The Hygge Holiday * Rosie Blake

The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake

It's autumn in Yulethorpe and everyone is gloomy. It's cold, drizzly and the skies are permagrey. The last shop on the high street - an adorable little toy shop - has just shut its doors. 

Everything is going wrong for Yulethorpe this autumn. Until Clara Kristensen arrives.

When Clara turns up in Yulethorpe, she had come away to escape her past, not to be suddenly running a toy store in the small sleepy village. Though that's exactly what happens. 

After sitting in the local pub and witnessing the very upset and eccentric Louisa, Clare finds herself knocking on her front door and to see if she's okay. To her surprise, Louisa wasn't kidding when she left the pub and is now packing all of her belongings into a suitcase and is ready to leave for sunny Spain. 

Soon Clara has become the house sitter to a raving mad parrot known as Lady Caca who shouts profanities at everyone and a very lazy ginger cat named Roddy. Oh and theres also a toy shop to run. 

Though when she sees the shop, its looking a bit worse for wear. With stacked cardboard boxes, dust covering the shelves and toys, the till covered in papers and doodles of cats and the sign on the door saying closed, things have got to change. 

Revving her good spirits, she is soon transforming the space, creating colourful displays and bringing life back into the shop, meeting Laura on the way. The bubbly mother with her little son who adore the shop and will do anything to help. 

Meanwhile in London, Joe is an uptight, stressed businessman, whose sole purpose is to see how much revenue he can generate for the big high end company he works for, what with being constantly glued to his phone and always sending out emails at 3am. 

So when he soon hears his mum has swanned off to Spain and left the shop in care of some Danish stranger, he is soon reaching for for the pills to calm his nerves and driving down to Yulethorpe. 

Clara and Joe are in a head to head battle, fighting for the same thing: His mothers toy shop. Joe thinking that she is only there to steal his mothers money, Clara just wanting to help and feel loved. 

Joe has a few tricks up his sleeve but Clara and Laura have a few of their own cards that they can play. Ultimately connecting along the way, but not with a few clashes along the road. 

The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake, is such a joyous pleasure to read. Its the first book I have read by Rosie Blake and I can't wait to read some of her other books. The book made me smile from beginning all the way to the very end and even went a bit teary - but happy tears!

As you all know, I love reading my Christmas romance books this time of the year and I feel that I am slowly getting back into reading again, which is always a bonus. 

This book reminded me of the film Mr Emgorium's Wonder Emporium, with the toy shop theme and the character of Clara reminded me of Natalie Portman's character which was just lovely. (Highly recommend the film if you've not seen it!)

I really enjoyed this book and I loved Clara's character, she's made me want to have my own Hygge night or Christmas this year. The book is written very well and the story is beautiful, the characters are well thought out and the image it creates is lovely. I was keen to know just what happened to her in the past and it does get revealed at the end of the book but I didn't expect it to be what it was, other people may guess it though. 

The way Blake has written her book feels strange, a bit like it's like other winter romances but also different in the same way which I like. I got this book from Kobo in the black Friday sales for only 99p and I was drawn to it by the beautifully illustrated front cover.  

I will be giving this book 10 out of 10

One Hot Summer * Kat French

One Hot Summer by Kat French 

Alice McBride’s husband Brad is super famous, totally gorgeous . . . and having an affair with his co-star. And now it’s splashed across all the newspapers.

After kicking Brad out, Alice decides to rent out her beloved home for the summer. And the last person she expects to arrive at Borne Manor is a sexy cowboy called Robinson.

Alice can't quite believe it when her husband, the ever so wonderful Brad McBride sits across from her at their breakfast bar and declares that the magazines are true: He's been having an affair with his co-star, Felicity-bloody-Shaw. 

Hoping to re-kindle their marriage, Brad tries everything possible and so does Alice, she starts by throwing him out of Bourne Mannor along with his belongings.  Her marriage may be over and there may be a fight on her hands, but one things for certain, she won't go down without a fight to protect her lovely home. Even if she has to do it from the proximity of her garden. 

Robinson Duff has built a big name for himself over the years, he has thousands of fans and many to thank for him being a well known country singer in Nashville, but when he's betrayed by his wife and best friend, Robinson needs a break and fast. Leaving behind his friends, manager and his music. 

Retreating to the British countryside, he takes residence in Bourne Mannor as a rented tenant, much to his knowledge that there's a little woodland fairy living in the bottom of "his" garden. 

With the eccentric Bourne Seven in tow, also known as the BS Society, things start to look up for Alice as she starts to work on her own Glampsite in the back garden, complete with a yurt, boathouse, gypsy caravan, a romantic tree house and of course the airstream caravan. 

As the summer starts to heat up, so does Robinson and Alice's relationship, taking shape in every way possible and everywhere imaginable in the gardens, though there are some who have other ideas.

One Hot Summer by Kat French, is a wonderful summer read! I did actually read this in the summer this year but never got round to writing up the review, so here I am going through them all one by one. I adore Kat French they're ever so funny and bubbly, unlike her other books under the name of Kitty French, which are more alluring shall we say? 

I loved all the characters in this book, the story line was brilliant and quite different, Alice is a little firecracker and once pushed she won't let anything stand in her way, I think I loved her character because she reminded me of a bit of myself in some ways.

