I thought a little update was required. I have now read 3 of my Christmas books on my list and I have ordered more which was very naughty of me but I just couldn’t help myself.
So here are the books I have read and I will be honest I absolutely loved and they have really helped me get into the festive spirit.
Here are the books I have left to read and I know I will never get through them all but I live in hope and my Goodreads challenge is falling behind so I am hoping my Christmas reading will help me catch up.
So there is my current Christmas Reading list. Please drop me a comment if you want to chat about any of these books.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Another Wednesday has arrived and I am definitely in the Christmas reading mode. So here is how my reading is going.
What I am Currently Reading
I’m loving my little poem book. Christmas at Woolworths is rather confusing at the moment because Everest’s writing style is rather all over the place and its all rather hectic trying to work out who said what.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
Loved both of these books and I was really pleased to discover a new author, Sarah Morgan who I will definitely be reading more of. Here are the reviews A Perfect Cornish Christmas and A Wedding in December.
What I think I will Read Next
It will be one of these as it is all Christmas books in December and I have loads of them to read. I just need to make sure I don’t buy anymore!
So there is my WWW Wednesday, please drop me a comment if you want a chat and of course please drop your link to your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
In the snowy perfection of Aspen, the White family gathers for youngest daughter Rosie’s whirlwind Christmas wedding.
First to arrive are the bride’s parents, Maggie and Nick. Their daughter’s marriage is a milestone they are determined to celebrate wholeheartedly, but they are hiding a huge secret about their own: they are on the brink of divorce. After living apart for the last six months, the last thing they need is to be trapped together in an irresistibly romantic winter wonderland.
Rosie’s older sister Katie is also dreading the wedding. Worried that impulsive, sweet-hearted Rosie is making a mistake, Katie is determined to save her sister from herself. If only the irritatingly good-looking best man, Jordan, would stop interfering with her plans…
Bride-to-be Rosie loves her fiance but is having serious second thoughts. Except everyone has arrived – how can she tell them she’s not sure? As the big day gets closer, and emotions run even higher, this is one White family Christmas none of them will ever forget.
Review
This book centres around three main characters Rosie, Katie and Maggie and each chapter is based on one of these characters and shows the story from their perspective and it really does work brilliantly because you get to see how their lives intertwine and how they are also separate. The other thing I loved about this book was the descriptions of Aspen. It sounds so perfect and made me desperately want to visit in the winter to see the snow.
Katie and Rosie are sisters and Maggie is their mother who has always been there for her two daughters no matter what. Katie has her own personal problems but she prefers to interfere with her sister Rosie’s wedding than deal with her own problems and I must admit Katie did drive me a bit insane. She was altogether a bit too much for me and was a character I would have shouted at more than once.
Rosie is adorable, she is kind and loving but also really needs to stand up for herself so when she occasionally does in the book I always did a little jump for joy. Rosie and Dan are having a whirlwind romance and are getting married and Dan’s mother Catherine is organising all of it very last minute. I kind of liked Catherine but at the same time I did find her a bit pushy with everything and I really felt sorry for Maggie with it all.
Maggie and Nick have been living apart for ages and have not told their daughters and they are also on the brink of divorce. I really enjoyed reading about these two characters and it was wonderful to see the two of them grow and learn about each other.
The thing I loved about this book the most was seeing how the characters all grew and developed all of which they couldn’t have done without being together. It really was a lovely story if rather annoying in places. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.
USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes romance and contemporary women’s fiction and her trademark humour and warmth have gained her fans across the globe. Sarah lives near London, England, and when she isn’t reading or writing she loves being outdoors.
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?
Review
I read another Ashley Christmas novel last year and thoroughly enjoyed it so I was pleased to find this book equally enjoyable if not more. I will also be honest and say that I lost quite a bit of sleep with this book because I couldn’t put it down.
The story opens with a family Christmas that ends with a bombshell that has repercussions for all the family. Then the story moves to just before the next Christmas and how Scarlett and her sister Ellie prepare for a very different Christmas in Cornwall.
Ellie is a lovely character and although she appears to be a bit of a wild child due to spending so much time travelling around the world she is a solid character who works hard and will do anything for her sister Scarlett. I couldn’t help but love Ellie’s character and want the best for her.
Scarlett is the main character of the story and she is very lost and desperately needs answers so she gives up her life in Birmingham and moves to Porthmellow to live with her sister Ellie in their great aunt’s old manor house where she hopes to find the answers she so desperately craves.
There are some great characters in this book and some hilarious innuendos that really made me chuckle. There are several storylines in this book and they all link together beautifully. There are love stories past and present, affairs and family problems and a few surprises thrown into the mix as well. I loved the atmosphere of Porthmellow and the Solstice festival appeared perfectly idyllic and I now really want to go to one myself.
Ashley has written a wonderful book that is full of beautiful descriptions, criss crossing storylines and characters that you can’t help but love. This book really put me into the festive mood and I am so pleased I read it and I will definitely be reading some of Ashely’s non-chrirstmas books next year. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons and highly recommend it to everyone who wants a festive read over Christmas.
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About the author
Born in 1971 in Lichfield, Phillipa Ashley is an award winning author of 17 novels under 3 different pen names.
So today we ordered our Christmas tree, we usually have a real Christmas tree but this year due to my husband and myself both actually been allergic to Christmas trees we have gone for an artificial one. I can’t wait for it to arrive!
We also watched the Christmas light switch on of our town online and drank mulled wine today, so I thought it is high time I got my Christmas reading list sorted. I usually get my Christmas books from Waterstones when we go to our annual Birmingham German Market trip but that is cancelled this year so I have had to do my Christmas book shopping online which is really not the same.
Anyway, in no particular order here is my list.
Ten books in total and knowing me I might add more. I know I won’t get around to reading them all but I do like having a variety to choose from. I’m particularly looking forward to my new version of The Nutcracker as I read a new version every year. I have had a sneaky look at the illustrations already and it does look very pretty.
Please let me know your thoughts if you have read any of these Christmas books and please feel free to recommend some more Christmas reads to me. The more the merrier!
Lady Book Dragon 