Some Christmas Hygge and Festive Novels! Dec 2017

CHRISTMAS, SNOW, HYGGE AND LOTS OF HEART! 

Well isn't this just a great title and front cover for the perfect read this winter holiday? I snuggled up in front of a roaring fire this weekend, enjoying my moment of hygge in this pre-Christmas rush, and read this in virtually one sitting. It's perfect escapism. Hygge and Kisses is about 26 year old Bo who is following her life plan. She has a career, she has a relationship - albeit a secret one, but that's the fun surely? - and she is happy in her careful, cautions and straightforward day to day routine of work,  going out to dinner with Ben and her seeing her best friend Kirsten. 

But then things start to spiral out of control. She is made redundant and it is also very obvious that Ben is not as committed to their 'relationship' as Bo would like him to be. Kirsten takes control and arranges a trip to her mother's summerhouse in Skagen where it might be dark for 17 hours a day but will give Bo the change of scene she needs to reassess what it really is she wants from her future. Everyone needs a bit of hygge in their life every once in a while, but will a trip away to Denmark help Bo move on and mend her broken heart and bruised feelings?

This is a fun read with all the components of a quick, light but engaging read. The main characters are well established and very easy to picture. Ben is particularly well captured and the dynamics between him and his female colleagues is convincing, ensuring that the reader is rooting for Bo to see their relationship for what it is. Bo is a great protagonist, she's pulled out of her comfort zone and quickly finds herself in a new country, sharing a house with strangers, snowed in and with no choice but to experience the true Danish experience of 'hygge'. There are plenty of dilemmas, moments of heartache and romance in this wintery tale and ultimately it is a feel good read full of hope and new starts. 

Moonlight In Manhattan is full of fun, drama, heartache, friendship and plenty of love! 

Meet Harriet, a very likeable, genuine, good natured girl who is trying to change her 'goody two shoes' image by setting herself challenges. She has a twin sister but as her twin, and her best friends, are all beginning to settle down in couples, Harriet wants to feel more confident, perhaps become a little more reckless and perhaps take a little bit more control over her life. The reader immediately forms a strong bond with Harriet and is rooting for her throughout the novel. 

Harriet is a dog walker and though her job she comes into contact with Ethan, a short tempered Doctor who appears dismissive of Harriet and the dogs she looks after. I guess the relationship between a gruff, distant man and a kind, generous girl has been entrancing for us since Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice and I'm sure the readers will join me in watching this couple work out how they feel about each other and what they have to change, consider, confront and accept before seeing whether their destiny is together or not. Morgan weaves this storyline well, with plenty of obstacles and moments of drama to keep us guessing. 

This novel has all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas read. It has all the ups and downs of characters as they have to go on their journeys of self discovery. It has characters you can easily picture and get to know - particularly if like me this is your first Sarah Morgan novel so you haven't met them in previous books - and lots of great interaction between them shown through realistic, punchy dialogue. It's light, it's entertaining, it has twists and turns as the characters weave their way towards happiness and Christmas. It has romance. 

Moonlight in Manhattan is a heartwarming, easy read that will make the prefect accompaniment to mug of hot chocolate and a mince pie as we head towards winter. It's a relaxing read, set in a great location and will make a great stocking filler for anyone who loves popular fiction, romance and a feel good christmas read. 

If you are looking for a really enjoyable, lovely Christmas read then The Little Village Christmas is for you! It's got everything; romance, drama, comedy and plenty of Christmas sparkle! 

Moorcroft's writing style is punchy, humorous, engaging; always striking a good balance between comedy and drama. Although this is a festive read and the story builds towards Christmas, there is plenty more going on before we get to Christmas, plenty of characters to get to know, and plenty of action to make it a satisfying story that grabs your attention and lets you enjoy the ride. Moorcroft's fictional village setting is very well evoked and easy to visualise, her dialogue and interaction between the characters is authentic and well observed. 

This is a perfect Christmas read for anyone looking for something that will make them smile and give them characters to care about. From the moment you open the first page, you will be caught up in the life of Alexia and the goings on in Middledip. A perfect gift for Christmas and a lovely book to curl up with this winter! 

Covent Garden in the Snow is a gorgeous read and I really enjoyed this. It is so full of colour - despite the snowy wintery setting! It is full of love, life, heartache and happy endings. I highly recommend it as a perfect bit of escapism over the festive season! 

Tilly is a make up artist at an opera company and the story has everything you need for a great, engaging read. I loved reading all about behind the scenes of the shows and was entertained by the characters and fully caught up in all the relationships, issues and problems that arise. I thought Tilly was a very well crafted character who certainly gains the reader's empathy and I enjoyed being part of her emotional journey, feeling the ups and downs as she deals with the various dramas that arise in her relationships, friendships and at work. The dynamics and dialogue between all the characters feels real and the book is well paced. 

Wake's writing is warm and gently humorous and she captures the dilemmas, decisions and drama of the characters really well. The setting of Covent Garden and the opera company are really well captured and this is a great story to lose yourself in. Tilly is very likeable and the reader really wants to follow her emotional journey. It's a heartwarming story and perfect for reading over the festive season.

When a book written by one half of Trinny and Susannah, recommended by Davina McCall and Sir Elton John, and compared to Downton Abbey and The Crown, it's hard not to start reading it straight away! This sounds like the completely perfect book to devour after lunch on Christmas Day and that is exactly when I am planning on reading it! As I haven't had a chance to read this one yet, here's the blurb to entice you instead!

All eleven-year-old Esme Munroe wants for Christmas is for her mother to be on one of her ‘good’ days – and, secretly, for a velvet riding hat. So when she finds an assortment of wet towels and dirty plates in her stocking, she’s just relieved Father Christmas remembered to stop at The Lodge this year.

But later that day Esme’s mother disappears in the heavy snow. Even more mysteriously, only the Earl of Culcairn seems to know where she might have gone. Torn between protecting her mother and uncovering the secrets tumbling out of Culcairn Castle’s ornate closets, Esme realises that life will never be the same again after the snow...

Christmas at the Dancing Duck is a real feel good story. It starts of by introducing us to Kirstie Harrison who has a successful career in television presenting Kirstie's Kitchen until one day, on a show dedicated to Christmassy food, she reveals off camera to detest stollen, panettone, cloves, nutmeg and - the worst offenders of all ....mince pies...! Unfortunately her mic is still on and her rant has been broadcast to the nation. Time for a break while her team try to minimise the damage!

Reluctantly Kirstie returns to her family home, the village pub, The Dancing Duck. The pub is now run by her sister after the death of both her parents, another reason why Kirstie is no fan of Christmas and the main reason why she has fallen out of love with it. But it's very difficult to stay out of love with Christmas when the village is depending on you to run the pub and organise the celebrating over the festive period....

Well, if you are looking for romance and heart this Christmas, then this is the book for you! It's got ex-boyfriends, drama, dilemmas, love triangles and plenty of festive cheer! Everything might seem to be falling apart for Kirstie but as she is about to discover, that can often make way for new adventures or a chance to think about what it is that makes you happy. Over the course of the novel, Kirstie finds herself presented with a few choices to do with the family business, her sister, the village, tradition, the future and whether it should be head over heart or heart over head! 

I hope this helps you find the perfect Christmas novel to curl up with over the festive period! 

Happy Christmas and Happy Reading!