‘Curl up by the fire and fall in love…’
Today I have a review of my first Christmas book ever!!!!!!
I received an unexpected parcel one day from publisher Bonnier Zaffre and, to my absolute surprise, inside was a very sparkly book Christmas at Lilac Cottage. Written by well renowned author Holly Martin and originally published in ebook format by Bookouture, Christmas at Lilac Cottage is now available in paperback from Bonnier Zaffre.
I did as instructed. I curled up by the fire but did I fall in love??
Read on to find out……
Book Blurb:
Welcome to the charming seaside town of White Cliff Bay, where Christmas is magical and love is in the air…
Penny Meadows loves her home – a cosy cottage decorated with pretty twinkling fairy lights and stunning views over the town of White Cliff Bay. She also loves her job as an ice-carver, creating breathtaking sculptures. Yet her personal life seems frozen.
When Henry and daughter Daisy arrive at the cottage to rent the annex, Penny is determined to make them feel welcome. But while Daisy is friendly, Henry seems guarded.
As Penny gets to know Henry, she realises there is more to him than meets the eye. And the connection between them is too strong to ignore…
While the spirit of the season sprinkles its magic over the seaside town and preparations for the ice sculpting competition and Christmas eve ball are in full swing, can Penny melt the ice and allow love in her heart? And will this finally be the perfect Christmas she’s been dreaming of?
Penny Meadows works as an ice carver in the village of White Cliff Bay. After a traumatic incident in her life many years previously, Penny is afraid to get close to anyone. She has built up a hard shell to protect herself from hurt with her emotions locked away in her heart.
The community that she lives in is very very protective of her and Penny has survived in the comfort of this knowledge. Her friends have gotten married but Penny remains living alone in her beautiful home at Lilac Cottage.
Penny decides to open up the annex of her house to tenants. She is hoping for a little bit of company as the evenings are getting darker and her friends are now busy with there own families.
Henry and his teenage daughter Daisy arrive, as her new tenants, in a whirl of activity throwing Penny’s life into disarray.
Henry is handsome. Henry is a single father. Henry is a carpenter. Henry is all that Penny would look for in a man but can she open up her heart to this person?
Henry carries his own baggage. Having reared his daughter Daisy single handed from a very young age, Henry is very protective of their relationship. Any past affairs have never survived because Daisy will always come first in Henry’s life.
On arrival to White Cliff Bay, Henry and Daisy fall immediately in love with the beauty of the village. Initially, Henry finds the intrusiveness of the community a little overbearing but he soon adapts to their ways and decides that this is a place he could learn to love..but will he find love in White Cliff Bay??
Christmas at Lilac Cottage is a very romantic book, a little like a fairy-tale for us grown ups!!
The storyline takes place over a very short time period, which adds to the heightened sense of passion throughout the novel. It is quite a ‘naughty’ book, so don’t be fooled by the sparkles 🙂
This is a fun book. It’s light-hearted. It doesn’t pretend to be any more than it is….snowflakes, marshmallows and mince pies with a dash of love on top. I’m sure Christmas at Lilac Cottage will delight all new and old Holly Martin fans.
So will you be curling up by the fire with a trip to White Cliff Bay? Do let me know… Happy Christmas!!
Purchase Link : Christmas at Lilac Cottage
Meet Holly Martin:
I studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist followed by an even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of my colleagues received the much coveted carriage clock for fifteen years’ service was the moment when I knew I had to escape. I quit my job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, I emerged wide eyed and terrified that I now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. I taught for four years and then escaped the classroom to teach history workshops, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next. But the long journeys around the UK and many hours sat on the M25 gave me a lot of time to plan out my stories and I now write full time, doing what I love.
I have been writing for 6 years. I was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance 2012. My short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology in 2013. I won the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with my novel The Guestbook. I was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014.
Follow Holly on Twitter and you will also find Holly writing at Holly Martin
