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The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander #Review

  The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander was published by Avon Books on September 25th.  A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals. The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years… The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember. Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, ...
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One Family Christmas by Bella Osborne #Review

 

Here's another festive read! One Family Christmas by Bella Osborne was published on October 15th by Avon. 


A big family. A whole lot of secrets. A Christmas to remember…

This year, Lottie is hosting one last big family Christmas at the home she grew up in – just like her Nana would have wanted.

But when her relatives descend on the old manor house, Lottie gets more than she bargained for. Every family has its secrets, but in this family, everybody has one!

So, between cooking a Christmas dinner, keeping tensions at bay and a stray dog out of mischief, she has plenty on her plate and not just misshapen sausage rolls and a frozen turkey. And then her first love shows up – nine years after he walked out of her life.

Can Lottie make their last family Christmas one to remember… for the right reasons?


 My Thoughts

This festive read is brimful of seasonal touches. We see Lottie's family gather for one last family Christmas and there are some genuinely humorous episodes. The mix of characters is spot on with all generations included. Everyone has their own backstory and there are one or two secrets hanging there in the background. Even the animals are great fun and add to the slightly chaotic goings-on in the family.

    Lottie is at the centre of the story and she is a thoroughly likeable young woman. As the Christmas holiday passed by. I loved how her patience began to wear thin, despite her affection for her family. This is a great feelgood read. It is fun and at the same time, has plenty of poignant moments. Bella Osborne paints a picture of a Christmas celebration which the reader can recognise, filled as it is with human moments, a touch of romance, kindness and, ultimately, a recognition of what makes the characters happy.

In short:  Fun and games at the family Christmas.

About the Author


Bella has been jotting down stories as far back as she can remember but decided that 2013 would be the year that she finished a full length novel. Since then she’s written six best selling romantic comedies and she’s been shortlisted three times for the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year Award.

Bella's stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She lives in The Midlands, UK with her husband, daughter and a cat who thinks she’s a dog. When not writing Bella is usually eating custard creams and planning holidays.

For more about Bella, visit her website at www.bellaosborne.com follow her on Twitter - @osborne_bella or Facebook

Book links: Amazon UK   |  Kobo  |  Universal Amazon link

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

                                                       Follow the rest of the tour!



 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 


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