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| Original Cover |
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| My own copy |
The blurb:
When Lexi and Ryan make the
decision to venture home for the Christmas holidays, neither of them can wait
to catch up with their families. What the pair don’t anticipate is the series
of life changing events their families have been going through while they’ve
been continuing with their American adventure, including a newly nudist father.
As they try to weather the storm,
they discover that being back in the UK is creating more questions than answers
for them as a couple and their American dream is beginning to fade. Fast.
*This novel can be read as a follow
on from The Story of Us or as a standalone*
My Opinion:
*Book
provided by the author in exchange of an honest review*
First of all, I’d like to
talk about this gorgeous cover, it’s perfect for the story and it’s so festive
and sweet.
Now, let’s come to the
story. We are back with Lexi and Ryan, yay! I loved the two of them as a
couple, as well as individuals and I was exciting to see their story continue.
The first few scenes were
the perfect introduction to the story, them being an adorable couple, enjoying
being engaged and just being special and unique.
It’s time for some
holidays, so Lexi and Ryan decide to go home to see their families. Sounds like
fun, doesn’t it?!
Rosie and Jason are back
again as well. Lexi and Ryan didn’t book into a hotel, so they are living with
them. Rosie is pregnant and she is really bitchy at times. She is still a super
friend and I’m so glad Lexi has her.
In London lexi gets to meet
Ryan’s parents and his sister Romily. His parents are divorced and his father
has got a new girlfriend, with some very interesting believes. Well, it was
very funny reading these scenes. Ryan sees himself taken back to his past, he’s
different and Lexi is a bit confused about it.
Then of course they also
got to meet up with Lexi’s parents. Lexi’s mum got really excited, getting out
old photo albums.
Both Lexi and Ryan enjoy
being back in England and they see themselves question where their home is. Is
it San Francisco or England?
The thing I liked about
this that they wanted to decided together, talked to each other and had each
other’s back. Their love was described in so many details and with small scenes
and gestures, well done Ellen.
It was fun reading about
the wedding venues and when they found the one, oh my… I loved it!
This is the perfect, sweet
and festive read! So funny, bubbly, heart-warming, sweet, vivid and much more.
The storyline is great and the characters are just wonderful. I loved seeing
all of them interact and the writing conveyed that in a brilliant way!!!
Rating:
My possible cast:
Lexi: Maggie Lawson
Ryan: James Roday
AUTHOR BIO
Ellen lives in the wonderful county of Yorkshire, England where
she spends most of her time baking, eating, baking, and eating. Occasionally
she does leave the house to go to the cinema or do some food shopping though.
After spending years with an overactive imagination, she decided
to put all the magic in her head to some good use and put finger to laptop
where The Story of Us was born and became her debut novel.
She loves to travel, her favourite destinations so far have all
been in America, hence the love of all things, and all people, American. The
food rocks pretty hard too, she ate until her jeans begged her to stop whilst
she was there. True fact.
Aside from day dreaming and eating, Ellen is a sucker for a
lolcat, penguins and monkeys - she has never claimed to be normal.
Home For The Holidays on AMAZON UK
Here is the book trailer:
CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH LEXI:
1.
Hi Lexi, I’m happy to
welcome you on my blog. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi
Simona! Thank you so much for having me, and can I just say what a pretty blog
you have too. I love it. Well, my name is Alexandra Jones, Lexi for short and I
currently live in San Francisco with my fiancé, Ryan, and my calico kitty, Mr
Beefy. I’m really lucky to work with Ryan for his record label and get to
interview all of the up and coming artists which is pretty cool. Am I allowed
to say cool past a certain age? Oh God, I think I’m turning into my mother.
2. You
moved to San Francisco, what do you like about the city?
Oh
San Francisco is, to me, the most amazing city in the world. I love the
eclectic mix of people you find there, from the millionaires up Russian Hill to
the hippy heaven of Haight Ashbury. Mission is full some amazing graffiti
murals and Castro has the yearly gay parades. And of course there’s the iconic
Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge. I can’t put into words what makes it so
special, whether it’s the people or the fact no two neighbourhoods are the same
but that’s the best word to describe it. Special.
3. I
heard you’re engaged, congratulations. Tell us more about your fiancé Ryan.
I
tend to get a bit gushy when I tell people about Ryan. He’s honestly the best
thing that has ever happened to me. He was a tough nut to crack at first and
can seem a bit abrupt, but that’s just because he tends to be wary of people
until he gets to know them. He has a heart of gold though and the most amazing
eyes. And smile. And bum. Okay, I’ll stop now. Promise.
4. What
do you love about him?
Apart
from his eyes, smile and bum? I love that no matter how bad a day I’ve had, no
matter what mood I’m in or if I’m ready to burst into tears, I can come home to
Ryan and he makes me feel calm, like nothing has happened. I feel so grounded
and safe when I’m with him, he’s the ying to my yang.
5. You’re
going home to England for the holidays, are you excited?
I
am SO excited! My best friend, Rosie, is due to have her baby girl while we’re
over there and I’m going to be meeting my future in-laws for the first time.
Ryan has told me so much about them that, although I’m nervous, I’m really
excited.
6. Do
you miss England?
I
do, I really do. Especially my family and friends, who are pretty much family.
But I love San Francisco, I feel like this is where I belong at the moment. I’m
a firm believer that home is where the heart is and I lost my heart to San
Francisco the moment I stepped off of the plane. There may come a day when we
return back to England but right now, I think we’re settled here.
