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'Tis the (damn) Season by Fiona Gibson #Review

  Festive reads continue with Fiona Gibson's 'Tis the (damn) Season, published by Boldwood Books.   This year, their families can deck the bloody halls themselves... Old friends Shelley, Lena and Pearl have reached their limit with the festive preparation that has always fallen to them, and five days before Christmas, they’ve booked a mini break… without their families. Up until Christmas Eve, they’ll be sipping prosecco in the Highlands while their kids wrap bacon around 100 chipolatas and their partners brave the supermarkets. It’s exactly what they need… until they’re snowed in. Facing the prospect of Christmas 500 miles from home, each woman is forced to confront her real reasons for needing to escape: the fiance with the obnoxious family; the son’s new girlfriend who is taking over their home; the family who take their mother for granted all year round… Will the friends make it home before Christmas day? And if they do, can they really go back to their old lives?

Ten Things my Husband Hated by Pauline Wiles #Review


I am pleased to be taking part in the celebrations for Pauline Wiles' Saffron Sweeting novel, Ten Things my Husband Hated. 
 
Maggie Moone is happily divorced.


And with her talent for fixing things, she’s perfectly content with her mundane life in the sleepy English village of Saffron Sweeting. That is, until one humiliating March evening when she learns everyone else assumes she’d love to mend her broken marriage.


Determined to prove them wrong, Maggie and her friends concoct a list of ten ways to assert her independence and live large. But her mission to move on leads to unexpected encounters, and Maggie soon finds herself mixing business with pleasure. Is the attractive young Irishman just another item on her list, or is he something more?


Before long, unresolved issues from her past begin to clash, and Maggie is forced to wonder if antagonising her ex-husband was such a stellar idea.


No sooner does she begin to understand what’s important to her, than she stands to lose everything that truly matters.


This is the fourth in the collection of Saffron Sweeting romantic comedies, which can be read in any order. If you like gentle British humour and deliciously resilient heroines, you’ll love Ten Things My Husband Hated.


My Thoughts

This is the first of Pauline's Saffron Sweeting novels which I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maggie Moone is such a likeable character with a gentle sense of humour and a can-do attitude. She does at times lack a little self awareness but nevertheless, you find yourself hoping that she will get her heart's desire.

    Learning to go out to get what you want in life and trying not to hark back to the past in a negative way are lessons to be learnt during the course of the story. Through Maggie's work, you get to meet some village inhabitants who are a little idiosyncratic, albeit in a charming way. I loved Finn's grandmother and friends at the Bingo! This is a heartwarming story which has a lovely sense of humour and some touching, inclusive moments.

In short: An uplifting look at village life.

 
About the Author



British by birth, Pauline is now a contented resident of California, although she admits to occasional yearnings for afternoon tea and historic homes.


Her debut novel, Saving Saffron Sweeting, reached the quarter final of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Three further books set in the same village are now available, along with a collection of short stories and Indie With Ease, a self-help guide for other self-published authors.

When not writing, Pauline can be found pondering how many miles she has to run to justify an extra piece of cake. She’s also fond of daydreaming about flying herself and a reader to London for tea.

You can follow Pauline here: Facebook   |  Twitter   |  Website

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Pauline Wiles and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.  

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Comments

  1. Many thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm so glad you liked the bingo crowd; I enjoyed writing the scenes with them.

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