If We're Not Married by Thirty by Anna Bell

If We're Not Married by Thirty

Anna Bell

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK

A brilliantly funny, romantic and effervescent read, If We're Not Married by Thirty is the irresistable new novel from the bestselling author of The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart and It Started With a Tweet. For fans of Lindsey Kelk and Sophie Kinsella.

Lydia's not exactly #LivingHerBestLife. She never imagined she'd be here at thirty - newly single, a job that's going nowhere and her friends all winning at life when she's still barely taking part. So she jumps at the chance of a free holiday and jets off to sunny Spain.

Then, out of the blue, she bumps into her childhood friend, the handsome and charming Danny Whittaker. She's always had a crush on him and they soon enter into a passionate holiday romance.

But this relationship could be more than a fling. Years ago they made a pact that if they were still single when they turned thirty they would get married. But noone really follows through with these pacts . . . right?

Could Lydia's back-up man really be her happy ever after?

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What a delightful and enjoyable read. I'd never read any novels by Anna Bell but after reading this I wonder why. I feel like I say that about a lot of authors so I will definitely be broadening my reading! Although this cover isn't my most favourite ever, I enjoy the bright colours, the two main characters parallel to each other and the style of writing. It doesn't give much away but at the same time piques your intrigue and makes you want to find out what it's about.

This was quite a different novel to what I usually read, however this is no bad thing. I loved the character of Lydia, there are laughs throughout the novel and I found myself laughing at this novel on more than one occasion. I love a book that makes you feel good and this is exactly that.

The novel follows main character Lydia, who is feeling a bit 'bleh' about her life at the moment. She feels that everyone around her is moving on with their lives, either getting engaged or having a baby and she feels that time has stood still for her. So, when her mum buys her a ticket to Barcelona to 'find herself' again, she reluctantly goes. However, whilst she's out there, she bumps into old friend Danny, whom she's loved since she was a teen and they kissed at her sister's wedding. Sparks fly and the pair pick up from where they left off. One thing leads to another and the pair decide to go ahead with a pact they made when they were at the wedding, to get married to each other if they are still single by the time they're thirty. Lydia's made up because she's always loved Danny, well at least she think she has... and the pair indulge in a whirlwind romance. But is it all that's cracked up to be?

Oh, what an amazing story!! I literally could not put this down!! When it got to the 'sten' do, I was literally just so eager to carry on reading it and I was getting frustrated when I couldn't! I literally couldn't wait to find out what happened next and to find out what was going on. Why was Victoria and Danny acting so shifty? Was something going on between them? Will Danny and Lydia stay together? What happens with Ross? All of these questions kept flying around my head and I just had to know how it ended - and what an ending! One thing I loved about this story was Lydia and Danny's mums. They were just so funny and their antics had me in stitches. I also liked that we got to hear about other secondary characters as well. Such as Lucy and her fiancé Ed, Kerry and her family and the like.

I will certainly be looking out for more novels by Anna Bell in the future. And I'll be going back to finding some older ones of hers to read too! Overall, a brilliant unputdownable read. Thank you so much to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

Blog Tour: One New York Christmas by Mandy Baggot

One New York Christmas

Mandy Baggot

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK

Will this Christmas romance be just for the holidays?

A fun, festive romantic comedy to curl up with this winter. If you love Josie Silver's One Day in December, you'll love Mandy Baggot's heart-melting love story.

Lara Weeks is heading for New York with best friend Susie for the Christmas trip of a lifetime.

A festive break in the snowy Big Apple visiting the tourist hotspots, not to mention the shopping, seems like the perfect way for Lara to get over her ex-boyfriend. Or maybe make him so jealous he begs for a second chance.

Enlisting the help of gorgeous actor, Seth Hunt, doesn't quite go to plan, but there's something about him that has Lara wishing for a different kind of happy ever after...

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What a perfect winter novel to cosy up with. It will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside by the time you've finished this fantastic new novel by Mandy Baggot. As soon as I knew that Mandy was bringing out a new Christmas novel, I jumped at the chance to read it because I have loved every single one of her other novels. This one was definitely no different. This cover is definitely one of my favourites of Mandy's. It just looks so sparkly and gorgeous! It's definitely got a festive feel to it and it completely draws you in. I couldn't wait to read it as soon as I saw this cover! Set in New York, this novel focuses on Lara who has escaped to the City That Never Sleeps with best friend Susie to get away from what's happening in her life at home back in Appleshaw.

