CHRISTMAS SECRETS IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

MY THOUGHTS:

It’s been three years since Holliday Harrison lost her fiancé.  She is working at Christmas Resort, and is jumping head first into the holiday season.  Her plan is to sail through the holidays making sure she stays extremely busy.  When Damon MacAndrew arrives at the resort he stays in one of the log cabins.  He is business minded and has a hidden agenda, he wants to buy the resort and make some serious changes to it.  Holly loves the Christmas Resort just the way it is, with its year round festivities, the last thing she wants is change.  So she must do everything possible and derail Damon’s efforts to purchase the resort.  The more time they spend together on sleigh rides, drinking hot cocoa and long walks in the snow, the closer they become.  All the while the magic of Christmas is wafting in the cold winter air, Damon’s heart begins to melt, as he enjoys the spirit of Christmas.  

Christmas Secrets in the Scottish Highlands written by author Donna Ashcroft, is a magical Christmas read that will launch you into the Christmas spirit.   The wonderful detailed descriptions of the Christmas Resort and the sweet smells from the kitchen makes you feel like you are sitting by the fire in the resort’s living room.  I was ready to go for a walk in the snow and pour a cup of hot cocoa.  The twinkle lights are hung and the tree is standing tall with all its decorations.  This wonderful escape to the Scottish Highlands at my favorite time of year was exactly what I needed.  This lovely Christmas story is a must read for this holiday season, with lovable characters and beautiful scenery.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

CHRISTMAS SECRETS IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS
Author:  Donna Ashcroft
Publisher:  Bookouture
Publication Date: September 29, 2023 
Pages: 291 
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Welcome to Christmas Resort, the festive retreat where the scent of cinnamon is in the air and chocolate yule log is eaten all year round! But with the resort in trouble, can Holliday Harrison save Christmas and find true love along the way?

Thirty-year-old Holliday Harrison is throwing herself into the festive season to give her life some purpose after losing her fiancé three years ago. Working at Christmas Resort, an all-year-round holiday village, with its sparkling lights and community of quirky characters, is the warm environment she needs right now. But everything is about to change…

When handsome, blue-eyed businessman Damon MacAndrew arrives to stay in one of the cute log cabins, at first Holly is intrigued. Why has this serious stranger come to such a jolly place? But then he makes his plan clear: Damon wants to buy the resort and change everything about it.

Determined to put Damon off Christmas Resort, Holly is soon engineering cold showers and setting him up to get lost in the maze. But with freshly baked cookies and delicious hot chocolate available on tap in such a magical setting, it’s hard to find ways to make the resort seem unappealing… Holliday tries her hardest to fight for the resort but the romance of Christmas seems to have other ideas.

As they take sleigh rides together and spend long evenings in front of the log fire she can’t deny the sizzling attraction between them. But has Damon really fallen in love with the magic of Christmas, or is he still a cold-hearted businessman? And will this turn out to be the best Christmas ever… or will it end in heartbreak? 

ABOUT DONNA ASHCROFT

I spent years working in publishing and as a freelance copywriter before turning my hand to writing romance novels. It took a few more years until I got the story right, and I was helped along by the help of the fantastic Romantic Novelists Association and their New Writer’s Scheme. I was awarded the Katie Fforde Bursary in 2017, along with my fellow author Erin Green. After this I met Natasha Harding from Bookouture who offered to mentor me through the WoMentoring Project – and this lead to my first publishing contract. I’m working on my sixth book now. When I’m not lost in my latest novel, I work for an online retailer where I buy natural beauty and cleaning products (and indulge my other great passion – moisturiser). Originally from Buckinghamshire, I lived in Lancashire and London before settling in Hertfordshire. Here I live with my own romantic hero Chris, two fantastic teenagers, along with a couple of very grumpy cats.

