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A Dash of Christmas Spirit by Susan Buchanan #Review

  Welcome to Susan Buchanan for Book 5 in her Christmas Spirit series, A Dash of Christmas Spirit which was published on September 22nd! There is also a giveaway for you. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. CAN LARA ADD A SPRINKLING OF MAGIC THIS CHRISTMAS? Jacob introduces ever tastier treats to the Sugar and Spice cafe’s menu as the Christmas Spirit knits her magic into the lives of those finding this Christmas tough. Florence is struggling to make ends meet and afford the present she knows her son wants for Christmas. Her ex-husband flaunting his new girlfriend and their baby isn’t helping her mood. Widower Jude feels a failure as a father to his two young children after the tragic death of his wife The move to Winstanton was meant to make life easier. Can he learn to carve out time to build new friendships and give himself the chance to grieve? Rachel’s boss has given the promotion he promised her to the man twenty years her junior, whom she trained. S...

The Matchmaker by Catriona Innes #Review #TheMatchmaker


I am delighted to bring Catriona Innes' debut novel, The Matchmaker to the blog, today. 

 
For Caitlin Carter, love means business.


She's taken matchmaking back to basics. There is no swiping left. No creepy location tracker. Definitely no unsolicited pics of areas of the anatomy no one wants to see. She's made dating great again: personal, patient... and profitable. Her start-up is going from strength to strength, with clients wanting to find the love she has with her own husband Harry, and she even has celebrities wanting to use her services...



Caitlin is living the perfect life. Except it's all a perfect lie. And Caitlin doesn't know how long she can keep it up.



In an era of social media and dating apps, when we have never been more connected yet more isolated, THE MATCHMAKER is a story about love, loss and loneliness, and learning to accept your reality.


Inspired by the hit TV show FIRST DATES, this emotionally charged rom-com with a heart-wrenching twist is perfect for fans of THE MAN WHO DIDN'T CALL by Rosie Walsh, SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL by Giovanna Fletcher and IT STARTED WITH A TWEET by Anna Bell.

My Thoughts

 This is a wonderful mix of witty dialogue, amusing episodes and poignant moments where grief and loss are exposed. Caitlin's secret gnaws away at her and erodes all her friendships and family relationships. She tries to bury her raw feelings and her true situation is only revealed to the reader as the story evolves.

   The writing is fluent and easy to read so it is one of those that when you start, you just have to keep going to the end. There are some lovely cameos from the cast of characters and Caitlin's attempts to smooth the way for the people she has matched leads to some laugh out loud moments. You see some attempt to come to terms with the past and learn to be honest, so that they can move on. There is a real seam of humanity running through the centre of the story and in the end, authenticity proves to be the winner. 

In short: light and dark- love and loss. 
 
About the Author

Hello, I'm Features Director at Cosmopolitan where, in the name of investigative journalism, I have joined an undercover police force, worked as a Playboy Bunny croupier and - for one night only - performed a stand-up set with just two hours practice. It was all terrifying! But hopefully will all make it into a book one day (so will be worth it!)

You can follow Catriona here:  Twitter  

Book links: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Catriona Innes and Tracey Fenton of Compulsive Readers for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Check out the rest of the tour!

  

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