One thing I love about Mandy's novels is that we always get to see both sides of the story. This time we get to read about Lara, who as mentioned above, is from a little village in England - and that village is all she's known for her whole life. She's never travelled, and she thought she had it good with boyfriend of two years Dan, that is until he says he wants a break from their relationship. On the other side is Seth, an actor trying to get his big break and also trying to find his birth mum (or mom). The two collide when Susie and Lara drunkenly message him on Twitter one night, they decide to meet up in New York to make Dan jealous and the attraction is obvious right from the beginning.

I really liked Lara and her no-nonsense attitude, she was a really refreshing character and I enjoyed reading about her and Seth's relationship. I also loved reading about New York around Christmas time and it's definitely made me want to book up and go! Mandy has a gift of making you feel as though you're right there with the characters, feeling what they're feeling and doing what they're doing. This book was simply magical and Mandy Baggot at her finest. I loved every page. I was just sad when I finished it! Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

For Once in My Life by Colleen Coleman

For Once in My Life

Colleen Coleman

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK

Twenty-nine-year-old Lily Buckley planned to be happily married and in her dream job by now. Instead she's been single since being left at the altar three years ago, and works at her local paper, writing about giant vegetables at the village fete and a dog who looks exactly like Chewbacca.

Not quite what she was dreaming of.

So when Lily's given the opportunity to write her own column it's exactly what she's always wanted - except what she has to write about. She has to do one thing every week that scares her.

With encouragement from sexy colleague - and adrenalin-junkie - Christopher, Lily agrees. From sky-diving to haunted houses, Lily is going to be pushed to her limit. But Lily is hiding something - the thing that she fears most of all...

Ever since her heart was broken Lily has been afraid of falling in love again. Will fear hold her back once more - or can Christopher help her to finally find happiness?

An uplifting, feel-good story about friendship, romance, and finding the hero inside yourself. Fans of Marian Keyes, Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella will love Colleen Coleman!

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I was really looking forward to starting this novel, I wanted something a bit different to what I usually read and this fit the bill perfectly. The cover is bright and so eye catching. I love the colours used, the stars really stand out, and it kind of shows you that the main character of this story will be going on some sort of journey. It doesn't give too much away but it gives you some sort of indication as to what the story is all about.

I didn't read Colleen's other novel, and after finishing this one I have no idea why! I really need to start broadening what I read because as many of you know, you should never judge a book by it's cover! This book follows main character Lily who works at her local newspaper, Lily had always loved her job - until Gareth took over and took all the fun out of it that is. But when Gareth suddenly leaves, Lily is able to finally get her chance to shine and when head office puts forward that she starts her own weekly column, she jumps at the chance.

The only catch is that she needs to do something weekly that scares her. From skydiving, to completing a crazy assault course. However, Lily is determined not to be beaten on this one and goes along with it. Although she wouldn't have gotten through it without friendly consultant Christopher, that has been hired to keep an eye on the paper and help turn it around. Along the way, Lily and Christopher grow close. But with Lily hiding away from her feelings, the big question is whether she can finally put the past behind her and put love first.

I have to say, it was a little slow to begin with. There was a lot of Lily basically talking at us, describing this and that and it was a lot of description. However, having said that, when Lily starts this bucket list, that's when things get interesting and I started to really enjoy it. So if you're feeling the same, don't give up! It gets so good to the point where you can't put it down - so keep going! Just like Lily. I found myself really relating to Lily because I feel that in some way we have quite a bit in common. I am the same, I love wrapping up and being all cosy and settling down to read a good book. But as Lily says in this novel, it's all about doing what you love isn't it? Sometimes we all must get to a point where we question whether what we do in our life is making us truly happy, and what we can do to change that if it's not. I just feel that this book was really relatable and I think it will relate to a lot of different and various readers too.

Overall, a really interesting and refreshing read. It was lighthearted and so enjoyable to read but there's a deep meaning of grabbing life by the hands and the feeling of belonging which really pushed this book into becoming one of my favourites of the year. A lot of what Lily said really resonated with me and made me really think! I will certainly be keeping an eye out for more novels from Colleen Coleman in the future that's for sure! And I am now the proud owner of 3 of her other novels. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

Bridesmaids by Jane Costello

Bridesmaids

Jane Costello

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLING AUTHOR

It's a happy day for everyone except the bridesmaid ...

With less than an hour to go before her best friend, Grace, is to walk down the aisle, Evie is attempting to fulfil her most important bridesmaid role: to deposit the bride at the start-line at the appointed time. But with a bride famed for her chaotic sense of time, and the bride's daughter busy mashing Molton Brown into the expensive hotel carpet, minus underwear, the odds are stacked against her.