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THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE

MY THOUGHTS:

The Wallace Gallery’s Christmas charity gala is approaching and Charlotte Moore is given her dream job.  She is the lead buyer for the gala.  While at the auction, everything is sold, she bids on the last painting, of a beautiful sunset, even though it is not signed.  Charlotte wants to know the history of the painting, and travels to the picturesque coastal town of Seabreeze in New England.   She stays at the quaint and cozy Cove Hill Inn, which is decorated for Christmas inside and out.  The magic of Christmas fills the air, with the twinkling lights, and the scent of warm cookies fresh out of the oven.  The snow is falling outside and it doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.  Charlotte is snowed in and that brings her purpose for being there to an abrupt halt.  She meets the innkeeper, Aiden Bennett, and with the magic of Christmas and the local Christmas fair in full swing, this visit to the coast is exactly what she needed.  

The Christmas Promise written by author Lindsay Gibson, is a magical Christmas story that I couldn't wait to jump into.  This new author is automatically a favorite.  Her writing style is smooth and enjoyable and makes it easy for the reader to fly through the pages.  This is an unputdownable story that I absolutely loved.  This story has all the feels and then some.  It wraps you up and warms your heart like your favorite Christmas pajamas on a cold winter night.   Grab your fuzzy slippers, pour the hot cocoa and curl up in your comfy chair.  This magical read will propel you into the Christmas season and make you want to put up the tree and the twinkle lights.  This cozy story is an absolute must read, from its vivid description of the quaint town of Seabreeze to the phenomenal ending.  This would make a lovely Christmas movie.  I highly recommend this wonderful story, I loved everything about it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DESCRIPTION:

THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE
Author:  Lindsay Gibson
Publisher:  Harpeth Road Press
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Pages: 288
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Art buyer Charlotte Moore is given the chance of a lifetime to be head buyer for the esteemed Wallace Gallery’s Christmas charity gala. But when she arrives at auction, after the most prominent pieces are all bought up, in a panic, she bids on the final painting—an unsigned sunset landscape she’s nearly sure her boss will despise.

To save her job, she finds herself in the beautifully festive New England coastal town of Seabreeze, the setting of the painting. When a nor’easter blows through, she’s stuck at the adorable Cove Hill Inn, all decorated for the holiday and brimming with Christmas magic. While it’s not an awful place to be snowed in, her ability to work is at a standstill, with the gala looming closer.

And she isn’t expecting to meet the innkeeper’s soon, ruggedly handsome Aiden Bennett, a distraction she definitely doesn’t need. Even the inn’s cherry scones and the town’s Christmas fair are no match for Aiden’s charm.

However, when she uncovers a family secret that could impact everyone, including herself and Aiden, it might shake up more than just the holiday. Under the shimmer of the town twinkle lights and the snow-covered Christmas trees, will Charlotte find the answers she’s looking for? Or has she unearthed something else entirely?

ABOUT Lindsay gibson

Lindsay’s first book, her memoir, Just Be: How my Stillborn Son Taught Me to Surrender, won the Book Excellence finalist award in 2018. She has been featured in Elephant Journal, Green Child Magazine, and Self Magazine.

 

Lindsay now writes emotional romantic fiction, full of heartfelt love, good friends, and family, sprinkled with humor and tender warmth, where her characters discover that love is the reason for everything. Her debut romantic fiction novel The Christmas Promise with Harpeth Road Press, set in a charming New England town at the holidays is now available.

 

When not writing fiction, she is working on her exclusive weekly newsletter Love is the Reason about all things love, food and healthy living. She spends the rest of her days chasing her three daughters around their hometown in Connecticut and hanging out with her Irish husband whose brogue still makes her blush.

​

Lindsay is available for book talks, speaking engagements and interviews both online and in person

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THE LOCKET

MY THOUGHTS:

England, 1942: The war ranges on and tempers continue to flare.  The German’s must be stopped but it seams like an impossible task.  Irene is the daughter of a farmer and she meets Theodore one night at a dance in the village, it was love at first sight.  Theodore is from Louisiana and is stationed in England, his assignment was to build a US Airbase near her father’s farm.  Everyone they know, in the military and their village is against their relationship.  They will stop at nothing to tear the two apart.  Decades later, Ruby returns to her family’s farm after her grandmother Irene passes away.  Ruby searches the entire farmhouse looking for anything she can salvage about her grandmother’s past.  She finds Irene’s diaries and only one piece of her jewelry, a locket from Theodore.  Ruby must find the truth of the past before she loses hope in her future.

