One Christmas Kiss in Notting Hill - by Mandy Baggot

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

Isla Winters loves Christmas – especially the parties! Prosecco-infused everything is her ideal start to the busy festive season, and she can’t wait to wow her contacts in international construction throughout the month of December. But everything changes when she’s given a new remit: right-hand girl to the head of the New York branch.

Chase Bryan’s marriage has fallen apart. Given a secret project, he moves to London for the holidays with his two young daughters, hoping to dive in and ignore the distractions of Christmas. Problem is, he’s been saddled with Little Miss Candy Cane.

Isla’s wheelchair-bound sister, Hannah, lives life to the max. Isla’s unofficial second job is to keep her sister from trying to take over the world – but what will happen when Hannah starts to pay attention to Isla’s love life? One moment in Notting Hill could change everything…

Join Isla and Chase in a sparkly, festive London, where a little winter magic is just around the corner.

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Notting Hill in the book title, obviously drew me to the book and with the pretty cover and the intriguing blurb, I just couldn’t resist.

I absolutely adored the characters of this book. Isla is fun, loves Christmas and does a great job looking after her sister Hannah, who is in a wheelchair. Chase has two daughters, Maddie and Brooke, and he was def my fave character. Great book boyfriend material as well ;). I felt like all their stories and their background was very well lined out and included in the story. That’s why I felt really close to them all. Maddie and Brooke added some extra sparks for me. I really like the scenes with them. 

I loved the chemistry between Isla and Chace, Mandy Baggot captured it beautifully. The whole story seems very authentic and real, which I really liked.

The setting of this book is just beautiful. I love London and especially Notting Hill. 

The ending felt a bit rushed for me, but I still think that this is a wonderful and warm Christmas read. She can capture the atmosphere and brings you into the world of the characters. 

Rating:

Mandy Baggot on Twitter: @mandybaggot

Website: http://mandybaggot.com

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

One Wish in Manhattan - by Mandy Baggot

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

Christmas: it's the most wonderful time of the year...to fall in love The temperature is dropping, snow is on its way and Hayley Walker is heading for New York with one wish... to start over. With her daughter Angel, Hayley is ready for adventure. But there's more to New York than twinkly lights and breathtaking skyscrapers. Angel has her own Christmas wish - to find her real dad. While Hayley tries to fulfil her daughter's wish, she crosses paths with billionaire Oliver Drummond. Restless and bored with fast living, there's something intriguing about him that has Hayley hooked. Can Hayley dare to think her own dreams might come true - could A New York Christmas turn into a New York Forever? Travel to the Big Apple this Christmas and join Hayley and Oliver as they realise life isn't just about filling the minutes... it's about making every moment count.

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A wonderful and perfect title for this book and I have to say I expected something else, but I am really happy with what the story turned out to be.

The story follows Hayley Walker and her daughter Angel, who go to New York to see Hayley’s brother Dean. Hayley needs a new and fresh start and she wants to fulfil her daughter’s Christmas wish: to meet her dad.

That wish is not easy to fulfil, especially when it’s really hard to track her dad down. Hayley fights for it though and with a little help she finds him. Angel meets her dad…

Throughout this journey Hayley meets billionaire Oliver Drummond. They have a special connection from the start, but he is carrying around some issues himself, about his family and about his health. Can Hayley crack that shell?!

I loved how the story was very well structured and all the characters had their own space to share their story. We got to know Hayley and Oliver really well and Angel was just so special and adorable. The relation between mother and daughter came across really well and in a very beautiful way.

Oliver def added in another spark, he is sexy and successful, but is also surrounded by some mystery, which made the storyline more exciting.

I loved following the characters around and the setting is just wonderful, I mean New York City during Christmas time, what do you want more?!

A festive, adorable and cute story, beautifully written and perfect for Christmas time!

Rating:

My possible cast:

Hayley: Jaimie Alexander

Angel: Kristina Pakarina

Oliver: Peter Facinelli

Mandy on Twitter: @mandybaggot Website: http://mandybaggot.com Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US  

Blog Tour: A Greek Adonis… or is he? - a guest post by Mandy Baggot + Giveaway!

