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Maddy's Christmas Wedding by Rosie Green #LittleDuckPondCafeBook37#review

  Here we are at Book 37 in the Little Duck Pond Cafe series! Maddie's Christmas Wedding is the latest novella by Rosie Green.   With the wedding of the year approaching, excitement is running high at the café! But there's just one problem. Maddy is grappling with a secret. Could it derail all of hers and Jack's glorious plans for their big day? Will there actually be a wedding?   My Thoughts In this latest festive story, we are taken out of Sunnybrook, in fact, out of the country and taken for a wintry stay in Lapland. It is Maddy's hen party gathering so some of the Little Duck Pond characters are along too. The story continues on from the earlier Cosy Nights and Snowball Fights . The setting is idyllic and so different to life at home. Everything shimmers and shines in the snow and the temperatures are extreme. Maddy should be having the time of her life but she finds that she has a lot on her mind and a heartbreaking decision to make.     With the men le...

One more Christmas at the Castle by Trisha Ashley #Review #Giveaway

 

Best-selling author, Tricia Ashley's One More Christmas at the Castle is published in hardback on November 11th by Bantam Press. I am thrilled to be taking part in the celebrations for this lovely festive read. I also have a great giveaway with the chance to win a print copy of the book. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. 

 

Elderly widow Sabine knows this will be her last Christmas in her beloved home, Mitras Castle. Determined to make it just like the ones she remembers from her childhood, she employs Dido Jones of Heavenly Houseparties to help with the big day.

Dido is enchanted by the castle as soon as she steps through the imposing front door. And as Christmas day approaches, her feeling of connection to the old house runs deeper than she first thought. But when the snow begins to fall and Sabine's family arrive at the house - including Dido's teenage crush Xan - tensions rise around the castle's future and long-buried mysteries begin to unravel... 

As past secrets come to light, can this still be a magical Christmas to remember?


 My Thoughts

Tricia Ashley has created such a wonderful setting at Mitras Castle. You understand why Dido senses that it has a special atmosphere which seems to speak to her, as it does to Sabine. With its beautiful grounds, frozen lake and Winter Garden, it feels like the perfect place to be snowed in at Christmas. There is are mysteries at the heart of this story and at times it feels like a classic mystery story where guests are trapped in a remote house.

Dido and Henry's friendship is believeable and there are so many vividly described characters who visit the castle. I loved all the fantastic food which Dido produces and all the festive touches which are described. As a Christmas read this feels perfect, with Christmas trees, baubles, wreaths and swags, candles, crackers, snow- it is all there! Dido and Henry set out to create the old fashioned Christmas traditions of Sabine's childhood. Their care for how everyone is feeling captures the Christmas spirit despite the instincts of some of the guests. This is a gorgeous festive read, with strong characters and a twisty plot.

In short: A festive treat

About the Author


TRISHA ASHLEY's Sunday Times bestselling novels have sold over one million copies in the UK and have twice been shortlisted for the Melissa Nathan award for Romantic Comedy. Every Woman for Herself was nominated by magazine readers as one of the top three romantic novels in the last fifty years. Trisha lives in North Wales.

You can follow Tricia here:  Website  |  Facebook | Twitter

Book link: Amazon UK

 

Thanks to Tricia Ashley, Bantam Press and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.


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Giveaway (UK only)



To win a print copy of One More Christmas at the Castle, just Follow and Retweet the pinned tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!
 
Closing date is October 20th 2021 and there is one winner.    
 
*Terms and Conditions –  UK only  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve 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. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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