The Locket written by author Natalie Meg Evans, is a heartbreaking and completely enthralling story of bridging the past and the present.  This is a time slip novel of love and courage and never giving up.  I loved everything about Irene and Theordore’s story and I really liked Ruby and the fact that she would stop at nothing to find the truth.  This was an unputdownable book for me because itwas so well written, and I couldn’t wait to find out the ending.  I loved the description of the village and the people that lived there.  This is a wonderful and very emotional story that I highly recommend.  

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

DESCRIPTION:

THE LOCKET
Author:  Natalie Meg Evans 
Publisher: Bookouture 
Publication Date: September 25, 2023
Pages: 436 
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England, 1942. “It has to stay secret,” he whispers, placing the locket around her neck. “If they find it, they’ll send me away.” As she holds the locket, glinting in the moonlight, she can’t hold back the tears. “I just wish we didn’t have to hide…” 

When farmer’s daughter Irene meets Theodore at a village dance, sparks fly instantly. The war has brought him all the way from Louisiana to build a US airbase just across her father’s fields, but as they sway together, there is nothing else in the world. Only his gentle touch and his deep brown eyes. 

But being together comes at a price. As Theodore is Black, the might of the US Air Force is against them, and all the members of the little village community disapprove of their relationship. And they will all go to terrible lengths to tear the two young lovers apart… 

Decades later, heartbroken Ruby is back at her family’s crumbling farmhouse for the first time in years, after the loss of her beloved grandmother Irene. The roof has fallen in, family photographs are damaged – and her grandmother’s jewellery is nowhere to be found. 

When Ruby uncovers her grandmother’s waterlogged diaries, she discovers that Irene treasured one piece of lost jewellery above all. A locket from a man called Theodore. And the missing locket holds the key to unravelling a heartbreaking secret that changed her grandmother’s life… 

Is someone in the village hiding the locket to keep the truth about Irene and Theodore buried? And can Ruby find a way to honour her grandmother’s memory ­– or in digging up the pain of the war, will she tear her family apart?

ABOUT NATALIE MEG EVANS

Natalie Meg Evans has been an art student, actor, PR copywriter, book-keeper and bar tender but always wanted to write. A USA Today best-seller and RITA nominee, she is author of four published novels which follow the fortunes of strong-minded women during the 1930s and 40s. Fashion, manners and art are the glass through which her characters’ lives are viewed. Each novel is laced with passion, romance and desire. Mystery is never far away.

An avid absorber of history – for her sixth birthday she got a toy Arthurian castle with plastic knights – Natalie views historical fiction as theatre for the imagination. Her novels delve behind the scenes of a prestige industry: high fashion, millinery, theatre, wine making. Rich arenas for love and conflict. Most at home in the English countryside, Natalie lives in rural Suffolk. She has one son.

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AN ITALIAN SECRET

MY THOUGHTS:

Tuscany, 1944, Contessa Evelina Messina owns the wonderful Villa Rosa.  But as the Germans move to take over Northern Italy, Evelina entertains the soldiers to gather any information from them that she can.  Serving them fancy dinners and expensive wine from her wine cellar, the locals begin to wonder which side she is actually on.  Many years later Annie Reynolds’ father passed away and his last words to her was that she was adopted and the beautiful Villa Rosa was hers.  When she begins to investigate her past, some of the locals tell her that Evelina Messina had a child with a Nazi.  When Annie discovers an old diary with entries dating back to 1944, some of the pages had deliberately been removed.  Annie is certain that those missing pages are the truth to her past.  Reading through Evelina’s diary, Annie discovers that the Contessa did everything she could to keep the enemy Nazi’s at bay.  And now the truth must be discovered and made known, and Annie is the only one that can make that happen.