Get your summer off to a steamy start with Mandy Baggot and her sizzling new read, Truly Madly Greekly.

We've got an all inclusive tour chock-a-block with reviews, guest posts and a giveaway, as the book scorches a trail across a variety of blogs!

  What they say: Sun, sea and a sexy stranger - a whole lot of fun just got a lot more complicated. Capable, confident and career-driven, Ellen had her dream job and a marriage proposal from boyfriend Ross. Life was good, her future set. Until it wasn’t and everything fell apart… Whisked off to the beautiful island of Corfu to plan her sister Lacey’s big, fat, Greek wedding, Ellen is hoping some time out will help clear her head and heal her heart. But letting go of her past is not going to be easy. With Lacey in full on Bridezilla mode, Ellen is soon distracted from her own problems. And when the all-inclusive treats on offer at hotel Blue Vue include one gorgeous, brooding Adonis – Yan – Ellen finds him difficult to resist. But Ellen isn’t looking for love or lust, or anything involving too much ouzo…or is she?

Fans of Lucy Diamond, Miranda Dickinson and Lindsey Kelk will want to escape to Corfu with Mandy Baggot this summer.

 

A Greek Adonis… or is he?

Guest post by Mandy Baggot

Who am I talking about? Well, it’s Yan Alexandrov, the hero of my latest sizzling summer read, Truly Madly Greekly! And Yan isn’t Greek! During my visits to the Mareblue Beach Hotel, in Corfu I’ve met animation team members from all over the globe – Africa, Romania, Italy, Germany and many more. One of those countries was Bulgaria and through talking to friends and researching this country, I realised Yan just had to be Bulgarian to make his story work. Yan is extremely hardworking and he’s come to Corfu looking for a new start. Things didn’t turn out the way he’d hoped in his native country and he’s desperate to put those times behind him and move on to a brighter, better future. Yan is honest and loyal and hates the amount of lying he’s had to do to get by. He usually plays things by the book, obeying all the rules… until he meets my heroine, Ellen. He’s six foot tall with short dark hair and incredible blue eyes. He also has killer abs and toned forearms from all that volleyball and football he instructs. Do I need to say any more to tempt you? Come and meet Yan and the rest of the cast of characters in Truly Madly Greekly now!   

   

Author Bio: Mandy Baggot is a romantic fiction author. In 2012 she won the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance. Her self-published title, Strings Attached was also short-listed for the Best Author Published Read award. Also in 2012 she signed with American publishing house, Sapphire Star Publishing, who produced her novels, Taking Charge and romantic suspense, Security. In June 2013 she signed a two book deal with Harper Collins' digital first romance imprint, Harper Impulse. She is a regular contributor to writing blogs and on-line magazine, Loveahappyending Lifestyle In May 2014 Mandy signed with Kate Nash of the Kate Nash Literary Agency. Mandy loves mashed potato, white wine, country music, World’s Strongest Man, travel and handbags. She has appeared on ITV1’s Who Dares Sings and auditioned for The X-Factor. Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband, two daughters and cats, Kravitz and Springsteen. She is an advocate for women in business and belongs to the networking group Women on Wednesdays   

Follow Mandy

Twitter |Facebook | Goodreads | Website

WIN a £50 Amazon voucher with Truly Madly Greekly and let Mandy Baggot see where you've escaped to this summer.

To take part just upload your photo of the cover of Truly Madly Greekly (paperback or e-reader) on Twitter or Facebook adding #TrulyMadlyGreekly. Whether you've escaped to a tropical haven with the kids or even your own backyard, Mandy would love to see where you're reading about Ellen and Yan this summer!

PLUS leave a comment on this post and you could be in with a chance of winning a Kindle copy of Excess All Areas!

 

Follow the Tour!

 

Giveaway terms and conditions:

Competition runs from 22 May 2015 until 31 August 2015, UK based entries only. One winner will be chosen at random from all the entries. Mandy Baggot and CandleLit Author Services reserve the right to amend and/or cancel the giveaway at any time, without prior notification.