7. Who
are the most important people in your life (next to Ryan of course)?
My
parents, Rosie and Jason. Rosie and Jason are like my brother and sister, we
grew up together and have never gone longer than a week without seeing each
other. It was a huge adjustment when I moved away.
8. Where
do you see yourself in 10 years?
Wow,
that’s a tough one. I’d like to think that Ryan and I would be settled down
with children. Maybe 2 but I’d be happy with 1 healthy one. I think I’d like to
still be living in San Francisco, it would be a great place to raise children.
9. What
does Christmas mean to you?
Family,
food and fun. Nothing gets me into the festive spirit more than drinking some
mulled wine whilst playing a silly board games.
10. How
would you describe yourself in three words?
Loyal,
caring, happy.
11. What
is your favourite Christmas memory?
I
remember one year, Rosie’s parents let her sleep over at mine Christmas Day
night. My dad had lost the television remote, something he does a lot, so we
took ourselves off to bed, stayed up way past our bedtime watching old
musicals, making ourselves sick on chocolate and showing each other what we’d
got that day. It was the first of many Christmas sleepovers and I miss those
days a lot.
12. Do
you have a special Christmas tradition?
Not
anymore, which is a shame. I used to go to midnight mass with my grandma but
then as I got older, our local church stopped doing the service because not
enough people attended. A mass at teatime just isn’t the same as midnight mass
over Christmas. Maybe I can start some new traditions with Ryan though.
13. What’s
your favourite Christmas song?
I
have two that I’ve loved for as long as I can remember: Slade’s Merry Christmas
Everybody and Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.
14. What’s
your favourite Christmas movie?
Elf,
definitely
15. Your
favourite Christmas books?
I actually love A
Christmas Carol. It’s an absolute classic and being able to curl up in a comfy
chair with a mug of hot chocolate and a paperback copy of it just makes me feel
so festive.
AN EXCERPT
By
the time we've fought our way through every item on the list, I am exhausted.
It's nearly two in the morning and we have to face the queues at the till yet.
Ryan seems completely relaxed now that we have the coffee machine, reduced by
65% if you please, and if I'm being honest, looks like he's had a full nights
sleep. Men are so lucky.
I'm just about to choose a line that looks like it has the most
alert checkout assistant when something shiny catches my eye. I squint to make
sure I'm seeing it right, catching Ryan's attention as I start muttering to
myself. It can't be real. They have to have been dumped there as some kind of
trick, like a Punk’d special, Black Friday edition.
"What have you seen?" He sighs.
"Shoes." I just about manage to croak out. These
particular shoes have been on my wish list for the last four months, ever since
I saw them in Vogue. Rosie said she'd try and get me a pair but she hasn't
mentioned it since, which probably means she hasn't been able to do it and
feels bad.
I walk slowly across to the abandoned shoes resting on top of
some leopard print fleecy blankets in a daze.
Just as I'm within touching distance, a blonde flash of hair
appears in front of me, swiping my beloveds out of my reach.
"Noooooo!" I wail. Nobody flinches. I'm not surprised
after the things I've witnessed tonight.
"Sorry but you snooze you lose. Sucks for you." She
grins smugly and turns to walk away as I grab her arm. I don't know what comes
over me, I really don't. I think they must pump something into the air vents to
up the crazy in here because I do something I'm not proud of at all.
I wrestle her into the stand full of the fleecy blankets, much
to her surprise, and manage to grab a shoe from her vice like grip. One shoe is
no good without the other after all.
"Oh you did not just do that?!" Blondey picks herself
up remarkably well considering, and launches herself at me, knocking me
straight into the gathering audience as the shoe clatters across the gleaming
white tiles. We both look at each other and lunge for the shoe at the same
time. She grabs my ponytail to hold me back and I curse myself for not
listening to Ryan's advice, that a topknot was the safest style for this trip.
Speaking of Ryan, I manage a quick glance in his direction to
see him looking both horrified and amused at the same time, arms folded across
his chest as he shakes his head.
As we both get our grubby little mitts onto the shoe, we give
each other the death stare. She has the heel and I have the toe. This could all
go terribly wrong if one of us pulls the shoe too hard.
"Let. It. Go!" She snarls through gritted teeth.
"You let go!" I shout in response. I feel like I'm at
school again, fighting for my chocolate bar at lunch time that the bullies always
tried to take from me. I have always been a fierce protector of chocolate.
The struggle carries on for a good ten minutes, neither of us
relenting, my heart pounding against my chest.
Finally, we have a breakthrough.
"Oh fine! You have them you crazy British freak."
Blondey throws the other shoe at me, aiming for my head, which is a little bit
uncalled for, and huffs off in the other direction. Not before swearing at me
though. Lovely.
A round of applause breaks out as I get to my feet, my knees
creaking as I stand making me wince.
"Thank you, I'll be here all night," I laugh taking a
bow, trying to hide the embarrassment.
I make my way back to Ryan who has moved down considerably in
the queue now and clearly lost interest when we were just staring at each other
in the great mind war of the designer shoe.
"Happy?" He laughs as I pop them into one of the
overflowing baskets.
"Very." I beam. I’m ecstatic if I'm being honest and
want to shout from the rooftops about my new shoes, but Ryan's a man and
doesn't really get my obsession.
As he looks down at the shoes of the Gods, he frowns.
"Lexi?"
"Ryan."
"These shoes aren't your size."
"What?!" Crap. I never even thought to look at the
size. I quickly grab one of the shoes and my heart sinks.
Ah fudge.
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