Review: No One Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day by Tracy Bloom

Don’t you always plan the perfect Christmas? 
Don’t you always think it will be the best one ever? 
And doesn’t something always come along and screw it up? 

Katy’s been stuck in the office away from her family so she wants it all: snow (fake or real), the Michael Bublé Christmas album, whatever it takes. 

There’s only one thing missing as far as her husband Ben is concerned: another baby to complete their family. But Katy isn’t so sure she's ready yet…

Ben may be playing the role of Master Elf in the pre-school nativity but he is struggling to master his own family life. With romantically-challenged friends, an ex who refuses to go away and Katy's mum's 64-year-old toy boy thrown into the mix, Christmas looks like it could be going off the rails… Never mind family planning, can Katy and Ben even plan to make it to the end of Christmas Day? 

From the no. 1 bestselling author of No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday, this book will make you cry with laughter, and then book your flights abroad for the festive season

Review: You must know by now that I am a massive fan of Tracy Bloom, her novels always have me in stitches and so I was very excited when I heard she was bringing out another festive novel-just what I need, laughs at Christmas time. But this novel gave me so much more than just laughs. This is the third in the no-one ever has sex series and so it was great to revisit these characters again. You don't need to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this festive offering, it definitely works as a stand alone but the other books are so great and you will learn so much more about the history of the characters that I definitely recommend doing that. 

The characters in this book are just funny in themselves. I love Katy as a character because she is a strong woman and so someone I love to read about and identify with. But she is no-one without Ben, he is definitely her comedy sidekick and he is just a real gem in terms of men in fiction. I'm not just being biased because he is a fellow teacher but he is just such a love a I love him to bits. Of course with the comedy couple, we need to the straight couple for them to bounce off and Annabelle and Katy's ex are definitely that, but they have their own storyline in this novel, which is great too, and so are just fab to read about. 

Now there is a nativity in this book and I really believe that, along with the one from the film Nativity! it may just be the greatest of all time. I want to steal it and do it with my future classes at this time of year because it had humour, it had songs and it had meaning and quite frankly I cried over it! I loved it and it was a major highlight of the book for me. 

I also loved the deeper meaning in this book. There are messages about the importance of family and about the idea of having it all and the fear of missing out. This is intertwined with the humour of the book beautifully and along with a festive nativity you really have it all. One last thing that I loved about this book was that it was set in Leeds and I am a northern girl so I could feel their northerness just leaping off the page. I really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend picking it up!

Click the link to order your copy now: UK or US

Review: Summer Nights at The Moonlight Hotel by Jane Costello

'LEARN TO SALSA DANCE,' the card in the shop window read. 'Experience the red-hot vibes of Latin America right here in the Lake District. Beginners and singles welcome.'

Lauren Scott lives in 'The most romantic place in Britain', but her love life is about as successful as her mountain climbing skills. The man she's obsessed over for two years has proposed to someone else - and her only solution is to save up for six months to go travelling, so she never has to set eyes on him again.

But when her friends sign her up for a dance class - in the same historic hotel where her beloved dad worked and her most precious childhood memories were formed - Lauren makes a horrifying discovery. It's been sold to a faceless budget chain, which has depressing plans in store. Worse, the entrepreneur behind it all turns out to be among a group of guys her friend Cate roped in to join the very same salsa class they've signed up for.... 

Review: Such a compelling read, right from the word go. The book was particularly exciting for me because it is set in the lake district and a lot of it takes place in Ambleside, a town I have been visiting since before I was born! The descriptions of the countryside, the atmosphere and the general feel of the lake district were all spot on and i was really able to picture where the characters were at each and every point. The language Jane Costello uses is lovely, including some seriously imaginative similes, and she has obviously researched this are well (i'm sure she had fun doing so too!).

I really warmed to the characters straight away too, particularly Lauren. She is a primary school teacher and so I suppose this helps me have something in common with her, but she also has aspirations and dreams whilst at the same time having some fairly conservative views on how things should be done. I love her passion, he sense of right and wrong and the way she looks out for her friends. Her friends are fabulous characters in themselves. Emily and Cate were also very likable and Joe and Will play excellent men to ogle and drool over throughout the book! Lauren's family and the dance 'crew' also play some lovely roles in this novel-lots of comedy moments there!

The story line itself is full of more twists and turns than the waltzers! Lauren and her friends are really put through the ringer in this novel, just when you think nothing else can happen, it does! And some of the things that occur are seriously out of this world! I was entertained through the entirety of this novel, laughing out loud on an aeroplane and gasping to myself in my back garden. This books has it all, friendship, drama, romance and teachers! Pus it's all set in the beautiful backdrop of the wonderful lake district! I love Jane Costello but even if you haven't read anything by this fabulously funny author before, you're sure to enjoy this one!

Review! Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream by Abby Clements

Amelia has a dream: toasting chestnuts by the fire with her husband Jack in their own cosy cottage. Their real life is another world - a cramped one-bedroom flat in Hackney. But when life takes a surprising turn, removal vans are soon heading to the Kent countryside.

They soon realise the cottage makeover is a far bigger project than they'd anticipated. On top of that, there's Amelia's newly loved-up mum and her tearaway half-sister, Mirabel, to contend with - pushing Amelia and Jack's marriage to breaking point.

Amelia begins to strip back the wallpaper and fittings in the cottage and discovers the story of the cottage's previous owner - and a hidden secret. As Amelia's ideas about love and family change, will her fireside dream finally come true?

Review: aww what a lovely book. I knew this book would be lovely because of the whole concept of it, a comforting fireside, a cosy cottage, a dream come true, but it was even more comforting and warm and lovely than expected. I actually got this book on audiobook from the library and, whilst I had it in paperback too, I would really recommend it in this format because it was a truly lovely listen-well narrated and true justice was given to the writing. I was into the story right from the get go and loved the fact that it was about a teacher. I have to say that the teaching side of it was excellently researched, this author captured what life as a teacher is like, the stresses and the emotional side of it as well as the frustrations that you can feel in terms of your career developing! 

The rest of the storyline was also excellent. I loved the way that it was structured into different rooms and though the doing up a house aspect as well as the relationship aspect of the storyline were just as realistic as the teaching side. The structure meant that this was a fast laced read and there was some new twist and turn with every single chapter-just perfect. The characters in this novel were all extremely likeable and relatable. Obviously, being a teacher (and one who is trying to move house right now at that) I related to Amelia and the emotions that she felt with her job, the cottage and her relationship with her husband. I though Jack was very well-written as well, he was a proper man and someone who felt things and expressed his emotions as a. Modern man does. Amelia's mum really added colour to the story, as did her dad and his daughter (Amelia's half sister).

The setting was, of course, described beautifully and I really felt like I lived in that cottage for the duration of the novel, seeing every lick of paint, every new piece of furniture and every memory that was going to be made there. The village it was set in felt like it could have been any village near to me and really came to life on the page. Overall this was a really great read and something I've recommended to lots of people to read again. I have other novels by this author and they are definitely being bumped up the TBR to be read soon!  A comforting, lovely, realistic story to snuggle up with at any time of year!