Review: Flora's Travelling Christmas Shop

Title: Flora's Travelling Christmas Shop

Author: by Rebecca Raisin

Publisher: 28th October 2021 by HQ

Pages: 315 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: contemporary, Christmas, romance, holiday, women’s fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

‘Tis the season for mulled wine, mince pies, and magic under the mistletoe…

Flora loves Christmas more than anything else in the world, so she’s gutted when her Scrooge-alike boss fires her from Deck the Halls Christmas emporium. But now she finally has a chance to follow her dreams – and what better place to start than the home of Christmas?

Before she can say ‘sleigh bells’, Flora’s on her way to Lapland in a campervan-cum-Christmas-shop. She can’t wait to spend her days drinking hot chocolate and taking reindeer-drawn carriage rides, but something Flora didn’t expect was meeting Connor, a Norse god of a man who makes her heart flutter and snowflakes swirl in her stomach. There’s just one problem: Connor hates Christmas.

Can Flora convince Connor of the joys of Christmas – and will she find a festive romance along the way?

My Thoughts

‘I’m a self-confessed Christmas tragic and if I could live like it’s Christmas all year round, then I would.’

I am a big fan of Rebecca’s Van Lifers series - I have read the Tea Shop and Book Shop editions of course! So I was highly anticipating her latest offering at this time of year, a Christmas Shop van! So if you are in any way a fan of Christmas look no further for this book is full to the brim with good festive cheer!

‘It’s my interpretation of the true meaning of Christmas. It isn’t about gaudy festoon lights, or maxed-out credit cards, the forced proximity of family members who don’t get along. It’s about finding someone who makes you feel like it’s Christmas every day. Someone who finds joy in the simple things’

Flora's Travelling Christmas Shop is absolutely delightful and everything you could expect in Lapland! I loved the cultural inclusions and various customs (yes naked sauna trips were a LOL moment!) - not to forget the amazing Northern Lights. Rebecca’s wit and charm oozes like hot chocolate from all her vibrant characters. Poor ol’ Flora, searching for her Hallmark movie moment! The dialogue is fun and the friendships engaging. The requisitory romance is there but not front and centre … this book is all about Christmas in all its many shapes and forms. Flora is obviously an over-the-top Christmas fanatic and even those of us who love this time of year may find that too much as it sometimes comes across as childish - but then you tell yourself, this is what this time of year is all about. You can’t help but want things to flow for this flawed character.

‘So, it’s my love of all things Christmas you find so offensive?

This book is sure to bring a smile to your Christmas preparations this month as it will leave you feeling warm and happy inside. So fire up those Christmas lights, put that carol playlist on, grab yourself a hot drink (‘make yourself a pot of strong tea.’ ‘That’s your answer to this … this malady?’ ‘For now. We’re British, it’s what we do’) and spend some time in Lapland with Flora and her van. 

‘Christmas or Hanukkah or any seasonal occasion at this time of year, it’s as though the world pauses for that infinitesimal amount of time - smiles get wider, hope abounds and joy is found in the simplest of things, like listening to carols, or popping a cracker and donning a paper crown. It’s an enchanting time of year’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Tearoom on the Bay

Title: The Tearoom on the Bay

Author: Rachel Burton

Publisher: 1st October 2020 by Aria & Aries

Pages: 416 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: contemporary romance, holiday, Christmas, women’s fiction

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

It's time for Ellie to return home and rediscover the past she left behind...

After a tough break-up, Ellie returns to the only place she's ever really felt at home – the coastal town of Sanderson Bay. A year later, she's living her dream, brewing delicious artisan teas and selling them at her very own café. And when the mysterious and brooding Ben walks into her tearoom, Ellie finally dares to dream of true love.

But then her ex shows up in the Bay, and just as Ellie discovers some tragic truths about her family's past, she learns Ben might be hiding an unwelcome secret of his own...

Can Ellie let go of her past and brave a future with Ben?

My Thoughts

‘I sit down placing the teapot in front of me. The tea has brewed for exactly four minutes and I pour the reddish-brown liquid into my favourite blue and white striped china mug. No milk, no sugar. Just tea. I sit and watch the steam curling off the surface of the liquid as I allow it to cool and I wait for the subtle aroma of bergamot to hit me.’

The Tea Room on the Bay ticked so many fun boxes for me - great getaway escapism - and I was engaged from the very first page (quote above). If you love tales from tiny English villages full of community spirit and with a sweet romance thrown in - then you will love what Rachel is offering here. Added into this mixture is the recipe of overcoming those often tough hurdles life throws at you and how it is worth it when you follow the path meant for you and find true happiness. 