An Italian Secret written by author Ella Carey, was a heartbreaking story of finding out the truth and uncovering family history.  I loved every page of this story from cover to cover.  This dual timeline novel was completely unexpected and I was enthralled with its history.  I loved Annie’s story the most because of her determination to uncover the truth. This was a story that completely captivated me and I wasn’t ready for it to end.  I am so happy that this is the first book of a brand new series.  I can’t wait to read the next installment.  Thank you Ella Carey for such a phenomenal read…you never disappoint.  I loved this story and I highly recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

AN ITALIAN SECRET

Author:  Ella Carey 
Publisher: Bookouture 
Publication Date: September 22, 2023
Pages: 331
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Tuscany, 1944. Did she fight for the resistance or betray her people?

When the Nazis storm into northern Italy, Contessa Evelina Messina, the owner of the beautiful Villa Rosa, welcomes the Germans to her valley. In a dazzling rose silk dress, she entertains soldiers with priceless wine from her ancient cellars. Privately, she tells the townspeople this will keep the enemy at bay, but her disguise is so good, it is impossible to tell on which side her heart truly belongs…

Years later, American Annie Reynolds gazes up at the peach-coloured walls of the magnificent, empty house. Grieving deeply for her beloved father, Annie remembers his last words before he slipped away—he told her she was adopted and that the Villa Rosa was her birthright. Desperate for answers, Annie’s heart breaks when the locals tell her the Contessa had a child with a Nazi. She is devastated and ready to turn away from her dark past.

But everything changes when Annie uncovers a musty old diary from 1944 amongst the Contessa’s belongings. Pages have been meticulously cut out and Annie is sure these missing entries hold the clue to her past. As she frantically searches old papers, Annie sees how hard the Contessa worked to keep her people safe and wonders if the locals’ stories are wrong. Can Annie find the Contessa’s missing child, born at the end of the war? And will discovering the truth about what happened alter the course of her own life for good? 

ABOUT ELLA CAREY

Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The Things We Don’t Say, Secret Shores, From a Paris Balcony, The House by the Lake, and Paris Time Capsule. Her books have been published in over fourteen languages, in twelve countries, and have been shortlisted for ARRA awards. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Melbourne with her two children and two Italian greyhounds who are constantly mistaken for whippets. Ella loves to connect with her readers regularly through her facebook page and on her website.

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THE GLOVEMAKER’S DAUGHTER

MY THOUGHTS:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Raya finds solitude in her shop in Paris, it’s her safe place, and her favorite place to be.  She finds herself alone these days and after her parents died, she sent her younger brother Alex to Zurich to get his teaching degree.  The war is far from over and as the German’s close in on France, Raya is in extreme danger.  Nicolas Bardot, whom she has become very fond of, worked for the Resistance and although she herself was not a member of the Resistance she did everything possible to help and protect Nicolas.  When the Germans trashed her shop, she was arrested for working for the Resistance.  She wondered if that horrible, frightening day would ever end.  Her only hope was the man Nicolas whom she loved, and wondering if she would ever see him again. 

The Glovemaker’s Daughter written by author Shari J. Ryan was a heart wrenching story of people that survived the most horrific of times.  The hope that they never seemed to lose and the smallest bit of strength they held onto to survive was amazing to me.  This heartbreaking story of love and endurance was a tough topic to read, but the author does an amazing job of bringing back together a lifetime of sorrow.  The survival of those that lived through the horrible war, and survived, still warms my heart.  Keep the Kleenex nearby because you will surely need it.  I loved this story and I highly recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

THE GLOVEMAKER’S DAUGHTER

Author: Shari J. Ryan 
Publisher:  Bookouture
Publication Date: September 18, 2023
Pages: 393 
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Paris, 1943. German soldiers drag me out onto the cobbled street and push me towards the waiting truck. I force myself to face forward as tears stream down my cheeks. If I look back, they’ll know. I can’t let them find my baby girl…

Raya bends over a delicate glove in her beloved shop in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. It’s the only place she still feels safe. When the Nazis snatched control of Paris, Raya knew she had to fight to protect the few things she had left. And so far, her support of the resistance has gone undetected.

But now, the door bangs open and three German soldiers lunge towards her. Raya’s blood turns to ice. Hauled onto the cobbled street, she struggles against their rough hands as they accuse her of organizing meetings in the tunnels below her shop.

Raya can think only of her baby daughter Amalia, hidden beneath the shop’s front desk. She has a heart-wrenching choice to make. Reveal Amalia’s existence and risk her life, or leave her behind and pray someone protects her. It’s the hardest decision she’s ever faced…

Transported to Ravensbruck concentration camp, every day is a desperate battle for survival. The only thing that keeps Raya going is the thought of being reunited with her blue-eyed, innocent baby girl.

But did someone with a kind soul uncover Amalia’s hiding place and keep her safe? And in the darkest of places, is the power of a mother’s love enough to keep Raya alive until she can see her daughter again?

ABOUT SHARI J. RYAN

Shari J. Ryan is a USA Today Bestselling Historical Fiction writer. Her desire to write stories revolving Jewish livelihood during World War II stems from being a descendant of two Holocaust survivors. After the passing of Shari’s grandmother, she pursued an active interest in learning more about the inherited stories she yearned to understand better.

Shortly after earning a bachelors degree from Johnson & Wales University, Shari began her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer. She then found her passion for writing books in 2012. In 2016, Shari began writing her first Historical Fiction novel, Last Words, a story about a lifelong journey through the eyes of a Holocaust survivor. With two character related books to follow, Shari quickly found a new passion to share untold World War II stories within a fictional setting. 

Shari is a lifelong New England girl who lives to make people laugh. She is happily married with two wonderful sons and a spunky Australian Shepard, who fits right in with the family. 

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THE MIDWIFE OF BERLIN

MY THOUGHTS:

Berlin, 1945: Ester Pasternak barely survived Auschwitz and as she walks out of the gates she has only one mission.  She gave birth to a baby girl while she was imprisoned in Auschwitz.  Her daughter was immediately taken from her and given to a German family and now Ester must find her beloved daughter.  She isn’t the only one searching for her loved one.  Many Jewish families separated from each other during the war are now frantically searching for each other.  As the years pass by, Ester wonders if she will ever find her daughter Pippa.  Germany is still divided the East from the West and the wall of division is broken down, Ester has a new hope of finding her daughter.

The Midwife of Berlin written by author Anna Stuart was a heartbreaking story of perseverance.  It’s about endurance and never giving up on finding family.  The courage that these people had and their determination to survive no matter what their odds always amazes me.  I absolutely love the research that author Anna Stuart pours into her novels.  I always, always learn something new from her stories.  This unputdownable read is an absolute must read for all historical fiction fans.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

DESCRIPTION:

THE MIDWIFE OF BERLIN
Author:  Anna Stuart
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: September 13, 2023
Pages: 425 
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Auschwitz, 1943: I stroke my beautiful baby’s hair. It’s a miracle it’s blonde because it will keep her alive, it will keep her safe. Soon they will come and take Pippa out of Auschwitz-Birkenau – and out of my arms. But while there’s life, there’s hope I might find my daughter again…

An incredible story of one woman’s courage and determination to reunite her family in the aftermath of surviving Auschwitz.

1945, Berlin: Ester Pasternak walked out of the gates of Auschwitz barely alive. She survived against devastating odds, but her heartbreaking journey is only just beginning. In the camp, Ester gave birth to a tiny fair-haired infant, only for her precious baby to be snatched from her and taken to a German family. Now the war is over, Ester longs to find her little girl.

But Europe is in chaos, Jewish families have been torn apart and everyone is desperately searching for their loved ones. In every orphanage and hospital she visits, Ester searches the faces of tear-stained toddlers; each mop of blonde hair and pair of blue eyes she sees sets her heart racing…

But as the months and the years tick by, the possibility of finding her daughter shrinks smaller and smaller. And Ester starts to wonder if little Pippa is even safe, or whether the miracle that saved her has now put her in even more danger?

Will Ester ever be able to find the child whose tattoo matches her own? Or is she already too late…

ABOUT ANNA STUART

Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name. Having studied English literature at Cambridge university, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels. Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers.

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