BOOK REVIEW: Married by Midnight, a Christmas Story by Talli Roland

Christmas is coming...and so is the biggest day of Kate's life.
While choosing a vintage dress for her Christmas Eve wedding, Kate finds a cryptic note pinned to the inside of a 1930's gown. As doubts about her own ceremony loom, Kate is determined to track down the dress owner and determine what became of her and the marriage.
Will Kate find the answers she's seeking to propel her down the aisle, or will her discovery prompt her to call off the wedding for good?

I hardly ever read short stories but Talli Roland has opened my eyes to how enjoyable they can be. I read Married by Midnight in just over 40 minutes and it put me in a really good mood for the rest of the day.
Kate has had a bit of a whirlwind engagement an
d is due to get married on Christmas Eve. When trying on her vintage wedding dress she finds a mysterious note pinned in it and it leads her to search for the previous owner of the dress. In doing so she raises questions about her forthcoming marriage and it is not clear whether she will be walking down the aisle or not.
The story had an excellent pace and I loved the mystery element to it. The festive setting made it a perfect story for this time of year and I really liked the characters created by Talli Roland too. I do love getting involved in a full length book but I will definitely be reading more short stories from now on; they're great for this time of year when we're all so busy.

Many thanks to Talli Roland for sending me a copy of Married by Midnight, it's available now!

BOOK REVIEW: The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan

Rosie Hopkins, newly engaged, is looking forward to an exciting year in the little sweetshop she owns and runs. But when fate strikes Rosie and her boyfriend, Stephen, a terrible blow, threatening everything they hold dear; it's going to take all their strength and the support of their families and friends to hold them together... After all, don't they say it takes a village to raise a child?

Publisher: Sphere

Pages: 383 

I have read the other two Rosie Hopkins books by Jenny Colgan so I was chuffed when I realised that Jenny's latest festive read was all about Rosie too. Don't worry if you've not read the others (I would highly recommend them) as the first chapter summarises everything you need to know.
Rosie and Stephen are still living in the beautiful village of Lipton, Rosie running her Aunt Lillian's sweetshop and Stephen teaching at the local school. They are just beginning to plan their wedding when their world is turned upside down. Rosie and Stephen's future becomes very uncertain when they realise they need to move from Lillian's beautiful cottage. Stephen's mother, Lady Lipton is still as frosty and his sister is also back on the scene from New York and after her inheritance. Things seem bleak for the couple and Christmas is just round the corner, they are both thinking it will be their last in the village that has been their home and sanctuary.
Jenny Colgan writes such enjoyable books, I purposely read this to get myself in the festive spirit and it certainly did the trick. Rosie and Stephen are both fantastic characters, I was rooting for them to sort their problems out. The book is warm and very funny but Jenny Colgan does not shy away from the real issues so you get a bit of everything on this book.
I think that Christmas books are very difficult to get right, they do need to have a lot of sentiment whilst avoiding being twee. Jenny Colgan gets the balance just right and I would highly recommend The Christmas Surprise as part of your festive reading or perhaps to give as a gift.

Many thanks to Victoria at Sphere for sending me a copy of The Christmas Surprise to review. 

BLOG TOUR: The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell

I was so excited when I was asked to take part in the blog tour for The Bookshop Book as what could be better than a book about books? If you are an avid reader, sniffer or stroker of books, blogger, independent bookshop champion then this book is for you! 

Every bookshop has a story...
The Bookshop Book explores bookshops in barns, disused factories, converted churches and underground car parks. Bookshops on boats, on buses, and in old run-down train stations. Fold-out bookshops, undercover bookshops. this-is-the-best-place-I've-ever-been-to-bookshops.
Meet Sarah and her Book Barge sailing across the sea to France; meet Sebastien, in Mongolia, who sells books to herders of the Altai Mountains; meet the bookshop in Canada that's invented the world's first antiquarian book vending machine.
And that's just the beginning.
From the oldest bookshop in the world, to the smallest you could imagine, The Bookshop Book examines the history of books, talks to authors about their favourite places, and looks at over two hundred weirdly wonderful bookshops across six continents (sadly we've yet to build a bookshop down in the South Pole).

This book is simply lovely. I have already bought several copies to give as gifts as I think it is the perfect present for book lovers.
Jen Campbell explores over two hundred bookshops all over the world and I now have a very large list of all those I want to visit. The descriptions are brilliant, I could picture these wonderful places in my head and I loved reading about the people who own and run them. The Bookshop Book really does emphasise the power of books and reading. People have been worried about the rise in e-readers but I think this book demonstrates why we will always have physical books too. There is something so powerful about being in a shop full of books, new or old, the possibility of new adventures and new characters to meet.
Jen Campbell has included interviews with bookshop owners and also several authors and it is interesting to see their different perspectives on what makes a good bookshop and also to hear their book recommendations.
The Bookshop Book is a fantastic read and it made me want to go and visit a physical bookshop rather than relying on the convenience of on-line book shopping. I highly recommend this book and as I said earlier it would be a lovely gift for anyone who likes reading or simply as a treat for yourself.

Many thanks to Emily for inviting me to review this book as part of the blog tour.