell Stangdale, in the North Yorkshire Moors, in December, so it has a very good festive, snowy setting and is great to read at this time of year.

It’s a little bit too descriptive for my tastes, but overall, it’s a good book and I enjoyed it. I got into the story easily, it’s interesting and you want to know what happens to everyone. The village setting is great, I liked the characters and Eliza J. Scott has a talent for writing really good dialogue.

WINGING IT by Emma Murray

Saoirse’s husband David gets offered a great new job, but it means moving the family from a nice area of London to New York for a whole year. David, Saoirse (pronounced Seersha) and their five-year-old daughter Anna move to Manhattan, but things are not as they expected. While David’s new company (The Firm) have paid for an apartment for them to live in, it isn’t what they hoped for. For starters, there’s only one bedroom. Then Saoirse finds living in such a big city is intimidating and her anxiety increases, so she’d much prefer to stay in their apartment all the time. But David wants to keep the job, so what can they do? Can Saoirse and Anna adapt to living in a big American city? Can they make new friends?

We follow their story in this novel and find out what happens to them on their big adventure moving from England to the USA.

I really liked the family, they seemed very realistic and believable. I could definitely relate to Saoirse and could see myself in many of the situations she is in, especially moving to a place where she doesn’t know anyone and having to try to make friends again. Anna, the daughter, is very well-written too; a lot of the things she does and says took me back to when my kids were that age – and it’s a lot of hard work looking after five-year-olds!

There are lot of great characters in it, especially their friends and family. Even the smaller characters (like the shop owners) are brought to life well. I enjoyed Emma’s style of writing.

It’s an easy book to get into. It isn’t riotously funny, but I didn’t expect it to be. It has some funny parts in it, but they aren’t slapstick, they are the kind of things that can and do happen in real life.

At the end of the e-book, there’s an extract of Time Out, which is apparently the previous book featuring Saoirse and I have downloaded it to read too, as I really enjoyed the characters. But Winging It is perfectly fine as a standalone book.

8 out of 10

LAUGHING ALL THE WAY ON THE JINGLE BELLS EXPRESS by Berni Stevens

This is a charming little story, perfect for this time of year. It’s only 156 pages long and I read it on my Kindle in a couple of days.

I don’t want to tell you much about it, because it’s a joy to discover it as you go along. But the basic idea is that a seemingly random collection of people (mainly in their twenties and thirties) receive a personalized invitation to a special festive train ride. They aren’t quite sure what to make of it and have no idea who it’s from, as the invitation simply says it’s from J. Ingles and B. Elles.

One of those invited decides to put a newspaper advert up, to see if anyone else has received an invitation. Some of those recipients meet up and soon friendships and being made, and even relationships look to be starting. But what is the train ride about? Who are the mystery people behind it?

There is quite a big cast of characters in the book, but they are well-described. My favourites are the busker Dylan and his gorgeous dog Muttley. The story is well told and I enjoyed the mystery around it. It’s a beautiful festive tale, uplifting and magical. I rated it 8 out of 10, but it only lost marks because I wanted more – and that’s not really a bad thing!

THE QUIET PEOPLE by Paul Cleave

Wow! What a book! I read it in two days and it was such a page turner!

The plot is that two crime writers, Lisa and Cameron Murdoch, live in Christchurch, New Zealand with their seven-year-old son Zach. Zach is quite a handful and his parents have to adjust to his mood swings and act accordingly. One day, after an argument, he goes missing.

I really don’t want to tell you much more, because there are so many twists and turns, that it will keep you guessing all the way through. The plot is expertly spun, all the individual threads weaving through the story, so you think one thing, then another thing, then something else completely. It is so cleverly done, the writing is beautiful, the characters jump out the page and the pacing is excellent. I often find in these complex books that something doesn’t quite tie up perfectly, leaving a question unanswered – but not in this book. Everything is covered and sorted and the ending is brilliantly done.

A truly fabulous read.

9.5 out of 10

EVERYTHING IS YOURS by Abigail Yardimci

Everything is Yours is the third book in the Life is Yours trilogy, but is easily readable as a standalone too. I hadn’t read the previous two and could easily understand what was going on – though I now want to go back and read books one and two!

The books tell the story of Jess, who has found love with a Turkish man called Mesut after a holiday romance. Everything Is Yours begins with Jess talking to Lindy in a Turkish restaurant. They didn’t know each other previously, but have formed a connection and eat a meal together on New Year’s Eve, as Jess tells Lindy her story.

Although the book is essentially a romance, there is so much more to it than that! As the character of Jess goes through some serious soul-searching, the reader is also led to consider the things they have experienced in their own lives and try to find answers for their behaviour or traits they hold on to, which continue to hold them back. In some parts, I found it was almost like a counselling session by proxy – and in the best possible way. By considering the issues that Jess has, the barriers to leading the life she wants to lead, I also found myself analysing the things that hold me back too.

Abigail Yardimci uses some of her own life experiences in the trilogy and that really adds an authenticity to it. It is beautifully written, often funny, always warm and relatable. Her characters are wonderfully brought to life and I felt her female friendships were incredibly heart-warming and believable. Her characters are realistically flawed, but we love them for that and all the way through, we are rooting for Jess. It’s a book you will want to keep reading to find out what happens.

8.5 out of 10