‘Maybe there isn’t such a thing as the right time. Maybe there is just time. You can make all the plans in the world but the “right time” happens by chance when you turn up in the same place as somebody or something else. Some people call it fate.’

Of course all of the above is appealing when looking for that light read, however, what an added bonus that this one also involved TEA! If you are a tea lover then look no further! The Tea Room on the Bay has a wonderful assortment of teas, pots and cups. In fact, the tea room owner Ellie, has this gift of assigning a tea blend to those she meets! Now, that’s fun - ‘Do you ever stop thinking about tea?’ she asks. ‘Not really,’ I reply. I so want to go to Ellie’s tea rooms, sit in a cosy corner reading for a while whilst sipping whatever tea blend she believes is a perfect fit for me. 

‘I think there’s a tea for everyone,’ I say. ‘Even people who say they don’t like tea.’

I really enjoyed escaping to Sanderson Bay and getting to know many of the wonderfully entertaining characters in this heartwarming tale. Of course you know how it ends - that is why you sign up for these books in the first place. However, it is the journey Rachel takes you on to get there that makes this the perfect holiday read with just enough ‘what if ...’ moments to keep you entertained right to the very end. 

So if you are after something light and entertaining, a tale about taking a chance to find the place where you belong, then take this trip to The Tea Room on the Bay - you can’t go wrong with a nice cup of tea in a quaint English seaside village at Christmas time.

‘After years of worrying what people thought, after years of trying to live up to other people’s expectations of me, I’m trying to do my own thing. I’m trying to make myself happy and healthy. Some days it even feels like it might be working.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Christmas Swap

Title: The Christmas Swap

Author: Sandy Barker

Publisher: 16th October 2020 by One More Chapter

Pages: 400 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: contemporary romance, holiday, Christmas, chick lit

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Chloe, Jules, and Lucy meet at a Maui resort kids' club, aged 11, forging a lifelong friendship spanning two decades and three continents.

Twenty-two years later, they decide to swap Christmases, none of them expecting the hilarity and romantic escapades that will ensue.

Chloe from Melbourne spends her Christmas with Lucy's mum and dad in a sleepy village in Oxfordshire, England, stunned to the core when she discovers who grew up across the road from Lucy.

Lucy, who has jetted off to snowy Colorado for her dream-come-true white Christmas, is taken into the fold of Jules's loud and brash family, discovering more about herself in a few short days than she has in years.

And Jules leaves the cold climes of Colorado to spend a balmy 'Orphan's Christmas' with Chloe's friends in Melbourne, finding that time away from her mundane life is just what she needed.

Join these three lovable women as they each get a Christmas to surpass their wildest dreams.

My Thoughts

It’s that time of year (especially so in 2020) to prepare for Christmas and lose yourself in a little romance. The Christmas Swap is just the answer with its fun, feel good Christmas romance to get you in the mood. With family and friends, love and laughter, sun or snow and three great couples it is sure to fill your festive bucket. 

‘When she had proposed the Christmas swap back in July, all Chloe had wanted was a traditional English Christmas. She had no way of knowing then how much the hamlet of Penham would come to mean to her in just a few short days, or how much an English Christmas would feed her soul.’

If you enjoyed the film, The Holiday, then you will appreciate this book. Three friends from around the globe deciding to swap Christmas experiences. Jules wanting to escape the chill of a Colorado winter, Lucy looking for such snow and Chloe seeking a more traditional English fair. Throw in three SNAGs (sensitive new age guy) leading men and you get three sweet romances for the price of one. 

‘They stared at each other awkwardly, like they were in a Jane Austen novel, or something. Any moment now, Archer would ask if she wanted to take a turn around the drawing room.’

A little more depth is provided through a focus on different cultures and cuisine for the festive season. I so enjoyed partaking in three different Christmas celebrations and all the yummy foods on offer. Each girl also finds herself on a journey of self discovery, so despite the insta love they do grow as individuals. This is what I sign up for - sweet romance, minimal angst and a whole lot of lovin’. 

‘It was a rare moment for Jules, being totally unguarded, and she could almost feel herself sloughing off the layers of her staid existence.’

So if you are looking for a cosy Christmas read, look no further. What better way to prepare for a Covid Christmas than with some excellent armchair travel - choose your own adventure - Melbourne, Colorado or Oxfordshire - and while away the hours with a smile on your dial. 

‘She could never have known how much her life would change because of her Christmas swap with the girls.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.