The Ultimate Christmas Countdown: The Christmas Catch

Since the death of her military husband two years ago, single mom Christine White has struggled to get by. By throwing herself into her work as a Chicago copywriter, she's managed to keep food on the table but has gradually lost sight of what really matters, like building a bond with her four-year-old son. When Christine's best friend insists she spend Christmas in Vermont so she can get her life in order, Christine initially resists. Little does she know she's in for a memorable holiday that will reignite her faith and reawaken her heart.

Bachelor professor John Steadman has given up on finding the right one. Spending time with his friends while keeping up with his job seems satisfying enough. Then one day close to Christmas, a beautiful woman from Chicago nearly runs him off the road during a snowstorm. What's more, she's got a kid in her car. It's only natural that John and his trusty golden retriever want to help drag them out of a ditch and steer them toward their destination. What John doesn't expect is that soon he'll be hoping Christine and her son will be staying in Vermont - for more than just a little while.

Sweet doesn't even begin to cover how utterly adorable the first book of Ginny Baird's Holiday Brides series is.

Christine's tired, overworked and lonely, so her boss tells her to take her four-year-old for a holiday in Vermont.  So far, so good.  

But then she meets John, a professor who's grumpy and brusque and soft as anything under all that.  Despite a fairly rocky start - they're nearly involved in a car crash - they begin to develop feelings for each other, not least because of the way John reacts when Christine's little boy falls in love with his dog.

It's the perfect snuggle up novella for Christmas.  One hundred pages, or so, of utterly lovely snowy romance which doesn't try too hard to be all or nothing.  I was really impressed with the fact that the development of the romance seemed like a natural progression - nothing about it seemed forced or the by-product of chick lit.

Lovely.

The Ultimate Christmas Countdown: Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe

Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Cafe, is in love and couldn't be happier. Her new business is thriving and she is surrounded by close friends, even if her cupcake colleagues Pearl and Caroline don't seem quite as upbeat about the upcoming season of snow and merriment. 

But when her boyfriend Austin is scouted for a possible move to New York, Issy is forced to face up to the prospect of a long-distance romance. And when the Christmas rush at the cafe - with its increased demand for her delectable creations - begins to take its toll, Issy has to decide what she holds most dear.
This December, Issy will have to rely on all her reserves of courage, good nature and cinnamon, to make sure everyone has a merry Christmas, one way or another…

For those of you who have visited my blog before, you'll know that I'm a massive fan of Jenny Colgan's books.  There's something quite gorgeous about romantic novels that incorporate food into their narrative and Colgan's pretty much queen of this at the moment.

So when I discovered that she's marrying Christmas with this enchanting mix (see also Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop) I got rather excited.

I loved Issy and Austin when I met them first in Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe and so to return to their story in a Christmassy sequel was no less than a delight.  I think what's most delightful about Issy and Austin is that they are very much their own people; they know what they like, have their own careers and ideas and so when they come up against a problem it seems very real.

The problematic issue of Austin's new job offer - across the pond - is heightened when Darney, Austin's little brother, hits teenage stubbornness with a kick!  Actually Darney and Louis (Issy's co-worker Pearl's son) are some of my favourite characters.  I love the fact that Colgan doesn't restrict herself to telling us the story of her two main characters, we come to know and love a whole host of people.

Perhaps it is this that makes it so enchanting; it's lovely to see people in love whilst surrounded by friends and family.  Plus I've had a number of disastrous and not so disastrous attempts at following the recipes dotted throughout the book.  Definitely for the GBBO lover!

The Ultimate Christmas Countdown: By Proxy

Stubbornly small-town Jenny Lindstrom has misgivings when she promises to stand proxy in her best friend’s wedding—misgivings that are fulfilled when tall, handsome Sam Kelley walks into the courthouse an hour late. In order to keep her promise, an afternoon favor turns into a weekend of startling but undeniable attraction, threatening the well-ordered world that keeps her heart at arm’s length from any more pain.

Sam’s plan is to fly to Livingston, Montana, take vows for his favorite cousin, and return to Chicago as quickly as possible. But his plan is turned upside-down when he must spend a weekend with Jenny in Gardiner in order to keep his word. He doesn’t want to fall for the prim, proper schoolteacher whose small-town life seems to him like selling out, but the more time he spends with her, the harder it is to say good-bye.

When city and country come together for Christmas, the unexpected gift is true love.

I'm a massive fan of well-developed settings. and the tiny town in which this is set is so well-drawn that I fell head over heels in love with it.  It's the sort of place I'd love to go to on holiday, which is exactly how Sam Kelley feels.  And then he meets Jenny Lindstrom, for whom this is home.

By Proxy is an adorably sweet story, filled with heat, passion and charm.  Katy Regnery's first published book, it's an absolute find for the Christmas season.