Evie is twenty-seven; a sparkly, down-to-earth journalist. She has never been in love and has started to fret that she never will be. Small wonder, then, that the prospect of being bridesmaid at no less than three impending weddings is one that fills her with trepidation. But then she meets her friend Valentina's date, Jack. Valentina is beautiful, shallow and self-obsessed. Her dates tend to be mirror-images. Which can only mean one thing: Jack can't possibly be as good as he seems. Can he?

Full of warmth, fun and laughter, Bridesmaids is a novel to devour!

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I picked this up in Asda one day thinking it was a new novel of hers and then got home and realised that it was just a new cover of an old novel from 2008. Although, to be fair, not that it mattered because it turns out this was on my TBR pile anyway! So was pleased that I managed to pick it up with a cute and pretty new cover. The cover is simplistic but works really well and really draws you in. I like the pastel and bright colours used.

I was in a bit of a reading rut after just finishing about 3 Christmas novels in a row and didn't really fancy reading another one. I wanted something a bit more refreshing and when I started reading this I wasn't sure if this was going to get me out of said rut! It took me a bit of a while to get into it, some parts I had to re-read a line 3 or so times for me to be able to understand what it actually meant! But, the further you read in, the better it becomes! From about half way I was absolutely hooked and couldn't put it down. When it got to this point I was pleased I didn't give up and finished it to the end as I was so eager to find out how it ended!

The blurb didn't give much away, as it only really mentioned main character Evie and Grace's wedding - where she meets Jack. So I didn't know how the entire book was going to pan out, but of course knew the storyline was going to surround weddings. Evie was a really lovely and funny character. At some points in this novel I found myself laughing out loud because some of the things Evie went through was just hilarious! (Like Gareth for example! How much bad luck can one bridesmaid get?!) I really liked Evie and felt myself really feeling sorry for Grace - and hating Patrick! Valentina was another funny one who I liked, even though she was really self-absorbed I found her great fun.

Without giving too much away, I really enjoyed this novel in the end, even though I thought I wasn't going to when I first started it! It was funny, a bit emotional in parts and just completely unputdownable. A fab book that really helped me get out of my reading rut! I would definitely recommend you pick one up, especially with the gorgeous new cover.

The Best Festive Reads of 2018 So Far...

Since I started blogging a few years ago now, I've read quite a few Christmas novels! This year I've decided to list my favourites of the year so far as there are so, so many different ones out there that it's hard to choose which festive novel to read first!

Going through to write this post, it's actually surprising how many books I've already read this year and it's only October! So let's get stuck right in...

1. Dreaming of Christmas by T.A. Williams

You can read my review here.

2. The Christmas Cafe at Seashell Cove by Karen Clarke

You can read my review here.

3. Snowflakes and Cinnamon Swirls at The Winter Wonderland by Heidi Swain

You can read my review here.

4. The Mother of all Christmases by Milly Johnson

You can read my review here.

5. A Winter Beneath the Stars by Jo Thomas

You can read my review here.

6. Love at the Northern Lights by Darcie Boleyn

You can read my review here.

7. One New York Christmas by Mandy Baggot

You can read my review on the 12th of November. So watch this space!

So those are my favourites so far! I've still got plenty more on my TBR pile but these have stood out to me so far this year. I've also been wanting to re-read the following other Christmas novels!

A Cosy Candlelit Christmas
Tilly Tennant

The Canal Boat Christmas: Port Out
Cressida McLaughlin

Possibly going to re-read these!!

A Winter Flame
Milly Johnson

The Canal Boat Christmas: Starboard Home
Cressida McLaughlin


OK no - definitely going to re-read these!

Christmas Cakes & Mistletoe Nights
Carole Matthews

The Cosy Christmas Chocolate Shop
Caroline Roberts





















And those are my best festive reads of 2018 so far! What festive novels have you been loving?

The Little Book Cafe: Amy's Story by Georgia Hill

The Little Book Cafe: Amy's Story

Georgia Hill

Rating: 4 stars

Amazon UK

Escape to the seaside for a new three-part series for fans of The Canal Boat Cafe and Willow Cottage.

Amy, the manager of The Little Book Cafe, is a hopeless romantic who had her heart broken, but quietly refuses to give up on love.

With her friends Tash and Emma, not to mention their shared love of books and delicious cake from the cafe next door, Amy might just find the courage to fall for a real life romance this time...

Amy's story is the final instalment of The Little Book Cafe series so wrap up warm this Autumn and treasure this wonderful book.

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I was so looking forward to diving into Amy's story and I can honestly say that it certainly didn't disappoint. We'd seen a little bit about her in the previous two novella's and was excited to read more about her. I must say that this cover is just absolutely delightful. I adore the burnt orange colours, it just screams autumn! I love the big pumpkins, the cute little cupcake and of course the pile of books in the centre of the cover! The colourful leaves around the outside just completes the cover for me.

Onto Amy's story. I really felt for Amy throughout this novel. Her mother treated her awfully and she just wants to catch a break. I will say, I feel like theres a huge focus on weight in this book and I really don't feel like it was necessary. I couldn't believe it when friend Emma said 'Yes, you've got some weight to lose' and Amy's mum saying she'll never find someone who will love her and being shocked at Amy's size. I just felt it was all a bit over the top and as the story went on it got a bit annoying.

One thing I liked about this, was that the women all came together in the end. In the first novella, Tash and Amy didn't see eye to eye, and now in this one they are rooting for each other. It was nice to see. It was also nice to see that Amy and her mum finally sorted things out and that they were going to be more positive to one another. I did enjoy the descriptions of the hot chocolates, the parties. Everything was described so beautifully and it was such an easy read. It took me a few days to read it (but that's because I'm such a slow reader!), you could easily sit down and read this in a few hours.

I'm sad that this is the final one in the series, it was so nice being back in Berecombe and I loved reading about some much-loved characters again. I wished there was another Christmas one! Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

The Mother of All Christmases by Milly Johnson

The Mother of All Christmases

Milly Johnson

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK

Eve Glace - co-owner of the theme park Winterworld - is having a baby and her due date if a perfectly timed 25th December. And she's decided that she and her husband Jacques should renew their wedding vows with all the pomp that was missing the first time. But growing problems at Winterworld keep distracting them...

Annie Pandoro and her husband Joe own a small Christmas cracker factory, are well set up and happy together despite life never blessing them with a much-wanted child. But when Annie finds that the changes happening to her body aren't typical of the menopause but pregnancy, her joy is uncontainable.

Palma Collins has agreed to act as a surrogate, hoping the money will get her out of the gutter in which she finds herself. But when the couple she is helping split up, is she going to be left carrying a baby she never intended to keep?

Annie, Palma and Eve all meet at the 'Christmas Pudding Club', a new directive started by a forward-thinking doctor to help mums-to-be mingle and share their pregnancy journeys. Will this group help each other to find love, contentment and peace as Christmas approaches?

The brand new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Perfectly Imperfect Woman; a gorgeous read full of love, life, laughter - and crackers!

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Milly Johnson has a gift. There's no two ways about it. Her writing draws you in from the very beginning and just when you think that these characters are going to be happy finally - BAM! Something happens that turns their world upside down. This is the point where you do not want to put the book down and you take it absolutely everywhere with you. This book is no different to the others I've read by Milly. I absolutely loved it.

The cover is wonderfully festive, I love the colours, the cute little shop cabins and the beautifully lit Christmas trees. The title is extra special too. It's a novel that you can't wait to dive into. And dive into it I did! I really enjoyed reading about the three women, it was nice to read about women who were pregnant, as with most of Milly's novels they do not include children. Also with most of Milly's other novels, we get to know three main characters with a side bonus of visiting some other characters too. In this novel, we focused on Eve (from previous novel A Winter Flame), Annie and Palma. All three ladies are absolutely lovely and I couldn't wait to read their stories and about their pregnancies. We also touched in briefly with Effin (One of Eve's workers) and Caraid (Think that's how it's spelt!!! Effin's niece).

The story slowly builds up, and at about half way through - that's it - you're hooked. There's no going back and you feel as though you have to finish it -  and soon! What I find with Milly's novels, is that every chapter is left with a big cliffhanger, so if you're reading before bed, that 'one more chapter' idea that you usually tell yourself never works and you end up reading 6 more before you finally convince yourself to put it down. Then, when you're eating breakfast you find yourself reading it again! I wouldn't say it was overly festive though, there wasn't much mention of Christmas, although this didn't really matter because the storyline was just so good.

It's honestly impossible to dislike this book. It has everything and you find yourself relating to the characters quickly. I think Palma was my favourite in this novel, I really felt for her and all that she had been through - I found myself thinking on more than one occasion 'Can't this woman catch a break?!', just a quick side note, you WILL need tissues when you start reading about her giving birth! I was soooo emotional it's unreal! Milly Johnson what have you done to me! Crying into my porridge. Although having said that Annie was really cute too and I was so pleased that her and Joe finally got what they've always dreamed of! Overall, it was an utterly brilliant novel and I am so pleased I managed to read this before it was released. It's definitely put me in a festive mood and it's not even November yet!

Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.