Skip to main content

Featured

My (Not-so) Perfect Summer by Phoebe MacLeod #Review

I am thrilled to be taking part in the Publication Day celebrations for My (Not-So ) Perfect Summer by Phoebe MacLeod. It is published today on May 7th by Boldwood Books .   Autumn’s summer is off to a smashing start… sort of. Earlier this year, Autumn’s life looked great: she had a great relationship with her brilliant teenage daughter Chloe and from September she was all set to be Deputy Head at the London school where she works. And with a pay rise on the cards, she was excited for her and her long-term boyfriend Marc to buy their first home. But Autumn’s barely opened the estate agent's website when Marc vanishes with half their savings, leaving her no choice but to move into grandma’s rural home in Kent. And things go from bad to worse when Autumn is involved in an accident during the move, leaving the village’s dashing new baker Jake in plaster cast, and making her a local outcast before she’s even unpacked her bags. Determined to put things right, Autumn offers to

A Christmas Hamster by Stephanie Dagg #Review #Giveaway #PublicationDay

I am delighted to welcome you to the celebrations for the release of Stephanie Dagg's latest novella, The Christmas Hamster. Today is Publication Day. I also have a great Giveaway for you to enter. Details on how to do so are at the foot of this post.
 

Cam’s career and romantic prospects take a nose diveonce she becomes guardian to her young nephew. She leaves a bustling Dutch city to move to a small, dull country town in England, and where once she restored magnificent old paintings to their former glory, now she operates the paint-mixing machine at a soulless hardware store. As much as she adores little Rowan, life has lost some of its sparkle. However, a handsome and charming customer causes her heart to flutter once more. Fate, alas, seems determined to hamper any possibility of them getting together. So what chance does a tiny, naughty hamster have of bringing happiness this Christmas?

This is a festive, light-hearted and uplifting romcom novella


My Thoughts
This is a light-hearted and amusing novella, full of down to earth humour. There are some comical characters on the periphery of the story to ramp up the humour but the greatest joy comes from the central character, Cam and her menagerie of rescued animals. Cam has put the needs of others before her own ambitions and she comes over as a thoroughly likeable and caring young woman who has slightly lost her way through circumstances. It is good to see her begin to get back a sense of self-worth.

    Full of coincidental meetings and missed opportunities, you are kept guessing whether Cam is going to meet a certain gentleman again. This is a shortish but delightful novella which leads you by the hand as Cam works away at untangling life's complications. The hamster of the title does not disappoint and has as much character as you would wish.

In short: A great standalone festive tale. 
    
About the Author



I'm an English expat living in France, having moved here with my family in 2006 after fourteen years as an expat in Ireland. Taking on seventy-five acres with three lakes, two hovelsand one cathedral-sized barn, not to mention an ever increasing menagerie, makes for exciting times. The current array of animals ranges from alpacas to zebra finches, with most letters of the alphabet represented. And of course there are hamsters! I'm a traditionally-published author of many children's books, and have been self-publishing fiction and non-fiction for adults for the last seven years. I combine freelance work as an editor with running carp fishing lakes with husband Chris. When time allows I enjoy cycling, geocaching, knitting and gardening.


You can read my review of Stephanie's Haircuts, Hens and Homicide here and Deck the Halles here and Hate Bale here.


You can follow Stephanie here: Twitter @llamamum  Twitter @penandfinch |  Facebook |  Website

Book links: Amazon UK  |  Universal link

Thanks to Stephanie Dagg and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the novella and a place on the event. 


Giveaway (Open Internationally)
To win a Hamster Christmas Tree Decoration (Open INT) just follow the link below and good luck!
*Terms and Conditions–Worldwide entries welcome.Please enter using the Rafflecopterbox below.The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

  1. Thank you so much for taking part in my publication day celebrations! I'm delighted you enjoyed the story. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas, with or without hamsters! Kindest regards, Stephanie

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts