Book of the Month - December

The books I read this month:

-       It Had to be You – by Keris Stainton 4/5

-       Christmas at the Candied Apple Café – by Katherine Garbera 4.5/5

-       Christmas in St Ives – by Miranda Dickinson 5/5

-       A Winter’s Wish Come True – by Lynsey James 4/5

-       The Office Christmas Party – by Aimee Duffy 3/5

-       One Christmas Kiss in Notting Hill – by Mandy Baggot 4.5/5

-       Covent Garden in the Snow – by Jules Wake 4.5/5

-       It Started With a Tweet – by Anna Bell 4.5/5

-       Eventually Julie - by Anthea Syrokou *started*

We have a clear winner here:

Christmas in St Ives – Miranda Dickinson

The bit on the back:

Heartbroken Cerrie Austin is doing her best to hold it together in the run up to Christmas. Not easy when her cheating ex works in the same school and everyone’s eyes are on her. The last thing she needs is a new teacher meddling in her beloved nativity play, even if he is charming, handsome and a talented musician. The Christmas performance is her pride and joy, and she won’t be undermined.

Seren McArthur has recently returned to her Cornish hometown and is enjoying being close to her family and her oldest friends again. St Ives is at its most magical at Christmas, with fairy lights and tinsel in every shop window, tempting locals and holidaymakers alike as they pick up gifts. But an exciting opportunity is just around the corner: will she stay or will she go? 

Meanwhile, the St Ives Christmas celebrations are in crisis: plans for a giant lantern parade through the starlit streets have ground to a halt. As the snow starts to fall, can Cerrie, Seren and their friends Kieran and Aggie rally around in time to save the big day? 

Christmas in St Ives is a charming novella that introduces you to the characters from Miranda Dickinson’s upcoming novel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. 

My opinion:

I absolutely adore Miranda Dickinson’s writing. It’s warm, passionate, full of details and just magical. I loved every second of this book!

The story covers topics like love, family, relationships, friendship, trust, honesty and much more. The setting is absolutely beautiful and of course it includes a lot of christmassy elements, which is just fantastic. Read my review here: Christmas in ST Ives - Review

JUST MAGICAL!!!

Miranda Dickinson on Twitter: @wurdsmyth

Website: https://miranda-dickinson.com

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

Book of the Month - December

The books I read this month:

-       On Thin Ice – by Aven Ellis 5/5

-       Lizzie’s Christmas Escape – by Christie Barlow 4/5

-       The Food of Love – by Amanda Prowse 5/5

-       A Married Little Christmas – Ella Fairlie 5/5

-       Mistletoe on 34^th Street – by Lisa Dickenson 5/5

-       Midnight and Mistletoe at Cedarwood Lodge 3/5

-       Sugar and Ice – by Aven Ellis 5/5

Lots of lovely books this month. Aven Ellis manages it every time though and these two books are just FABULOUS:  

One Thin Ice – Aven Ellis

The bit on the back:

Holly Johansson knows some things in her life are certain after college graduation:

1.) It’s a long road to become a full-time author. 2.) She’ll need to work to pay her bills. 3.) And Dallas Demons superstar Matt Rhinelander will never return her feelings.

Holly knows her unrequited crush on the partying hockey player is ridiculous. There’s no way Matt would be attracted to a woman who prefers nights in watching TV or reading books when he’s known for his frequent bar hops and fast lifestyle. Obviously he would never see her as anything other than his teammate’s little sister.

Yet Holly is drawn to the other side of Matt—the man she knows has always been thoughtful and easy to talk to whenever she’s been alone with him. It is this Matt that fueled the crush Holly has on him. And she knows it will always be just that—a secret crush.

Or will it?

Because when Matt helps Holly through a crisis, her heart begins to believe that there might be feelings on his part, too. After a night of hard partying puts Matt in jeopardy with the Dallas Demons, can Holly be the one to save him? And when Matt admits he sees her as more than Nate Johansson’s sister, will it put both of them on thin ice?

My opinion:

This book is the perfect combination of love, hockey, family, passion and excitement, just wonderful!! I got so hooked and never wanted to leave the story, it’s amazing. SPELLBINDING, MESMERIZING and with a PERFECT title.

Website/Blog - http://avenellis.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/@AvenEllis

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32505490-on-thin-ice

Amazon - mybook.to/thinice

Sugar and Ice – Aven Ellis

The bit on the back:

Sugar and Ice is the first full-length novel in the Rinkside in the Rockies Series by Aven Ellis!

Josephine Rossi has recovered from a broken heart, but has vowed that she's all about the desserts now as a recipe tester for Bake It! Magazine. Cheesecake never breaks your heart. Unless it cracks on the top, but still, it tastes amazing if you bake it just right. She knows what to do in the kitchen as far as making luscious desserts. Men? Apparently she's not so good at figuring them out, so she refuses to bother. Josephine knows it is safer to stay in the kitchen than to take another chance with her heart.

Denver Mountain Lions forward Cade Callahan is passionate about hockey, but is also about finding love. He thought he had it once, but a disastrous romance last holiday season has him keeping his heart in check. While he’s fearless on the ice, he’s guarded with his heart. Cade is determined history won’t repeat itself again. He won’t let his guard down until he’s certain he’s met The One.

However, Cupid's arrow might just strike when these two least expect it. When an oven goes out, and a cheesecake for testing has to be baked, and Cade just happens to live in the same building with a working oven...Well, things other than cheesecake might just heat up in the kitchen. Can these two passionate people learn to trust their hearts again? Can love override fear for Josephine and Cade? And will they find the combination of sugar and ice is the sweetest one of all?

My opinion:

Another fabulous hockey book by Aven Ellis. Sugar and Ice marks the first book in Rinkside and Rockies series, a new hockey series. Both characters are very relatable and authetic and I loved how their romance developed. The book has some amazing moments and Aven’s writing captures it all beautifully.

Website/Blog - http://avenellis.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/@AvenEllis

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33095931-sugar-and-ice

Amazon - mybook.to/sugarandice