The whole story is brilliant, filled with laughter and humour in places and the good old "will they? Won't they?" type of which, I never get tired of, as well as the love/hate relationship between Alice and Robinson. It's full of friendship and doing what you want to do. 

I can't wait till Kat French brings out another book! 

I will be giving this book a 8.5 out of 10

The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane * Ellen Berry

The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry

Kitty Cartwright has always solved her problems in the kitchen. Her cookbooks are her life, and there isn’t an issue that ‘Cooking with Aspic’ can’t fix. 

Her only wish is that she had a book entitled ‘Rustling Up Dinner When Your Husband Has Left You’.

When Kitty's daughter, Della, inherits her mothers beloved cookbooks, she didn't realise just how many her mother owned. The the boxes piled high in every space imaginable in the house, things couldn't come at a worse time. 

With her only daughter getting ready to fly the nest off to college, she could do with a bit of comfort and support. Though her husband has become a bit distant and doesn't seem to care about her, or the fact that their daughter is leaving them! 

Coming to the conclusion that she should do something that makes her happy for a change, Della decides to open up a cookbook shop, not just any ordinary book shop, one that only sells cookbooks. With her wild and wonderful imagination she is soon off to look at the old shop on Rosemary Lane.  

Whilst all her friends and and even her husband think that her idea is totally mad, her daughter seems to think it's a wonderful idea and that's all Della needs to get her dreams up and going. 

Filling the shop sky high with all her mothers old cookbooks, Della knows that they will bring joy to many people as they have brought joy to her through the years. Though there are a few bumps in the road that she needs to watch out for, and will the store pick up the way that she hopes it will? 

With the grand opening drawing closer to its deadline, Della must think who and what she needs to put first, including the stranger who keeps coming into the shop.  

The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry, is such a lovely read, I had just recently finished another book and was looking through the ebooks and I can't remember if this was a freebie or quite cheap. It doesn't really matter to me, but I always have a look at what there is because you never know when you'll find little gems like this one. 

The book started off with Della's daughter who was leaving for college, which around about the same time I started reading this book, my younger brother was also heading off to Uni down in London. So my mum and dad felt the same way as Della and her husband, and in fact was pretty much the same.

My mum worrying and being a bit sad, my dad being worried but not really showing it.  So the way that Ellen had portrayed those characters where pretty much bang on. 

There was a bit of romance in the book but a lot less than what I thought, but that's a good thing as I found it more of a book about finding yourself and doing things that make you happy, regardless of how anyone else may feel about it. I would happily read more books by Ellen Berry. 

I will give this book 7 out 10

Good afternoon

Hi everyone, 

Hope you're all well? 

First off, I would like to say a big HAPPPY NEW YEAR 2017! I know it's a bit late and I apologise, though so much stuff has been happening recently that I've just not had the time, though I will be making more of an effort this year. 

As you know, last year I didn't read much, if you follow me on here or on Goodreads you will know that it was a low year for reading. I think I read a grand total of 5 which is shocking when you think of previous years! 

But, I'm back on it and reading my books every month, I'm still busy so I'm aiming for  at least one book a month, I've logged out of FB, well rather much deleted it so I'm de-cluttering my mind and getting back to reading. 

At the moment I've nearly finished my January read, though sadly it has gone a bit over and overlapped into February but not much. Hopefully there will be a new review up by the end of the week, if not the week after. 

I shall bid you adieu but shall be back soon, 

promise.  

Much love as always, 

Me Before You * Jojo Moyes

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes 

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. 

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Louisa Clark likes the simple things in life, her little job at The Buttered Bun, her little family home and living close to the castle. 

Though when she arrives at work one day to find out she isn't needed anymore and that there's a bit of financial trouble at home, she decides it's time for a change whether she likes it or not. 

Though going through the torture of the Job Centre, is the last thing she wants right now. After meaningless interviews of "What skills do you have?" and "Have you been looking for work?" Lou is starting to come to the end of her tether, until an advert pops up for a stay in career. 

Will Traynor on the other hand really is having a bad time, what with once being a high end business man, travelling around in first class and going on skiing trips, though things drastically take a turn for the worse when he suddenly finds himself in a fatal accident. 

Now living on his own and slowly becoming a recluse, will Louisa be able to shake him of his past and get him out there to live life to the full one more time? And will he be able to  make Lou see herself, for who she really is? 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, is one of the most beautiful and heartfelt books I have read in a long time, I think it comes close to To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell.  

The story itself was so beautiful and the characters we're lovely and charming. I fell in love with Louisa from the get go, her bubbly personality and they way she doesn't give up at all was inspiring. I even own a pair of bumblebee tights which made me smile. 

I'll be honest, this is the only book where I have literally cried my eyes out, I was sat in the bath for christ sake crying away! It's such a beautiful read and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is needing a new romance book this summer, or just an inspiring - book that makes you smile unconditionally read. 

Moyes does not disappoint with characters, I know I've said that they are great but it really doesn't do the book justice. She has taken so much time and investment in each character and it really feels like you know them personally. You can relate to each one on some level and I think that is such a hard thing to do as an author. 

I will definitely be checking more of her work out in the near future. 

I will be giving this book 10/10