What a treat to be taking part in the blog blitz for Julie Butterfield's festive read, Eve's Christmas. There is also the chance to win a paperback copy of the book. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
Working for a department store where Christmas arrives in August,
Eve prefers her own festivities to be low key with nothing more complicated
than an oven ready turkey and frozen peas while she spends the day in her
pyjamas. Unfortunately, this year her husband has invited his best friend to
visit, the glamorous and sophisticated Abby, and Eve reluctantly decides that
she needs to inject a little sparkle into their laid back and slightly shabby
Christmas. So the celebrations are
upgraded to include champagne and canapes along with homemade gravy and organic
turkey and plans are made for a Christmas that looks as though it has emerged
from the pages of a glossy magazine.
But even the best laid plans can go wrong and as Eve struggles
with her mini Yorkshire puddings and an interfering cat, she is suddenly faced
with an unexpected guest and an explosive secret that threatens to put her
vision of a perfect Christmas in jeopardy.
My Thoughts
This is great fun and just right to read during the run-up to Christmas. Eve is totally relatable as the working mother who gets sucked into the idea of having to provide 'the perfect Christmas' whether her family wants it or not. Every article you have ever read on festive timetables, recipes, jolly activities and putting on the ultimate Christmas show come to mind as you follow Eve's tale. I particularly appreciated Eve's daughter, Alice, who loomed like the spectre at the feast, injecting realism into the proceedings with her facts about the evils which Eve was inflicting on the environment with her profligate, Christmas over-indulgences.
I was waiting for Abby, the unwanted guest to arrive and she did not let me down with her self-centred attitude and one- upmanship. Everyone could do with her Christmas basket which dispensed shop bought goodies but you totally felt Eve's pain as her efforts were cast aside. What emerges from the proceedings is a tongue in cheek look at consumerism and the feeling that genuine, down to earth family time trumps the manufactured extravaganza, every time.
In short: Festive cheer turned up to Mach 2.
About the Author
Julie
Butterfield belongs to the rather large group of 'always wanted to write'
authors who finally found the time to sit down and put pen to paper - or rather
fingers to keyboard.
She wrote
her first book purely for pleasure and was very surprised to discover that so
many people enjoyed the story and wanted more, so she decided to carry on
writing.
It has to
be pointed out that her first novel, 'Did I Mention I Won The Lottery' is a
complete work of fiction and she did not, in fact, receive millions in her bank
account and forget to mention it to her husband - even though he still asks her
every day if she has anything to tell him!
Giveaway (UK only)
To win a paperback copy of Eve's Christmas, just follow the link below and good luck!
*Terms
and Conditions –UK entries welcome.
Please enter using the Rafflecopter box 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. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery
of the prize.
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