Perhaps, however, what I found most interesting about it, was the fact that in the end the hero and heroine compromise.  Not on their love, but on different aspects of their lives.  When you consider how very different their lives are (though their childhoods don't seem too different), it seems inevitable that there are going to be issues.

No matter when you meet someone, or how much you love them, there are always going to compromises that you are going to have to make if your relationship is going to last.  This is often portrayed in the media as 'second best' and by no means am I suggesting that you should compromise your happiness or safety, but sometimes there are little sacrifices that have to be made - on both parts.

This is a real strength of Regnery's book; as well as being the most adorable love story (and I can't wait for Jenny's brother Erik's story, out soon!), but it also makes you consider how we view the perfect romance.

As well as that, though, there are some of the sweetest scenes including the proxy wedding, a Christmas walk and the attempted intimidation of Sam by Jenny's brothers.

Utterly charming.

The Ultimate Christmas Countdown: Kissing Under the Mistletoe - A Sullivan Christmas

Share the sizzling love story that started it all...

For Mary Sullivan Christmas is, and always has been, about family. And this year is no different. As she awaits the arrival of her children at the cottage in Lake Tahoe, she hangs the ornaments that they have made for her and each decoration brings with it a tide of joyful memories.

 

But when she comes across the oldest ornament, the one her beloved husband, Jack, gave her on their very first Christmas together, Mary sees again the first days of their whirlwind romance, the love that would be the foundation on which they built their family.

It's always testament to a writer's skill when their ebooks make it from the screen to the page.  And that's exactly what happened to Bella Andre.  Now infamous in the romance community for her Sullivan series, Kissing Under the Mistletoe takes us back to meet the parents of the characters we've come to hold so dear.

 

As we know already about their happy marriage and love for each other, it becomes even more intriguing to go back and discover its origins; Jack is an techie engineer and Mary is a model, and a chance meeting brings them together.

 

Mary's strength shines in the book.  Her determination to do what she considers right, especially when we consider her parents' stringent opposition at the beginning of her career, helps us love her that little bit extra.  And the fact that on the side, she essentially acts as a house mother for young and naive models echoesthe strains of motherhood that runs through Andre's other books.

But she's not just a mother figure -and certainly not with Jack -where their chemistry sparks and sizzles.  These are two people who fall wholeheartedly into love, even when they make mistakes.

Perhaps, however, it is the fact that we can see (and indeed know!) how companionable they will become, that makes us see them slightly differently.  It some ways, it is a little uncomfortable considering the romances of our parents, but if their story is anything like the original Sullivans' then we should be celebrating them!

And finally, there's an Italian wedding.  Being half-Italian, this is like catnip to me - an absolute gem of a scene and one that manages toencapsulate Italian culture and families perfectly.

Loved.  It.

And as for our Mills & Boon boy?  I give you Adam, whose professional photography far surpasses my own - if only he could have photographed himself!

The Ultimate Christmas Countdown: Catching Snowflakes

Local Hero Writer

Mitch had never seen himself as a hero, but for the right woman he could be and as snow falls he finds himself drawn to Hester, the single mum who has moved in upstairs with her son. 

Before the snow melts Mitch has a plan to win Hester over and become part of their family! 

 A Will And A Way

Sharing her beloved uncle’s former home with Michael for six months was going to be hard for headstrong Pandora. They’d known each other since childhood – and never got along! 

However, in spending Christmas together, they discover they have more in common than they’d ever known…

Nora Roberts is fairly renowned for being one of the most prolific romance writers in recent years; with over 200 novels in print, she flits between her crime writer pen name J. D. Robb and her given, releasing usually three books a year.

I had, to my utmost shame, never read a Roberts' offering before this September, and now she's a clear presence on my bookshelf.  Catching Snowflakes is the reissuing of two of her novels from the 80s.

The first, Local Hero Writer, is a charming tale of Hester who meets comic illustrator Mitch.  Mitch ends up falling in love with both her and her young son, who is transported into delights when he discovers that his hero lives in the flat above them.

I think the thing that delighted me the most about this particular story was that, despite some outdated references to cassettes, it manages to capture details of ordinary life - preparing for birthday parties, getting ready for school - without becoming tedious.  It is this that grounds the romance in reality, amking its characters real, relatbale and utterly loveable.

A Will and A Way, on the other hand, reflects Roberts' crime background, with attempted murders entertwined with the blossoming love between Michael and Pandora.

Again the lead characters are only better developed by the setting they find themselves in, complete with loyal butler and cook!  There are some simply stunning descriptions of Pandora's jewellery designs, and Michael's career in television does nothing to dissuade us that here is a hero who would happily sweep his heroine off her feet.

There's an elegance to Roberts' prose that took my breath away; despite being aware of her reputation, sometimes you just have to experience things for yourself.  Sample it and be convinced.

As this is a Mills & Boon release, I present a Mills & Boon boy who spans both today and tomorrow's review, Adam, and whose photography far outstrips my own: